Startist Society: Recent Episodes
Laura Lee Griffin and Nikki May
Are fear and procrastination keeping you from making progress in your art business? Artists Laura Lee Griffin and Nikki May believe strongly in the power of community, accountability, following your intuition, taking small actionable steps, and breaking down the barriers that keep you "stuck". The Startist Society will inspire you to stop getting in your own way and start building an art biz and life that you love. Follow along with us on our creative business journey as we encourage you on yours.
Artists often ask, why do I need an email list when I already post on Instagram? Laura and Nikki share the answers: social media platforms can change their rules overnight, limit your reach, or even disappear entirely. Your email list belongs to you – nobody can take it away or stand between you and your audience. Listen in as we talk about how to get started and what to share with your email subscribers! You can also access a FREE pdf download with our email marketing tips + a template for your first email!
READ SHOW NOTES + DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EMAIL MARKETING TIPS GUIDE:
startistsociety.com/emaillist/
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facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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The days when artists had to rely solely on galleries or craft fairs to get their work seen are long gone. Now we're all constantly wondering if we should be posting reels carousels or just give up and become hermits! Social media can feel like a full time job that none of us signed up for. In this episode, Laura and Nikki break down social media strategies that actually work for artists without eating up all of your creative time.
READ SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/socialmedia/
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In this episode, Nikki and Laura break down the most popular website platforms for artists and creatives. We’ll help you evaluate features, integrations, and costs to choose the best option for your needs, whether you want to sell your work online, create a stunning portfolio or manage your art business. Plus, we’ll share a handy comparison chart to simplify your decision-making process.
READ SHOW NOTES & DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ARTIST WEBSITE ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST:
startistsociety.com/platforms/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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In this episode, Nikki and Laura dive into the must-have elements for any artist's website. Whether you’re just starting out or revamping your online presence, we break down exactly what you need to showcase your work, connect with your audience and make sales!
READ SHOW NOTES & DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ARTIST WEBSITE ESSENTIALS CHECKLIST:
startistsociety.com/websiteneeds/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON:
buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about the importance of branding for artists - beyond just a logo. They provide some great practical tips for building a brand identity and take you through three different levels of branding investment: DIY, mid-tier, and professional - based on wherever you are at on your business journey.
READ SHOW NOTES & ACCESS YOUR FREE BRANDING PDF DOWNLOAD:
startistsociety.com/branding/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
instagram.com/startistsociety/
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buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this episode Nikki and Laura tackle the ever-present temptation artists face—buying new supplies—and discuss why embracing the materials you already own can be a game-changer for your creativity and budget. We break down five compelling reasons why using your existing stash benefits both your art and your wallet, followed by ten practical tips to help you extend the life of you supplies, explore new creative possibilities, and stay focused. From mastering your tools to organizing your stash and even hosting a supply swap, this episode is packed with actionable ideas to help you maximize what you already have.
READ SHOW NOTES & ACCESS YOUR FREE TIPS PDF DOWNLOAD:
https://startistsociety.com/useyourstash/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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Technology can feel intimidating, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from growing your creative business. In this episode, Nikki and Laura share practical strategies and mindset shifts to help artists and creatives overcome their tech fears. From starting small and embracing imperfection to utilizing online resources and celebrating small wins, we break down simple ways to build confidence with technology. Whether you’re tackling a new tool, setting up an online shop, or automating tasks, this conversation will help you take that first step with less fear and more curiosity. Tune in for an encouraging, lighthearted discussion—and a few laughs along the way!
READ SHOW NOTES & READ TRANSCRIPT:
https://startistsociety.com/techfears/
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We’re ridiculously excited to share this week’s episode with you. Why? Because we got to sit down with none other than Bonnie Christine—surface pattern designer extraordinaire, business powerhouse, and one of the best online educators out there. Bonnie is a completely self-taught designer who has created at least 16 fabric collections for Art Gallery Fabrics, built a thriving business, and helped thousands of creatives turn their art into a career. Basically, she’s the definition of a Startist.
In this week’s episode, we got to pick her brain on everything: How she got started in surface design, the impact of AI on the design world, words of wisdom for anyone just getting started.
We also chat about her free course that’s wrapping up soon, and of course, her signature Immersion course, which just opened for registration today. This is one you don’t want to miss.
READ SHOW NOTES:
https://startistsociety.com/bonniechristine/
Sign up for Bonnie's Free Pattern Design Playbook Mini-Course
Learn about Bonnie Christine's Immersion Surface Design Course
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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Thinking about taking an online course but not sure which ones are actually worth your time and money? We’ve taken a lot over the years—some amazing, some… not so much. In this episode, we break down the best online learning platforms, memberships, and in-depth courses that have truly helped us grow as artists and creative entrepreneurs. Be sure to listen until the end and hear about a special offer we have just for you!
READ SHOW NOTES:
https://startistsociety.com/immersion/
Sign up for Bonnie's Free Pattern Design Playbook Mini-Course
Learn more about Bonnie Christine's Immersion Surface Design Course
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON:
buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Money doesn’t have to be scary—or boring! In this episode, Nikki and Laura share practical, relatable tips to help creative entrepreneurs take control of their finances. From tracking expenses to maximizing income and tackling debt, we’re covering all the essentials to make managing your money feel less daunting and more empowering.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE TIPS PDF DOWNLOAD:
https://startistsociety.com/money/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON:
buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this episode, Nikki and Laura kick off the new year with a deep dive into their planning process for 2025. We reflect on our personal and creative wins and struggles from 2024, share the lessons we’ve learned, and discuss our goals for the year ahead. From building habits to embracing the chaos of creative business, we outline actionable steps for balancing our personal lives, creative work, and podcast goals. We also discuss our Words of the Year—and explain how these intentions will shape our year. Packed with humor, relatable challenges, and practical advice, this episode is a motivational guide for Startists looking to start the year strong.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE TIPS PDF DOWNLOAD:
https://startistsociety.com/planning/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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In our last episode, we introduced you to Heather Bourque of Paper and Wings, an artist and illustrator that sells physical products via wholesale. Did we mention she does this all on her own while still having time to travel the world each year? Heather is back this week to share her five best tips on getting started with a wholesale art business. We know you'll be inspired to give wholesale a try after you hear Heather's great advice!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE TIPS PDF DOWNLOAD:
startistsociety.com/wholesaletips/
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In this episode, we continue our accountability group series by introducing you to Heather Bourque, an artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, who illustrates her love of coastal living and travel through her wholesale and retail online shop, Paper and Wings. We travel deep into Heather’s world of creating and distributing wholesale products alongside her online retail shop. We know you’ll love Heather’s Startist story – and Heather – as much as we do!
Oh - and did we mention she created a solo-run wholesale business that still allows her to travel globally several months out of the year? We know you'll be inspired to give wholesale a try after you hear Heather's great advice!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/paperandwings/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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In episode 49, we introduced you to Elizabeth Silver, a surface pattern designer and educator who is the creator of a fantastic course called Start Your Surface Pattern Business. This week, Elizabeth is back to talk to us about reasons you might not be getting your art in front of potential paying clients. We know you'll love Elizabeth's frank, no fluff business advice as much as we do!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/gettingseen/
CHECK OUT ELIZABETH'S COURSE:
Start Your Surface Pattern Design Business Course
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In this week’s episode, Laura and Nikki share 5 quick tips to help improve your artwork and take it to the next level. We discuss strategies that can help elevate your artwork and set you apart from the crowd and share some really fun tools, websites and products that can help with implementing these techniques!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE PDF TIPS DOWNLOAD:
startistsociety.com/arttips/
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In our last episode, we introduced you to Maria Brophy, an author, teacher, art consultant, agent and brand manager who wrote the incredible book Art Money Success. This week, Maria is back to share her 5 best tips for achieving success with your art.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE PDF TIPS DOWNLOAD:
startistsociety.com/mariastips/
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In this week’s episode, Laura and Nikki interview Maria Brophy, the author of Art Money Success. Maria discusses her journey from corporate cubicle life to becoming a successful art business owner and coach. She is a proven expert at marketing, licensing, and selling artwork, having played a key role in growing husband Drew Brophy's successful art career. We chat about tangible and proven strategies you can use to network in-person, getting your artwork in front of potential buyers and how to battle money mindset issues. We know you're going to learn so much from Maria who has literally written the book on art, money and success!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/mariabrophy/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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In this week’s episode, Laura and Nikki explore the basics of professionally presenting your art business - both online and in person. We cover everything from communication etiquette to curating your portfolio, creating artist statements and a consistent brand identity, prepping physical artwork for galleries and more. We know you'll walk away with some great tips to put into action as you grow your art business.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/presenting/
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This week, Laura and Nikki do a deep dive into getting professional high resolution images of your artwork. Do you need a fancy camera or will a phone camera do? How do you prep your space and art for the best images? What are key things you should know before hitting the shutter button to ensure you get clear, well-lit photos? When are scans useful and how do you properly scan artwork? We'll cover all of this and more in today's episode.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/photographingyourwork/
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facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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Grab a cup of coffee (or bourbon) and join Laura & Nikki as they review what went well last year, what could have gone better, and what their plans are for the upcoming year (both for their personal/professional lives and for the Startist Society podcast).
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/anewyear/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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In this episode, Laura and Nikki dive into the deep sea of art sales, but not in the way that you might think. They take you off the beaten path, exploring 12 unconventional, out-of-the-box methods to help you sell your art and turn your passion into profit. If you've ever felt stuck or unsure of how to get your art into the world, this episode is crafted just for you!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/unconventional/
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We talk a lot about just getting started. But what about finishing?
Do you have trouble finishing projects? Do you have a million half done or barely started projects lying around the studio?
Today, Nikki and Laura dive deep into the world of unfinished projects, sharing their personal stories and advice to help you muster the inspiration and motivation to bring unfinished projects to a close (or release the ones that no longer serve you)!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/finishing/
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In our last episode, we introduced you to Charly Clements, an illustrator and mentor who licenses her art to clients all around the world, is a top teacher on Skillshare, and has a great new course called Out of This World Portraits. She does all of this while traveling the world. This week she is back to give us her top tips on building an engaged audience. Listen to the episode and don't forget to download the free PDF with her tips!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF:
startistsociety.com/charlystips/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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Charly Clements is an illustrator and mentor who has built a thriving illustration business, licensing her art to amazing clients all around the world, and has taught tens of thousands of students through her online classes as a top teacher on Skillshare and through her new course, Out of This World Portraits. She is the founder of Facetober and has built an incredible online community. And she's done all of this as a digital nomad, currently living and working in Thailand!
Listen in as we learn all about her journey and how she has grown her business, an engaged audience, and a large community of artists who love to learn from her, participate in her portrait art challenges, and much more...
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/charlyclements/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In episode 104, we introduced you to Elli Milan, an artist, educator, speaker and founding owner of Milan Art Institute and Art Social. If you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, definitely go back and check it out. Elli is back to share her 10 best tips on getting past perfectionism as an artist and entrepreneur.
MILAN ART INSTITUTE:
Milan Art Institute Mastery Program
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE TIPS DOWNLOAD:
startistsociety.com/perfectionismtips
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Today's guest is Elli Milan, an artist, author, educator, and founding owner of Milan Art Institute and Art Social – an online art education program, social learning, and art patronage platform. She has been a successful artist since 1996, selling over 10,000 pieces of original art. She is passionate about empowering artists and has transformed the lives of thousands of artists worldwide, helping them find their voice and turn their passion for art into a profession.
Aside from hearing all about Elli's Startist story and Art Institute, Nikki and Laura chat with her about perfectionism and how it can hold you back as an artist / entrepreneur. We know you'll love this conversation with Elli, who has clearly not let anything hold her back!
MILAN ART INSTITUTE:
Milan Art Institute Mastery Program
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/ellimilan/
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A lot of us become artists because we want to express ourselves, we have something to say and sometimes we want to stand out from the crowd. But we often see a lot of work in the art and design worlds that looks alike. Why is that? Are people following trends because they think they'll sell? Are they copying others because they don't have their own style yet? Do we need to think about these things if we want to have a career in art or design? Should we follow what's on trend – what we see that selling? Or should we go our own way and just do what feels most like us?
What dictates a trend? How do you know what the next big trend is before it's gone? Do trends even matter if you have a strong signature style? How can you use trends to your advantage? Will you be able to sell more artwork if you pull trends into your designs? We discuss all of this and more in this episode.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE DOWNLOADABLE ELEVATOR PITCH TEMPLATES:
startistsociety.com/trends/
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As artists who are putting ourselves and our work online hoping to make connections and sales, we can be really vulnerable to all kinds of scams, because we are being very optimistic in thinking that people are really interested in our art. It's important to be aware of the types of scams that exist and what you can do to avoid becoming a victim to one of them.
From NFT and payment scams to art contests and vanity galleries... listen in as Laura and Nikki discuss the types of art scams you might encounter, what to look for and how to avoid getting scammed!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE DOWNLOADABLE ELEVATOR PITCH TEMPLATES:
startistsociety.com/artscams/
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So why is it so hard for us to answer the question, "Oh, you're an artist. What do you do?" When that happens, do you freeze? Do you shrink and mumble under your breath something about how you're both an artist and you do other things and you're working on several projects right now but it's too hard to explain? Do you go on and on for about five minutes without actually answering the question?
If you identify at all with this, it's time to learn how to talk about your art. If you can't describe succinctly what you do, you're going to lose people's interest. And people don't want to promote or buy artwork that they can't connect to. They want to feel your enthusiasm and have a clear picture of the beauty that you offer to the world. Enter the elevator pitch.
Join Laura and Nikki as they share keys to crafting a great elevator pitch and follow along as they share their own pitches with you!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE DOWNLOADABLE ELEVATOR PITCH TEMPLATES:
startistsociety.com/elevatorpitch/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON:
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Join Nikki and Laura and help us celebrate the huge milestone of our 100th episode! Listen in as we have a very chatty episode about our lives in the last few months, our art practices, our jobs, and the future of the podcast. You'll hear lots of talk about bourbon (naturally) and hear a funny story about a recent episode upload faux pas! You won't want to miss our 100th episode!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/100episodes/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In episode 98, we introduced you to Jennifer Long, who started with the dream of becoming a fabric designer for her favorite company, Riley Blake Designs, and she did just that. Jennifer is a Riley Blake Designs fabric designer, quilt and doll pattern writer, machine embroidery digitizer and online educator. She is the creator of the Bee Sew Inspired Makers Club, and is also a wife, a mom to four and lives on a hobby farm in the prairies in Manitoba, Canada.
Here she shares her five best tips on becoming a fabric designer.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/fabricdesigntips/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON:
buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
As we mentioned in the first of our accountability group series of episodes, most of our interviews have been with people who are much further along in their creative businesses. But one of our basic premises of starting this podcast was to have you come along with us on the journey of just getting things started. The women in our accountability group all began with goals, but they didn't know where to begin. In the last couple of years they've achieved big things by putting one foot in front of the other and just getting started.
This week we're excited to introduce you to another member of our accountability group, Jennifer Long, who started with the dream of becoming a fabric designer for her favorite company, Riley Blake Designs, and she did just that.
Jennifer is a Riley Blake Designs fabric designer, quilt and doll pattern writer, machine embroidery digitizer and online educator. She is the creator of the Bee Sew Inspired Makers Club, and is also a wife, a mom to four and lives on a hobby farm in the prairies in Manitoba, Canada. We know you’ll enjoy our chat with her!
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/jenniferlong/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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Whether you're a fine artist or a surface pattern designer, you may have heard about the importance of creating in collections. If you're at the start of your art journey, you may be creating a lot of one off pieces of art. So how do you go about starting to work in collections?
And how many pieces do you need to have to be able to call it a collection? How do you create in a cohesive way? Do you need collections to have your work shown in a gallery? Are collections necessary to have your shown to art directors for licensing? We'll tackle all of this and more in today's episode.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/collections/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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In our last episode, we introduced you to Isabelle Wood, a perfect example of a Startist and one of the women in Laura and Nikki's accountability group.
One of Isabelle's big goals was to create digital products and sell them on Design Cuts. She made that goal happen and today she's going to share with us her five tips for getting started selling on digital marketplaces.
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES:
startistsociety.com/digitalproducts/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM:
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We've spoken many times about how we met in an accountability group for Bonnie Christine's Surface Design Immersion course. Today, and in a few upcoming episodes, we want to introduce you to the other women in our group and tell their inspiring Startist stories. In our peer group, each of us had one or two main goals that we hope to accomplish with our creative careers, and we want to share what we've all been doing to reach those goals.
We've interviewed quite a few experienced artists who have tons of products, licensing deals and courses, and a lot to share with us for sure. People like Lisa Glanz, who is a master at selling her digital designs, brushes and tools on digital marketplaces like Design Cuts. But we often feel that they're so far ahead of most of us that will never catch up.
We also want to share stories from some artists who are not quite as far down that path. They may be more relatable to those of us that are at the Startist stage. So today we're going to begin our accountability group series with Isabelle Wood, graphic designer, digital creator, online educator and self-proclaimed forever-student from Montreal, who is just getting started putting her work out there and has already begun to reach her goals. But we'll let her tell you all about that...
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Last week, we introduce you to Larry Pile, a prolific kiln-formed glass artist who has displayed and sold his artwork in over 250 art festivals. Today Larry's back to share his six best tips on getting started with art festivals.
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Larry Pile is a talented, generous, open-hearted and creative kiln-form glass artist in Dallas, TX who loves bold color, form and texture. He consistently explores new techniques , doing amazing things like weaving glass, and generously shares his knowledge with others. You feel completely inspired after spending time with him, whether you are an absolute beginner or are attending one of his master workshops.
Larry hosts amazing in-person and online classes. He’s the founder of Lunch with a Glass Artist and Second Saturday Table Times virtual classes and has created an incredible kiln forming glass art community that spans the globe. But what we’re most excited to share with you today is Larry’s prolific experience with art festivals. Over the last 20 years, Larry has displayed and sold his artwork in over 250 of them, and he is here to share all of his hard-earned experience and advice with you!
If you've ever wanted to sell your art in a festival - this is the episode you've been waiting for!
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Last week, Laura interviewed Nikki all about how she has gone big with her art in public spaces like the front of a downtown building (now covered in Nikki's gorgeous butterflies) and a recent commission she won inside her local airport. This week, Nikki shares her 5 best tips with you so you can go BIG with your art too!
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We hinted this was coming in a previous episode, but this week Laura is super excited to interview Startist Society's very own Nikki May on how she has literally gone big – as in three stories tall – with her artwork over the last year. She's now working on another special BIG commission for her local airport. She is the perfect example of a Startist! We know many of you are curious about how to even get started with getting your artwork in public spaces, and today's episode will be all about that!
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Last week, Nikki and Laura talked about the fear of putting yourself out there on video and gave some helpful suggestions on how to get past these fears. Today we are sharing five helpful tips that can help you put these suggestions into action!
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We've touched on fears in several past episodes, including discussions about the fear of calling yourself an artist, fear about not being good enough, about having nothing to say. We even briefly mentioned being afraid to put ourselves out there and really be seen, and that's what we are talking about in today’s episode.
With Facebook and Instagram posts rarely being shown to your followers unless they include video, we know just how important video is in today's world. Video helps people get to know you much better than simply text or photos and increases the know, like and trust factor that's so important in helping people want to work with you.
In this episode, we list some of the reasons we think you might be afraid to show your face on video and give you some of our best suggestions for overcoming those fears!
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There's currently a lot of buzz around AI Art. Many think Artificial intelligence may become the new normal. It's been used for everything from chat bots to creation of artwork, and it has the ability to composite hundreds of thousands of images into elaborate new pieces of art in less than 60 seconds.
So what does this mean for the art world? Should we be scared? Is our intellectual property being stolen? Will art directors no longer want to pay artists for their commercial work? Will galleries be filled with AI art? And will human artists become obsolete? Is there a way for us to use AI art to our advantage? Nikki and Laura chat about all of this and more in today's episode.
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Startist Society is back from our extended fall break and ready to get back in the groove! In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about what they’ve been doing during their break, catch you up on what’s new in their lives, and talk about how difficult it can be to get back to being creative and productive after a long break.
Listen in as they share tips about getting into the right mindset and habits to get your creative groove back!
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We live in a society that seems to praise busyness and burning the candle at both ends, but it's time for us to shift this paradigm and begin to recognize the importance of rest, of pacing yourself and preserving your energy. And when it comes to social media, podcasting, marketing and more, folks are so worried that they'll be forgotten if they take a break.
In this week's episode, we talk about how this shows up in our own lives, the future of the Startist Society podcast and the importance of giving yourself a well-deserved break to avoid overwhelm and burnout!
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Everyone talks about the importance of discovering or developing your signature style in art or design. When you’re just starting out, or if you have many different interests or media, this kind of feels impossible to figure out. In this episode, we talk about the reasons for having your own style, whether or not it’s important, and provide you with some tips and exercises that might help you develop your signature style.
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Last week, we introduced you to Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters, an artist, author and educator extraordinaire. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, definitely check it out. Peggy gave us such great advice on growing a successful business while breaking all the rules that this week, we've invited her back to share with us five tips on being a successful multi-passionate creative over the usual advice of niching down.
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This week's guest is Peggy Dean of The Pigeon Letters. Peggy is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, an artist, author and educator. And she is a great example of a Startist!
Peggy is the author of eight books, a top teacher on Skillshare with over 50 classes on drawing, painting, lettering, digital art and more. She has her own creative membership called The Flock Cooperative. She created her own line of synthetic cruelty-free watercolor brushes and monoline pens, and has created Lightroom presets and Procreate brushes.
As a self-taught artist born into creativity through a struggle with mental health, Peggy promotes embracing imperfections and living out loud. She has a soft spot for ensuring that anyone with a passion feels empowered to be able to create.
In a world where we're told to specialize - Peggy shares how you can build a successful creative career that encompasses all of your passions.
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In episode 9, we talked about our love of art supplies and our addiction to purchasing sketchbooks. Every once in a while we actually fill some up. Have you ever wanted to start a sketchbook of your own? In this episode, we are going talk about our own sketchbook practices, why we have them, suggestions on how to choose the right sketchbook and more to get you started on your own sketchbook journey.
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Last week, we introduced you to Janine Vangool, designer and publisher of Uppercase Magazine. She shared her Startist story with us and all about launching and publishing her gorgeous magazine. Today she's back to share her five best tips for getting your artwork published in magazines, maybe even in hers!
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Uppercase Magazine is curated, designed, edited and published by the extremely talented Janine Vangool, a one woman publishing magnate who in addition to putting out her beautiful magazine, has created – and continues to create – an amazing series of books called Encyclopedia of Inspiration. She’s also been a shop owner, a bookseller, a gallery curator, a stationery designer, a fabric designer, and an educator. We are kind of exhausted just thinking about all of that!
Listen to our interview with Janine and hear her winding Startist story and everything that goes into putting together one of the most beautiful magazines you’ll find!
P.S. She also drops some great hints on how to get your artwork published in magazines.
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Last week, we introduced you to Alli Koch of AlliKDesign. She shared information about her amazing mix of painting murals, designing all kinds of products, publishing books, teaching, mentoring, and more. If you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, be sure to check it out.
Today she's back to share more of her juicy knowledge with us and give us her five best tips for getting started with murals.
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Have you ever wanted to paint murals? If so - you will love our interview with today's guest!
Alli Koch of AlliKDesign is an artist based in Dallas, Texas who has turned her passion for art and design into a full time career. She is the author of eight published books (and counting!) and is on a mission to inspire others to create as well. You can find Alli's artwork on dozens of murals all around the Dallas/Fort Worth area, on merchandise, and in stores all around the country.
When she isn't creating her gorgeous artwork, Alli speaks about business and entrepreneurship through panels and on her own podcast, Breakfast with Sis, which she records with her dad. While Alli has worked with some incredible companies around the country, her favorite part of her job is still drawing from her bed while cuddling her adorable cat and drinking sweet tea.
Listen in as we learn about her startist story, how she got started in all the incredible things she does, and a deep dive into getting started with painting murals!
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In Episode 64, we introduced you to Dave Conrey, an artist and designer who's always exploring creative new ways to make his own art and share what he's learned with other artists and designers. In that episode, we talked about using print on demand on your own website. So if you haven't heard that yet, it's definitely worth the listen.
Today we have Dave back because he has done a deep dive into the crazy new world of NFTs over the last year. There's a lot of confusion about what exactly NFTs are, how they work, how you make money with them, which marketplaces to use, how to market your NFTs, their impact on the environment, and so much more. Listen in as we dive into all of these topics with Dave.
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What do you do when you want to create new art and move forward with your creative business, but life gets in the way? How do you get past the roadblocks?
In this episode, we share a glimpse of the crazy things going on in our own lives right now that could easily derail us from our creative journeys and the tools we are using to get past the challenges. If you've ever thought, "There's too much going on in my life right now to ever make any progress"... this episode is for you.
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Last week, we introduce you to Jhina Alvarado, a painter who juggles a full time art practice, is represented by multiple galleries across the US, teaches calculus part time, and is raising the most adorable twins. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, be sure to check it out. Today, she's back to share with us her five best tips for getting your work in art galleries.
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Are you a fine artist interested in having your artwork in galleries? Are you confused about where to even start with getting gallery representation? Today's guest shares her journey from developing her painting style over the years to getting her work in multiple galleries across the US.
Jhina Alvarado is a prolific self taught artist with gallery representation across the US. Her work has been featured in international and national magazines, blogs, and art technique books. Her primary mediums are oil and encaustic. She works part time as a calculus teacher and paints full time in her home studio in San Francisco, while also raising the two most adorable six year old twins.
We learned a ton from this conversation with Jhina and we know you will too. We cover things like how to know when you're ready, the ins and outs of working with a gallerist, money matters, marketing, shipping, gallery exclusivity, knowing which galleries to avoid, and much more!
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Back in episode 23, we shared with you seven books that have helped us in our creative businesses. If you haven't listened to that one yet, go back and check it out. This week, we have another six books on mindset that we think will make a difference for you like they did for us.
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Last week, we introduced you to urban sketcher extraordinaire, James Richards. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode, be sure to check it out. Today he's back to share with us his five best tips for getting started with urban sketching.
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If you've ever had an interest in hitting the road with your artwork and sketching the world, you're going to love this episode. James Richards is one of the best urban sketchers on the planet. He has a background as an urban designer, artist and professor, and spent decades designing urban places and experiences to make cities more walkable, livable and beautiful – the perfect career background for becoming an urban sketcher.
A big part of learning his craft involved traveling the world and sketching the world's most interesting places; 45 countries so far.
Jim is now a full-time traveling artist and spends most of his time sketching on location and teaching workshops around the world for veteran and aspiring sketchers, university design programs, art groups, and travel companies. He even has online classes on platforms like Craftsy and Skillshare. We know this conversation with Jim is going to leave you inspired to pick up your pen and sketchbook and head outdoors!
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Last week we introduced you to artist, educator and toolmaker, Elizabeth Schowachert, and learned all about her e-commerce shop where she sells her art, her handmade brushes and other art supplies. Today, she is back to share with us her best tips for starting and growing your e-commerce shop.
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Today we’re speaking with Elizabeth Schowachert, a self-taught artist who has built a beautiful creative life combining a successful handmade art supply e-commerce shop, with her own art practice, and teaching both in person workshops and online. Elizabeth has a passion for travel, ink and encaustic painting and creates insanely cool brushes and tools for artists.
If you have ever had an interest in creating your own e-commerce business, we know you’ll learn some great tips from Elizabeth on resources and steps you can take to just get started.
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Last week, we introduced you to Mel Armstrong, a surface pattern designer, children's book illustrator and top Skillshare teacher, among many other things. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, be sure to check it out. Today, she's back to share with us her five best tips for getting started with children's book illustrations.
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The Art & Joy of Surface Pattern Design Course
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Today's guest calls one of Laura’s favorite countries on the planet home, New Zealand. Mel Armstrong has had an amazing life journey. She's gone from being a professional ballet dancer to a web designer, award winning illustrator and surface pattern designer. She's illustrated 15 children's books so far, she's a top Skillshare teacher, works with an agent to license her work globally and she's a mom of two amazing kids.
In this interview, we discuss her varied career, her new course, her Spoonflower shop and a lot more, but we are especially excited to share with you all about her experience with illustrating children’s books!
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The Art & Joy of Surface Pattern Design Course
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Last week, we introduced you to artist and designer Brittney Lewis. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode, be sure to check it out. Today she's back to share with us her five best tips for making sales on Society6. STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES AND YOUR FREE TIPS PDF DOWNLOAD: startistsociety.com/society6tips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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As part of our ongoing print on demand series, we've been introducing you to different companies and marketplaces and are supplementing our own experience by interviewing artists with expertise in different areas. In this episode, we're excited to introduce you to Brittney Lewis, an artist, photographer and outdoor enthusiast obsessed with travel, journaling and being in nature. Her colorful, bold work includes surface design, typography, photography, ink and more.
We specifically invited her to talk to us today about her experience with Society6, how she developed her style, and how she created a successful Society6 shop during the pandemic opening the door to some really amazing licensing opportunities with Target, Smartwool and more!
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Dave Conrey is an artist and designer from Southern California, currently working towards building a client free creative business model. When he isn't working on his own creative projects, he spends his time exploring new resources for creating and selling art and then shares what he learns with his fellow designers and artists. He also makes cool things so others can go make their things and put more cash in their pockets.
The number of things Dave does makes our heads spin. He paints, he designs posters, t-shirts, typefaces, magazines, he blogs, makes YouTube videos, now he's even exploring NFTs, and about a zillion other things. There are so many things that we could talk about with Dave that we could record for hours and hours. But today, we want to introduce you to him and focus on print on demand and creating art and design challenges.
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Back in episode 9, we talked about how we just might be art supply addicts and have WAY too many of them. When you live in small spaces or have limited real estate to park your art supplies, organization becomes really important. Laura’s condo is an organized chaos of supplies, while Nikki’s has historically just been chaos! In this episode, we share our best ideas for keeping our supplies organized and accessible in small spaces – and Nikki tries to figure out what she’ll do in her new bus studio! STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/organizingsupplies/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP:
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Last week, we introduced you to Danielle Harris, who helps creative entrepreneur focus on marketing strategies and tactics that will give them ethical and sustainable growth in their business. Today, she's back to share with you her five best tips for marketing your business without feeling overwhelmed. STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES & FREE TIPS DOWNLOAD PDF: startistsociety.com/marketingtips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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The focus of this podcast is helping artists who are getting started with their art businesses. We tend to keep things lighthearted, but with the events that have happened in the last week in Ukraine, we felt drawn to use this platform we have grown to help support those in need.
We have decided to donate 100% of the profits on our Startist Society shop, as well as both of our individual POD shops on our own websites through the end of March 2022 to TogetherRising who are supporting organizations on the ground in Ukraine right now that are providing much needed support. We will personally DOUBLE the final amount of profit from our shops when we make our donation to Together Rising. Every little bit helps.
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Danielle Harris helps creatives prioritize marketing so they can share their gifts with the world. Helping creative entrepreneurs focus on the marketing strategies and tactics that will give them ethical and sustainable growth in their business is her goal. In addition to her 10 years of experience, Danielle has a BA in Marketing, a Master of Science in Marketing and an MBA. If she's not qualified to talk to us about marketing, we don't know who is!
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Last week, we introduced you to selling print on demand products on your own website. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, be sure to check it out. Today, we're back to share with you five tips for profitable print on demand sales on your own site.
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Now that we've explored print on demand marketplaces like Society6 and Spoonflower in more detail, we want to dive into how you can add Print on Demand products to your own website through providers like Printful, Printify, Gooten, and more.
In episode number 50, introducing you to print on demand, we talked about all of the pros and cons of the different options and having print on demand products through your own website gives you the most control over your pricing, your profitability, and your overall customer experience. Nikki has a ton of experience in this area and Laura has just gotten a few products launched on her own website. So we're really excited to share our experience and advice with you.
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Last week, we introduced you to Ashley Beasley of Presutti Design. Ashley is a surface pattern designer who's kicking ass on Spoonflower and Minted, among other things. So if you haven't had a chance to listen to that episode yet, be sure to go back and check it out. Ashley offers a beautiful and meaty guide on her website to everything Spoonflower, but today she's going to share a little taste of her best tips for getting started and making sales on Spoonflower, which we're also providing to you as a downloadable PDF. Read the show notes & download your FREE SPOONFLOWER TIPS PDF: startistsociety.com/spoonflowertips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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A few episodes ago, we introduced you to print on demand marketplaces, specifically Society6 and Spoonflower. Today, we're excited to introduce you to Ashley Beasley of Presutti Design. Ashley is a surface design artist based in Houston, Texas with a focus on repeat patterns, stationery and print on demand. She believes in keeping things fun and authentic and sharing how she juggles working full time, being a new mom and keeping up with her passion for design. Since she started participating in weekly Spoonflower design challenges in 2020, Ashley has already had 19 designs land in the top 50 and made over 600 sales. She's also participated in Minted challenges and has won seven of their challenges. It's proof that you can succeed in a market that we really tend to think is already oversaturated.
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Last week, we interviewed Jenni Kowal of Anytime Creative and we talked to her specifically about her Kickstarter campaign for her Self Care Adventure Cards. We wanted to add some extra tips on getting started with your own Kickstarter campaign, so we asked Jenni to come back and share her best tips and tricks, which we're also providing to you as a downloadable PDF.
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We have a lot more to share with you about print on demand, but we are taking a short break from this series to talk about another way to get your art and products made without investing a whole lot of your money up front.
As artists and designers, many of us are interested in finding ways to get our artwork on products in the world. Rather than waiting for the perfect collaboration with a company, you can create those opportunities yourself with crowdfunding. It can be very confusing where to even start with something like a Kickstarter campaign, so today we're going to talk to someone who has done just that.
Designer, photographer and creative guide, Jenni Kowal created a Kickstarter to fund her Self Care Adventure Cards, which she was able to not only fully fund, but get three times more than she was asking for! We're really excited to learn more about that process, her Startist journey and the advice that she can give to others who are just getting started.
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Last week, we shared all about getting started with print on demand marketplaces and how you can create either a Society6 or Spoonflower Shop. This week we share 10 of our best tips for increasing your POD marketplace sales.
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For the first episode of our second year, we're taking you back to where we left off with print on demand. In Episode 50, we introduced you to the different types of print on demand services and talked about the pros and cons of each. This week, we're going to go into more detail about print on demand marketplaces... specifically Society6 and Spoonflower.
Marketplaces are great when you don't know where to start and you just want to get your art out in the world without having to manage the tech side on your own website. These platforms handle the customer service, the order fulfillment and the shipping. All you have to do is upload your art and add tags and descriptions. Oh, yeah, and tell everyone that you actually have a shop!
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This week marks one full year of Startist Society podcasting for Laura and Nikki! They share how they plan to celebrate - Nikki with bourbon, naturally. In this episode they look back over their first year of podcasting and talk about what they’ve learned and what challenges they’ve experienced. They reminisce about some of their favorite episodes and share some plans for the upcoming year.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * What Laura and Nikki have learned from one year of podcasting * Clips from some of their favorite podcast interviews * Their biggest challenges * What they appreciate in each other... * …and tease each other about their quirks! * And finally, what to expect from Startist Society in the upcoming year
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/celebrate/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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This week Laura and Nikki take a break from the usual interviews and educational topics and get more personal with a studio and life update. They share the latest projects they are working on, things they’ve accomplished both individually and as a team, some of the challenges they've faced over the last year, and they give some hints about what’s coming up in the next year and beyond.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Things we committed to on the podcast and how we did with them * The new Instagram feature we are super excited about (and you should be too!) * Podcast news - we've recorded 51 episodes! * Laura and Nikki's business and personal accomplishments from the past year * Some of the challenges we’ve been dealing with lately * A few things we’ve learned about ourselves * Nikki shares a HUGE life change she’s in the process of making * And finally, we hint at what we have planned for YOU in the coming year!
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/updates/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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We've been teasing everybody about this topic for months and months, but today we're finally going to begin our print on demand series! There's so much to cover that we're going to break it up into several episodes.
There are two options for printing: traditional analog-type printers and digital printing. With traditional printers you typically have to do large quantities of each item and there's usually a hefty setup fee. In this digital age, it's become a lot easier to simply print direct to garments or make giclée or inkjet art prints. So companies have started offering these services, combined with shipping the products either to you or directly to the customer. They can basically do one or many products at a time with no crazy setup fees and no boxes of unsold inventory sitting in your living room!
Today we dig into the different types of print on demand services available and why artists might want to consider them.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Traditional vs digital printing * The definition of print on demand * Different types of print on demand services available * Specific online printers we have experience with * Public marketplaces vs printers that integrate with your website * The pros and cons of each type * Nikki’s licensing deal with a new POD curated art marketplace * How to get started with POD and choosing the right option for your brand
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/printondemand/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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This episode is perfect for any of our listeners who are interested in surface pattern design.
Today we're speaking with Elizabeth Silver, a professional surface pattern designer and a licensed artist for the stationery, gift and textile markets. With 18 years in the industry and hundreds of designs in her portfolio, she also teaches beginner surface pattern designers how to move past overwhelm and obstacles to create a profitable creative business. She's passionate about keep it real business advice, and moving forward even in a messy way. She's also passionate about ice cream.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Elizabeth's Startist story and favorite ice cream flavors * Her path to discovering surface pattern design and becoming a freelancer * Balancing freelance work and growing a licensing portfolio * The process of working on clients briefs * How to know when you’re ready to put your work out there. Hint: don’t overthink, just do it! * What you should include in your first art portfolio * Transitioning from freelance work to teaching * Elizabeth's Start Your Surface Pattern Design Business course and what’s included (contracts, websites, portfolios, pricing and more!) * How to decide which product categories and markets you want to work in and Elizabeth's helpful "Design Niche" quiz * What we can do to get past fear and just get started * Elizabeth's personal design challenge (prompted by our interview with Lisa Glanz!) and how to get past a creative funk * How to identify industry trends * Elizabeth's amazing free resources on her website and YouTube channel (interviews, tutorials, trend reports, business advice and more!) * Elizabeth's words of advice to those just getting started
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/elizabethsilver JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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In the last few episodes, Nikki and Laura have been talking about selling for the holidays and one thing that can really make or break your customers’ experience of your products is how you ship them. And when we say shipping, we mean a lot more than just the service and logistics you use to ship. We’re talking about the way your products are presented in the package, as well as the protection and container you use for the package to ensure that your products arrive safely. You want them to be presented beautifully, but you also need to do this within your own budget. There are so many things to consider, so we break them down for you in this episode and give you some helpful tips we've learned along the way.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Ideas and products for packaging your art and presenting a great unboxing experience * How to protect your products and fine art during packing and shipping * Matching packaging to brand values * Setting up shipping on your online shop * Calculating packaging / shipping costs * Ways to reduce shipping costs * Using a mail service/plugin for your website * Communicating your shipping and returns policies on your website * Offering free shipping above a certain dollar amount * Support/returns/replacing items that were lost or damaged * Automated or personal emails to connect with your customer
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This week Laura and Nikki interview Luan Jardine, a feminist mental health advocate and ambitiously creative Facebook and Instagram marketing consultant that Nikki met in Quinn Tempest’s Create Your Purpose Collective. When we decided to dive deeper into Facebook and Instagram advertising we immediately thought of Luan.
We often think the goal of advertising is to sell all the things, but it’s also really important to make sure you’re reaching the right audience in a way that aligns with your values and brand. Luan has a holistic approach that not only looks at your bottom-line numbers, but focuses on amplifying meaningful messages of creative business owners who are striving to make others' lives better. We know that art does that beautifully and our Startists are the perfect people to learn what she has to share.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Luan shares her Startist story, reminding us just how old we really are! * How to get started with FB and IG advertising in a simple, not-so-scary way * The definitions of cold, warm and hot audiences and how to market to each * What types of ads might work for different goals * Defining your audience and deciding how much to spend and for what time period * What a Facebook Pixel is * Suggestions on testing audiences and modifying your campaign * Setting up the FB Pixel and defining look-alike audiences * Interpreting the results of your ad campaigns * Average cost per click rates for different types of conversions (and what the heck "conversions" means!) * The types of ads Luan recommends for each platform within a campaign * And finally, what services Luan offers, how to get her freebies and a bit of general advice about getting started
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/luanjardine JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
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Does it seem like the holidays come sooner and sooner every year and with it the pressure to get your holiday marketing plan in order? In this episode, Laura and Nikki chat about social media marketing, email campaigns and sales, breaking it down so it's not so intimidating and feels more doable.
TOPICS DISCUSSED: Social Media * The two main categories of social media and which ones you should choose * Types of posts to consider * How often to post * Tools that can help you create video and plan / schedule your posts * Ways to expand your social media reach
Email Marketing * What to say in emails to engage your audience * Selling without being overly salesy * Providing free value * Thoughts about coupons and sales * Importance of consistency * Announcing product launches
Read the transcript in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/holidaymarketing
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This week Nikki interviews Laura about her experience with designing, making and selling greeting cards. Laura has been making handmade greeting cards for over 15 years and has professionally designed over 100 greeting cards for manufacturers and publishers in the craft industry. She believes there’s something really special about receiving something handmade or custom printed in the mail, especially in the digital age that we’re in. She shares some great tips and resources to help you get started if you want to make and sell greeting cards yourself this holiday season.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Laura shares how she got started making handmade greeting cards
- Her transition from hobbyist to professional greeting card designer for craft manufacturers and publications
- How she began selling her own card designs
- Types of greeting cards you can make and what sells well for the holidays - you might be surprised!
- What makes a greeting card design stand out
- Some of Laura’s favorite card designers
- Recommended supplies for hand making and printing cards
- Standard greeting card sizes and shapes
- Packing and shipping your cards
- The quickest way to produce handmade cards
- Using purchased images vs illustrating your own
- Turning finished original artwork into printed cards
- Using a print on demand service
- Pricing your cards
- Licensing your card designs to other companies
- Laura’s plans for her own card designs
Read the transcript and grab Laura's free greeting card resource download in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/greetingcards
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This week, we’re continuing our series about selling art for the holidays. Nikki shared last week that calendars have been her best-selling item ever. This week we're taking a deep dive into creating and selling calendars, with Laura interviewing Nikki about her experience.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- How Nikki got started with calendars
- The timeline and process for designing calendars
- Different types of calendars you can create
- Designing your own vs using templates / online tools
- Nikki's fav print on demand company for calendars
- Pricing - Nikki shares real numbers!
- How many to order and if you should offer pre-sales
- Shipping, marketing, and selling your calendars online and off
- What to do with your extra stock
- Nikki’s 2022 calendar
Read the transcript and grab Nikki's free calendar resource download in the STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/calendars
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This week, Laura and Nikki begin the first of a series about selling for the holidays. We have episodes coming up about calendars, greeting cards, holiday marketing, packing and shipping your products and even a deep dive into print on demand! Today we're starting off with a discussion on products that are proven sellers for artists and designers during the holidays.
If you don't know where to start... these ideas will help lay the foundation. Take a listen and let us know in the Facebook group which ideas resonated with you the most and if you'll be creating any artwork or products to sell during the holiday season this year!
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/holidaysales
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This week Laura and Nikki chat with one of Laura’s favorite artists, Lisa Glanz. Lisa is a full-time illustrator with a passion for helping others achieve their creative goals. She loves producing professional resources for creatives, her textures and Procreate brushes are by far some of Laura’s absolute faves.
Mostly self-taught, Lisa has created a thriving art business and is a rock star on sites like Design Cuts and Creative Market. She thrives on sharing knowledge she’s gained, both as a business owner and an artist, with others through online courses and tutorials. And we’re super excited to share her story with you!
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Lisa's journey from graphic designer to illustrator and teacher
- Facing the fear and taking the leap from working for an agency to full-time freelancer
- How she started making and selling her own digital art and assets
- Developing her style and skills and the moment when everything clicked
- Discovering the true driving force behind what she does
- Expanding from large online marketplaces to selling through her own website
- Filming tutorials and classes and getting past the fear of being on camera
- Getting started with the Honest Designers Podcast
- Taking small steps outside your comfort zone
- Her newly released Easy-peasy Animal Drawing Kit
- Laura and Lisa geek out on drawing with Procreate
- Lisa shares a breakdown of her income and compares selling digital products to licensing your art
- Tips on how to get found on marketplaces
- What it's like to work with Design Cuts
- Dealing with having your work stolen
- Building community and the importance of knowing your end customer
- Lisa's advice for artists who are just getting started
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/lisaglanz
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This week Laura and Nikki talk about how important it is to take the time to celebrate your wins – big or small. With all the comparison traps we find ourselves caught in, we tend to rush past our successes and jump right to the next hurdle we want to conquer and don’t congratulate ourselves for what we’ve accomplished.
In this episode, we talk about the importance of celebrating, the mindset you need to create in order to do so and share some of our recent wins and what we did to celebrate.
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/wins
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This week we interview Crystal Marie, an artist and author with a passion for teaching others how to find and discover their own unique voice. Crystal has an established career as a professional artist with gallery representation, a published book on the art of collage, and she's currently writing a book about the intuitive voice. She teaches online workshops and runs a community for creatives called Canary Rising.
You'll want to listen closely as Crystal share so many great insights about listening to your intuitive voice and pushing through fear to find the gold. I know you're going to love Crystal as much as we do.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Crystal’s Startist story beginning her art career in her 30s after a nervous breakdown * How a co-worker transformed her life with one simple action * How Crystal rediscovered her inner artist and gave herself permission to play * How she started selling her art and connecting with others through eBay and blogging * Her shift from whimsical collages to abstract collage * Crystal's exposure to art retreats and how she began teaching at them * How Crystal got an offer from a publisher attending an art retreat and how long it took her to submit a book proposal * Crystal's process of writing and photographing her first book, The Art of Expressive Collage * How Crystal got gallery representation * How to move past fear and go after what you want * How Crystal ended up giving Nikki her first encaustic teaching gig in Paducah * Living as an artist with chronic illness and autism and how they can affect your ability to teach/work * Creating her community, Canary Rising, on Facebook (shifting from Patreon) * How Canary Rising grew during Covid when Crystal moved to teaching online, starting with free workshops in her Facebook group * Her new website canaryrising.com and the shift to her own teaching platform * And finally, Crystal's best advice for artists getting started and following their intuition
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/crystalmarie
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Nikki and Laura share some fears they both have in relation to their creative careers… and not just Nikki’s fear of running out of bourbon! Listen to 6 fears that can stop you in your tracks and some tips for getting past them.
Do you relate to any of these? Share your experience with us in the Startist Society Facebook group!
TOPICS DISCUSSED
- What if I'm not good enough?
- What if I have nothing original to say?
- I’m afraid someone will steal my work.
- I’m afraid to put myself out there and really be seen.
- Fear of success.
- Fear of the unknown.
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/fear
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In this week’s episode, Laura and Nikki interview artist, illustrator, musician, self-proclaimed mad scientist and D&D geek, Tyler Thrasher.
Tyler has an undying love for nature and its respective curiosities, and there are few things Tyler's brain isn't obsessing over. Between his pursuits to crystallize the world, opalize everything and hunt down some of the most unique plants, his passion to combine art and science every step of the way is his fire and fuel. He applies his brand of hopeful, angry optimism to everything he does.
As you'll hear during this interview, Tyler has the ability to take his curiosities and quickly turn them into amazing products... from crystalized cicadas to plant-growing journals, custom art t-shirts and even plushies! He sees what's missing in the marketplace, courageously takes action, and puts his work out in the world for all of us to enjoy.
We know you'll love our conversation with him and be inspired to see where your own curiosities will lead you!
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Tyler's Startist story * How he began combining his interest in art and science and developed his unique crystallized insects * What happened to Tyler's Instagram after requesting an art trade with an illustrator he loves * Being spontaneous vs. planning things out * Using Kickstarter and pre-sales to fund products * Working with DFTBA for fulfillment, shipping and creating new products * Making, selling and shipping t-shirts to raise money for The Bail Project and other black causes * What Tyler's online community did when his house burned down * How people react on social media when you focus on one thing vs following many different passions * The process of designing his cicada plushie and the ridiculous number he sold in one week! * Asking for what you want to grow your career * Getting real about his anxiety and insecurity and how he doesn’t let that stop him from following through with his ideas… which led to his existential discussion with his cicada! * Tyler shares a few product ideas he’s working on, including a whole bunch of plushies, his plans for a bigger lab and conservatory in partnership with a nanotech scientist in Tulsa. * And caves, Tyler loves caves! * Tyler shares his obsession with sour candy and Nikki gives him a brilliant idea for a new product! * And finally, Tyler shares his best advice for people who are just getting started.
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/tylerthrasher
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Laura and Nikki talk about the limiting beliefs that can have a significant impact on the way we live our lives and can determine what's actually possible for us in our lives and art careers. If you spend all of your time worrying about all the things you don't have yet, what you can't do yet, or how you compare to other artists (and similar thoughts of a fixed mindset), it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But if you approach things from a growth mindset, the world begins opening up and delivering some pretty incredible things.
In today’s episode, we present 10 excuses that artists often use and give you ideas about how to turn them around and take away their power to limit your growth!
TOPICS DISCUSSED
- I don’t have time to create
- I don’t have any good ideas
- I have too many ideas and can’t pick one to focus on
- I didn’t go to art school (see episode 10)
- I don’t know how to draw
- I don’t have space to make art
- I can’t afford good art supplies (see episode 9)
- I’m not good enough/I’ll never make any money
- I’m waiting for inspiration (see episode 14)
- There are so many artists that are better than me (see episode 6)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/excuses
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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Laura and Nikki chat with Mary Beth Shaw, a fabulous artist, product creator, educator and author who Nikki met over a decade ago.
Mary Beth has been a full time artist for 20 years; she's participated in indoor and outdoor art fairs, juried competitions and gallery shows. She's the founder of StencilGirl where she produces and sells stencils of her own designs and those of many other artists. She's also the author of Flavor for Mixed Media and StencilGirl, two books that she wrote, and is a columnist for Somerset Studios Magazine. She teaches workshops and many mixed media techniques and finds pleasure helping her students find their own voice.
We know you'll love her great advice for getting started and adapting your business as it grows and opportunities come your way!
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Mary Beth's Startist story * Moving from San Francisco to St. Louis and starting her art career with outdoor fairs and mixed media collages * How Nikki met Mary Beth through the encaustic world * How Mary Beth started making and selling her own stencils * How she grew her stencil empire from six designs to thousands and how she became "StencilGirl" (picture her with her StencilGirl superhero cape!) * How she began working with other artists to create their own stencil designs and how you can apply! * Dealing with quick business growth and expanding her family team * How Mary Beth started (reluctantly!) writing books * How COVID impacted her business * Growing her online/social media presence, especially through YouTube and live streaming * StencilGirl’s creative team and Mary Beth’s “genius assistant” * Her product release schedule and the creation of her monthly stencil membership * The importance of growing your community * Mary Beth’s advice for our listeners who are just getting started * Mary Beth’s Multimedia Art Journal Workshop in Italy
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/stencilgirl
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about a question a lot of us are thinking about these days: Is it too late for me to start taking my art career seriously? Am I too old?
After you hit the big 4-0 mark (or perhaps the 5 or 6-0!) you might question your relevancy in a world that is constantly changing and seems to reward youth, energy, vibrancy, new technologies, etc. You begin to wonder if you’re too old to learn all the tech needed to run a successful business or too old to grow a following on social media when it seems to be full of young, beautiful women.
We are here to show you some great examples of people who didn’t let that fear stop them from starting and growing their art careers later in life!
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Does age matter? * Reasons you might think you're too old to be taken seriously or be able to do all that is required to be a successful artist * Shifting your mindset by looking at examples of artists who started later in life or gained success when they were older * The flip side - can you be considered too young to be taken seriously as an artist? * An example of an artist that made 6 figures by the time she was 21 * The benefits and advantages of being older and what that experience can bring to your art and career
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/toolate/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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Laura and Nikki speak with the amazing Flora Bowley (who Laura met during her Bloom True painting retreat in Bali eight years ago). Flora is an artist, a gentle guide and author of four books, Brave Intuitive Painting, Creative Revolution, Fresh Paint, and The Art of Aliveness.
Blending over 27 years of professional painting experience with her background as a yoga instructor, healer and lifelong truth seeker, Flora’s popular in-person retreats and online courses have empowered a global network of brave painters while creating a new holistic movement in the intuitive art world.
In her latest book, The Art of Aliveness, Flora explores the vast ways in which the principles of creativity can serve as fuel for a more alive and awakened way of living. No paintbrushes required.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Flora's Startist story, from her initial realization that she could make a living painting to becoming a full-time artist * The process of teaching her first intuitive painting workshop * How she was approached for her first book deal * The connection between the intuitive painting process and living * Getting out of your comfort zone and breaking free from a rut * The importance of authenticity * Embracing the layers in both art & life * Examples of how you can add contrast to your art & life * Giving yourself permission… letting your life be art * Being committed while open to change * Adding aliveness into your everyday * How Flora is weaving together her own art practice, courses, retreats and books * Making the in-person Bloom True retreat experience available to everyone at home through REUNITE (begins Aug 4th, 2021!) * Flora's shift towards teaching the concepts from her latest book, The Art of Aliveness * Flora's upcoming retreats in Santa Fe, Morocco, and The Omega Institute in NY * A little hello from Flora's studio companion, Pearl
Get 20% off of Flora's Aug 4-8, 2021 REUNITE online retreat using coupon code "STARTIST20"
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/florabowley
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Laura and Nikki introduce you to Liz Kohler Brown, an artist, designer, author and top Skillshare teacher who not only has 50 plus courses on Skillshare, but teaches others how to become a course creator. She's been painting, collaging and drawing since she was old enough to hold scissors and pencils without adult supervision. Liz earned an MFA in art in 2013 and since then, she's been teaching around the world online and in person.
In this episode, Liz shares great advice about getting started teaching online and diversifying your income streams through courses, print on demand, licensing, and book publishing. We know you'll be inspired by her incredible Startist journey!
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Liz's Startist story, going from teaching students 1:1 to becoming the powerhouse online educator that she is today * Filming and editing her first class in a 1-bedroom apartment in Thailand * Growing her course catalog after discovering iPad art * Juggling a new baby with a creative career * Getting her first book deal * Diversifying income through Print on Demand websites * Filling a gap in the marketplace on Spoonflower * Getting found on Print on Demand sites (using techniques from her Society6 Skillshare class). * Liz's Course Creator’s Masterclass that shows you exactly how to create online classes from start to finish (and Laura’s review of it!) * The importance of multiple income streams (and a breakdown of Liz’s income sources throughout the year) * How the pandemic affected her business * Advice for those just getting started and where to focus your time and energy when marketing * Can you be a course creator if you don't have a background in teaching? * Will anyone want to watch my classes when there are so many others on the topic already out there?
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/lizkohlerbrown
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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Laura and Nikki talk about whether or not artists should work for free. As artists, we tend to be generous and want to see our work out in the world, but others don’t always see our art as work – and we often don’t value our own work as much as we should. How can we reframe this view?
In this episode, we talk about the impact of working for free and give examples of times we think artists might benefit from working for free versus when we won't.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Should artists do spec work? * Responding to requests for work with no up front payment * Doing it for exposure * Pricing too low * Design contests * Donating art * Free work to gain experience or grow your portfolio * Volunteering for a good cause * Barter or trade
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/freeart
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki discuss the loaded topic of whether or not you consider yourself an artist.
When someone asks you what you do, how do you respond? Do you feel imposter syndrome if you tell them you're an artist? Or do you describe yourself as something else? Nikki and Laura share their own stories on how they answer this question.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * How Nikki responds to the question, "What do you do?" (0:55) * Titles that give Nikki imposter syndrome (2:14) * Whether or not Laura calls herself an artist (3:43) * The line between art & craft (4:22) * Getting the confidence to call herself an artist (5:26) * How Laura brands her business (6:58) * Do we need permission? (9:55) * Takeaways (13:11)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/areyouanartist/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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Nikki and Laura speak with Nikki's business mentor, Quinn Tempest.
Quinn is the founder of Create Your Purpose®, a community of global entrepreneurs dedicated to building impactful businesses (and lives) with intention. She helps female founders create more purpose + profit in their business withoutburning out. Her professional expertise is in branding and holistic digital marketing strategy and she is a frequent speaker at events and organizations around the country.
During this interview, we'll take you through Quinn's non-linear Startist journey from marketing in the entertainment industry to the powerhouse business coach that she is today. As artists, it's helpful to use her story as a great example of what's possible when you stop the hustle of doing all the things, begin examining your "why", and get really intentional with your life and your purpose. We'll do a helpful visualization exercise together, and Quinn will even share some great tips for standing out on Instagram.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Quinn's Startist Story (2:02) * The moment Quinn knew things had to change (4:28) * Getting her first client (8:28) * Developing her web design / branding business (12:41) * Finding her ideal client (14:19) * Getting beyond the "what" and finding your "why" (16:36) * Overthinking vs. taking action (22:59) * Changing your soundtracks (24:06) * Developing the Create Your Purpose® Collective (25:28) * Discovering our purpose profile with the Create Your Purpose® Quiz (29:36) * Nikki's experience in the Collective (35:28) * Visualization exercise (40:26) * The Create Your Purpose® free challenge (52:16) * Quinn's Instagram tips (56:57) * How Quinn feels about bourbon (1:02) * How to share the results of your visualization & purpose profile with us! (1:04)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/createyourpurpose/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Nikki and Laura tackle a question that comes up for many artists and other creative entrepreneurs when they start their business – whether you should use your own name or a business name for your brand. In this episode, they discuss pros and cons of each option and share their own answers to the question.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * What did Laura choose? (1:00) * Which way did Nikki go? (1:12) * Examples of people who use their own names (1:52) * Examples of business brand names (2:23) * Pros of using your personal name (3:13) * Cons of using your own name (4:45) * Pros of using a business name (7:35) * Cons of a business name (8:39) * Using a combo of both (10:09)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/nameyourbusiness/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Nikki and Laura share with you 13 important lessons they have learned after their first 6 months of podcasting! From a casual brunch last fall to 28 episodes and counting, they have learned a lot about the mindset, the planning, producing, editing and launching of a weekly podcast and are excited to share it all with you.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Having a cohost and accountability partner (1:11) * The importance of humor (2:02) * Getting started (2:37) * Podcasts are a lot of work (3:20) * Nikki loves bourbon (5:03) * Not everything you say is brilliant (5:29) * The importance of audio quality (6:03) * Complementary skills (7:23) * Being organized (8:23) * Working ahead (9:04) * Interviewing people is fun! (9:57) * Everyone is just figuring it out as they go along (10:50) * Community over competition (11:34)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/sixmonths/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Why should we have rituals or routines? How can they benefit us? Are there rituals and routines that can be destructive or hold us back? In this episode, Nikki and Laura how positive rituals and routines can help reduce anxiety and stress, help you sleep better and be more productive. They go into their ideal morning and evening routines and share the less-than-ideal routines they currently do by default. They also talk about their rituals for getting into the creative mindset and share some rituals and routines of famous artists.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Three types of rituals and routines (1:09) * Laura’s perfect magical unicorn morning routine (1:54) * Laura’s actual morning routine (3:35) * Finding balance between the two (4:30) * Nikki’s ideal morning routine (9:05) * Nikki’s actual morning routine (11:21) * Nikki’s ideas for compromise (12:04) * How most successful people start their day (15:38) * Laura’s ideal evening routine (16:35) * Laura’s reality (17:48) * Nikki’s ideal evening routine (19:54) * Nikki’s reality (21:23) * Laura’s creative rituals (23:35) * Nikki’s creative rituals (25:05) * Creative rituals of famous artists (27:11)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/routines/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Do you ever feel like you don’t have time to make your creative work? Between other jobs you might have, the business side of an art career, family obligations and just regular daily life… you probably feel like you never have enough time to do the most important thing in your creative business, which is actually making the art. So how do you find that time? In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about distractions you can eliminate and how can you refocus your priorities to make more time for creating?
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Laura and Nikki share experiences where they disconnected and found tons of free time (1:19)
- Tips for squeezing time for art in your busy days (4:41)
- Finding your most productive time (4:54)
- Scheduling time to create (5:45)
- Having tools and supplies nearby at all times (7:01)
- Tracking your time (9:08)
- Exchanging bad habits for good (9:49)
- Using commute time (10:34)
- Learning to say no (12:04)
- Delegating (12:28)
- Habit stacking (14:09)
- Giving yourself personal creative goals and rewards (14:09)
- Committing to things with external deadlines/accountability (15:25)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/findingtime/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Today, Laura and Nikki talk about teaching live art workshops either in person or online. Teaching is a great way to diversify your income as an artist and between the two of them, Nikki and Laura have experience teaching in a wide variety of situations. In this episode, they share a ton of great tips and considerations to keep in mind when planning your live workshops.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- How Laura and Nikki got their start teaching live workshops (2:11)
- Choosing a venue for in-person workshops (6:32)
- Teaching online via Zoom (12:04)
- Demo and setup considerations (14:54)
- Do you need insurance? (19:00)
- Money matters and venue considerations (20:34)
- Meals, snacks and drinks (27:30)
- Pricing your workshop (29:14)
- Supplies (29:58)
- When should you cut off registrations? (30:37)
- Shipping kits (30:57)
- Increasing your fees over time (33:49)
- Preparing for the workshop (34:47)
- Under-promising and over-delivering (36:19)
- Refunds and other class policies (40:47)
- Followup student communications (45:31)
- Encouraging students to share their work (46:07)
- Bringing your own work to sell in your workshop (47:25)
Read the transcript and find links to all mentioned resources (including the FREE downloadable Teaching Live Workshops Checklist PDF) in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/teachinglive/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about whether or not you create, write or make art for the likes. It’s virtually impossible to get away from thinking about how your work is going to appear on Instagram, so when you make your work, are you making it for the Instagram public, for your potential customers or for yourself?
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Pressure to produce art that people like and that will get the most engagement on Instagram (1:04)
- What are you thinking about when you’re actually making the work? (2:22)
- Your inner critic (3:14)
- Time to explore vs pressure to create marketable work (3:40)
- Finding your ideal balance (5:20)
- Nikki and Laura give examples of things they do for themselves, for their customers and for the likes (15:14)
- Wisdom from Danielle Doby, author of I Am Her Tribe (18:21)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/likes/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
If you’re a regular listener to the podcast, you already know that Laura and Nikki buy books faster than they can read them. In trying to come up with 5-8 books to recommend on this episode, we realized we had way too many and decided to split them up into categories to share over time. In this week’s episode, we're sharing 7 books we’ve read that have helped us in our art businesses and why we love them. We think you'll love them too.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (1:22)
- Art Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon (3:59)
- Hashtag Authentic: Finding creativity and building a community on Instagram and beyond by Sara Tasker (7:17)
- This is Marketing by Seth Godin (9:10)
- Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller (12:11)
- Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller - Bonus Recommendation (15:16)
- My Storybrand - Free Create a BrandScript Tool (14:11)
- 5 Minute Marketing Makeover - Free Video Series (16:38)
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown (17:32)
- Being Boss: Take Control of Your Work and Live Life on Your Own Terms by Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson (21:30)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/businessbooks/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Have you ever wanted a peek inside what it's like to own an art retail store or workshop space? In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki speak to someone who has done just that.
Kristin Williams has spent a lifetime playing with yarn, glitter, clay, rubber stamps, paper, paints and glue. Collage with ephemera and acrylic paints is Kristin's current fascination and the basis for her artwork. A Knoxville, Tennessee native she moved to Paducah, Kentucky in 1996, where she fell in love and put down roots. Her business, Ephemera Paducah, is a culmination of years of dreaming about a creative venture and venue after spending decades in business consulting and economic development. Stocked with all the art supplies and chocolate you could ever want, her studio hosts workshops that attract instructors and students from all over the country.
Kristin is here to tell us about her transition from business consulting to mixed media maven and how her business has changed in the last year.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Kristin's Startist story (2:07)
- Getting advice from others in your field (7:40)
- Finding Ephemera Paducah’s gorgeous building (9:37)
- Combining workshops and retail sales (11:29)
- Attracting “rockstar” instructors (12:25)
- Effects of COVID on in-person workshops and retail business (14:10)
- Kristin and Seth Apter’s survey (19:38)
- Online vs in-person workshops (21:31)
- Kristin’s Ephemera Workshop Peeps and finding her tribe (26:29)
- Her pivot to online sales and the creation of Sussies (32:34)
- Adding a pop-up shop to the Ephemera Paducah website (36:09)
- Creating a “concierge" workshop experience (42:42)
- Plans for reopening (46:27)
- Kristin’s advice for people just getting started (48:53)
- Figuring out the best use of your money and marketing time (52:04)
- Getting published in Where Women Create (57:37)
- Bonus: Kristin’s husband's Black Walnut Manhattan (we had to talk about bourbon!) (1:04:46)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/ephemerapaducah/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
In this episode, Laura and Nikki pick up where they left off last week, and are discussing art submissions. If you haven't already, listen to last week's episode first where the focus was on why you should submit your work and where you can submit it.
With all of the many different markets you can submit your artwork to – from art directors at companies that could possibly license your work, to publications, magazines, podcasts, competitions, galleries, shops, festivals, and even art agents…. the question is, where the hell do you start?
The focus in this episode is on licensing your art and the discussion is around which market(s) do you submit to first? And how do you find the right person to submit to? What do you send to them, and when do you follow up? Listen to find out!
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Narrowing down your markets and some courses that can help (2:27)
- The markets Nikki and Laura are most interested in (5:17)
- Ways to research companies to approach (6:35)
- How to find out who to contact at companies you're interested in (10:00)
- Using LinkedIn for research (10:23)
- What to send to art directors and what to say (11:21)
- You should probably hire Nikki to design and build your website! (12:47)
- Do you need a huge social media following to get licensed? (13:23)
- Buyouts vs royalties (14:17)
- What to do after you send that first email (14:53)
- What kind of responses (or lack of) to expect (15:45)
- Sending something physical to art directors (17:02)
- How and when to follow up (17:49)
- What steps Laura and Nikki have taken towards getting their first license? (18:58)
- Laura and Nikki commit to actually submitting! (19:56)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/keepsubmitting/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
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This is part one of a two-part series (for now!) about art submissions. If you want to make a living from your art, you're going to have to get it out there into the world and get as many of the right eyes on it as possible. You might be lucky enough to have someone find you on Instagram, but most likely, you're going to have to do the work yourself. In this episode, Laura and Nikki bring up five questions that need to be addressed to help you submit your art.
- Why should you submit your work?
- Where should you submit it and which markets exist?
- How do you find who to submit your work to?
- What should you submit to them once you found them?
- When should you send that and follow up with them?
In part one, they discuss the why and where. Tune in next week to learn the how, what and when for getting your art out there into the world!
TOPICS DISCUSSED: * Why you should submit your art (1:39) * Where you can submit your art (3:23) * Publications/magazines (4:23) * Be a podcast guest (9:19) * Product licensing markets (9:59) * Contests/competitions (10:47) * Art galleries/exhibitions (11:19) * Local shops (11:57) * Art festivals/markets (12:30) * Art agents (13:49)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/submitting/
JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/
FOLLOW STARTIST SOCIETY ON INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/startistsociety/
LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/
Laura and Nikki interview Stacie Bloomfield, a perfect example of a Startist. Stacie has been creating artwork for brands and products around the world since 2009. Today we learn more about how her illustration business, Gingiber, went from an Etsy start to the thriving company that exists today. Gingiber has had products sold in over 800 stores, along with licensing deals with major product brands.
Stacie’s a Moda fabric designer, a published author, and an amazing educator. At a time last year when product based businesses were really suffering, Stacie pivoted and shifted her focus into teaching all the amazing knowledge she’s learned over the last decade to other artists, to show them how to leverage their artwork across multiple revenue streams.
She’s the creator of the Leverage Your Art course, as well as the Creative Powerhouse Society membership. She’s incredibly passionate about the industry and super generous with all of her knowledge. We’re excited to have her share that knowledge today with you.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Stacie's Startist story and Etsy beginnings (2:32)
- Getting started with wholesale and working with Grace Kang (6:23)
- Exhibiting at trade shows (12:54)
- Finding her own voice (16:30)
- Growing her social media presence and wholesale business (18:25)
- Getting into licensing (22:37)
- The importance of multiple revenue streams (28:34)
- Working with a business accelerator (30:53)
- Growing her business (34:32)
- What would Stacie do differently? Advice she would give her past self (37:47)
- Pivoting her business in 2020 (43:51)
- Creating the Leverage Your Art course (49:52)
- How Stacie manages her time, projects and team (55:43)
- The story behind her book, Give Yourself Margin (1:03:47)
- Creating live art retreats and the importance of self-care (1:07:30)
- Launching the Creative Powerhouse Society membership (1:12:11)
- Having the courage to ask for help (1:15:50)
- How her brand name Gingiber was chosen (1:21:24)
- Stacie’s free 52-page guide to creating multiple income streams in your creative business (1:22:50)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the
STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES: startistsociety.com/staciebloomfield
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Laura and Nikki interview Laura's talented friend Miranda van den Heuvel. Miranda is an intuitive painter and creative life coach living in Luxembourg. The founder of Create and Connect, she loves to inspire change through creativity. As a life coach, she inspires people to go from reacting to creating their lives. As an artist, she likes to draw parallels between art and life which makes the process so much more fun, personal and valuable.
Over the last 10 years, Miranda has developed life coaching retreats, taught in-person painting workshops, given a TEDx talk, developed online courses and painted hundreds of pieces of art. She also happens to speak seven languages, manage a full-time day job and is raising two boys at the same time. She is a great example of a Startist that does not let fear or procrastination keep them from making progress on their art biz.
A couple of years ago, Miranda began offering commissions of her artwork. We know commissions can be a valuable source of income for many artists, but they come with their own set of challenges. After sharing her Startist story, Miranda provides helpful suggestions on the systems you can put in place to create a positive experience for both the artist and the collector. Be sure to download her free art commission questionnaire listed in the show note resources.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Miranda’s Startist story (1:56)
- How she got her painting mojo (2:12)
- Developing a coaching and teaching practice (2:51)
- Creating retreats (4:22)
- Getting started with commissions (8:39)
- Creating systems (11:44)
- Miranda's commission process (14:20)
- Pricing your work (17:57)
- Handling revisions (20:53)
- Contracts (24:33)
- Intellectual property rights and copyright (27:14)
- Laura and Nikki’s experience with commissions (29:52)
- Setting up "effortless" systems and processes (33:21)
- Miranda’s TEDx talk experience (38:33)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/miranda/
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Laura and Nikki introduce you to Hannah Cole, an artist, educator, and founder of Sunlight Tax. Hannah educates fellow artists about taxes and money because she believes creative people are the empathy builders of our culture and when they're financially secure and empowered, they can make bigger, bolder work that will fix our broken world.
Her flagship program is Money Bootcamp, a membership which builds financial skills and fosters a healthy relationship with money and power so that artists can get back to changing the world with their important work. She teaches practical valuable life changing money skills in an art-centric and approachable style.
In this episode, we begin by hearing Hannah's Startist story, and then dig into some really useful tips artists can use as you work through your taxes this season! Although the general information she provides will apply to many artists, please note her tax expertise is focused on US taxes.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Hannah’s Startist story (1:59)
- Balancing art and taxes (6:39)
- Managing her productive time (8:44)
- About Hannah’s art (10:01)
- Tax advice for artists (13:42)
- How the IRS identifies businesses vs hobbies (14:22)
- Tracking expenses and income (21:36)
- Separating business and personal finances (23:16)
- Should you become an LLC? (27:59)
- Deductible expenses (29:31)
- Can artists write off donations of art? (42:39)
- How much money do artists need to set aside for taxes? (45:50)
- Profit First (46:52)
- Sales tax (49:10)
- Hannah’s message to artists (56:28)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/sunlighttax/
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Laura and Nikki discuss whether or not blogs are still relevant for artists. They talk about the history of blogging, how both the reading and writing of blogs have changed over the years, and admit to being less than stellar bloggers in the past! Think you should be blogging? Listen to this episode to hear all the reasons they think you should.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- What blogging was like 10-15 years ago (1:27)
- The different blogs Laura and Nikki read (1:56)
- How social media and email newsletters changed blogging (2:35)
- Blogging for SEO (3:25)
- Quality vs quantity (6:05)
- The importance of keywords and using them properly (6:22)
- Repurposing content across different channels (8:50)
- Timely blog posts vs. evergreen content (12:44)
- How finding blog posts has changed in recent years (14:56)
- Positioning yourself as an expert on your topic (16:56)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/blogging/
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In this episode, Nikki and Laura talk about the impact of overthinking on your business and your life. From analysis paralysis to fear of making the wrong choice, you'll hear what they tend to overthink and recommendations for getting out of the overthinking cycle!
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Analysis paralysis (1:36)
- Maximizers vs. satisficers (2:00)
- Nikki and Laura share what they overthink and their shared love of research and learning (2:53)
- Pros and cons of overthinking (5:14)
- Taking action (6:07)
- What’s the worst that could happen if you make the wrong choice? (9:30)
- Making decisions (11:31)
- Trusting your gut (12:04)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/overthinking/
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In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about all the different ways they find inspiration for their art. From journaling and mind maps to getting outside in nature, and viewing other artists’ work, they provide tons of ideas and resources for creative inspiration.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Laura's new Skillshare class - Copic Marker Essentials: Coloring Techniques for Beginners & Beyond (00:38)
- Sketchbook/journaling/mind mapping (2:24)
- Getting out in nature (4:40)
- Going to art exhibits - Nikki and Laura share some of their favs (7:22)
- Inspiration from collections and collecting (17:22)
- Pinterest (20:59)
- The difference between inspiration and copying (21:50)
- Inspiration from travel adventures (22:22)
- Music inspiration (25:01)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/inspiration/
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Laura and Nikki talk about mental health, specifically about what happens when you get into a creative funk, feeling uninspired or unmotivated to create. They discuss how this shows up for each of them and some different approaches you can take to try to get past it.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- The impact of isolation during a pandemic (0:57)
- How creative funk manifests for Laura (3:02)
- How it manifests for Nikki (3:44)
- Laura's top 3 suggestions to get out of a funk (4:17)
- Nikki's top 3 suggestions to get out of a funk (6:21)
- The importance of laughter (9:04)
- Reaching out to loved ones (9:19)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/mentalhealth/
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Nikki and Laura are excited to introduce you to startist, Trupti Karjinni!
Trupti is an internationally-recognized artist and creative entrepreneur from Belgaum, India. She wears the hats of a painter, paintmaker, and educator. She is the creator of Thrive With Trupti, a membership and community where she teaches watercolor enthusiasts the skills and mindset they need to create confidently. Trupti is also the founder and owner of Blue Pine Arts, a small-batch company where she and her team make their world-renowned handmade watercolor paints, sketchbooks, and other art materials.
Since she began painting with watercolors in 2017 on the side, she quickly grew her art practice to build a multi-faceted six-figure business. Her mission is to show artists they can live an abundant life doing what they love.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Trupti shares her transition from software engineer to artist and creative entrepreneur (2:06) * Trupti's 31-day painting project that helped grow her Instagram and make friends across the ocean (7:33) * Finding her purpose in painting and making watercolors (9:31) * Birth of Blue Pine Arts (13:21) * Quitting her day job (15:02) * Trupti’s first experience teaching (18:30) * How she grew engagement on Instagram and how it led to incredible opportunities (20:57) * Trupti gives us some great advice about vulnerability (23:46) * Trupti’s experience with teaching on Skillshare (29:07) * Getting past fear of failure and being open to abundance (30:50) * Advice for just getting started (32:07) * Resources she's found helpful along the way (35:44) * Experiencing and getting through burnout (35:56) * Dealing with growing pains (39:39) * Growing a team (41:40) * Trupti's watercolor membership, Thrive with Trupti (43:47) * Working with her spouse (50:32) * Plans for a new course and mastermind on creating art courses (53:54) * Finding balance and gratitude (56:50)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/trupti/
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Nikki and Laura discuss the challenges that introverts face in developing their art business and offer some tips to help.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * What does it mean to be an introvert or extrovert? (0:48) * What if you're both? (1:54) * How do you know which you are? (5:00) * How does being one or the other impact your art business? (7:03) * Laura shares a story about performance painting (7:36) * Nikki shares her story about drawing in public (9:05) * Marketing your art as an introvert (10:06) * Tips for getting comfortable sharing online or in a podcast (12:04) * Books about introverts (14.47) * Three main takeaways (16:49)
Read more and find links to all mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/introvert/
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Laura and Nikki talk about whether or not it’s necessary to go to art school to be a professional artist. They share their different experiences related to art school and other types of art and creative business education.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Nikki’s art school experience (1:29) * Individual Teacher’s Online classes (7:17) * Free mini-courses/lessons (10:43) * Large online education platforms (11:32) * In-person workshops (17:42) * Traveling for workshops – Laura & Nikki’s travel stories (18:01) * Large courses with memberships (23:19) * Art business resources (27:59) * Free business Facebook groups (30:16)
Read more and find links to all of Laura & Nikki's favorite art supplies in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/artschool/
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Laura and Nikki admit their art supply addiction, talk about some of their favorite supplies, discuss how to deal with supply overwhelm, and commit to embarrassing themselves with photos of their ridiculous collections! They give some advice they really need to learn to take themselves.
- Laura and Nikki admit to being art supply addicts (0:50)
- Laura talks about Copic markers and her obsession with color (1:49)
- Nikki talks about her book addiction (3:28)
- Nikki and Laura list some of their personal favorite supplies (5:29)
- Travel brushes, watercolor, and urban sketching (9:47)
- iPads and Apple Pencil (12:05)
- Nikki talks about her love of encaustic tools and supplies (13:52)
- Laura's favorite acrylic paint (17:55)
- Nikki and Laura discuss sketchbooks (18:47)
- Culling, selling, or donating supplies (20:37)
- How to use your existing stash and avoid overwhelm (24:59)
Read more and find links to all of Laura & Nikki's favorite art supplies in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/artsupplies.
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Laura and Nikki are thrilled to introduce you to their first Startist Society guest, Shannon McNab!
Shannon McNab is a left-handed, left-brained surface designer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her love of both art and numbers has allowed her to license and sell over 75 designs in just the past 4 years, working with brands like Party City, Cloud9 Fabrics and Pyrex.
But she also loves to teach other artists how to build a thriving business, tackling confusing topics like finding clients, productivity, and pricing, breaking them down to make them easier to understand. Because she believes that no one’s a better advocate for your art than you are!
TOPICS DISCUSSED * How Shannon got started in surface design (1:50) * Showing at Surtex (trade show) and her journey toward teaching and sharing the business side of surface design (6:20) * Roadblocks that cause designers to give up (9:51) * Getting through bad days and comparison trap (10:25) * Fighting perfectionism (11:50) * Three methods to get paid as a surface designer (15:36) * Setting and negotiating rates (22:19) * Sharing client work on social media (27:22) * Pitching your portfolio (30:00) * How much surface designers can expect to make in a year (32:17) * Shannon’s surface design industry survey (34:00) * Mindset and setting expectations (38:56) * Shannon’s 2020 income blog post (42:56) * Her word of the year (44:50) * Shannon’s course Artful Pricing, opening for enrollment next week (49:37) * Gaining confidence and charging more for your work (52:08) * Breakdown of Artful Pricing course modules (59:34)
Learn more about the podcast and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/shannonmcnab/.
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Have you ever wanted to participate in an art challenge? Nikki and Laura discuss all the types that are available and how they can help you further your art career. From self-directed to organized, and weekly to 100 days or more, art challenges can promote personal artistic and career growth. Hear about some of our personal experiences participating in them and what we're planning to do in the near future.
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Types of art challenges available (1:07) * The 100 Day Challenge (1:26) * Nikki’s 100 Day Project stories (2:27) * Nikki’s self-guided 365 day project (5:27) * Nikki’s state flowers and insects project (8:06) * Laura’s 30 days of portraits (10:29) * Laura’s 30 days of watercolor (12:35) * Nikki’s Sketchbook project (14:25) * Laura’s Inktober project (15:35) * Nikki and Laura share their plans for this year’s 100 Day Project (18:47) * Spoonflower and Minted Print-On-Demand challenges (25:39) * How you can participate with us (30:24)
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/challenge.
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Nikki and Laura discuss the dreaded imposter syndrome and comparison trap. In a world where we live so much of our lives on social media, how do we combat the feeling of comparing our lives and work to others who seem so much further along than we are? How do we stop feeling like imposters in the work that we do?
TOPICS DISCUSSED * Comparing ourselves to others on social media (1:00) * Nikki’s story about getting hired by IBM (1:23) * Laura’s comparisons to artists she admires (5:34) * Nikki’s story about The Jealous Curator (7:01) * Getting past what blocks you and taking action (9:42) * Actionable steps you can take to combat comparison (11:38) * Celebrate your progress (12:47) * Engage with your community (14:43) * Feedback and criticism (15:26) * What Nikki and Laura are going to do to combat comparison trap and imposter syndrome (19:13)
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/comparison.
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Nikki and Laura discuss the concept of creating a word of the year and the difference between having a New Year’s resolution and having a guiding word to live by for a year.
Topics discussed:
- Laura talks about what exactly a "word of the year" is and how she learned about it (1:00)
- What to think about when choosing your word (2:15)
- Laura shares her past words (3:18)
- Nikki shares her past words (4:33)
- Laura coaches Nikki through choosing her word for 2021 (5:40)
- Laura shares her word for 2021 (10:19)
Read more, download your free Word of the Year PDF and other mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/wordoftheyear.
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Laura and Nikki talk about the importance of staying connected as a creative entrepreneur. Whether you live and work alone or you live in a house full of people who aren't artists, it's important to find communities of like-minded people you can relate to.
In this episode, we discuss many different ways to connect to other people who are going through the same types of things in their businesses and lives, including:
- Isolation of working alone, especially in 2020 (0:42)
- Accountability groups (2:02)
- Masterminds, what are they? (5:50)
- Facebook groups (8:48)
- Paid memberships (10:07)
- Direct connection through Instagram (11:54)
- How to feel connected in a huge group (12:30)
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/connection.
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Nikki and Laura discuss the overwhelming topic of overwhelm! What do you do when there are so many things going on that you don’t know where to start? How can you break things down into manageable chunks?
- Four types of overwhelm (0:58)
- Tools we use (2:43)
- Choose one thing a day (5:43)
- Weekly planning methods (6:23)
- Parkinson’s Law (7:50)
- Estimating (underestimating) time things will take (8:36)
- Perfectionist tendencies (9:13)
- Getting outside your comfort zone (13:07)
- Nikki’s current overwhelm: completing her artist website program, Make Art Not Websites (14:00)
- Using ClickUp for managing the project (16:01)
- Laura’s current overwhelm: planning Skillshare classes (18:40)
- An old-school method to manage overwhelm (19:31)
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/overwhelm.
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Laura and Nikki share stories of how we get in or out of our own way, the importance of adjusting your mindset, and several helpful steps you can take to get beyond these challenges to advance your art business.
- Fixed vs. growth mindset
- Learn how to draw what you see, not what you think
- Change the way we think to get out of our own way
- Learning to grow in our abilities
- How we self-sabotage by being afraid to ask for help
- Creating lasting habits (even for the “icky” stuff)
- Proactive time management and how to fit it all in
- Creating systems that work
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/outofyourway.
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Laura and Nikki discuss procrastination, fear, overwhelm and analysis paralysis that keep you stuck and offer 3 actionable steps to help you get out of your own way and start making progress on your art biz.
Topics discussed:
- Fear of failure vs. fear of success
- Shiny object syndrome
- Analysis paralysis
- Wanting to do ALL THE THINGS!
- Overwhelm
- Forming habits/habit stacking
- Using timers
- Narrowing your focus
- Breaking things down
- One thing every day
- Accountability groups
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/procrastination.
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Startist Society is a podcast and community for artists who procrastinate starting or making progress on their art business. Learn more about your hosts Laura and Nikki as they introduce the Startist Society to you. Maybe you are like us and have left your corporate job to focus full time on a creative business. Or maybe you’re trying to fit it all in - in between jobs and raising kids. No matter what your circumstances are, what we all have in common is wanting to grow our creative businesses and stop letting fear and procrastination get in our way.
Whether you're an artist, a writer, a musician, a designer - or simply someone who loves art and wants to know more about the lives and businesses of the people who make the art you love - we invite you to follow along with us and just get started! Are you a startist too? Come join our startist movement.
Read more and find mentioned resources in the Startist Society show notes at startistsociety.com/intro.
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