LISTEN - HEIRLOOM

Friends, meet Charisse. Charisse and I met years ago at an ETSY Team Captains Summit in Toronto. We instantly bonded over being moms, makers, and our strong desire to go and hide in our hotel rooms away from crowds (we went for coffee instead in a quiet cafe and talked for hours - it was lovely).

Charisse runs Pixel Paper Hearts; a successful humour-filled stationary business. Her work is inspired by ‘real life’ and features her own lettering and artwork (and humour!) She wholesales her work in 44 stores across Canada.

In this episode we chat about why working from home is so great (*normally* so many hours alone!), lessons learned from moving into wholesale (thank-you Emily Arbour), and how to keep the orders rolling in. We dig into why it’s important to just start (even if you don’t feel ‘ready!’), and how wholesale can really help grow your business.

I found Gia Graham one day when I was scrolling through Instagram. Her artwork and use of colour caught my eye. I found out more about her and her work and her wonderful and oh-so-fun ‘Palette Play’ project. She puts together and shares a beautiful colour palette each month with her community, she then creates art for that entire month using only that colour palette. I am sure you will enjoy this episode where we chat about art, pivoting your work and business, and of course - colour!

In this episode we cover:

Creating colour palettes

Learning and developing new skills

Connecting with your community

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Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Click here to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Have you got an email newsletter? Do you ignore it or hate it? Until early this year I certainly did. My business mentor gave me the kick in the pants I needed and so I threw myself into learning all about this magical way to connect with your community. In this episode I share everything I learned in a very to-the-point podcast.

Have you ever considered collaborating with another creative on a project? Have you every thought about the magic that could come from putting creative ideas together?

In this podcast I discuss all of the different reasons why you might consider collaborating on a project with another creative. I share about my recent collaboration with Isa Down and Arin Guthe, ELEVATE: The Creative Residency. It has been a joy to work together with them the last few months on this project and this work sparked the idea for this episode. I also dig different ways you might collaborate with another creative plus discuss how to choose someone to work with.

I have always thought about doing an everyday project but to be honest, I felt scared of the idea. I didn’t want to start - for risk of not finishing. It turns out, I kind of fell into doing a daily art project, and it was amazing.

As an artist and independent business owner, I spend a great deal of my time alone. I work in my studio while my children are at school and my husband is at work in the city. I like the quiet. It suits me. There is a lot of room to think and to relax when I am working on creative projects.

When Covid-19 changed things this Spring our whole family was at home. My husband working away with the door closed on Zoom meetings and the boys (8 + 9) doing homeschool and me trying to carry on working with them. Working creatively; drawing, developing ideas, and painting for long stretches of time was a struggle. I soon determined that there was no way that I could carry on with the schedule I had been running on that things needed to change. So I put many larger projects on hold, focussed on the kids and scheduled out a solid quiet hour each day to do some creative work that would make me feel good. And that is how my daily art project began. Quite by chance.

I painted a small watercolour painting the exact size of a vintage polaroid picture for 39 days leading up to my 39th birthday. The medium and size stayed the same but the subject of each painting was totally open. Some days I thought about the small things that were making me happy that day, a peek of green sprouting in the garden or thinking about popping into my favourite shop. This project and the hour I spent each day helped me feel positive during a trying time, and really gave me a chance to slow down and focus on the art of making and how good that feels.

In this episode we cover:
+ How to make your own project unique
+ The benefits of taking part in a daily art project
+ How to cheat (and why it’s ok)

Subscribe / Leave a Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Click here to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Maker Quiz

In this episode we welcome Avery Swartz to the show. Avery is the founder and CEO or Camp Tech, a tech workshop company for non-technical folks, the author of See You on the Internet’ a book all about marketing your business online, and she is the resident tech expert on CTV Your Morning. Avery also writes for Chatelaine, Todays’ Parent, and The Globe and Mail on tech topics for families, modern women, and families.

I recently read ‘See You on the Internet’ and knew right away I wanted to reach out to Avery to be on the show. As I read through her book I was just nodding my head and highlighting things all over the place.

Avery shares with us all kinds of great tips for your business online; why it is essential to have your own website, how to get started creating one yourself, and how to optimize it so that your customers can find you.

In this episode we cover:
+The importance of ‘owning’ your own space online
+What the heck SEO is and why it’s important
+The easiest options for DIY websites

Subscribe / Leave a Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Click here to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Mentioned in this episode:

Camp Tech

Squarespace

When starting out selling work as a maker or artist the usual route is to sell your work on your own at a market or online shop. Next you might be considering looking to have your work for sale in stores. This is normally done either by selling things on consignment or having the shop buy from you at wholesale (Episode 1 covers wholesaling your work).

Today I welcome my friend Bridget Saprong to the podcast. Bridget is the owner, manager, and curator of The Mutchmor, a beautiful gallery and cafe on Manitoulin Island. The gallery is filled with interesting artwork and handmade goods by local artists and beautiful items sourced from abroad. I have sold my artwork though The Mutchmor for many years and thought Bridget would be the perfect person to chat with about this topic because - she does this very well.

Subscribe / Leave a Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Thank you SO much.

In this episode we cover:
+What makes a good shop owner / maker relationship
+Expectations for both the shop owner and maker
+How and when to approach a shop or gallery

Today we welcome Brodie O’Connor and Michelle McGillivary to the podcast. These two dynamic women make up the Canadian brand Blondie Apparel.

Established in 2014, Blondie is a women’s wear line that is both fashionable and comfortable. Beautiful fabric, seasonal colour palettes and a product that is made in Canada, Blondie clothing has become a staple in many our our wardrobes.

Brodie and Michelle share in this episode why they chose to work together, how they share the work load, and what steps they took to make their partnership work. If you work with a partner, or are considering taking this route, you’ll love this episode.

In this episode we cover:
+ How to legally make a partnership work
+ How to choose the right person to work with
+ What to do when you’ve reached your goals (dream bigger!)

Subscribe / Leave a Review
Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Click here to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Summers spent without a TV turned me into an avid reader from a very young age. I read fiction every evening after a busy day to unwind, and I read non-fiction because I love learning new things. I read a lot during the summer and at our cottage in front of the fire during the cooler months. When I really get into a book I underline things, take notes and add post-its. Yep, I’m just that kind of person.

Reading and dreaming, I do a lot of it. In the past five years I have devoured every book I could find about getting your creative business up and running. Books on how to package and market your items, how to know if you are profitable, I could go on and on. In this episode I share three great books found on my colour-coded bookshelf. I promise more to come.

We’ll also hear book recommendations from Janine Vangool of Uppercase Magazine and Stacie Bloomfield from Gingiber.

In this episode we cover:

‘How to Style Your Brand’ by Fiona Humberstone

‘Show Your Work’ by Austin Kleon

‘Your Press Release if Breaking my Heart’ by Janet Murray

Subscribe / Leave a Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Click here to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Mentioned in this episode:

‘Finding Your Creative Style’ by Lisa Congdon

Wasting too many eggs while learning to cook (there is no link for that, just had to put it in here).

In episode eight I’m thrilled to welcome Stacie Bloomfield to the show. An artist, author, teacher, and all around girl-Friday, Stacie is a truly inspiring creative entrepreneur. I am so looking forward to her latest book coming out in September, Give Yourself Margin (available for preorder).

One of the things I have admire most about Stacie is her absolute gift for thinking outside the box. When her brick and mortar store closed down due to Covid-19 she immediately started thinking up ideas to be able to still run her business and pay her employees. Listening to her speak about pivoting within her business to meet the needs of her community is wonderful.

In this episode we cover:

Why connecting with, and serving your community is so important.

The importance of giving more that you get.

Challenging yourself to think of ways to shift your business to reach your audience during this time.

Subscribe / Leave a Review

Have you subscribed to my podcast? If not, I’d recommend you do it now so you don’t miss an episode. The line-up for the coming year looks amazing and without subscribing you’ll likely miss out on them. Subscribe on itunes here.

Want to share a little love for the Podcast? That would certainly make my day. Please leave a review on itunes. These reviews help other makers and creative folks find and connect with the podcast plus they are just wonderful for me to read. Head to itunes to review, then select Ratings and Reviews, and then select Write a Review and share what you love about the podcast. Thank you SO much.

Mentioned in this episode:

Skillshare

Stacie’s ‘Daily Dose of Inspiration’

‘Leverage Your Artwork’ art licensing course

Super-fun crafting kits