Interview with Nique AKA NotionsbyNique

The ProSeller Corner Tell the world a little bit about yourself.

Nique My name is Nique and I live in Southeastern Michigan with my husband and two daughters. Our eldest’s birthday is actually, today – she is 18. Our youngest is 7. We have 3 dogs and a bird, which is not very many for us given the zoo our house has been in the past. We have always had dogs, but we’ve also had birds, fish, turtles, hamsters, lizards, and rats (those were for my oldest daughter – they always ‘icked’ me out!)

The ProSeller Corner When did you start designing at Zazzle and what made you choose them?

Nique I joined Zazzle in May of 2006 – strictly as a onetime type thing – to create a t-shirt for a group I belonged to at the time. I was one of the founding members of Artifex, a group that designed expansion packs for Zoo Tycoon (you can still find that merchandise in my store if you look! LoL).  We had so many fans that we had decided to make some t-shirts to sell. So I opened a store and the rest is history, as they say.

The ProSeller Corner Do you have any other stores at Zazzle?

Nique Notions by Nique was my first store and it really compliments my Gemini/ADD personality. There is a lot of variety. I love to learn new techniques and work with new mediums, so there you will find everything from my fantasy artwork to my photography – on virtually all of the products that Zazzle has available.

My second store is Noteable Expressions. This is my stationery store and has primarily weddings, though I've added party invitations and business stationery as well. This is the one place where I try and stay organized and ‘on topic.’

The ProSeller Corner What has been your best selling product?



Nique My best seller for Notions by Nique is my, “Anyone Can be a Father” print. This is so special to me because it is a picture of my youngest and hubby holding hands just after she was born.

My best seller for Noteable Expressions is my Barbed Graduation Announcement – funny because I didn't actually design it to sell – those were the ones I designed for my daughter’s graduation this past spring (yes, that is her picture on the announcement and I was the photographer as well! LoL).  Since then I've also customized it for Sweet 16 Birthday party invitations and those are selling well too!

Very close in sales (less than 10 separate them) is my Romantic Stroll Monogram wedding invitations. 





The ProSeller Corner What do you enjoy doing when you're not working on your store?

Nique I'm very creative so I also work a lot with other projects – I love to use watercolors, acrylics, and pencils. I write – one book has been published. And I love spending time with my family! We have a lot of game nights and love swimming together - especially this summer – man! It’s been hot!

The ProSeller Corner How do you balance your time between Zazzle and life?

Nique Balance? Life? What is that? LoL
Seriously, until about 6 months ago Zazzle was a fun ‘every once in a while’ thing. About 6 months ago I started getting serious about it and now treat it as my 9-5. Or 7-11:30 truthfully. But I take a lot of little breaks through the day; to go swimming with my youngest for instance. If I start to really feel a ‘burn out’ phase coming, I get outside or play some WoW. Yes, I'm that nerdy – I have 7 level 80s in Wow – go Horde! LoL

The ProSeller Corner How long had you been with Zazzle before you reached a ProSeller status?

Nique A long time. I just became a ProSeller a couple of months ago, but like I said, I only got serious about it 6 months ago. It goes to prove – you get out what you put in!

The ProSeller Corner Getting noticed and becoming a ProSeller takes a lot of hard work and time. What advice would you give to those aspiring to become a ProSeller?

Nique First, don't try and rush it – this is not a ‘get rich quick’ scenario. Second, LOVE what you do – if you don't have a passion for it you will never have the patience you will need to see it through. It’s an unbelievable feeling when you get that email letting you know you've made it – but really, nothing changes – you still have to love what you do and at the end of the day, again, you get out what you put in! Well, that and a LOT of luck! I wish you all luck and may you never need to call the Whine Fairy!