Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marina Arriola. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Marina, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Currently, I am able to make a full-time living from my creative work. It began with hand-printing stickers and hand-sewing stuffed animals in high school. I would give the plushies away as gifts, and sell the stickers to my classmates. I was part of an arts magnet program, where we were pushed to apply to accredited art colleges and pursue a BA in a creative field. By the time I graduated high school, I had tried my hand at vending a couple times, selling alongside my older friends who had bought their own booths and would sublet space for $20 or so. It was in doing so that I landed my first consignment deal- selling my handmade plushies in a boutique anime store-, and my first and last “real” job- cashiering at said store.

I attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 2013-14, and did some personal product design in between classwork and college life. With no sewing machine to make tangible items, I pivoted to making acrylic jewelry and accessories- assembling necklaces, rings, keychains etc. in my dorm room. What ultimately lead me to leave art school was thinking on how I had everything in motion to start a business back home, but put it on pause for what was becoming a diminishing rewards college experience far away from Texas. Upon leaving MCAD, I regrouped, got my cashiering job back, and started consigning again.

In 2016/17 I decided to get serious. My group of friends and I were always attending a revolving door of anime conventions to party and have fun, but it soon evolved into us vending in the artist alley nearly every single convention. I consider this the turning point for my business because it was at this point when I began to travel to conventions solely for the purpose of vending. From here on out, my fellow artist friend and I hit up all sorts of new places with our handmade plush and kawaii art- Atlanta, New Orleans, D.C., Los Angeles, we would try any convention with a large attendance and an untapped market. This time period as a whole was a milestone in and of itself, because every place ticket, hotel room, and meal on the road was paid for by the business.

From 2018 and on, things evolved rapidly. I enrolled in community college and quickly realized I could not juggle my cashiering job, my business, and full-time school. I reluctantly quit my job, nervous about the implications of having an income limited to selling art. At this time I was still living at home, however my bills were all my own- student loans, car payments, etc. Thankfully, the missing ingredient to taking the business to the level was simply Time, and with more free time to dedicate to it, I was able to focus more on marketing, mass-produced items, and traveling. My then-boyfriend (now husband) and I moved into our own apartment together in 2018 and I have been supporting myself 100% since.

From 2019 on, I have been working on maintaining both passive and active streams of income. I’ve had consignment deals in New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tokyo, and currently Phoenix, AX. I also do local markets in my city, and will travel to conventions within Texas during the summer. To compensate for out of state conventions being more of a risk post 2020, I have also begun streaming and selling my merchandise on the platform Pop Shop Live. What I really want to prioritize now is moving more into apparel and lifestyle items; when I can secure storage and warehouse space I’d love to launch a micro collection of knitwear for example.

Marina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My brand Precious Bbyz is a creation i came up with in high school. At the time I primarily sold hand sewn stuffed animals, so a cutesy name that invokes a childlike feeling was what felt right. For artwork outside of my brand, for example client work or influencing, I go by my artist name Bunnyprince.

I got into creating my own toys and characters because I myself love toys and characters. My current art style is heavily influenced by the Japanese “Kawaii” culture; in particular brands like Sanrio (Hello Kitty) and San-X (Rilakkuma). The aesthetic of kawaii merchandise is often constituted of soft color palettes, color blocking, nostalgia, and whimsical yet simply designed characters. I employ the same strategy as Hello Kitty, in that I create cute characters in silly outfits or themed situations, and then design merchandise to go along with them. Everything under the Precious Bbyz brand name are my own original designs and characters, with offerings such as plush: apparel, enamel pins, stationery, housewares, and accessories.

Aside from designing products from Precious Bbyz, I will also take on freelance client work once in awhile. I currently have an ongoing partnership with my good friend Kat Bustos (@shop.massivecurves) wherein she commissions me to design all the flyers for her popup vintage markets. Although vintage nostalgia is not something I’d necessarily categorize as in my wheelhouse, I enjoy the challenge of stepping outside the pastel world and sampling another aesthetic. This also gives me a chance to get my design work out in the open, in front of new eyes who may never attend a convention, or stop by in an anime store.

What I think sets my art and my characters apart from others is that what I create is 100% informed by my own thoughts and experiences. I always try to answer my own questions of, ” Would I buy this? Do I want this?”. Although it is tempting to try and hop on every trend and try to capture the public’s attention that way, ultimately it leaves me very unfulfilled. In doing my own 100% original designs, I am hoping to reach others who do see my vision and get joy from the same things I do and share in that joy. Fundamentally, what I am trying to do with my brand is build a community of fun, friendship, and sharing. At Precious Bbyz, there’s a friend for everybody.

The moments I am most proud of are when customers will come up to my booth, cheerfully saying,”I finally found you! I bought this toy from you years ago, I still have it!”. They’ll reach into their bag, filled to the brim with convention goodies and cosplay props, and out comes a once bright but now greyed, once crisp but now frayed, well-loved, hand-stitched toy I made in an era of Precious Bbyz before I could afford professionally manufacturing my plush designs.

I’m proud of the times when a customer has come back, telling me a story about how I fixed a well-loved broken keychain, or gave their sibling a free pin, or ask if I remember them, and I get to tell them of course I do. I’m proud of all the pet pictures I get tagged in on Instagram, countless captions of “I love this blanket/plush/jacket but my pet stole it!”. I’m very proud of the comfort my plush have brought people; one customer in particular told me a sting ray toy I must have sewn in 2016 is her designated plane buddy and he goes on every flight with her as a comfort item.

What I hope people can take away from my brand is feeling a little bit lighter. At my booth, everyone is granted permission to laugh at the silly characters, indulge in a little childlike wonder, and pick out your favorite plush from the shelf. What I would like my fans, followers, and supporters to know is that I appreciate them deeply, and without them and their support and generosity there is no Precious Bbyz.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is always to create items that I think are cool, and would want to buy. Alongside that, I strive to both try new things (items, styles, etc.), while sticking to what makes my brand uniquely its own. My ultimate goal used to blow up as large as other character lines (Pusheen, Hello Kitty, Etc.), however now I think that goal has shifted. I think I would like to maintain overall artistic control of the brand, but now my focus is on expansion and letting go just a little bit.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society would benefit from understanding how much of their world is shaped and made palatable by artists and creatives. As a whole, we need to have an overhaul of the valuation of art in every form, from music to the visual arts. To better instill that art is the human legacy, art history and appreciation should be taught beginning in elementary school. Art classes should focus on expression, and those that want to be pursue learning classical technique can pivot and do that. Every person should have an outlet to express themselves, whether it be fashion, writing, drawing, etc. A more in depth knowledge of arts from around the world and how other cultures treat singing, dancing, drawing, weaving, paper-making, etc. would be very beneficial to young minds.

Contact Info:

• Website: preciousbbyz.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/bunnyprince
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/preciousbbyz
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/bunnyprince210
• Other: Tiktok: @bunnyprince210

Image Credits
Marina Arriola Hannah Hansen