Colleen Craven

The witchy vibes I bring to the function is blasting Abba while saging my apartment to rid negative energy. Disco is very important to this process.

Screenshot of Pokémon legends Arceus in which a Bidoof says “Oof…”

Oof

Screenshot of Eevee in the sitting in a grassy field in the Pokémon anime wearing a flower crown

Eevee with a flower crown

New thank you cards!! 💖 If you recently ordered something from my Etsy you may have noticed I got new thank you cards. I love all my Etsy orders big or small so I wanted to add a special mini print/thank you card for all my online orders. Forever thankful for all your support! 🥰

Tariff Talk: I’ve had a few people ask me why I’m so stressed about tariffs so I wanted to give you a run down. 95% of my products are made either in-house or in the US so it makes sense in theory that my business wouldn’t be affected, but that’s not actually true let’s talk about it.

I make my own prints in house which is amazing, but I need paper that’s made in Europe, printer ink that’s manufactured in Japan to make that happen. The plastic sleeves I use to keep prints protected? Made in China. My stickers might be manufactured in the US but where do they get their inks and paper (spoiler alert: probably not the US)

Everyone even your most handmade artists at the market will be affected by this. The person knitted hats (China, India, and Turkey are the largest yarn manufacturers) the person selling handmade jewelry (Did you know Mexico is the largest silver exporter?). We don’t just conjure art out of nothing we need supplies and they frequently don’t come from US.

So where does that leave us? Well for me personally I’ve done my best to stock up on supplies, but there’s a lot that’s out of my control ultimately. I will do my best to avoid raising prices because I really believe in keeping art accessible especially in times of crisis, but I can’t guarantee that forever I still need to pay my overhead costs after all.

It’s a rough time to be an artist running a small business. Support your creative friends they’re definitely going through it rn.

My chinese manufactured order that made it to America on Monday morning really feels like it got the last helicopter out of Saigon. Looks like it’s just stickers, prints, and tote bags for the foreseeable future folks.

Check on your small business friends today we are not ok 🫠

I love being a human artist and creating something never before seen, out of my mind’s eye. I love making every decision with care. I love trying and failing. I love noticing mistakes and fixing them. I love it all.

Also if you posted one of those dumbass Miyazaki ai posts you’re not a real Miyazaki fan. You missed the whole point of like most of those films.

I went to see Princess Mononoke in theaters last night. The theater was absolutely packed on a random Sunday night. The entire crowd applauded at the start and end of the movie of a movie that came out in 1997. Ai may steal Miyazaki style but it will never be a Miyazaki film. Ai art isn’t real art.

Nothings more anxiety inducing for me than placing a product production order. Lots of money, getting go of control, waiting for months? Oh yeah big anxiety feels.

Having a boba place perfectly placed on the way back from PT is a dangerous thing because I will feel entitled to a little treat after every session.

Oops I bisexual sat for too long and now I have go to PT twice a week for the foreseeable future to fix my posture and chronic neck pain 🫠

I’m back babyyyyy!! Creative Craven is back in stores but this time in my home base of downtown Troy with Hangin Handmade!

Birds won the Super Bowl and I finished my punch needle. Good day!

screenshot of Bidoof saying “Yup, I’m stupid. But I still do my best.”

same

The whiplash of being a small business in 2025 is wild. I love scrambling to pivot my manufacturing plans because of shipping bans only for them to be rescinded in under 24 hrs. 🫠

Out here collecting hobbies like they’re Pokemon to ward of the looming sense of dread.

Current rotation is gaming, piano, knitting, punch needle, and drawing.

Probably gonna pick up sewing this week because why not?

An illustration with the Canadian and Mexican flag that says "F*ck the tariffs. Stand against authoritarianism. Stand with our neighbors."

We stand with Canada and Mexico!

Honestly most days I have to handle admin task I’m just like ok who had the bright idea to put a 30 yr old child in charge of this? I don’t remember being qualified to handle this.

Getting a Regal unlimited plan at the start of the year was hands down the best decision I could’ve made for my mental wellbeing. Like yes pls make me unplug from the world for a few hours every week.

My 2025 motto

Photo of Pokemon cards

My whole design team went to McDonald’s for the Pokemon happy meal today and I think I got the best cards.

The world is scary but at least I have my community and crafting today.

Hope you’re ready for silly little art things and oversharing! 💖