SBR Market Day 2023: When Creativity and Demon Slayer Colors Led to Success
My fourth-grade daughter recently participated in her school's market day as part of the IB Primary Years Programme at Sekolah Bogor Raya, and it turned into an inspiring journey of creativity, entrepreneurship, and passion. She transformed her love for anime – particularly Demon Slayer – into a wonderful entrepreneurial adventure.
While many of her classmates chose to sell food items, my daughter envisioned something unique. As an enthusiastic Demon Slayer fan with the complete English manga series from VIZ (volumes 1-23) and a love for the Netflix series, she decided to blend her artistic talents with her favorite anime. Her creative spark led to the idea of hand-painted Demon Slayer-themed artwork on small canvases.
Supporting her vision, we visited KKV a month before the market day to gather supplies: 20 small 10x10 cm canvases, acrylic paints, and various art materials. Together, we explored different color patterns that would bring her beloved characters to life through art.
The Production Journey
Our creative process was both fun and educational. We began with the fundamentals – applying white (or other color, depending on the character) basecoats to all canvases before letting them dry in the warm sunlight. I guided her in drawing pencil guidelines to create clean color boundaries. The color mixing process became an exciting learning experience as she applied her mathematical knowledge of proportions and ratios, combining digital inspiration from colordesigner.io with hands-on acrylic paint mixing.
We set a comfortable pace of completing five artworks weekly, aiming for one piece per day. Though the initial week moved slowly as we focused on base layers and pencil sketches, her enthusiasm and joy made every moment worthwhile.
Adding a Personal Touch
A week before the event, we celebrated completing all the artworks – a proud moment for our family.
Drawing inspiration from Starbucks Reserve's storytelling approach, we enhanced each piece with complimentary cards explaining the color patterns' significance. She embraced this idea warmly, diving into research using the Demon Slayer Wiki Fandom.
The final collection showcased 15 distinctive color patterns, each reflecting a different Demon Slayer character's essence. From Tanjiro's signature green and black checkered pattern to Zenitsu's vibrant yellow and orange lightning motif, and Inosuke's dynamic blue beast-like design – every piece told its own story. The collection featured other beautiful interpretations including Shinobu's elegant purple wisteria pattern, Rengoku's energetic red and orange, and Giyu's peaceful water-ripple blues. Each pattern thoughtfully represented the character's unique breathing style and personality, creating an instant connection with fellow fans.
At school, she collaborated wonderfully with her classmates, creating engaging posters and refining plans under Pak Chandra and Ibu Lucia's supportive guidance.
Her pricing strategy reflected careful thought – IDR25,000 per piece, offering great value with each purchase including a magnetic canvas (perfect for refrigerator display), a canvas stand, story card, and paper bag. She mindfully calculated production costs at around IDR18,000 per piece.
Market Day Success
What happened on market day exceeded everyone's expectations. Her entire collection sold out in just 20 minutes – the fastest-selling items at the event! She was genuinely shocked by the response, with students continuing to visit her stall asking for more. We even heard that some students successfully resold the pieces at double the price – a testament to their popularity!
Beyond Sales: A Learning Experience
This market day blossomed into something far more meaningful than an art sale. It became a beautiful example of practical learning across various subjects and skills:
Mathematical skills through pricing and profit calculations
Research abilities through market surveys and price analysis
Time management in production planning
Financial understanding through proposal writing
Marketing and communication skills
Product development and critical thinking
Report writing and thoughtful reflection
As parents, watching our daughter apply her classroom knowledge to a real-world project filled us with joy. She didn't just create and sell artwork – she experienced the full journey of entrepreneurship while staying true to her interests. The success of her Demon Slayer artwork proved that when passion meets preparation, amazing things can happen.
Awesome El!
