The woman behind @'s cute and quirky Twitter commentary is just as sweet as you'd imagine. In fact, her life’s mission is to “make the world a sweeter place through art and baked goods.” How is she accomplishing this goal? Through her artwork, her passion for local bakeries, and her Twitter account.

A writer, illustrator, and small business owner with a penchant for baked goods, Jessie Oleary spends her time creating artwork inspired by cupcakes, cakes, pies, and the like, and seeks out sugary inspiration wherever she goes. She sells her work out of a small shop (CakeSpy Shop) that she opened this year in Seattle, which grew from a website she'd built. “I actually noticed that Twitter is one of the most powerful tools in generating traffic to my online store,” says Jessie, who was more than happy to leave her day job in full-time pursuit of desserts and art. “I can promote, engage with people, and have fun.”

“I actually noticed that Twitter is one of the most powerful tools in generating traffic to my online store. I can promote, engage with people, and have fun."

Using Twitter as her primary marketing tool, Jessie has mastered the art of creating clever, entertaining updates and understands how to make Twitter work for her. “I think that people see through it and get tired of it really quickly when all you do is push your product,” she explains. “It's often more interesting to give them some of the backstory via Twitter – in addition to updating them about relevant news and products."

With this in mind, Jessie uses Tweets to gather feedback on art projects she’s working on, survey customers and gather ideas from like-minded Twitter users, document her adventures sampling baked goods, and to drive traffic to her blog and store. “I seek out sweetness in everyday life,” Jessie adds. “Sometimes that’s literal in terms of visiting bakeries; sometimes it’s figurative in terms of my art. I report on it, and share it.” And the world – or at least Twitter – is a little sweeter for it.

This one time...

@ received a Tweet from a fan asking if she could illustrate an Andy Warhol quote: “My ideal wife would have a lot of bacon, bring it all home, and have a TV Station besides.” She jumped at the challenge, created a masterpiece, and used it to propel more artwork. “People loved it!” Jessie recalls. “I started posting weekly Andy Warhol illustrations on Twitter.”

How @ uses Twitter:




Custom Twitter Backgrounds


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