Meet Anna Goetz

We recently connected with Anna Goetz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna , so excited to have you with us today, particularly to get your insight on a topic that comes up constantly in the community – overcoming creativity blocks. Any thoughts you can share with us?

Being an artist unfortunately means creative blocks are inevitable. While there are some blocks that are worse than others, I find it helps to step back and take a break. There are times when I cannot stand a design I’m working on, or no matter what I try it just doesn’t look right and feels impossible. Those are the times I close my ipad for a few hours, sometimes a few days and just try to take a mental break from it until I can come back to the design with fresh eyes. Majority of the time the design wasn’t as bad as it felt and those fresh eyes give the new perspective I needed.
Other creative blocks might be when I just can’t think of a new design to work on. When I can’t see my next step I try to go back to the basics, think of the things I enjoy most. Maybe it’s a movie I want to make art based on, sometimes just sitting and rewatching a show or movie can spark a new idea.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

ADG Mercantile was started as a way to make stickers I wanted but could not find elsewhere. To my surprise, other people who enjoyed similar fandoms as me also wanted these stickers. Fast forward 5 years I make fan art into stickers, keychains, pins, stationary, mugs, totebags, ornaments, and art prints, with more coming soon. I make fan art for my favorite fandoms: Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, Dodgers baseball, Ducks hockey, and a few other random movies and tv shows sprinkled throughout my shop.
I try to make things I would personally use as well as designs I love. I am a strong believer that if YOU don’t love the art you create, you can’t expect others to. To this day the items I have loved the most and been the most excited about have been the ones that have done the best, which is something I’m very proud about.
With the holidays approaching I plan to release new ceramic ornaments in time for my next in person market, November 30th. Be sure to check out the shop for some cute fandom related holiday goodies as well as lots of everyday goodies.
Also just announced, I will be selling at Women in Sports Weekend at the Honda Center and Great Park Ice December 6-7. I’m so excited to be featured with so many other amazing women in sports and can’t wait to see so many people there.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the most impactful part pf my journey has been surrounding myself with extremely supportive people. ADG Mercantile would not be the business it is and I would not be the person I am if not for my incredible support system. My family and friends have been here to celebrate all the highs and push me through the lows. For anyone looking to start a business or pursue art full time I suggest surrounding yourself with nothing but support. There will be rough times and negative people, having people you can lean on during the rough times, and that can drown out the negative comments makes all the difference. Likewise, there should be no room in your life for people who do not fully support you and just offer continued negativity, it is okay to cut out those negative people.
Another key in my journey has been making things for me and not the masses. I mentioned earlier that you cannot expect someone else to love your work if you don’t love it yourself. If what you are making doesn’t spark joy in your heart, there’s little chance it will spark joy in your customers’ hearts. Personally, every time I have made a product or design because I thought “Well, I may not like this show but I know it’s popular, it should sell” it has not sold. Conversely, when I make something I love, that I’m excited to use, 9 times out of 10 it becomes one of my best sellers.
Lastly, never stop trying to improve your craft. When I look back at designs I made 5 years ago, it amazes me how much I have grown as an artist. Which wouldn’t have happened if I had stopped trying to improve my craft, expand my inventory, and just grow altogether. Reaching out to other artists about their technique, watching YouTube videos, and practice can all help you grow as an artist.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

In the last year I have started selling at in person events such as comic conventions and local markets.
Doing these events has helped me as an introvert grow to be a lot more extroverted. Additionally, meeting customers, both new and longtime online customers, has been so fun and fulfilling for me. Actually seeing people’s reactions to my art in person makes it all seem so much more real to me. The smiles and laughs as people read some stickers, makes me feel like I have found my purpose in this world. This past year I have fallen in love with in person vending events and cannot wait to do more in 2025.
One of the most fulfilling moments of selling in person was meeting one of my favorite Star Wars actors, showing him a design I sell of his character, and him loving it. Not only was he extremely kind and supportive of my art, he informed me that all weekend guests had been brining him my art for him to sign. Honored doesn’t begin to explain how that made me feel. If anyone who brought my mugs and or tote bags to Ewan and Hayden at LACC 2024, thank you so much.
As of this interview I have 2 more events for this year on November 30th, I will be selling at the creative babes market in Temecula at the Callaway Winery. December 6th and 7th I am honored to be apart of Women in Sports Weekend hosted by the Anaheim Ducks. This event will take place both at the Honda Center and Great Park Ice. My final vending event of 2024 will be at the creative babes market at Angel Stadium on December 21st.
In 2025 I will be returning to Comic Con Revolution in Ontario from May 17-May 18. ADG will also be returning to LA Comic Con from September 26-28 at the LA Convention Center.
Be sure to check instagram for more vending dates coming soon!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Most photos were taken by my mom,
the first 2 “additional” photos were taken by @_lilhannah_photo
“additional” photos 4 & 6 were taken by @nikkis_pictures

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