Creating Success around the World

Welcome to
Creating Success around the World

The worldwide blog hop tour, that introduces you to creative people from all corners of the globe.

Every Wednesday our hosts on each continent will introduce you to someone new whose creativity is inspiring!

Here's how you can take this worldwide tour with us:

You can follow all the hosts to support them and keep up to date with the fabulous posts they will share every week.  Then if you are inspired to join, just link up your own blog to make some new international friends.

Remember to leave us a comment when you follow us so we can follow you back! And of course we'd love if you added our button to your site to help spread the word!



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Here are your hosts:

Make sure you visit them all to see the inspiration and creative people every continent has to add to our community.

Australasia - Jill @ Creating my way to Success
Europe - Yaga @ The Shiny Bubble
North America - Suzy @ Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom
South America - Molly @ Marya Mariah
Asia - Janelle @ Of Pinks and Fairytales

Africa - Sadly, our African host is not able to participate in the Blog hop anymore. We are looking for somebody new to join the team - could it be you?! ;o)

---------------------------------------------------------------- Europe

Maximonstertje - Fine art travel & more photography is an etsy shop that caught my eye when I browsed my webs for beautiful things made in Europe. Danny's pictures... what can I say? They are just stunning! Can you believe somebody who snaps pictures like these was afraid to open an etsy shop? Read more about how Danny started her business in the interview.

Tell us a bit about your trade: What do you create, how and where do you sell your things,

how long have you been doing this?

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I have always loved taking photographs. As a child I used to walk around with my hands folded before my eyes like a camera to create the ´perfect shot´. To be honest, I still tend to do that to see what kind of magical image I could capture and/or create afterwards (I know how silly it looks, but hey, it helps me, ok?). About five years ago my husband and I went on a long trip to India and Nepal and I couldn´t stop taking photographs! The colors, the smells, the hustle and bustle on the streets and especially the wonderful people were all so amazing! Asia has become sort of an addiction since then. When I learned to use photo editing programs like Picnik and Photoshop I could create the perfect magical moment as I experienced it in my pictures and I started to think about selling them. Someone told me about Etsy and after a few months of browsing and learning I decided to give it a try. I opened up my shop, Maximonstertje Fine Art Travel & More Photography, less than a month ago and people seem to be interested, which is a great feeling!

Please, tell us a little bit about the place and the country that you live in.

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Do you think that your surroundings influence your creativity? How? 

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I live in Geleen, which is officially a city, but is more like a small town in the very south of Holland, close to the Belgium border. My husband, me, our son Ravi of 15 months and two extremely lazy cats live there in a small house close to the forest. The south of Holland is a bit more Belgium/France-orientated then the rest of the country and has a more rural landscape. I like the peace and quiet here a lot and I love the opportunity of just walking into the forest! The thing that I find really interesting is living so close to the border with Belgium and Germany. Especially when driving to the French-speaking part of Belgium, which is only a 20 minutes drive, the landscape changes drasticly and you know this is an entirely different country than your own. Knowing that life can be so different that close to home made me curious about other cultures as well. I think it somehow influenced me to travel and see how other people live their lives.

What, in your opinion is your biggest strength in your creative life and how does it

influence your work?

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I think my biggest strength is the ability to see beauty in things or in people that are not obviously beautiful. I love the smile of a poor old man with crooked teeth, a decaying flower and the lonesome look of an abandoned building. Every photo has its story and I want the viewer to experience that when seeing my photographs. They need to have a certain 'feel' to them and not just be nice looking images.

What would you regard as your greatest weakness in terms of your creativity and how do

you deal with it?

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Insecurity, always my biggest weakness... When I first posted my pictures I was so afraid I could crawl under my bed never to return! What if nobody likes them? What if people tell me they're horrendous? Maybe they'll shoo me away! Haha, well, you can imagine... Luckily I have a wonderful husband and some lovely friends who convince me otherwise and tell me to continue because the shop looks great and they love my photographs. Sigh, they make me happy :)

How do you stay motivated and inspired?

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Everyday life inspires me. Beauty is everywhere, often in the little things. I love watching people, enjoying the good things in life and I try to stop and smell the roses as often as I can. When doing what you love, you don´t need to stay motivated and inspired, I think. It just comes naturally!

Where do you see yourself and your creative life in two years? Do you have any plans?

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Plans? Yes. Ideas? Lots. Are they realistic? I don´t know, haha! I just opened up my shop, so I really haven´t got a clue of how things will work out. I had two sales (yay!) and I´m thrilled about that! Furthermore I´m writing a book, which was my oldest childhood dream, and I hope (nothing wrong with hoping, right?) I can get it published. That would be so incredibly awesome! When it comes to my photography: I hope I can inspire people through my photographs and maybe get them out of their homes to see these wonderful places for themselves. 

What are your 5 hottest tips for people who want to be more successful with

creating?
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1. Do what you love. If you love your creations, others will see it and love them too.

2. Don´t conform to trends if it´s not what you want to create, do your own thing!

3. If you want to start selling your creations, find a place to do it, read about how it

works and go for it. Just give it your best, be enthusiastic and people will respond to that.

4. Think about what you want to sell and how you want people to see you and your creations. For example: I can crochet as well, but I think a photography shop that also sells crocheted jewelry and animals is a bit strange and might put people off ;P You can always open a seperate shop for your other items!

5. Treat your customers well! Send a little gift or a cute card (a discount coupon if you have them) along with the order and a handwritten note to thank them for ordering one of your items. It just makes it so much more fun opening it, like your getting a present! And you know everybody likes getting presents!

Thank you so much for your inspiring answers, Danny!  

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Now it's your turn! Link up your posts: Inspiration, craftsy blahs, tutorials, tips or business talk: We wanna know! 
Link up your blog and you might be the next artist featured in our interviews!


New to the world tour? Check our previous tours here!