Today’s Positively Creative guest is Valerie McKeehan, creator of the chalk lettering art company and gift and lifestyle brand, Lily and Val.  Valerie speaks on how she creates new products, the new product the Keepsake Kitchen Diary, and how they recently opened a brick and mortar shop.  Listen along for her tips on managing and building a team with your spouse, licensing vs. manufacturing, and evolving the brand's aesthetic. See more of Lily & Val: www.lilyandval.com www.instagram.com/valeriemckeehan www.instagram.com/lilyandval   Follow along and join the Positively Creative Community:   www.positivelycreative.net www.instagram.com/positivelycreativepodcast www.facebook.com/groups/positivelycreativepodcast On Today's Show: (2:00) How Lily & Val started (6:00) Marketing background helped build the brand (8:00) Manufacturing and licensing (14:00) Working with a Spouse (15:00)  Keepsake Kitchen Diary (19:00) Brick & Mortar Location (20:00) Valerie's Daily Routine (21:00) On managing a collaborative environment (25:00) Valerie's creative routine (26:00)  The Power of Full Engagement book (29:00) Society for Creative Founders (40:00) National Stationery Show (49:00) On evolving the brand (58:00) Teaching Workshops  

005 - Valerie McKeehan of Lily and Val on Licensing Artwork, Working with a Spouse, and Opening a Brick & Mortar Shop

The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs.  When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing!  Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how her creative friends are making it in their respective fields.

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Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

This week we are continuing our series from the Positively Creative Summit with our Keynote speaker Thomas “Detour” Evans. Detour shares his journey to discovering art and how he developed his unique style. From there, he takes us through how he set up his business as an artist. During his presentation, he shares videos and images of his work. Be sure to follow him on Instagram to get a feel for his murals while you listen!   About Thomas “Detour” Evans: Thomas Evans, a.k.a. Detour, is an all-around creative specializing in large scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. His focus is to create work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour pulls from every conceivable experience that shapes his landscapes and perspectives. Explaining Detour’s work is no easy task, as ongoing experimentations in visual art, music, and interactive technologies have his practice continually expanding. With his ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s focus is on expanding customary views of creativity and challenging fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches—all the while opening up the creative process from that of a singular artist, to one that thrives on multi-layered collaboration and viewer participation.   Website: https://www.iamdetour.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detour303/     About The Positively Creative Podcast: The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields. To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!  

S3 Episode 81 - PC Summit - Thomas Evans

Have you ever felt alone as a creative entrepreneur? On this episode, we bring you another presentation from the Positively Creative Summit back in September. Founders Shelda and Allie share about the Hive Collective and why community is important and can help you grow your business. They also share the ins and outs of the Hive Collective and why you may want to join if you are in the Memphis area.   About The Hive Collective: Shelda Edwards and Allie Mounce are Memphis based designers, each working with local agencies. In 2017, they became the founding members of the Hive Collective, a collective of creative entrepreneurs who aim to improve our industry through education, community, and solidarity.   Website: https://thehiveclctv.com/  

S3 Episode 80 - PC Summit - The Hive Collective

This week we are continuing our series from the Positively Creative Summit. What does fiddling have to do with photography? This is an awesome and inspiring talk from Rachael Boer. She started her creative journey as a musician and soon found herself holding a camera instead of a violin. Rachael shares how she learned the difference between pricing and value and how she began charging more while also growing a business that can support her family.    About Rachael Boer Photography: With nearly a decade of experience in the portrait and wedding industry, Rachael brings creativity and vision to every photography session. Together with a small team of support staff, she has photographed hundreds of portrait sessions and weddings, and her clients are consistently thrilled by her stunning imagery high quality artwork.  Rachael's passion is giving families tangible memories of their most precious days together with the ones they love. She wants each family to leave their session with beautiful images on their wall and in their hands, not stuck on a hard drive. For that reason, she partners with the best professional printers and craftsmen in the world to create exceptional pieces of wall art and albums for her clients to treasure.

079 - PC Summit - Rachael Boer Photography

We had the amazing privilege of hearing from Sara Trail of the Social Justice Sewing Academy at the Positively Creative Summit. This is an amazing talk on the power of creating to spark conversations that need to happen. She also shares why it’s important to question and put in the work to identify your place within your creative practice. This is a powerful talk and I’m so excited to share it with you!   About the Social Justice Sewing Academy: Founded in 2017, the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) is a youth education program that bridges artistic expression with activism to advocate for social justice. Through a series of hands-on workshops in schools, prisons and community centers across the country, SJSA empowers youth to use textile art as a vehicle for personal transformation and community cohesion and become agents of social change. Many of our young artists make art that explores issues such as gender discrimination, mass incarceration, gun violence and gentrification. The powerful imagery they create in cloth tells their stories, and these quilt blocks are then sent to volunteers around the world to embellish and embroider before being sewn together into quilts to be displayed in museums, galleries and quilt shows across the country. This visual dialogue bridges differences in race, age and socioeconomics and sparks conversations and action in households across the country.   Website: http://www.sjsacademy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sjsacademy/   About The Positively Creative Podcast: The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields. To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!

78 - PC Summit - Sara Trail of Social Justice Sewing Academy

Meg Sutton of Belle & Union Co. is on the podcast today! Meg started her business by jumping into wholesale at the National Stationery Show. She shares her journey and what led her to pursue that path into the product world. Meg also shares the decision to open a brick & mortar and the challenges and triumphs she’s experienced since opening her store. She even shares a little but about what is to come for Belle & Union Co.!   From Meg Sutton: A little bit sweet, a whole lot sassy, Belle & Union is the creation of Meg and Josh, two honeys known for cookin’ up all sorts of homegrown goodness with their whimsical writings, wrappings and wares. It all started in 2012 with a relationship: a Southern art student and a Northern soldier fell in love along the sandy beaches of Tybee Island and the shady moss-draped oaks of Savannah, Georgia. But life took us from Georgia to Texas, where we now have our very own brick and mortar in sunny San Antonio. The shop, just like our own collection, only carries 100% made in the USA wares for gift and home.   Website: https://www.belleandunion.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belleandunionco/   Links: To get 50% off your first year with Honeybook, go to positivelycreative.net/honeybook! Proof to Product: https://www.prooftoproduct.com   About The Positively Creative Podcast: The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields. To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!

005 - Valerie McKeehan of Lily and Val on Licensing Artwork, Working with a Spouse, and Opening a Brick & Mortar Shop

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