Alissia is a hotshot designer from Holland who currently resides in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Her products are clever, witty, and have quite a bit of character. We went over to her studio to find out how she's built her career as an independent designer. www.byamt.com



So how did you get the word out about your first product?

I designed the "Handful of Plates" when I was in school in Holland. The plates were already in the press in Europe a lot before I graduated. Then I approached a manufacturer, and he wanted to pick it up right away. It was really easy, because he'd already seen the product and he knew it.



What's your impression of US vs. European design? We've been asking a few people this question now, and it always seems to be a real hot-button issue.

I guess there's a difference because there's a cultural difference. I don't think design is something that Americans grow up with. We do grow up with it. Especially in Holland. It's such a designed country, it's almost ridiculous, from the tiles, to signage to lampposts, post office boxes etc. So it's going to be different. There's a taste-level difference, and there's a difference in understanding proportions, color, etc. There are good American designers and there is good American design, but there is less than there could be.

I think mostly it's the design education in the US. Anyone can get into design school here. I don't feel like the bar is very high. And it's a different type of education, because of the amount of money it costs.

That was something interesting which came up when we interviewed Robert Langhorn, who teaches at Pratt. He mentioned how students here feel they have a certain entitlement to passing classes, because they're paying so much money to attend.

Right. Teachers in the US are too afraid they're going to offend someone. I think the first thing you need to learn is that any commentary on your design is not personal. It's about your work. If everyone took everything that someone said personally, no one would function in this world. You shouldn't be offended about that kind of criticism. You usually kind of get pissed off for about a second, and then you let it go.

Also, it seems like students get the chance to learn to have their own signature work. The schools kind of say, "Now you're going to learn this," and "Now you're going to learn that." The schedules are so tight students are always in school. They never have time for themselves to really think about their projects. Schools are open 24/7, so there's no discipline enforced. There are no points when the school or the shop closes, so you have to stop working. Students just go 24/7. Which doesn't teach you work ethic. It becomes this 24/7 thing.

I know I work a lot, but there's a point where you just have to stop. My husband Jan works from 9 to 6 and then he's done. The brain turns off, and he's off looking for food or thinking about soccer or something else than working. And that's much more what we learn to do in Holland. We had to - our school would close. It might seem like a little thing, but you actually learn to think very rationally and very quickly. You're more orderly. You maybe even come to better conclusions about your designs, since you're not constantly in front of your work. By pulling away ideas come as well.



I'm going to segue that into another question I have: Do you have any advice for someone trying to strike out on their own and start a business?

Yeah. Be honest to yourself. Figure out if you can really do it. If you can really push yourself to work every day. Maybe try freelancing first, and see how that goes. If you're going to start on your own, you need capital. Or you need to know you have freelance jobs that can support you. Little gigs here and there that have nothing to do with your own stuff.

Living off royalties is hard. You need a lot of royalties to make it work. Another way is to sell your own pieces. But that isn't easy right away, either, because you need to invest first. A lot of people have this romantic idea of working for yourself. But it's not really like that.

Yes, I think you learn that really quickly.

In a certain sense it is, because you do set your own schedule. But you still have to call people between 9 and 6. And we work with Europe a lot, so we need to get things out as early in our day as possible. Even though you're on your own, you are still going to end up on a schedule.

You also have to be honest about if you really have the skills to work on your own. Figure out what you're really good at, and what your signature is. What you do and what you don't do. Maybe you do it all. But there is always a certain way in which you do things.

I think in order to compete, you have to have something that you can sell as your strength, something to set you apart from the crowd.

Not necessarily. I think some people have good enough connections and they do well even though their work is not that interesting. There are always things out there which don't seem competitive. There are these moments when you don't really agree that someone's design is that interesting or that innovative, but you still see it everywhere. Some people are just really, really good business people. Then again it probably is good that I don't always like everything out there, then I would have nothing to design anymore and it would seem even more useless to design more objects.



What has been your biggest success?

About three years ago, the rings took off, and basically my normal life as a designer was over. The rings gained a lot of momentum and are still going. The glasses are also doing really well, but I think the rings were more innovative at the time they came out.



You've worked with manufacturers and distributors, as well as manufacturing and distributing your products on your own. What do you see as the pros and cons of each route?

You learn a lot when you do your own distribution and manufacturing. I did everything for the rings myself. Because of that experience, when I work with companies now, I know what's going on behind the scenes. Or what's not going on... If you've never sold your own stuff, it's harder to understand the different cultures and how people buy or don't buy. Another thing is that even though a store might be so prestigious and great, they're often hard to deal with.

At the same time, if you don't have to learn these lessons and you find manufacturers for everything, and you're happy with the way everything goes, then by all means go that route. The pro of working with a manufacturer is you don't have to do anything, and you get royalties. The cons are that you might miss out on learning some things.

Can you give us any details about what's on the horizon for you?

Well, more products are coming out for the Dutch company that did the Treehooked. They asked us to do some new pieces. As well as an older piece that has finally been taken into production by another company. More soon on that. And we've been asked to do an interior for Art Basel in Miami as well as 5th Avenue for Christmas. As well as possibly consulting for a Design Centre in NYC.