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Recently SoloPine crossed the $1 million threshold to become a Power Elite, via a suite of great themes like Redwood and Hemlock. We caught up with them to find out a bit more about working in the Pacific Northwest; why they do what they do, and some of the people they admire and are inspired by.
Tell us a bit about yourselves. Where are you from, what do you do for a living?
We're a husband & wife team from two little corners of the world. Together we make up Solo Pine, a little WordPress theme design & development company. We don't know many people who work with their spouses! We are endlessly grateful for what we've been able to build and share so far via Solo Pine. We definitely don't take a moment for granted.Sebastian was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark and Sam hails from outside Seattle, Washington. Everyday we are so fortunate to look out the window and see trees, mountains and a river. It’s hard to not feel inspired by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Nature aside, the Seattle area has lots of fresh, new, funky things happening all the time. Great art, great food, great music, great people.
Why are you doing what you are doing and what do you love about it?
I've always loved creating websites, even from a young age. I'd sit with pens and paper and sketch designs I never really intended to code to completion. It's an amazing feeling to formulate a design in your head, tap it into a computer with your fingers, and produce a beautiful tool that others can use to create functional canvases of their own.We’ve had so many wonderful interactions with customers over the years - it’s always exciting to see how people have used our themes to promote what they’re really passionate about.
Redwood - A Responsive WordPress Blog Theme by SoloPine
What's the most challenging thing about your work?
I can go through a dozen theme designs before I settling on something I'm happy with. One night I'll be really pleased with a theme and the next day I'll be ready to scrap it. We'll go back and forth over the most minute details until something just clicks.
Rosemary - A Responsive WordPress Blog Theme by SoloPine
Who inspires you and why?
This is a difficult question. We were discussing our parents or maybe a respected cultural leader, but then Sam remembered that Joey Chestnut ate 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes, so I think we'll have to stick with Mr. Chestnut. On ThemeForest, there are so many talented people. ThemeNectar, Pixelgrade, and SwiftIdeas have always stood out to me. We really love their design styles, and the unique twists that they put on their items.
Florence - A Responsive WordPress Theme by SoloPine
What is your advice to other Authors regarding how to create a successful portfolio?
Find your niche and create something different from what others are offering. Add your own twist to it to make it unique. It's often easiest to play it safe with designs, but you run the risk of not standing out. Create something you'll be proud to stand behind."Create something you'll be proud to stand behind."
What do you do to market your files?
We haven't tried substantially marketing our themes yet, as the majority of our new customers come via ThemeForest. A large number have become repeat customers each time we release a new theme, which is wonderful.
Hemlock - A Responsive WordPress Blog Theme by SoloPine
What do you do in your spare time?
The past year or so has been spent renovating our home but the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight! Otherwise we love traveling and spending time with friends. Sebastian's exploring game design and Sam dabbles in textile weaving.
Willow - One Page Multi-Purpose Theme by SoloPine
How do you feel about your achievement?
We're so grateful for the milestone and what it means. Words can't describe how rewarding it is to do what you love everyday and see that people appreciate and encourage it. While it's a great achievement in itself, we're reminded that there's so much more we'd love to accomplish and we're excited to keep up the momentum!
Cassia - A Responsive WordPress Blog Theme by SoloPine
It’s very great achievement! 
