Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Bolin.
Hi Katie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started Bolii on my bedroom floor when I was making hand-painted merch for my electronic pop band DENNIS, I had a lot of fun painting on t-shirts, so I branched out into sweatshirts and started putting them on Etsy under the name BOLII. I have a healthy sense of humor and love color, so a lot of my initial pieces were incredibly fun and colorful. My roommate at the time worked in a hospital psychiatric ward with kids and teens, so I made him a brightly colored word search sweatshirt that the kids could have fun with.
Once I got my pieces up on Etsy, I made a good amount of sales painting best friend sweatshirts—similar to BFF heat necklaces—that said “Yas Kween” on them. Then when the political season hit, I started painting a lot of feminist sweatshirts that people could wear to protests, as the Women’s March was a huge political moment in time that year, around 2016.
Now I’ve transitioned to designing my illustrations on an iPad and having them printed on clothing using an on-demand printer. It makes it easier on me—I don’t have to take a chance and spend 5x the amount of time painting a design on a shirt that I’m not sure will sell.
It’s also a lot more eco-friendly to make only what my customers want to order instead of the traditional retail route of buying in bulk and sitting with a bunch of inventory until it sells. It really allows me to get creative in a different way than painting by hand.
I am still painting by hand on canvas and have started working with bigger canvases which have been a lot of fun. I’m aiming to get prints and fun pieces ready for the upcoming holiday season.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I definitely learned a lot about retail business launching Bolii. In the beginning, I bought a ton of blank shirts and sweatshirts to paint my own designs on, things I thought were funny or cool.—but that doesn’t always translate into sales. Plus, the time it took to paint each piece by hand was physically demanding and took too much time for the price point I needed to reasonably be at for t-shirts and sweatshirts.
Finding a printer that could print on demand when an order came in was a huge milestone. It freed up a lot of my time and helped reduce waste from my non-recyclable paint bottles and brushes.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m known for my colorful and unique designs printed on clothing, art prints, or traditional painting. What sets me apart is my true love of color and the way I combine them with shapes or words. The reactions I get from people—when I was doing in-person pop-ups pre-pandemic—was always a smile and a laugh. That means a lot to me—to be able to put a smile on someone’s face with something I made. It’s the best feeling in the world.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Be genuine, and don’t be afraid to ask people if you can work with them!
Pricing:
- Abortion Forever Stickers, $5
- Dog Loves You Recycled Fabric Tee, $45
- Kill The Rich Premium Champion Sweatshirt, $75
Contact Info:
- Website: boliimpls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boliimpls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boliiofficial/
Image Credits
Katie Bolin
