Pam Judd is a photographer and artist who transforms both her artwork and photography into post cards that we are sure you will love. Pam’s post cards are amazingly affordable so everyone can enjoy them. You’ll want to stock up on cards at Ruby Slippers Post.
Please enjoy the interview, leave Pam a comment, and then use the Share tools to “Spread the Zibbet Love.”
I’ve been doing document layout for a long time (since pre-Windows days). I love the look of type on a page and enjoy putting text and images together. As an old-time letter writer and amateur photographer, a postcard business seemed a natural way to go for me. When the idea finally occurred to me, I was really excited. It’s been a challenge, but fun, finding a way to pull it all together – finding a commercial printer and the right paper for what I wanted to do – getting the colors of my photos to make it all the way through the printing process. Finding the right online marketing tool and display site.Right now, I’m partially retired. I’ve been moving around a lot, to be near family and to actualize a few long-time dreams. I actually use the internet as a kind of center to my wanderings.I’ve got a real urge to communicate (informally) with photos and writing. I like the challenge of trying to find the right medium for the message. Getting out to see the neighborhood or find new neighborhoods usually gets me inspired. I have more to say when I’m interacting with what’s around me.
There are lots of people, but someone I looked to in my early desktop publishing days was Jan V. White (Graphic Design for the Electronic Age). A very nice guy who believed in open communication. He kept things simple. I also like a book by Robert Hirsch – Light and Lens: Photography in the Digital Age. He looks at photography from a historical, philosophical and practical perspective. And I admire Jamie Thomson (Silver City, NM), an amazing youth and bicyclist advocate. Some of my best pictures were taken on his rides.
I’m a bike commuter – just getting around town can be an extreme sport. I used to walk for transportation which I thoroughly loved, but now that I’m older, the bike is better. Because I was always hitting a wall of traffic when I walked, I started looking at urban and transportation design in political terms. That really opened my eyes. I still have trouble finding my place on the road, but now I try to just enjoy my ride and resist the urge to get involved. I get too crazy when I see myself as an advocate.I love Zibbet. I did the hard work of putting up several shops at various sites, but I ended up closing all but Zibbet. Either the sites went out of business or the community or management didn’t feel right. Aside from my personal photo site, Smugmug.com, Zibbet is the only one I kept because it felt really comfortable. Transparent. There don’t seem to be any hidden agendas.
The shop structure is open enough to allow a personal style, but simple enough that I can manage things on my own. When I have technical questions, I’ve always gotten an immediate response from the staff or administration. This really impressed me. Who can know what goes on behind the scenes in any online company, but the consistent feeling I get from Zibbet is that the company cares. They have helped me whenever I’ve needed it.I also like the community, the people I’ve met in Zibbet forums. They’ve been friendly and supportive without being insincere.Zibbet has so much, I’m not sure I can answer this. It seems to be getting more eclectic. I see more risk-taking and unusual imagery (which inspires me to be more creative).
I’m afraid I’m very laxed about this. Zibbet gives me good promotional tools, but I haven’t really used them. I created the Zibbet shop more as a logical last step in the creative process than as a money-making venture. I wanted to generate a dialogue with other chroniclers and correspondents about using cards and photos as a way to communicate. I also needed a way to sell my cards, but mostly because I wanted to talk to the people who might buy them. I have found Zibbet forums to be friendly. People have gone out of their way to be supportive.As a business, you’d want to use Zibbet’s marketing tools and get involved in their online community, to get the word out about your shop. Visit other shops and respond to the vendor’s work. 
(I need to follow my own advice.)a better photographer and know my camera better; braver with my cards and picture-taking (right now, I’m pretty conservative because I just want to get things down on paper); involved in an ongoing lively discussion about the arts; a permanent resident in an interesting neighborhood.Tags: Featured Zibbeters, Ruby Slippers Post
