Hey, I’m Danni from Edinburgh, Scotland and I own Krakens Lair. If you didn’t guess by the name, my style leans more to the alternative/goth side of life.
I actually have quite a varied creative background. I have an HND in photography and a BSc in Computer Games (Art & Animation). I’ve been very creative since a young age and even spent some time as a tattoo apprentice. I got into resin about a year ago somewhat impulsively, I started it as a hobby to make things for friends and family and it just grew very quickly.
It took me a while to properly get the hang of resin, for the first couple of times I actually measured my resin wrong and wondered why my pieces where so bendy haha. Luckily I found an incredibly supportive community near the start of my journey. Helena, who owns Resin D’Etre Supplies (she sells a fantastic range of glitters/pigments/inclusions etc), took me on as a brand rep which gave me the confidence boost I needed to start trying to sell my resin makes.
I’d say my favourite things to create are probably pieces like my dragon moon statues. I’ve only fully completed one at the moment, but there are going to be five in total, each one based on an element. I started this project quite near the start of my resin journey, so these pieces take a while, and have been through many changes and new ideas, but the end result is definitely worth it.
When I first decided to start selling my pieces I opened a store on Shopify at the end of 2022, but I decided to switch to Etsy this year because I felt like I needed more exposure. It’s a little more challenging finding places to show my work because most of my items are more goth/alternative.
I think that’s the biggest issue I’ve had, finding the right places to share my work, and remembering to do so. I’m still building my followers on social media and it’s taken me a while to get the hang of all the different algorithms. I don’t think people realise how much work goes into just making the content to show of your products, that takes just as long as making the product itself!
I’m a brand ambassador for Craft Resin and it’s one of the many reasons I love it. I love being able to recommend a good product and also help people get a discount on it! The most helpful thing for me has been including craft resin as a collaborator on my Instagram posts, it helps boost my reach massively!
Creating with resin has given me my creativity back, and seeing the reaction to what I’ve made has been a real confidence boost. I’m now even branching into making my own silicone moulds to use in my creations, using my own artwork! I’m also looking to incorporate my 3D degree by creating 3D moulds for my pieces. I have so many ideas to expand that I get a little frustrated because I can’t just do it all immediately.
If you're just starting out I’d say just go for it, the worst thing that could happen is it doesn’t look great, but you can always try again. Each mistake is an opportunity to learn something. Remember though, just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean no one will. Just make sure to look up the proper safety precautions and instructions for using resin.
Danni
