Support student businesses!

By Tui Lou Christie (she/they)

A recently developed O Week tradition is the Massey Student Market Day.

Every O Week, MAWSA plays host to student creators, artists, and aspiring small businesses in a market designed to support these student endeavours.

I’m Tui Lou, and I run a small business. While you can find me around Wellington doing markets, my first time ever selling my stuff was at the Massey Student Market in 2020. It is incredible just how much it helped my confidence when I first started out. Hosting a stall at the student market was free, lowering the barrier to entry and encouraging me to take that leap. MAWSA also provided some social media promotion, which encouraged me to get over my embarrassment and create a social media presence for my textile work. It’s a fantastic initiative, and directly supports new creators, students, and the creative arts as a whole.

Small businesses, especially those created by this generation of climate-focused young people, are often directly or indirectly sustainable ventures. The textile industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world thanks to the rise of fast fashion. 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year (earth.org), and over-consumption of new material also produces other environmental and social costs, like greenhouse gas emissions from transporting garments and textiles and the poor wages and working conditions of many garment workers all over the world. That’s just textiles and garments; other consumer goods industries are also creating huge impacts on our environment, like plastics. Small businesses, however, usually feature handmade goods. This means small production batches made in good working conditions, and goods made to last, reducing waste. Many small businesses also choose to use sustainable materials, like ethically sourcing their materials to have minimal environmental impact. For my business, Okey Dokey, I choose to only use second-hand fabrics and clothing for many reasons. Firstly, it reduces the cost of creating the products, meaning I can sell them for less and they are more accessible for buyers. Secondly, purchasing from op shops donates to charities. Finally, using second-hand materials from my friends clearing out their closets, op shops, and bargain bins reduces the amount of textile waste going into our landfills. Art is a notoriously elite field. Getting into galleries often requires years of experience, name recognition, or a lot of money. However, art in galleries isn’t the only kind of cool art out there! My walls are covered in art prints by independent artists. Buying art and art prints from student artists is a great way to get wicked and affordable art on your walls and supports emerging artists to continue their amazing artistic practice!

You might have heard “support small businesses” and

“shop local” recently, especially around Christmas time, but it is really crucial. Next time you’re thinking about getting a gift for a loved one, new art for your walls, or some new threads, consider small businesses and student businesses to get unique and sustainable options that don’t break the bank.

Are you a Massey student running a small business? Are you interested in being featured in a future issue? Email us @ editor@massivemagazine.org.nz

Jake Fisher Art

@jakefisher_art

I’m an artist studying my second year of concept design here at Massey. I began selling my art midway through last year, as being at Massey allowed me to gain the confidence and connections I needed to get my art out in the world. I love producing new artworks and having people show interest in what I do.

My favourite part about running my small business is the ability to gain new connections. I find the art community to be a very comforting and safe space, I feel it is a privilege to be able to sell my art and show people what I love to do. At markets, I really enjoy being able to see all the different stalls and products that people are able to create. I think it’s wonderful that we’re able to come together and show our talents, even if it is a small start. It’s fun being able to sell to other students, but it can be daunting as you’re really opening yourself up for criticism. However, that’s just part of the process, and it helps me learn about my audience and what they want to see.

If you’re thinking of selling your art, have the ability to be open-minded and be aware that not everyone will be a fan of what you do. It doesn’t mean you aren’t talented and shouldn’t keep trying, it’s all part of the process. I had two guys ask me how many drugs I took before creating my art, which is a fair enough question as I’ve always known my art to be pretty strange!

Mango Cat Creations @mangocatcreations

I’m Piper, a fourth-year concept design student, and I started my business two years ago, originally selling polymer clay earrings. I didn’t think anyone would like my art, so I made earrings for the Wellington Collective. When I started adding my art as stickers, I realised that people loved it way more than the earrings. Eventually, I learned to believe in myself more.

My favourite part of running a small business is the community, definitely. You make so many friends going to markets, both the artists and the people buying things. I’ve made so many cool creative friends and I love the experience of selling work to others in person. Selling to other students is really cool as I find a lot of people know me on campus and I get to see a lot of my stickers on laptops.

My advice for people wanting to sell their work is believe in yourself and do it!

to fill my table at my first market but it gave me the push I needed!

Chloe Stephenson @chloestephensonstudio

Hello! I’m in my fourth and final year of Concept Design at Massey. I was unlucky enough to have started my degree in 2020 with the old Rona, but despite this I’ve loved studying here and will miss it so much next year! I started attending Massey’s student markets in my second year with a couple of handmade crochet earrings and a sign I’d made the night before. My favourite part of running a small business is having the opportunity to craft my little heart out! Markets create a space for me to fund my hobbies and share what I’ve made with others! Lately I’ve been expanding out from crochet to general jewellery making and my fairy-core necklaces have definitely taken off.

My least favourite part of running a small business is the financial side. It can be really disheartening when the costs of time and materials don’t break even with what you’ve earned. Let’s just say if you want to get rich, being a market stallholder probably isn’t the right way to go. It’s absolutely wonderful to have so much support from my peers and Massey! It’s also really nice to sell to and buy from other artists who understand the artist’s struggles.

If you’re considering selling your work, don’t hesitate to give it a go!! Even if you only have a few items for sale, you have to start somewhere. I didn’t even have enough stock

Okey Dokey

@okeydokeynz

I’m Tui Lou, and I finished my BA in Creative Writing last year, and I’m now a sub-editor and writer at Massive. As a creator, I’m inspired by second-hand fabrics and clothing to create one-off textile pieces. I love all things textiles and I’m familiar with lots of handcrafts, like hand embroidery, bead work, sewing, and lino block print making to add my illustrations to second-hand clothing. Recently, I’ve been creating soft toys from old wool blankets and second-hand buttons, cutting around stains and holes to give old fabrics a new life.

It’s amazing to see talented students following their passions at market days, and I love getting the chance to chat about different art forms and creating. If you’re thinking about selling your work, there is no better advice than to give it a go. Start an Instagram, go to the next student market, even start by making it known to your friends that you’re ready to make something for them!

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