EP (66) JP King and Kirsten McCrea: Connecting audiences with innovative and creative art communities around the world through Papirmass
Strong together. Or for this couple, more creative together.
Kirsten McCrea and JP King embody what it truly means to support and encourage your spouse - not matter what endeavour they choose to pursue.
For this creative couple, working together wasn’t exactly their plan. But they’ve figured out how to thrive as both business partners and life partners. Kirsten started Papirmass back in 2008 and together they have grown the business from a few hundred subscribers to over 1500 people from around the world.
They source, design and package everything that gets sent out each month. On top of following other creative pursuits.
Kirsten is an artist in her own right. As she says on her personal site, “my detailed artworks showcase layered histories, using ornamentation and patterning to reveal alternate narratives that celebrate diversity in all its forms.”
She’s collaborated with major brands to bring their vision to life, such as Facebook, Honda, Telus and Fido, just to name a few. And she’s also the founder of Papirmass - which came out of a desire to have unique art from around the globe.
JP is a “trans-disciplinary media artist and scholar, whose practice-led research examines material culture, social engagement, contemporary mythology, masculinity and speculative futures.”
Their joint business, Papirmass, is “an independent art subscription that seeks to spark curiosity and inspire creativity. Subscribers all around the world love how our monthly mailings help them discover their next favorite artist. Through unique prints, studio interviews, and hands-on artistic activities, Papirmass is all about making creative connections.”
Kirsten and JP would be the first to tell you that they didn’t necessarily know what they were going to do with their lives after completing art related degrees. Being an artist is like having your world scrutinized day in and day out. It takes a lot of hard work, perseverance and willingness to stumble, fall and get back up, in order to succeed as an artist. And they’ve done just that.
But they now do it together. And they wouldn’t have it any other way.
SOME QUESTIONS I ASKED:
How did Papirmass come to be?
Where did the idea for the company come from?
What was it like when you were starting out - now that you’ve been in business for 10 years?
How did you two end up meeting?
Who’s idea was it to go into business together?
Biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome as business partners?
How do you curate all these wonderful artists?
How do you guys manage to run Papirmass and continue to work as paid artists, writers, designer, etc…(so multi-talented?)
And so much more...
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
The reason why you should learn to delegate
How to grow an audience from scratch (is there a trick??)
The key to a successful partnership
Building a brand that connects to your audience’s wants and needs
How to know when to stop a passion project and when to keep going
How to spread the word about your company when you have no money
Why you need to diversify your income at the beginning
The reason why JP intentionally plans what new skills he needs
And lots more...
OTHER LINKS:
CONNECT WITH PAPIRMASS
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST
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Edited by: James Nicholson
