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Big 5 lessons from traveling full-time as a solopreneur
Running an art business while traveling full time is an absolute trip – figuratively and actually. I was on the road for over two years while operating A Cup of Cloudy as a solo entrepreneur, and I learned a few lessons with my traveling business that will be helpful for all artists. When I quit my day job, I focused on increasing revenue AND cutting expenses drastically. For us that meant selling all our belongings, leaving our rental house, and moving into a tiny home. My husband and our two dogs lived in a travel trailer and then transitioned into hotel-hopping in the second year. We saw so much of…
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What is jacquard?
Recently I began my journey with jacquard tapestries. I do a lot of surface design, meaning my artwork is put onto different items (plain products are boring!). And jacquard tapestry products are the latest iteration of the surface design selection at A Cup of Cloudy. But jacquard is a little different. Designs aren’t printed ON, they’re woven IN. These art products are so unique that I thought the topic deserved its own explanation article. So let’s talk about what jacquard fabric is, where it came from, and how I got involved in it. WHAT IS JACQUARD? Jacquard is a type of fabric. There are many items labeled wrongly as jacquard…
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Secrets for gaining a repeat collector
The repeat collector is someone who buys more than one piece of art from you. They love your artwork enough to start and grow a collection of it. Repeat collectors aren’t made overnight, however — there are a few key secrets to making someone who has bought your work before become interested in buying it again. Let’s go over the best ways to motivate that second, third, or fourth sale. ART STYLE At the most basic level, people buy art to look at it. They buy it to decorate their home, so that their home looks a certain way. Having a consistent art style means when they collect more than…
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Financial basics for your creative side hustle
Many artists begin making art as a hobby, which transitions into a creative side hustle after they hear, “could I buy that off you?” enough times. Once artists get comfortable with selling, the call of becoming a full time artist gets louder. This article is for artists anywhere on this spectrum – all of us must learn how to track the money we spend, make, and hold. Let’s get into financial basics. Revenue Revenue is the money that you receive from selling your art. It’s any income generated by your art business. This can include commissions, accessories, shipping fees, tax you collect from customers, etc. Any money that comes IN…
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Gift guide for your artsy friends
Every year there are birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries: so what to buy an artist? We all know our artsy friends can be particular and eclectic – we don’t always know exactly what they’ve been eyeing or what tools they use. Let’s go over the best artsy gifts for any occasion in this artist gift guide. VISUAL EXPERIENCES Take them on a date! Don’t worry – platonic dates, double dates, a group hangout sesh or some one-on-one time is all welcome. Experiences are the best gifts because you create memories and make the time for an attraction or event they might not have gone to see otherwise. Here are some prime…
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Avoid these 6 mistakes in your online art shop
SELL MORE, SERVE MORE. Sell art online this year by avoiding a few simple errors – errors that are often overlooked. Artists have a lot to manage in their creative businesses and an online art shop is just one part of it. But to sell art online is to give your creative business a way to scale! So let’s tackle a few common mistakes you might be making so you can get to scaling instead. I recommend selling your artwork at in-person shows first before creating your website. Read this article here to learn why art shows move your art journey along faster. Paying too many fees Making a good…
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Selling art at events: types of art shows
EVENT MARKETING AND COMMUNITY Selling art at events is the fastest way to advance your art business. But there are many different types of events for artists and they all seem to blend together. For every different type of artist, there’s a different type of show. So let’s get into the details of art event categories, what happens and where they take place. EXHIBITIONS Selling art at events labeled as exhibitions means it’s in a gallery setting. A nice one, usually. Typically how exhibitions work is you will not set up a table here, but your artwork will be framed and hung on the wall by a curator, whose job…
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Artist collaboration tips (for solo creatives)
ARTIST COLLABORATION TAKES PRACTICE I typically avoid any type of artist collaboration. Working together with others when I feel strongly about the results has never been my forte. In school, I was always secretly hoping the teacher would pair me with the lazy students in class, so I could complete the whole assignment by myself unbothered. They appreciated my heavy lifting and I appreciated their apathy. When it has my name on it, I want it to turn out exactly how I like it. I’ve always been picky to a fault. At the same time, I’m often too nice to speak up when I don’t like someone else’s work. Everyone…
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Reviewing your art: 3 tips to get clarity
LOOK BACK TO MOVE FORWARD Everyone critiques their own artwork — or at least they spend a lot of time criticizing it. Any rough review can be discouraging. Adding a pinch of strategy when reviewing your art will take it from negative self-talk to constructive ideas. Today I’m gonna give you three big tips for analyzing your work so you can move forward and progress instead of wallowing at your current level of artistry. It’s time to move forward. It’s time to make better art. 1. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS Your brain is like a computer. When you ask it a question, it will answer that specific question. When you ask,…
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3 reasons you still don’t have a creative voice
BE HEARD Finding your creative voice. Adding your touch. Building a visual brand. Having an art style. Whatever you want to call it, you know what it means to look at an artist’s work and they just have it. The thing that makes the painting look like their painting. If you’ve been struggling to get to that point with your own artwork, there could be a few reasons why. Here’s the top three. 1. Not developing observational skills Observing the world around you is a skill. It’s a skill that will advance your art style by leaps and bounds because it will help you see your art more clearly. The…
