We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Chen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Vanessa, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I’m happy this is one of the questions since I feel like it’s a topic we don’t often talk about. I incorporate self care into my life by having a cup of tea on days that I can, taking short breaks throughout the day and practicing Chanoyu, Japanese Tea Ceremony. Practicing tea has been a hobby that really brings me away from everything happening in life to being mindful in the tea room or just learning to stay present. These self care practices are reflected in many of my designs, which is most prominent in my Relax With Tea and the Daruma Encouragement designs. In the summer, I love going swimming or out for a walk even if I can only fit them in for a short time. This impacts my effectiveness by giving my brain a break, allowing my ideas to flow more freely and helps me stay focused. Sometimes, when I’m feeling stressed, I’m surprised by how just a few minutes of break centers my thoughts and decision making or brings inspiration for when I come back to what I’m working on.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My brand is called Sixtyeightcolors, home to cute, happy & playful illustrated greeting cards, stickers and stationery gifts. I create recurring characters who are featured in many of my designs for different occasions. They each have their own name and story. Customers feel excited seeing the same characters on different products in various scenarios such as an everyday love card vs a holiday card and finding a connection. I love incorporating sayings that convey love and often feature a cute pun which brings me joy to see people laughing or smiling at them. I feel like people are more similar than we are different in many ways–I strive to create love and encouraging art that people and couples can relate to in hopes to bring them moments of joy. I include a lot of self-care and positivity messages in my line including about relationships as I feel like they’re such a big part of our lives and that it’s important to focus on positive and healthy communication and spread love with those around us.
I have been working on holiday products during the summer for wholesale and I’m very excited about my recent release of Lunar New Year cards and products for 2025, the year of the snake. It’s always been one of my bestsellers and I look forward to designing a new illustration and artwork each summer. I will be releasing my holiday line, including Lunar New Year and holiday releases to my direct to consumers in the upcoming months so I’m excited about that! I’m always working on new designs and thinking of new product lines to add so I hope my customers look forward to them as much as I do. I think about both wholesale and direct to consumer when I come out with new art and products, striving to have them streamlined and intended for my target audience. I love interacting with customers at my pop-up shows and doing my best to build an online presence with social media. In the same way, I love working with retail stores, building that partnership with other small business owners. I’m always looking to expand in retail stores so if anyone knows of a cute shop that would match well with my products, I would love to know!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I still feel like I’m early in my journey and I have lots to learn but I would say that when it comes to art, practicing and continuing to draw even when an art block might be a hindrance is important. I feel that as a small business, we face rejection on a daily basis and staying positive, moving on and not giving up is hard but also very much needed when we’re constantly told some form of “no.” I tend to set high expectations for myself and had to learn that it’s important to set realistic expectations and break down my larger goals into more manageable steps. Finding the right community and learning from our peers is very helpful when we can support each other. I have met other small business owners and creators along the way who have helped me in my journey, including investing in taking classes to learn new skills and improve on them. I’m grateful for the people I have met and the skills I have developed and honed over the years.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Definitely! I’m always looking out for collaborations, more recently keeping an eye out for new licensing opportunities for greeting cards. I love working with small businesses in adding more cute and positive products to their shelves! Whether that be at a cafe, grocery store, or stationery shop. Working with other creatives is always fun. I’m often told my illustrations would go well as a children’s story book and I often think about the kind of stories my artwork would tell. I can best be reached via email at vanessa@sixtyeightcolors.com or via my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sixtyeightcolors.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/vanessachen.w
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/vanessachen.w
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/htvanessachen/
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