ManMade Profile: The Pink Samurai

Name: Rebekah Jeannine

Shop Name: The Pink Samurai

Blog/Website: rebekahjeannine.wordpress.com

Location: Salisbury, MD

Bio: Born and raised in central Texas and currently living on the Eastern shore of Maryland. I grew up in a very creative environment and my mother always encouraged my ideas. She taught me how to sew and I was always making something at home. I didn’t start taking any serious art classes until I moved to Maryland. I majored in Business at my local community college after high school with the thought of open a boutique, but took a few years off and worked full time until just last year. I’m going back to school for a BFA in Graphic Design and I’m loving it.

What do you sell that would appeal to the guys?
My main line is comic book buttons “rescued” from old comic books that would otherwise have been forgotten. These buttons are given a new life. Also, my Leet Speak cross stitches adorn cubicles all over the country.

Where do you sell your stuff?
Etsy is my main outlet, but I also try to get to as many comic conventions I can and set up shop there. It’s fun to actually meet the people buying the product.

How long have you been in business?
About 2 ½ years.

How did you get started?
I was originally selling pixels of Mario characters and purses, but the market was so flooded with both and I really wanted to be more original with my product. So I was looking through my vast stash of crappy comics and decided to go that route.

How do you get the word out about your shop?
I try to blog a lot, I’m really happy with my new home at WordPress and I go on the Etsy forums every day. I find that being a part of the community there keeps my name in the mix and I have more sales. I’m just now keeping up with Flickr and can’t wait to see the results of that. Twitter is really fun too.

What’s your creative process?
I just sit down with some good music playing and a pile of books. I try to find phrases that are totally ridiculous when taken out of context. And facial expressions that are equally as silly. When working with comics from the 80s and 90s, it’s really easy to find some real gems.

What do you want people to know about your work?
I put a lot of thought into the products I make. The composition and content are taken very seriously in each piece I make, whether its buttons, cross-stitches or prints…even though they are really geeky.