An Artist’s Dream

Kolbie Blume aka Thiswritingdesk on Self Confidence in Your Art & Career

Kolbie Blume is a hand lettering and watercolor artist from Washington DC. Kolbie’s art is very much inspired by the beauty of life and nature coupled with inspiring quotes. Learn about her art journey from being a kid who thought she was terrible art to having a unique art business that combines hand lettering, painting, and communication!

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WHERE TO FIND Kolbie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thiswritingdesk/

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThisWritingDesk?ref=search_shop_redirect

Website: https://www.writingdeskcreativeco.com/

Skillshare Classes: https://www.skillshare.com/profile/Kolbie-Blume/3373158

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Andy J. Pizza’s Dad’s Quote Art- https://www.instagram.com/p/BpjtcizAbdV/

 “Everything is figureoutable”― Marie Forleo

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EPISODE LESSONS:

1. The most important step to becoming a good artist is believing that you can be a good artist.

2. Handlettering is closer to drawing than it is to handwriting so if you’re an artist interesting in learning how to do it, go for it!

3. The fear of making the leap of becoming a full-time independent artist never 100% goes away. So make sure you have your financial affairs in order (make sure you’re making enough money to sustain yourself + accumulate some savings) and any remaining fear might just have to be ignored!

Ela Moss aka Bubblegumgrrrl on Your Validity as a Part-Time Artist

Ela Moss aka Bubblegumgrrrl is a digital artist from Florida, USA who makes the most colorful, psychadelic rt you’ve ever seen! In this episode we talk about SO many things including: finding your art style, how to balance a day job and your art, and handling the pressure of social media.

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WHERE TO FIND SAVANNAH:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bubblegumgrrrl/

Shop: https://bubblegumgrrrl.tictail.com/

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Yoshi Yoshitani - http://www.yoshiyoshitani.com/

Kyle T Webster Brushes - https://www.kylebrush.com/

artist alley network international - https://www.facebook.com/groups/143875999117732/

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EPISODE LESSONS:

1. Put yourself first because you know because if you’re not [feeling] good then you can’t make art

2. Your medium of choice is very important when it comes to finding your art style because it can affect how you feel about your art

3. Just because art is not your full-time job it doesn’t make you any less of an artist

 

Savannah Alexandra on the Animation Industry and the Importance of Perseverance

 

Savannah Alexandra is an illustrator based in Atlanta, Georgia who works on the award-winning show Archer. When she's not working on the show, she's creating art that mixes kawaii style with vintage inspiration. Learn about her story and the animation industry and get some firsthand tips from a professional!

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WHERE TO FIND SAVANNAH:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannahalexandraart/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/savannaha_art

Website: https://www.savannahalexandra.com/

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Savannahalexandraart

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Derek Yaniger: https://www.instagram.com/derek.art/

Sveta Shubina: https://www.instagram.com/sveta_has/

Ida Hem: https://www.instagram.com/idasomethinghem/

Amber Aki Huang: https://www.instagram.com/amber_aki_huang/

Chris Sanders: https://www.chrissandersart.com/

Carter Goodrich: http://cartergoodrich.com/

KDA League of Legends Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOxkGD8qRB4

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EPISODE LESSONS:

1. Save your sketchbooks. They might be cringey now, but you’ll be thankful that you will be able to look back and see how far you’ve come.

2. If you want to work in animation, you’ll want to really pinpoint what exactly you’d like to be doing. There are so many possibilities in the field.

3. Make sure your portfolio is catered to what you want to do. If you hate doing background work, don’t fill your portfolio with backgrounds, for example.

Acacia Rogers on Following Your Gut Towards an Art Career

Acacia Rogers is a traditional painter based in New Hampshire. She paints beautiful landscapes and wildlife art and also works as an assistant to the prolific painter, Todd Bonita. So how did she go from working as a pet store manager to working full time as a painter with works featured in galleries? Hear her exciting, fast-paced story in this episode!

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WHERE TO FIND ACACIA:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acaciarogersart/

Shop: http://acaciarogers.wixsite.com/artist/store

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfk4JnWUEkuMqLmySmWlWHQ/videos

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Todd Bonita: http://www.toddbonita.com/

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EPISODE LESSONS:

1. Search for opportunities and be open to them

2. To sell your first pieces, try within your social circle like friends and family

3. Look for art coops or art associations to begin displaying art

4. Try to find a mentor who is doing what you want to do and incorporate some of what they’re doing into your own practice

Danielle Boinay on Making Unique Art Products and Finding Your Style

Danielle Boinay is a dreamy painter from Oregon, USA. Her art is full of starry portraits of beautiful girls and whimsical animals. We talk about an easy way to tie all your art together and how significant art friends have been in her life.

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WHERE TO FIND Danielle Boinay:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleboinay

Shop: https://www.danielleboinay.com

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

 

Mighty Fine: 

Art Money Success by Maria Brophy: http://mariabrophy.com/business-of-art/art-money-success-make-full-time-living-art.html

Stephanie Boinay: https://www.stephanieboinayart.com/

Kristina Yu aka Cheery Human Studios: https://cheeryhumanstudios.com/

Holbein Gouache: http://www.holbeinartistmaterials.com/designer-gouache-sets/

 

Authenticity, Experimentation, and Losing Your Fear of Failure - Felice Regina aka iamlunasol

Felice is a pin designer based in Texas who specializes in adorable and funny fan art products. We talk about the importance of being authentic in your business and your art. Also how experimentation in your art and product design can take you farther than you think. Learn how she went from studying accounting to owning her own online business in this episode!

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WHERE TO FIND iamlunasol:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamlunasol/

Shop: https://shopiamlunasol.com/

Patreon/ Monthly Pin Club: https://www.patreon.com/iamlunasol

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THINGS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE:

Manufacturing Authenticity by Lindsay Ellis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJEtCvb2Kw

Pink Samurai's Enamel Pins 101 Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqy5WU576MQ&list=PLUlZYQMWL-izOgEYEz835AWBZ8Gd1EpUh

Unicorn_Paper Pins: https://www.instagram.com/unicorn_paper/

Lolstasia aka Ugly Plants: https://www.instagram.com/lolstasia/

Miss Snooty Cat Pin: https://shopiamlunasol.com/products/miss-snooty-cat-hard-enamel-pin-lily-studio-ghibli-kikis-delivery-service-lapel-badge-rose-gold-copper-white-cat-anime-jiji 

 

Developing an Art Career While Having a Day Job - Catherine Corner aka Katnipp Illustrations

Catherine is an illustrator from the UK who specializes in super cute digital art that perfectly encapsulates the pastel aesthetic. She started working full-time on her own art business, Katnipp Illustrations and Baby Blu, in early 2018. How did she go from stocking shelves at her local grocery store and being a receptionist to managing her own successful online businesses? Listen to this episode with Catherine to learn more!

Where to find Katnipp Illustrations:

Shop: https://www.katnipp.com/etsy-shop

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katnippillustration/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh45Rf6Ba8dZT2phDlDEU9A

Website: https://www.katnipp.com/

Things mentioned in the episode:

Frannerd- https://www.instagram.com/frannerd/?hl=en

Taryn Knight- https://www.instagram.com/taryndraws/

Catherine reacts to her old art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8uRhC8aGqg

Catherine's complete career story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hs5A0r6dFWU

Optimal Living Podcast: https://oldpodcast.com/

Tony Robbins Podcast: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/podcasts/

Creative Pep Talk: http://www.creativepeptalk.com/

Philosophize This Podcast: http://philosophizethis.org/category/episode/

Art Side of Life Podcast: https://artsideoflife.com/

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.

-Steve Jobs

Episode lessons:

1- Your current work experiences, even those jobs that are not art-related, will teach you skills you will be able to use in an art career

2- If you’re working a day job and want to transition to your own business, start dedicating time daily to work on it. Catherine used to dedicate an hour daily and you’d be amazed how that time and effort accumulates

3- Constantly consume inspiring, positive content. A positive mindset is key to sticking through the hard times and accomplishing your goals.

4- Be yourself. Catherine grew her audience by sharing bits of her life. People grew to like her as a person as much as they like her art and it has helped her grow her audience

5- Make sure you create a cohesive brand. Her brand “Katnipp Illustrations” is all about cute, pastel, and quirky illustrations and she tries to make sure all the art related to this brand fits in. She wouldn’t post any dark and gloomy art on there because it doesn’t fit in and may not appeal to the audience she has built based on her pastel, positive art.

Building an Audience with Fan Art - Nina Nguyen aka Mis0happy

Illustrator and graphic designer of cute Japanese pop culture art, Nina from Misohappy is a master at kawaii art. At the time of recording this episode (October 2018) Nina has been self-employed for the past month. How did she do it? Listen to the interview to learn how she did it along with stories from her childhood, art school days, and more!

Where to find Mis0happy:

Shop- https://mis0happy.storenvy.com/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/mis0happy/

Twitter- https://twitter.com/mis0happy

Things mentioned in the episode:

Cornish College of the Arts- https://www.cornish.edu/

Big Bud Press- https://bigbudpress.com/

Kaiami - https://www.instagram.com/kaiami/

ChiChi Little- https://www.instagram.com/chichilittle/

Episode lessons:

1- Not all art schools are as intense as they’re stereotyped to be. Nina found her school to be no more hectic than the average college experience so if you’re worried about that, maybe you shouldn’t be!

2- Criticism can be taken 2 ways: 1) you can either be angry or 2) you can step into the other person’s shoes to see their point of view and possibly use those perspectives for future art… or you can just not listen to criticism that is not constructive!

3- Making art friends is akin to networking. Not only do they provide emotional support but they can help you in your career as well. Networking is not always as scary as it sounds!

4- Drawing fan art can attract people who share your interests. There’s a good chance that if they like your fan art in your style that they will also like your original art.

5- One way to grow a loyal following is to be genuine and share parts of your life with your community. They will feel more connected to you and become invested not only in your art but you as a person.

6- Before you quit your job to be self-employed, make sure you have things in order. Make sure you know your profits and losses and that you make enough money to not only survive but to live comfortably.

7- When you’re self-employed, make sure to have multiple sources of income. This helps when some flows of income inevitably slow down. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

8- Take inspiration from daily life to continuously produce new ideas. Keep track of those ideas somewhere so you have something to reference when inspiration runs dry.

9- Amazon is pretty good at handling art theft so don’t hesitate to report it if you see your art being stolen on Amazon. (This does get complicated though if it’s fan art due to copyright issues)

10- Create continuously. Be patient, when the time is right you will be able to work for yourself. Create a community who will support you and your work.

Welcome to The Art Journey!

Welcome to the podcast!

The art podcast where we explore artists’ journeys to help you find your own path.

I am SO excited to finally officially launch my new podcast The Art Journey Podcast! This podcast is dedicated to exploring the art journeys of artists around the world to help you find your own path. Learn from other artists’ life lessons so you can grow in your own art journey.

I want to share all sorts of stories and content with you like:

• Interviews with artists and designers from all different fields

• Book reviews that will help you in your journey of self-education

• Discussions about popular topics circulating the art world

• and so much more!

If this sounds like your thing, please make sure to subscribe to the podcast and tune in every week to further your art journey with weekly content and inspiration!

xoxo Aleks