Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayte Martinez.
Hi Kayte, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Kawaii Kayte in 2021 hoping to share my cute crafts with the world. I started with using old albums to create collage prints when a few friends of mine insisted I finally open up my own Etsy store. I jumped in creating items for the shop while working full time in retail in the middle of COVID lockdown. It really gave me an outlet to open up myself in such a difficult time. My art started gaining traction online and then I learned about various pop up markets in Orlando. In early 2022 I started participating as a vendor at the cupsleeves and Fanart markets in the area! I kinda blew up at these events selling my upcycled art prints and I started making more items like mini photocards, greeting cards, bias packs, journals, candles and more! Earlier this year, I’ve even managed to get an artist shelf at a Kpop Store in Tampa called Kpop Nabi. It’s a permanent shelf where you can browse my products everyday! I’ve even been able to drop down to part time day job and take on my art as a full time position! I love getting to create new things and I’m grateful Kawaii Kayte allows me to do that 💜
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There’s definitely been obstacles along the way. I don’t believe that any good journey is a smooth road. I feel like learning how to run a small business while it’s also something you love doing is hard. When you make a hobby a job there’s lots of burnout and learning curves. I personally didn’t know anyone with a small business before starting mine. I didn’t know where to start or how to research how to do any of it. It took months of looking up how to start and figuring out how to price my art, learning to put my shop on social media, and how to market myself. There’s been times where I’ve made too much product, where I’ve priced my products too low and didn’t make any profit, where I’ve vended at events that I couldn’t make the vendor fees and gas back. It’s hard to admit but even after 4 years I’m still making mistakes and learning how to run my shop. I think you have to roll with the punches and I’m grateful to say I’ve met so many other lovely business owners along the way that have helped me and I never make the same mistakes twice! I do think the hardest part for me though is imposter syndrome. For the first time lately after a very successful 4 years of having Kawaii Kayte, I just started calling myself a artist and small business owner.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have two products that I’m best known for, collage art prints and mini photocards! I’ve been doing collage art prints since before I started my shop. I’d always give them away as gifts for friends or family or just keep them for myself. In Kpop, to support your favorite artists you buy their albums. In those albums you get a photobook, photocards, and often times things like stickers and postcards too! But the problem is that all of the photo books are the same, whereas the photocards and inclusions you can get vary per album. So you always want to get your favorite member right? Well what do you do when you buy multiple items to get your favorite members photocard but don’t want 2 or more copies of the photo books? Well that’s where I come in! I take those photo books and create new collage art prints that you can use for your binders, as posters, as postcards, gifts – you name it! I have a hoard of stationary that I add to them like stickers, gems, glitter, and more. I really enjoy making them and I treat them as what they are, art! It’s consistently my best selling product online and in person and I can never keep the popular groups in stock! I also have a passion for all things mini! I mean who doesn’t? I see more mini items popping up everywhere everyday. So I also take popular concepts for Kpop groups and make mini photocards! They’re really small and so detailed I can’t use a machine to cut them so they’re all hand cut by me. People love using them for the back of their phone cases or I have a binder keychain for them to be a cute accessory! I also use the leftover scraps from the albums to create trading envelope kits, diy collage kits, greeting cards, resin wall art, cd covers, journals and Ill even use every last scrap of paper to make homemade paper.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I have a passion and drive for creating new things out of scraps people would normally not think twice about. I also love doing what I do. I know I’ll never be rich from making one of a kind items but I love that I can reduce waste from our planet a little more each day. I usually buy just the album photo books, but I’ve also started collecting donations this last year and offering discounts and free products from my shop if they help reduce waste as well. I’ll use everything I can and if I can’t use it I’ll spread it around to other small businesses in the Orlando area so nothing goes to waste! It’s definitely shown me a new side of the community that wants to reduce waste as well!
Since I make every collage print as one of a kind, I don’t really have a favorite one but I have so many favorite sets that I’ve made and every time I finish one I get so excited to share it. I think I’m most proud of my shop in general. Im living a life that I only dreamed I could live as a child and that makes me the happiest. If I could really go back and tell baby Kayte that I get to do art for a living, I just know she would be proud!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think my positive outlook is the most important characteristic for my success. I want to thrive and do well, but at the end of the day, I know I’m in a very small niche of the world. I know I’ll never go viral or have a million sales but I am always keeping up a good attitude. I think I’m already doing better than I ever thought I would and I’m very grateful I get to do something I love. I have this small community around my shop and they keep me going. I have customers that keep coming back to my art and I strive to do better for them. I think there will always be good days and bad days but always staying positive and being in the moment is essential for success. Rolling with the punches and being flexible to whatever comes my way will always be something I strive for. I’ll always continue to keep a smile on my face and enjoying the process.
Pricing:
- Collage Art Prints $10
- Mini Photocards $7
- Mini Photocards Binder Keychains $5
- Journals $15-$25
- Candles $25
Contact Info:
- Website: https://KawaiiKayte.Etsy.Com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kawaii.kayte/
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/KawaiiKayte
