My blush "love" pattern collection. I also have a love for all things party and shower related. At some point I will throw a shower with napkins and plates with this collection (even if I have to print it myself). Not to mention the wrapping paper. Luckily I have many years before my 8 and 12 year old daughters or teenage nieces are ready for a bridal shower.

She who always has a song in her heart will always dance.

Music inspires my little one and she inspires me. If there is a melody anywhere around her little body is moving. I had a neat experience as I painted this one. I decided I would listen to her music as I painted. When one particular song came on, "A Million Dreams", and I stopped painting Avery, I started to make her dance. I've painted her, now how do I make her dance?

Have my website started. Still need to go through with a few suggestions you guys gave me. Started a Society6 shop and sold two mugs. It’s the little things, right. Need to upload a bunch more stuff to that site. Printed a bunch of cards for Teaher gifts and a fundraiser auction. Thought it would be a good time to snap a few pictures to eventually put on the website in the “shop” section. Yay. And entered a few Spoonflower’s this month. Got 36 votes for the feather pattern from people I don’t know. Wanted to see how well it would do without asking people on Instagram and Facebook to vote..

Just trying to move the needle a little at a time.

Just thought I would share my latest collection. This will be turned into notecards for the little shop that carries my work. And hey, they only have two left in stock! I need to contact them to refill their box.

This will also be part of a fabric collection. Spoonflower launched a new bedding product. So, one of these images will be selected for the contest. I think it’s called “neutral bedding.” And because I want to treat myself, it’s going to be my new bedding. At least part of will be my sheets and throw pillows.

Then society 6 products will carry the prints as well. Loving the wheat for a tumbler and the cotton field for a tote

I painted solid background in the gray, aqua, and blush. I’ll add some to the paintings in photoshop. Not sure which ones I’ll put with the floral elements. I wanted to paint the backgrounds on with the florals, but it is so much easier to change things when a blank background.

And hey, did y’all know you could use white to make a great flesh tent in watercolors? Who knew. I have not used the white before. All this time wasted!

Just thought I would throw this out there. No, I don’t want to paint dog portraits all year long. I don’t even have it highlighted on my website or have an Etsy shop. It’s a niche I feel in to.

A store I sell my notecards in asked me to come for an even they were having at their store. Sit at a table and paint. The first even I made pennies for how long I sat there. I sold prints but customized it with someone’s name. The next event was around Christmas 2019. I needed a bigger ticket item to see if that would make it worth my time to be there. It exploded. I did stylized dog portraits. Y’all, don’t tell me secret, I don’t even own a dog. Explode may mean different things to everyone. Let’s just say it paid for all the food at Disney world for our winter trip.

This year I made was there for two weekends and got that many more commissions. I hate the idea of only doing commission work. It’s a one and done painting. But sometimes it pays the bills. By limiting it to only Christmas time and doing items that I enjoy painting or are just quick to knock out, it makes it doable. This year I expanded to house paintings. Those I charged double what I charge for the dogs. I also got tons of repeat clients from last year.

Just thought I would throw it out there. Small and local businesses supporting one another. They like the traffic and I like their traffic. There is no way I could get that many orders on my own. I’ll pay a percentage or a “booth rental.” Only because I adore them. They truly are the best!

Good luck to you guys this holiday season!

Who doesn't love a cupcake? But what if they are even better than expected? What if, there was a hidden surprise of yummy unexpected goodness?!?!?!? An ingredient that you never knew would taste so magical in a cupcake. Or a birthday sprinkle confetti surprise. What about finding out the type of little bundle that you will be bringing into the world? Cupcakes can hold such sweet little treasures. After all, they are a cake that fits in a cup.

Mermaid Toile (fabric pattern). Finished! My little kidlettes as mermaids. It was a blast imagining them as mermaids. What would they be doing. Can't wait to get my bag all printed up for the pool. They may swim like mermaids, but they still need their goggles!

This month’s challenge I’m going to make a pattern collection. I envision it being for a wedding or a bridal shower. Just trying to make a “lovely” collection. Maybe I’ll even mock up plates and cocktail napkins. I know for sure it will be turned into a note card set for Mother’s Day. So- here is the start.

There are many of you guys that are so stinking amazing! I want you guys to create books, stories and comics that I can read to my children. Even ones that they can fall in love with on their own. I have been wrestling for the past year of wanting to have more time to create my work, to get better, and really give this art thing a "go." Learning more about the business side and all the other information found here make that dream more real than ever. It being more real makes it harder to feel trapped in my current position in life.

Please don't take this post as winning. Or one of those "oh, I wish I had that problem." This is just what I am slowly realizing with my work and myself as an artist. Think of "national women's day." This is my choice as a woman and don't go all feminist on me please.

I am a stay at home mom. I have 4 kids from ages 11-4. None of them took a bottle. That meant sleepless nights for mostly me. My husband works hard. Extremely hard. (as many of you all do). With his high demand job our home rolls aren't exactly 50/50. He swoops in for playtime after all the homework and after school things are done. and I wake up and get them all ready in the morning. Dr apps, allergy shots, carpool, practices, that's all me. He provides a good living for our family. I don't "need" to work and earn extra for our family to be comfortable and enjoy a few of the extra fun things. I will not put my husband's job and our families financial security for my personal self fulfillment.

Then there is a beast inside that needs to make things. As an artist that wants to work, have validation it is SO hard to not be jealous of those that have nothing but time to prefect and poor into their work and promote. I felt so bitter for a while that I had to give up something I wanted so badly all my life and that my artistic growth was stunted because I had no creative energy when I was pregnant and nursing babies and chasing toddlers.

Then my heart began to soften. Stupid time-hops on Facebook with my work and trying to dig up something on pinterest and finding work from 5 years ago. The straw that broke the camel's heart was a visit to my brother's house. One that recently moved back to a drivable distance. I saw the work spanning two decades. Work that I had forgotten I even made. Good work. Work that I was proud of. I never stopped making work. I have always created things for the people I love. That candle of creativity has always burned bright. No, not much money has exchanged hands over the past 15 years. But a lot of love has. Work that I tried my best on. That gave my full heart in creating.

So, if your paycheck hasn't come in yet. PEASE DON'T STOP MAKING WORK YOU ENJOY DOING! Don't stop sharing it with your friends and family. Hopefully, if you need to feed your family, the right people will see your work. I know there are so many of you I am dying to get in my library. I mean that with the most sincere part of my heart. You guys are brilliant. I "real" people in your life love your work (not just the hearts and likes and up-votes), even if you create it as much as you wish.

As one of the original painting tutorial man use to say, "Happy Painting."

“I can't think of anything more rewarding than being able to express yourself to others through painting. Exercising the imagination, experimenting with talents, being creative; these things, to me, are truly the windows to your soul.”

@TaniaGomesArt Thanks so much for sharing your story. I am going to share this with my daughter. It's such a great example of how growth and passion come differently to everyone. I've been trying to give her examples this week from other artists that she is just at the beginning and that it's all about how much you love it and also how much you work at it. Thanks again!!!!!

I plan on making designs for my notecards. There will is a pirate collection, light house collection, and maybe a beach quote collection. I need work for the wholesale show in myrtle beach at the end of November. Yay!

I plan on inking and using watercolors. I plan on inking first and then painting.

And I'm going to create the work first thing in the morning after I drop off the kids.

Can't wait to get started. Hopefully it will get me out of the treaters funk. I've just been a little tired these days. Sometimes having a new project creates energy. Gives you those endorfines you need to do the rest of your to do list!

Happy inking y'all! Can't wait to see your projects.

Great episode as always!

To answer the first question of the episode, YES this is a huge business!!!!!!!!!!!! Licensing, surface pattern design, greeting cards and so on!!!!! I think her name was Lilly.

Just wanted to add a few educators that I use as far as licensing and surface pattern design. This isn't to say that SVS isn't the source I refer everyone to that is building a foundation in art or interested in illustration. You guys are the best in this genre by far!!!!! but here are a few that have insane programs!

Bonnie Christine and Katie Hunt are pretty elite in the education industry in their niches. Bonnie does surface pattern design but heavy on the business and licensing areas as well. Everything from an intense training in illustrator for repeat patterns to a monthly membership that covers all the phases of making a business. Things that are covered are email lists, contracts, pitching to companies. TONS!

I am not a member of Katie Hunt's proof to product, but she is the real deal. She focuses on stationary. Really manufacturing and making your own products.

I have spoken with Stacey Bloomfield of Gingerber and she is an amazing educator as well. Focuses on multi revenue streams.

Take as many free mini courses as possible to see which educator suits you best.

Good luck and can't wait to see your products in target!

But still love you guys at SVS. I promise.

@davidhohn !!!!! Awesome fill-in on the podcast! Hope Will is doing well.

Dealing with the rejections. Great pick me ups. I can't believe there are actionable takeaways from that. I'm totally going to make a game of rejection letters. A goal this year is to start pitching to companies that license. If not this year, definitely next. I'm going to pass this episode specifically to my class of surface pattern designers. It's scary putting yourself out there and not taking rejection or lack of interest personally. You can't though. It's okay. And always remember that your worth as a person is not connected to your art. Your art is not you, it is something you create. Love the book suggestion Jake! Totally going to read that. I'll look it up to be sure I got it right. Something with GRIT. I think looking at a visual wall of rejections or just stones in our way that we overcome/overcame is just a way to remind ourselves of how far we have come. A way to look and say, this wasn't easy, but it was so worth it. "You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make." -GBH

Okay, anyone else think it was funny to hear David Hohn be star struck at Mr Jake Parker! Don't worry, we all are. I get a pin when I preorder a book from the Pumphrey brothers. Tell me Beverly Cleary wouldn't make a freaking adorable pin! Lee, you need to get in on the pin business as well.

Lee, my husband geeks out over taxes too. I have to keep all my records because I know Jan 1 he will start plugging in our stuff in turbo tax. Also, what ever happened to the patterns you were making? That still needs to happen!

@Miriam thanks so much for passing the name of Bonnie Christine along. It truly changed my trajectory in my work. She’s absolutely fabulous at teaching pattern design and all the things related to running your business in that industry.

@Sneha-Rao ! Here it is. Oh man, how many answers do we have now! I wonder how many more of us are out there?

@Tiffany-Thomas I’ve always wanted to do hotel art. And wondered who actually did that. Now we know. That’s pretty cool.

@demotlj you’re not kidding. That would be awesome. I love pooling resources!

Just putting it out there. I kinda need a phone group or a group who wants to chat once a month. Mom of four, who’s an artist. I’m moving at a snails pace with my artwork. Maybe not my artwork, but the business side. Shooting for licensing but slowly adding more products in my online shop and doing wholesale in a few shops. Looking for people that know that it’s not time to go full speed ahead with this career. Who likes to learn the business side of things for the future. But also enjoys perfecting their craft and building their portfolio so when it’s time to hit send on those letters to companies (or publishers) you’re ready. So, anyone who wants to chat let me know. Let’s see if we can get a group of the limbo artist. Ha!

One more thing, I love you guys to death, so please know this comes from a place that I just want to give you a heads up. Please don’t call a woman who is working as many hours as a guy or has a career as successful as a man (or more, cause some of these women bring in a seven figure salary) a “stay at home mom” and she’s an artist too. Something like that. I love my husband who now works from home. But he is most certainly not a “stay at home dad.” People like Sarah Jane Wright, Natalie Malan (you can not get more freaking adorable than that woman, who is the face of pattern design for circuit), Tannie Smith, Bonnie Christine, Emily Jeffords and many many more aren’t stay at home moms. Howerver, I. Am. A. Losing my mind. Stay. At. Home. Mom. Who is an artist. Anyways, around the lady watercooler it’s just not super to hear time and time again. Just a friendly heads for you guys.

One more, “time and season” is the crappiest phrase for me at this time. I’ve heard “time and season” for 20 years. It’s a common phrase that’s used in a certain setting. Those who have heard it a lot know where. (It’s church, sorry, I won’t be vague). Now it stings. So, if you could be creative and find a cool way to say, you can’t fit it all in sometimes. If you can cut out some of the fat of your day, then awesome. Here are some ways to do that. If you can’t, it’s okay to move at a slower pace towards your goal. And as a few other people have said who I follow, “do it for the process.” If you enjoy making art, just improve for the sake that you love it. Enjoy the freedom of creating with no deadlines, creating work that you want without an art director or assignment. Make your stories and make them as good as you can. The first part of Will’s book that talks about having to make art in order to breathe! Yep. I loved it!

Anyways- looking to start a peer group that wants to talk art and some business because my husband is a good listener, but doesn’t give a tone of feedback. He’s got a nice smile and nods his head.

@Frost-Drive check his website. I’m sure you can get it somehow.

Hey Will, your book came today. Yay! It’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to sit down tonight and consume the content. It’s certainly a treasure and so glad to have it.

I feel like we have all been on this journey with you. From the time that you began this book to heal. Then all the “it’s a super secret project” teasers on the podcast. To the Kickstarter. Thanks for sharing your journey! Keep it in print forever. I’ll probably be gifting this to all my creative little graduates in the future.