Interview with Dennis

Name: Dennis Czubin
Blog or URL:http://www.temperamentalmusician.com
Store Names and URL:The Temperamental Musician http://www.zazzle.com/TempermentalMusician
What are three of your favourite products? 
http://www.zazzle.com/hummingbird_rose_clef_poster-228434394804650445
http://www.zazzle.com/warning_temperamental_musician_poster-228348898807322236
http://www.zazzle.com/keeps_aliens_away_music_tshirt-235278452883613577

How did you find Zazzle? I had a shop on another site at the time they revised their policies and made them unfriendly toward the shopkeepers. I asked another seller who was moving where she was going. She said, "It rhymes with dazzle."
How long have you been Zazzling? Since April, 2009.
What made you decide to open your own store? I opened my original store (on another site) because I had drawn some music cartoons for my daughter who was an oboe student at the time. Her oboe professor liked them and said I should publish them. I found an on-line site and opened a shop.
What was your first sale? My first sale on Zazzle was a button: http://www.zazzle.com/warning_temperamental_clarinetist_button-145245741486728153
For most each product or design they create is special. What is your most favourite design and why? My favorite design is from my daughter's friend who has autism. It's called "TripleTreble": http://www.zazzle.com/tripletreble_card-137977270761133318
She gave me me her design and it was the first design I put in my store, followed by my cartoons. She isn't capable of operating a Zazzle store, so I sell for her and give her the royalties.
What is your favourite aspect about Zazzle? I enjoy working on Zazzle as a second job that is as flexible as I need it to be.
How much time do you devote to Zazzle daily/weekly? I spend about 15 to 30 hours per week working on Zazzle.
What are three things everyone should know about you? My kids never believed anything I told them. (They claim it's because of wild stories I made up.) My sense of humor is very dry and a bit twisted. I'm mean, rotten, and nasty, and I hate kids. (That was always the reason I gave my kids for for telling them, "No." Another thing they never believed about me.)
If you could purchase ANY item (of someone else’s) what would it be? http://www.zazzle.com/aria_poster-228466565833571072 Why? This painting just seemed to speak to me. Something beautiful, abstract, and somewhat melancholy.

How much did you earn your first month? $.69
How long after opening your store did you become a pro seller? Nine months.
Zazzle has helped many people meet goals that they otherwise wouldn’t have achieved. What has Zazzle helped you to achieve in your personal life? Zazzle has given me an outlet for my creativity, allowing it to expand much more than it would have otherwise.
If you could give any piece of advice to a Zazzle newbie what would it be? Find your niche, something unique that is you. Don't just copy others, changing lettering styles or colors, but break new ground, making your images or sayings uniquely yours. Not everyone will appreciate it, but you will never please everyone. Try to please yourself and your unique audience.

If you were an animal, what kind would you be and why? An otter. They love to have fun, sliding down slides into the water.
If you came across a puddle you would …
a) jump in it, viewers be *ed!
b) walk around it, these loafers be new!
c) stop for a moment, take a look around then remember you’re not 5 anymore … walk on and remember the good ol days. I think c, walk on and remember the good ol' days. Oh, heck, I might just stomp in it!
What would we find in your refrigerator right now? Chocolate milk and leftovers. They make a good late night snack.
If you could trade places with anyone, real or fictional, alive or dead who would it be? Benjamin Franklin Why? He was very creative, inventing scores of things, some of which are still in use. He was comfortable with royalty, nobles, and common people. He had a sharp wit and a wry sense of humor.
If Hollywood wanted to make a movie about you, who would you want to play the lead role? Why? Christopher Lloyd who played the professor in "Back to the Future." He plays whacky, eccentric roles very well.
If someone wrote a book about you, what do you think the title should be? "Good Intentions"