Startist Society

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.

• 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!

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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.

• 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

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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.

• 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

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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.

• 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.

• 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

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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.

• 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

• 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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