Startist Society

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.

• 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/

LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? BUY US A COFFEE BOURBON: buymeacoffee.com/startistsociety/

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. 

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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/