Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea Knight.
Hi Shea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
As a longtime fan of pop culture and cuteness, ever since I was a child, I’ve been constantly inspired by the art around me and the things I enjoy! Seeing creations like Pokemon and Neopets early on in life has always inspired me to make my own art and creations. After being severely burnt out from a typical fast-food job in my early twenties, I decided that if I truly wanted to make a living from creating cute creatures and art that I had to take matters into my own hands. I met a lot of wonderful people along the way to help me build an incredible support system that I have today, who’ve helped me grow as a person and an artist. My friend who was a vendor at conventions offered me a foot of table space at a nearby Orlando Anime Convention; with his button maker and my last paycheck, I hand-pressed over 200 buttons to sell at this convention. At the time, they were all little joke drawings and silly internet memes, but with those 200 buttons, I was able to raise enough money to pay for my first plushie prototype, the Funnel Snake! Now 4 years later with over 5 plushies, 2 backpacks, plentiful pins and charms, and apparel in the works, it’s been more than I ever thought possible. We run our little business out of our house, but we dream on having enough inventory to one day expand!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life. My first Kickstarter, my very first plushie and project to the public had been successfully funded. As soon as it was funded, I immediately thought I lost all the money, as my bank put it on hold without telling me. Two days of pure panic and stress and what I thought was my opportunity shot down before it even got a chance. More recently, to put it simply, almost all our stock was stolen from us on our way back home from a convention. We fell asleep in our hotel; we woke up to find our entire trailer missing. Someone had cut through our lock and stolen our whole trailer, like, the whole thing. It was gone from our car, nothing left behind but the shattered lock on the ground.
I have a kickstarter going for my most recent plush as well as apparel. Here’s the link: http://kck.st/3QqBrtA
Thankfully we’ve had the amazing support of our friends around us, and we’re working on bouncing back better than ever!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I design adorable food/animal hybrids with creative pun names! I specialize in plushies, enamel pins, charms, and Japanese Ita Bags/Backpacks and am currently branching into apparel! I’m probably most well-known for my character the Cinnasnail, and my Snail Ita Bag Backpack. I really pride myself on the names I give all my characters as I love seeing people’s reactions once they find out their names. Some of them being Flanaconda, Banana Spitz, Milkdrake, Mothmallow, and more! I’m very proud of my most recent release the UFO Catcher Ita Bag, it’s a backpack with a window for displaying enamel pins, and it’s in the shape of a claw arcade machine game. I try to put a lot of unique little touches to all my products to make them unique and stand out.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Always be willing to open up to new experiences and broaden your horizons; being kind will get you farther than you know. Networking within your community is as simple as saying hello.
Contact Info:
- Website: honeyherds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeyherds/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeyherds/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HoneyHerds
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@honeyherds
