willow schmidt
interview by neela rao
Passion and creativity are necessities when it comes to expressing yourself through art. During the global pandemic, it can be hard for artists to stay motivated to create, but Willow Schmidt, junior at Paly and founder of small business Eclectic Outlet, has had no problem putting herself and her art out there, even during this unexpected time. Willow Schmidt recently began her own small business selling handmade jewelry, sun catchers, and more. When asked what inspired her to start selling, she said she “started it as a way to pass time, but eventually became inspired by [her] own stuff, and wanted to share it with others.” Willow began selling products through depop, a free fashion marketplace where anybody can sell products and ship to customers worldwide. With more than 100 sales, Willow has been quite successful on depop, but recently she decided to make her own website. When asked why, she explained that “depop was taking a lot of revenue and I was losing money.” With her own website she can keep more of her profits, and customize the website and create discount codes for her customers. Initially, Willow described that she felt like she was working a lot as her business began to grow. Now, she has a busy but manageable schedule and works an average of about 5 hours a week depending on how many sales she gets. 22
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