This calls for a celebration!
It’s been 10 years since Society6 first infiltrated the internet (and, of course, your homes and spaces of self-expression) and to properly commemorate the moment, we’re shining a light on 10 artists who have been with us since the beginning by sharing our favorite pieces of theirs, along with stories of their personal experiences. So blow out a candle and have some cake in our (and their) honor!
KRISONAUTOPILOT | Singapore
“Back then, platforms for artists to get their work out into the world were scarce and I was intrigued by the collaboration aspect that was featured on S6; I can’t remember all of them but it felt empowering, given that I live in Singapore. These were opportunities that were across the planet that I normally wouldn’t have access to. I applied and was selected for a collaboration with a company that makes prints. Shortly after, Urban Outfitters worked with S6 and selected a piece of mine for its printshop. This was huge for me. I was getting tons of orders for the piece, as well as a lot of attention for online features. The editor working on Rainn Wilson’s project SoulPancake came across one of my pieces and included it in the book. This was a great boost for my confidence and spurred me on to keep working. It was a huge affirmation to keep going and it closed a gap that otherwise I likely would have said, ‘Oh, it won’t happen.’ I guess S6 made me realise that if people see my work, good things can happen. The rest is up to me to make good work. | Joined June 2, 2009 | Shop
ZARA PICKEN | Lincoln, England
“I decided to join shortly after graduating from university. As someone new to the creative industry, I could see huge potential with visibility and reach that I could never achieve through my own online store. And the freedom from production and administrative responsibilities has enabled me to focus purely on creating new artwork.” | Joined June 18, 2009 | Shop
ORI TOOR | Tel Aviv, Israel
“When I started out, posting my art online had a single purpose: to put myself out there and jumpstart my illustration career. Over time, more and more people started asking ‘Where can I get a print?’ I never wanted to deal with managing my own online shop, printing, delivering, etc. I still can’t find time for that [because] my main business is doing commercial illustration for companies, etc. Having a store here is really the ideal, hands-off solution. My personal work lives as merchandise and not just as advertisement for my skills. For years, I used to tell fans who wanted to buy art, ‘Sorry, I don’t have a shop,’ [so] it’s been really nice being able to direct them to a specific place.” | Joined May 21, 2009 | Shop
CHRIS PIASCIK | Massachusetts, USA
“I started my daily drawing project at the beginning of 2008. After about a year of doing them, I started to develop a modest following. People would ask for prints sometimes and it wasn’t something I could easily provide. Almost as if on cue, Society6 jumped in to make it easy for me, and it was a game-changer.” | Joined June 2, 2009 | Shop
FAMOUS WHEN DEAD | Staffordshire, England
“I joined to be a part of a community of likeminded artists that I just couldn’t find in my local community or elsewhere online at the time. This completely changed how I created artworks and enabled me to open up my archives making past artworks available for prints again and find new fans, friends and opportunities. And the royalties I earn help towards the monthly costs of my art studio, something that I could never have imagined having.” | Joined August 1, 2009 | Shop
ARABELLA PROFFER | Ohio, USA
“After being discouraged by the high costs of having prints made where you might sit on inventory for ages, I had tried a few other print-on-demand services with no luck. Not only was I not seeing a dime from those services, but fans and collectors had complained to me about the quality of the products. Society6 offered ease of use when creating products and setting pricing, kept up with changing technology, and the customer support was fantastic. It’s been great to see people with my art on phone cases or that they had bought framed prints as gifts. Not everyone can buy my original paintings from a gallery. I joined in the beginning being very skeptical, but the quality and final look of the products was enough so that I am not just an artist, but a regular customer myself.” | Joined May 13, 2009 | Shop
JON MACNAIR | Texas, USA
“I decided to join because, first and foremost, I wanted to share my art with the world. At the time, I was just beginning to experiment with creating personal work and was looking for different avenues of exposure. I was also interested in connecting with other artists and seeing what they were making. The fact that this offered a way to create high-quality art prints—something people had been requesting of me but that I had yet to explore—was also a draw.” | Joined April 19, 2009 | Shop
VALERIYA VOLKOVA | Pennsylvania, USA
“One of the first real opportunities I had as an artist was through Society6. I was selected for a cover of GOOD Magazine’s “Neighborhoods” issue. I had just been starting to do more architecture and city-based artwork, and it was not only an amazing opportunity but a real affirmation that what I was doing had an audience. Since then, posting my work on the website has always been exciting for me. It has such a wide audience of artists and shoppers alike, and such a strong community, that the response is always interesting (and usually really positive)! It’s been a really unique experience seeing this grow into such an artist-friendly place!” | Joined September 23, 2009 | Shop
MARCO PUCCINI | Milan, Italy
“This was an absolute innovation for me. I had never seen before a platform where creative people could sell their works. It’s contributed to making my work known to more people around the world, and has also helped me to have my illustrations published in one of my favorite magazines ever: the special issue of IDN Magazine.” | Joined November 3, 2009 | Shop
NATHAN SPOOR | California, USA
“Society6 was different, it was exciting and it was a chance to sell prints on a platform where the quality was better than what was affordable or available in the landscape. Also, the idea of collaborations was amazing. It’s kind of amazing to see how the company has stuck to the original focus of attracting storyteller artists that produce original work on these high-end products, and those products then carry that personal narrative out into the wild. There’s a message of connectivity that is always present, it’s a real and beautiful community in its truest sense. And it’s elevated and changed my life immensely. My path as an artist and a curator has merged in the last few years by being a part of the S6 team as the Head of Curation and Artist Community. So it’s a perfect merger of my life and a unique opportunity to engage and support this amazing community of active and talented artists. This team is the most amazing group of people, they really care and go the extra mile in pursuing a winning balance between the artists’ needs and moving the company into the best future for all. Also, my background as an art director paved the way for founding and producing the Society6 Artist Quarterly. That’s a dream come true, to see our team working together with these gifted creative minds producing a vibrant calling card for this fantastic brand. | Joined September 28, 2009 | Shop
Banner by NewburyBoutique | Thumbnail by Cat Coquillette
Comments