Six Months of Sketch Ink Studios: What the First Six Months Really Looked Like 🎉

Six months ago, on 25 February, I opened Sketch Ink Studios with one very sophisticated business strategy:

Let’s just see what happens. 😂

Honestly, that really was it.

I had no idea whether anyone would like what I created. Would parents like my work? Would children enjoy it? Would my own kids even like it?

I had plenty of ideas, though.

I wanted to create things that brought children together through learning, creativity and play. I wanted to make resources that could help children build confidence through little achievements, because sometimes something that seems tiny to an adult can feel enormous to a little person.

So I started creating.

And six months later, I thought it was finally time to properly introduce myself, tell you a little more about the person behind Sketch Ink Studios, and share what these first six months have actually looked like.

It really started with my kids

The biggest reason I ended up creating children's printables is very simple: my girls.

As a mum, there were things I wanted for my own children that I couldn't quite find. There were also activities I watched them naturally enjoy, and eventually I started thinking:

I could make something like this.

I'm not trying to be a teacher. I'm a mum who wants to help other parents make simple learning enjoyable and accessible for their children.

And as I've created more resources, I've realised how much I care about what happens after somebody downloads one.

Can a parent actually use it easily?

Does the activity make sense to the child?

Is there a reason for it being there?

Will those little hands actually enjoy doing it?

I'm still learning the answers to those questions all the time, including from my own children.

They are probably my smallest product testers and certainly my most brutally honest ones. 😂

What you don't see behind the finished printable

Online, you normally see the nice part.

The finished resource. The pretty mockup. The new Etsy listing. The social media post.

What you don't see is me stopping and starting approximately fifty times while I'm making it.

I have a one-year-old and a three-year-old, so Sketch Ink Studios has been built around nappies, lunches, baths, naps, cuddles, cleaning up food, toys, washing, vacuuming, mopping and everything else that comes with looking after a home and two little children.

Sometimes I'm designing while they're playing.

Sometimes I'm squeezing work into nap time.

Sometimes everybody has finally gone to sleep and it's just me and my good old laptop at two or three in the morning. 😂

I've had to learn almost everything from scratch because this is the first business I've ever run.

I've had to learn about Etsy, marketing, social media, content, product design, customer research, pricing, SEO and how to structure activities so they're actually useful for children.

I'm still learning.

And then there's the strange balancing act of being a mum while trying to build something of my own.

My children need me. The house needs me. The business needs me.

And somewhere amongst all of that...

I need me too.

That's probably one of the biggest lessons I'm still learning.

But then someone buys something... ❤️

There are difficult days.

There are absolutely days when I haven't had a sale for a while and I start wondering whether I'm doing something wrong.

And then somebody buys something I made.

Or someone leaves a lovely review.

Or a parent downloads one of my freebies and messages me to tell me it's beautiful.

Or I hear that a child has enjoyed something I've created.

And suddenly I remember why I keep doing this.

There's something very strange and wonderful about sitting at a laptop creating something from nothing, then realising that somewhere else in Australia, America, the UK or another part of the world, a family has downloaded it and a little person might actually be sitting at their table using it.

That still hasn't become normal to me.

And I don't particularly want it to.

A little about me outside Sketch Ink 🌿

This is probably the part where I'm supposed to tell you about my enormous collection of interesting hobbies.

Unfortunately, motherhood appears to have eaten most of them. 😂

I love gardening. I genuinely enjoy watching something I've planted slowly grow, and nature has always been important to me.

Looking at Sketch Ink now, I can actually see how much of that has quietly made its way into what I create.

Animals. Plants. Woodland themes. Australian wildlife. Natural colours. Little outdoor adventures.

None of that was really part of some clever branding plan when I started.

It was just what I naturally liked.

I'm also a proud Aboriginal Australian woman.

My Aboriginal ancestry comes through my nan's side of my family, with our family history stretching back hundreds of years in the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales.

The Eastern Long-Necked Turtle is a sacred family totem for the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug Nation, who are the traditional custodians of the Hawkesbury River region (known in Darug language as Dyarubbin.(where my family and heritage come from). My Aboriginal heritage and connection to where my family comes from is something I'm incredibly proud of!

The Hawkesbury continues to have a significant Aboriginal community today, something reflected in Australian Government and Census community data.

And, of course, outside Sketch Ink there are my girls.

At this point in my life, they probably are my main hobby. 😂

They are also the biggest reason this business exists.

If I could talk to myself six months ago...

I'd probably tell February-me one thing:

Take a little more time to think about where you're going.

One of my strengths is that I'm decisive. I choose something and get moving. I don't want to spend three months deciding between two shades of beige before I make my first product.

But I've learned there's another side to that.

Sometimes it's worth stopping long enough to ask:

What do I actually want this to become?

When I opened Sketch Ink Studios, I didn't really understand what people meant when they talked about finding your “brand”.

Now I do.

It's not just a logo or a colour palette.

It's understanding what you want to create, who you're creating it for, what you want people to feel when they see it, and what makes your work feel like yours.

Six months later, I'm finally beginning to understand that.

Sketch Ink has changed.

I've changed with it.

I'm finding myself drawn more and more towards children's learning that feels gentle, engaging and enjoyable, with nature, animals and Australian influences becoming part of the world I'm building around it.

And yes, even the business itself may look a little different in the future as I continue refining the brand and finding the right home for everything I've learned.

February-me didn't know any of that yet.

She just started.

And actually, I'm glad she did.

Six months down. A lot more to learn. 🌱

I'm definitely not writing this from the other side as someone who has everything figured out.

Far from it. 😂

I'm six months into my first-ever business.

I've made things that worked.

I've made things that didn't.

I've changed my mind.

I've learned from customers.

I've learned from my children.

I've stayed up far too late.

I've celebrated sales that probably looked tiny to somebody else but felt enormous to me.

And somewhere along the way, Sketch Ink Studios has started becoming something that feels much more like me.

So if you've purchased something, downloaded a freebie, followed Sketch Ink, liked or shared a post, left a review, sent me a message, or simply quietly watched this little business grow:

Thank you. ❤️

Every order still matters.

Every kind review still makes me smile.

Every time someone chooses something I've created for their child, I'm reminded that there is a real family on the other side of the screen.

And that's something I never want to forget.

Here's to the next six months.

Hopefully with slightly more sleep. 😂🌿

Georgia

Sketch Ink Studios🌿