Don’t Just Like It, Buy It: Linktree x Alfred Creator Spotlight

We are so excited to partner with Alfred’s Coffee for the month of September to highlight how creators, artists, and businesses can have their social audiences support them in new and creative ways – by turning social love into earnings. We’re turning the spotlight to four incredible Linkers who power their businesses through Linktree to connect with supporters all over the world. You can see their work in-stores at Alfred’s Melrose Place and Studio City locations in Los Angeles through September 30. Discover more about them below!

Meet Kyrstin Constantino, the artist and owner behind MUSH Bottega. Krystin is passionate about the art of self-expression and the beauty of handmade creations. Her journey began with a deep appreciation for the power of art in connecting people. Through her own artistic endeavors, she discovered the immense impact that a well-crafted piece can have on someone's life - making them feel confident, inspired, and truly seen. “We believe that accessories should be more than just adornments—they should be wearable art that tells a story and sparks joy,” says Krystin.

“Linktree [has helped] us grow by making it easy for customers to keep up with all things MUSH in one place,” says Kyrstin. “In one click, followers can access our online shop, all the social platforms and any [of our] new promotions or releases.” One piece of advice Kyrstin offers for other aspiring creators and small business owners is to make sure there is time spent thinking through the importance of branding and the customers you are hoping to reach. “For artists, branding can sometimes be an afterthought, but when you have a wonderful product, you want to make sure you make a great introduction!” Check out more from MUSH Bottega on their Linktree!

https://linktr.ee/mushbottega

Meet Angel Vu, the owner and creator of Blow Me Candle Co.! Blow Me Candle was a pandemic project Angel started in early 2020 from her home kitchen just for fun to make candles for herself and her family. She is a professional graphic designer and originally intended to explore new designs to add to her portfolio. Initially she saw her candles were being purchased by friends and family in small batches, but slowly as her business grew, she started to not recognize the names that were coming in on all of the new orders. Fast forward to (almost) three years now, and Blow Me has a brand new storefront on Main Street in Santa Monica, California where each candle is hand poured in their new and improved studio.

In Angel’s own words, “We are no longer a one wo(man) team. [In addition to our candles] we carry so many products made by local artisans and other small businesses.” Blow Me candle has quickly become a one stop shop for candles, gifts, home goods and more and Linktree has played a part in that story over time. “I love Linktree! It has helped me over the years on all social platforms and has made it so easy to have all my links in one place,” says Angel. “As a small business owner, I have lots to share so I love that I can attach my website, articles, and other fun links all in one place.”

“One thing I’ve learned as an artist and small business owner is – don’t be afraid to put your work, your product or yourself out there. I often hear ‘well what if they don't like it,’ and my response to that is, well what if they do! You never know what great thing you are holding on to if you never release it into the world. Sometimes things don’t work out but you will never know if you do not try. It’s all a part of the process.”

https://linktr.ee/blowmecandle.co

Meet Stacy Michelson, an author, illustrator, food journalist, and all around creative. After spending years working in restaurants and watching more food-related TV than she cares to admit, Stacy turned her focus to researching and illustrating food stories for some of the biggest clients across California and beyond (The Los Angeles Times, The BBC, KCRW radio, Cherry Bombe). When she released her infamous book Eat This Book, fans flocked to Stacy’s channels where they discovered so much more of her creativity. She shares her cooking tips, humorous videos and whimsical style of food art on merchandise of all sorts from pins to prints and powers her latest drops through her Linktree.

“Linktree has been super helpful and beneficial to me as an artist who does lots of different things and wants people to be able to easily find them,” says Stacy. “When I post about something on Instagram, whether it’s signed copies of a book at a local store, items in my online shop, or a podcast interview I just did - I love that I can simply tell people to click the Linktree in my bio and they can access it easily.”

“My advice to new artists and creatives is if you have an idea you can’t stop thinking about or there’s something you can see yourself getting paid to do but you haven’t gotten those kind of jobs yet, just give yourself that assignment and create a personal project. Don’t be afraid to post it, show people, and put it on your website. No one offered me a book deal until I showed people I was passionate about food and I started making educational and celebratory illustrations about it. I posted them regularly and found out there was an audience who was curious and interested - it snowballed into a super fun career in food illustration and my first book, Eat This Book!”

https://linktr.ee/stacymichelson

Meet Ashley Dreyfus, an illustrator and mural artist hailing from Portland. Ashley’s specialty within her artistry is depicting her characters in an alternate reality that blends the everyday with the absurd, where humans are transformed into their alter ego’s depicting trees with legs and cats drinking coffee - some of her notable works. A few of Ashley’s influences include Keith Haring, vintage clothing and cartoons, and her love of good coffee.

"Linktree has always been a huge help for my business to direct people to my online shop, it’s very friendly to use, view, and it invites anyone who is interested in getting to know a bit more about me to check out any other links to cool merch collaborations or projects I've worked on. I also have always loved that there's an option to customize my landing page so it matches my art! If I had any advice for other artists or small business owners I'd say use social media and any other platforms [like Linktree] as a tool to share your work with the world, as well as reach out to other creators to connect, ask questions and collaborate!"

https://linktr.ee/dreyfusart