Bibi is doing her internship with her own company Bugbatches
- Design
Why would you only hang art on the wall? Wouldn't it be much more fun to wear little works of art on your clothing? With that thought, Bibi Anker (21) started designing and selling pins. During the third year of her Comic Design course, she is getting the opportunity to do her internship with her own company, Bugbatches, which is where her heart lies.
Even before starting the Comic Design course, Bibi was running her own company, Bugbatches. At the moment, she primarily makes pins (metal brooches) with her own designs. She describes her style as ‘silly and colourful’. Although business is going well, Bibi hit the pause button at the start of her course. She closed her web shop in order to fully concentrate on her academy work for two years. That pause came to an end when Bibi had the opportunity to put all her time into Bugbatches via the SLIEB (in-house internship) programme.
Investors from every corner of the world
Bibi pulled together her starting capital for Bugbatches in 2020 with the help of crowdfunding. She has investors from every corner of the world. Bibi: “I was soon shipping my badges to the United States, Brazil and New Zealand. It's great to think that people are wearing my designs there." That’s when it took off. Bibi started with 400 followers on Instagram and 550 on TikTok; she now has a total of 13,000. And as well as badges, she now also makes socks, posters, bags and clips.
Working towards business objectives
When the third year of her course began, Bibi still wasn't sure about her internship placement: "I really wanted to do an internship with Jeroen Funke, because that would have been good for my narrative development. But at that time he was too busy to supervise an intern properly. I was toying with the idea of doing my internship with a tattoo artist, when I got the e-mail from the ArtEZ Business Centre (ABC) explaining what SLIEB involves. During the internship, you follow the LevelUP! programme at Saxion while also working towards your own business objectives. I thought: that would suit me perfectly."
A lot of aspects I had only considered as an artist, not as a business owner.”
Growing followers and revenue
The creative side and the business side of Bibi’s company are sometimes poles apart: “A lot of aspects I had only considered as an artist, not as a business owner. I am now learning about the business side through studying subjects such as marketing, networking, branding and sales during LevelUP! You apply them to your own objectives. Mine relate to growing my followers and revenue." The programme is bearing fruit – Bibi made €5382 in 20 days with her second kickstarter. With the money, she can start making new products.
“Develop yourself first”
Bibi believes Comic Design has benefited her business precisely because she wasn't working on Bugbatches for the first part of her course: “Making comics is different to designing badges, but I have been able to apply the same principles about storytelling to my products. I learned how to use colour, formal language and everything you need to make visually strong art during Comic Design. But the course has primarily helped me grow as a person. When you develop as a person, your art develops with you."
The first two years of the course are a unique period in which you are given time to discover a lot about yourself and your creative process. So don't think about what will and won't sell."
As such, her tip for other enterprising art students is: develop yourself first, only then develop your company. Bibi explains: “when you go to art school, it is important that you start making autonomous work. The first two years of the course are a unique period in which you are given time to discover a lot about yourself and your creative process. So don't think about what will and won't sell. You need that autonomous basis. Focus on your academy work first.”
Part-time job
Now that Bibi has had a year and a half to focus entirely on her company, she has gained a surprising insight: she doesn’t want to devote herself to her own business full-time after graduating. It’s a choice she is making for reasons of self-protection, because otherwise, by her own account, Bibi would be working 24/7: “Making affordable and wearable pieces of art remains my mission with Bugbatches. There is no limit to how much time I could put into that. I really don't stop sending e-mails or ordering stock at 5 PM, and I forget that I need to reserve time for myself. I just really love running a business! I'm definitely going to continue with Bugbatches, but I'm also going to find a part-time job to do alongside it, because I like having structure in my day. That's a valuable lesson I learned about myself during my internship period. If I'd had to work that out after my course, it would have been a lot trickier."
Follow Bugbatches
More than half of our students go self-employed after finishing their course. In order to make that transition easier, ArtEZ offers a special coaching programme in partnership with Saxion. Via the ArtEZ Business Centre, students can do an in-house internship with their own company whilst they are still doing their course. They get to work on their business and receive support from experienced lecturers and coaches. They also get to share experiences with other student-entrepreneurs. Click for more information.
