Today, we have the pleasure of interviewing with the creative minds behind Ottermelon and PapaParfum. Joining me today are the wonderfully talented artists Megan and Mitchel, who have carved out a captivating space within the North American anime community. Their work is renowned for a charming art style that beautifully blends nostalgia with sweetness, drawing inspiration from beloved classics like Ouran High School Host Club and Sailor Moon.

Ottermelon’s brand is a vibrant celebration of color, abundant in pink hues and floral motifs, creating an enchanting atmosphere that invites you into a world of whimsy. Not only does their artwork resonate, but the duo’s equally endearing personalities are certain to entice you to make their booth a priority at every convention they attend as vendors.

Beyond their captivating artistry, Ottermelon has ventured into new avenues, offering perfumes and soaps carefully crafted with attention to hypoallergenic ingredients. Their creations echo the same charm that permeates their artwork, offering a delightful sensory experience.

Today, The Anime View has the privilege to share insights about their creative evolution, exploring their inspirations, the challenges they’ve conquered, and the unique transition they’ve undertaken to become full-time artist vendors. Get ready to discover the enchanting beginnings of Ottermelon and glean insights on what it takes to thrive and endure in this creative business.

Offer to introduce yourselves 

Megan: Hi, I’m Megan, also known as Ottermelon. I’m now 31 years old, I live in Oregon and I originally had went to college for video game art and design.

Mitchel: Hi, I’m Mitchel, also known as “Papa Parfum” or “Papa”. I’m 31, live in the PDX area, and originally strived for several different degrees — my primary interest was anything involved with creative writing. I make the scent lines for our brand.

Questions

*Two sides to this interview – the beginner and the expander 

Beginning (Questions for those interested in starting to sell their art or become a full-time vendor) 

1. How did you begin selling your art? 
   1. Megan: Mitchel and I decided I’ll take the first two questions since we originally started out as a prints-only booth.
      So, I guess I was kind of selling my art off-and-on online for a while after college, but it wasn’t picking up at all. What I originally was doing art-wise was concept art for indie video games, but the studio I was working for just wouldn’t like, finish anything? They kept changing directions so it never went anywhere, then I did some freelance commission keychain stuff before going into dental.
2. How did you start vending full-time as an artist, and what inspired you to make this your career? 
   1. Megan: It kind of happened randomly, I had decided to sell at Rose City Comic Con back in 2019 for fun, but didn’t pursue it full-time, even though I had considered it. Of course 2020 wasn’t a year for anything to happen, then in 2021 we did another Rose City Comic Con and made the same amount there that I would normally make in a check at my office manager job, so we decided to start doing it as a full-time thing. We did work as, like, janitors at a barcade at night and did this during the day at first, to make sure we had enough to pay the bills and go to local shows, but that thankfully only lasted a few months.
3. What advice would you give to someone trying to establish their brand and stand out in a crowded artist alley or market?
   1. Mitchel: Be knowledgeable about trends, but also be authentic to your own interests so you can actively engage with your own audience; engagement is everything. Try and create an open space that feels welcoming to people.
   2. Megan: I agree with what Mitchel said. I’d also say make sure to be friendly and don’t make people feel uncomfortable when they come to your booth. Vendors are seen as a part of the convention experience by the people attending, so you want to make sure everyone is having a good time!
4. What role does social media or online platforms play in supporting your vending business as an artist?
   1. Mitchel: It’s everything. It’s how you reach your whole audience and stay connected with them after you meet them at a con.
   2. Megan: It’s also a really good way to let people know where you’re going and what you’re creating. We ask on our social media all the time what people would like to see us make, and because of that we’re able to meet demands we didn’t even know were out there.
   3. Mitchel: Wouldn’t you agree that social media also shows to conventions what your presence would be like at the show? Like it’s basically your resume.
   4. Megan: Yeah, that’s true! They do ask for your social media information, so not only is it expected when you’re applying but like Mitchel was saying, it gives them an idea if you have a following or not.
5. What do you believe is the key to engaging with customers and creating a positive experience for them at Artist Alley?
   1. Mitchel: Authenticity, and remembering the experience at your booth is about them. Not you. You set the precedence for how the interaction is going to be. You should also mirror their energy, you don’t want to underwhelm an excited person or overwhelm a shy person.
   2. Megan: I’d agree that matching the vibe is a big part of it. It’s also a good idea to actually know the series you’re doing fanart for because people will want to talk to you about it. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, they can tell.
6. Can you discuss the importance of networking and building relationships within the Artist Alley community for a successful vending career?
   1. Mitchel: Make as many friends as possible and remember that these people are your peers and your community, not your competition
   2. Megan: It’s also great for learning the ins and outs of conventions; my friends and I share sources and booth setups all the time. Making friends and helping others helps strengthen the whole community.
7. How do you approach pricing your artwork in a way that supports your full-time vending business?
   1. Mitchel: I already include sales tax in the price, that way prices remain the same in every state. And you shouldn’t go over half of the wholesale cost when it comes to retail cost. If something costs 10 dollars to make, the most you should charge is 20.
   2. Megan: For me, the big thing is keeping the prices around the same as other artists so that you’re not driving the overall market price up or down…and making sure they’re in increments of five. I can’t do anything that isn’t easy math.

Expanding (Questions for those interested in expanding their current business as a vendor) 

1. How do you manage the creative process alongside the demands of vending full-time?
   1. Mitchel: I don’t know, I feel like it’s really hard. There are times where the creative process is really demanding and you have to stay up all night creating and restocking product. And there are times where you have to be on the road and totally dedicated to the shows. In reality there’s very little breaks, you have to keep the machine moving.
   2. Megan: I’d agree that it can be hard, especially when you’re doing back-to-back cons that are really far away from each other. My main thing is making sure to try and take some time to rest, while working on projects in the time that we’re at home. And if you’re not feeling it, just don’t work on that right then, come back to it later. It’ll just be a painful experience and I feel like I don’t usually end up liking the end product in those cases anyway.
2. How do you manage inventory and handle the logistics of attending various events as a full-time artist/vendor?
   1. Mitchel: I do an inventory count after every show and constantly update the website. I consider what products are selling faster than others which dictates what will be restocked in the inventory. And then I just gauge interest on social media to see if it’s worth restocking or not.
   2. Megan: I’m not nearly as organized as he is. I see what is sold out or low stock when we’re at home, then I order what’s run out. Though if something hasn’t been selling well, I’ll quietly retire it once it runs out.
3. What are some of the key challenges you’ve faced while vending full-time, and how have you overcome them?
   1. Mitchel: The logistics of traveling is the hardest part and not overbooking yourself. While trying to sus out what shows are profitable, the picking and choosing can be hard and you just have to put your faith into it.
   2. Megan: Traveling is definitely the hardest part. We drive everywhere because other forms of transportation aren’t always as reliable or safe for your merch, so that means a lot of time on the road and away from home, especially when we’re going further east.
4. What types of events or venues have you found most successful for vending your art full-time?
   1. Mitchel: Things that fit into your genre; for us we do really well at comic cons and anime shows. Especially anime shows. But we’ve been surprised by the Halloween XPO, while that was run by a showrunner that we do other shows with so we kind of knew what to expect, we still took a risk because it was out of our genre. So I’d say risk-taking is also necessary to balance into that.
   2. Megan: Anime shows have definitely been good for us, even though it took us a surprisingly long amount of time to actually do one? I’d say also shows that have guests that align with what we sell; if there are a lot of anime voice actors going, we’ll probably see a bigger anime crowd. Also shows that advertise themselves is huge.
5. What tools or resources do you find most helpful in managing your business as a full-time artist?
   1. Mitchel: I mean, we use squarespace? That manages a lot of our sales, but inventory as well. Having a card reader, having Venmo and Paypal, basically making yourself as accessible as possible to the customer or client.
   2. Megan: I use the reminder app on my phone. It reminds me when to pay taxes, when I want to draw, to mail out orders…if I didn’t have it, I don’t think I’d remember anything.
6. How do you handle customer feedback and incorporate it into your work or business strategies?
   1. Mitchel: I mean, ultimately you know what’s best for your business if you look deep down, and you know when the customer is right. You’re there to present yourself and your product as you are, but in ways that people want to see, consume, and purchase.
   2. Megan: I try and follow customer feedback as closely as possible. People are always giving me good ideas for what products they want to see, and what series they’d be interested in me making merch for. In the beginning, I was doing a lot of darker horror and video game art, but it was my Ouran posters that did the best – people asked me: “are you going to make more Ouran? Are you going to make Fruits Basket?” so I did! And now we’re here.
7. What are the most significant lessons you’ve learned about the financial aspects of vending full-time as an artist?
   1. Mitchel: That most of your money is going to go back into your business if you take it seriously. This isn’t a get-rich scheme.
   2. Megan: You also need to take into consideration if you’re big enough for a show yet or not. If you aren’t in a place where you’re making enough money to travel far from your home, don’t go into a far-off show blind. It’s best to build up close to home before putting the money into big travel costs since you don’t want to lose everything on one big gamble.

Final questions

1. Can you share a memorable or particularly successful vending experience that taught you something valuable about the industry or that made you feel committed to this career path? 
   1. Mitchel: For me, it was a girl we met at a convention where I sold her a scent that was very nostalgic for her and reminded her of home, so much so that she cried and still thanks me to this day. And while I made a sale, thus it was successful financially, it made me realize that this does more for people than just be an aesthetic. Similarly, I’ve been told my scents are “healing” to people. I never anticipated that. 
   2. Megan: It’s hard to say because I feel fortunate enough that I’ve had a lot of really good experiences from the get-go within this industry. For the sake of answering the question, I feel like I’d have to say it was our first time vending in Spokane that really changed the game for me; we saw good profits, a lot of positive feedback and people were really encouraging and supportive of us even though we didn’t have a nice setup or really all that much merch at the time. In that moment I thought: “we can really do this! It wasn’t a mistake to quit our jobs!” and thankfully, we’ve been able to keep going so far!
2. Could you share some insights for someone considering becoming a full-time artist/vendor in Artist Alleys?
   1. Mitchel: Again, authenticity is key. Don’t just do something because it’s popular, or because you see someone else getting success out of it. Do what you can genuinely engage with your audience in and hone your craft. It will be scary, you’ll have to take risks, but if you do it, you can be successful and do it full-time. I would say also to acknowledge the privilege we have to be here — as artists and attendees — because not everyone is so fortunate. We are doing what other people cannot even imagine. When I tell people that have no idea what this is, they can’t believe it. They’re envious…and I understand that. It’s something to be grateful for, even the “bad shows” you have to stomach. Those bad profit shows could be the show you make a celebrity connection, a new artist friend, or find out about other profitable shows. No show, in my opinion, is truly worthless. You can find something out of it. 
   2. Megan: I’d also say make sure to be humble and honored to be able to work in this kind of field. I worked in dental before this and people hate you in that field, like genuinely dislike being around you. Whereas at conventions people are happy, excited and the vibes are generally really good! I think remembering that working at conventions is a privilege, and [that] we’re lucky to have a platform where we can sell our art actively to our community, is extremely important.

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Copyedited by: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee