InsectArt: Katie Vanblaricum
Photos by John Burns
Some people step on bugs. Others wear them as jewelry. Katie VanBlaricum caters to the latter. As the owner of the Etsy shop InsectArt, VanBlaricum sells dried insects and things made out of dried insects. Browsing her shop, you’ll find earrings, necklaces and DIY kits. But, mostly, you’ll find pages and pages of exotic bugs.
CRAWL BEFORE YOU FLY
VanBlaricum’s insect career started as a hobby. When shopping for butterfly art, she couldn’t find much besides single butterflies mounted on white backgrounds.
“I thought they were all boring,” VanBlaricum said. “I wanted more of a piece of art than a science specimen.”
VanBlaricum decided to make her own butterfly art. Soon enough, her work created a buzz, and her friends urged her to sell her colorful creations. In 2006, InsectArt made its Etsy debut.
InsectArt started as a side hustle for VanBlaricum, who worked full time as an office manager at a construction company. But when the 2008 economy caused her to lose her job, VanBlaricum turned her focus to InsectArt.
While her Etsy store now brings VanBlaricum more income than she had as a full-time employee, InsectArt was not an instant success. It took over four years for her to make a livable wage. Luckily, her husband was able to support them both.
“I don’t know if I would have been able to become successful without a second wage earner in house,” VanBlaricum said. “It takes a long time to build up a customer base, figure out what people want to buy and get your name out there.”
THE COST OF FREE ADVERTISING
InsectArt got an unexpected boost thanks to the Wes Anderson film “Moonrise Kingdom.” Inspired by one of the main character’s green beetle earrings, customers swarmed VanBlaricum’s stock of Real Flower Beetle Earrings.
Etsy rewarded InsectArt’s spike in demand with more off-site ad placements. While those ads have helped VanBlaricum gain and maintain sales momentum, the choice to run them is outside of her control.
VanBlaricum explained sellers like her who sell over $10,000 of goods in a year are what Etsy considers “successful shops.” Successful shops are required to have offsite ads run by Etsy. While sellers only pay for the ad if customers click through to make a purchase, for each sale generated by an off-site ad, Etsy boosts its share of the profits to 20 percent of the sale, rather than the usual 5 percent.
“It forces me to do more work for less money,” VanBlaricum said.
VanBlaricum said the higher fees keep her from offering coupons since a discount on top of Etsy’s 20 percent cut would cause her to lose money. If given the choice, VanBlaricum said she would advertise less.
“Because I’m successful, I don’t feel like I want to run extra ads,” said VanBlaricum. “I’m only one person and maybe I don’t want more business right now.” Yet, after 14 years, VanBlaricum said to leave Etsy would mean starting from the bottom of the search engine dregs.
“I’m not an expert on how analytics work, but I know it would be a high uphill climb,” VanBlaricum said.
CRUCIAL CONNECTIONS
The plus side of leaving her advertising to Etsy? VanBlaricum has more time to spend talking to customers and sourcing insects.
As an online seller, VanBlaricum said engaging with her buyers is crucial.
“When you have an Etsy shop, you want to have a relationship with your customers,” VanBlaricum said.
VanBlaricum said her short response times (she usually answers inquiries in minutes) have helped her build credibility with her customers, who often want her advice on their insect projects.
“I try to keep an eye on what people are doing with my bugs and ask what other kinds of bugs they would like to see,” she said.
It was through those interactions that VanBlaricum came to a crucial revelation: Most customers didn’t want to buy framed insect art; they wanted to make it themselves.
The discovery prompted VanBlaricum to shift her model from framed art to do-it-yourself kits that walk customers through how to delicately spread insects’ wings and legs to mount their own creations.
“All they need to do is apply some glue and stick it in a frame and say that they made it,” VanBlaricum said.
FREE TO FLUTTER
Over 70,000 sales later, VanBlaricum’s side hustle has metamorphosized into a profitable career. Her next goal is to simply keep at it.
“If I can just stay the course and continue to be successful, then I’m happy,” she said.
VanBlaricum plans to continue the freedom and flexibility of being her own boss while getting to exercise her creativity.
“It’s my shop, and I don’t have to answer to a boss,” she said. “It gives me something new to do every day.”
