Rachel Johnson
Posted By Craft Corps on August 31, 2009
Rachel Johnson
Name: Rachel Johnson
Age: 28
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Website manager (I run Swap-bot.com) and freelance graphic designer
Craft(s) of Choice: Paper crafts, crochet, digital design
Blog: http://www.rljart.com/blog
I think I have always been dreaming of being creative – as in creating original things that are all my own. I went to college for graphic design and painting, and then went on to get a graduate degree in Arts Management. My thesis covered internet marketing by indie crafters – it was a lot of fun to research! I studied Etsy while it was still just starting out in 2006, went to many craft shows, and interviewed dozens of crafters.
During all of my schooling, my husband and I were continuously creating websites. Some were personal, some were just for fun, and some we hoped might grow into something special. In 2005 we created Swap-bot.com, a site that helps facilitate group craft swaps. We have been slowly improving the site ever since and it has grown and grown! We currently have over 25,000 members and the site has over 500 active swaps going on at any given time. It has also become a really fun and supportive community of artists, crafters, and writers.
Professionally, I have been a publisher, a graphic designer, a museum administrator, an editor, and a struggling artist, but running Swap-bot is by far the most rewarding job I have had and I am very happy to report that I now manage Swap-bot full time. It is my largest craft project ever!
Comments