How I’m Breaking the Mold as an Artist

June 11, 2019June 6, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 4 Comments

Hey guys! Today I’d like to share with you a little bit about how I’m breaking the mold of being an artist in the 21st century.

Throughout history, artists have had to fit certain molds to have their work accepted by galleries and the art community.

But the greatest artists were the ones who broke the mold.

In Medieval Europe, art was controlled by the Church. Artists had to create work featuring religious characters and stories in order to sell. Artists found ways to work around these limitations by inserting the faces of their patrons into religious scenes.

The great art of the Renaissance was a rejection of these restrictions. In fact, there has been a constant back and forth throughout history, with each art movement being a reaction to the one that came before.

Impressionism was a reaction to Realism. Monet and the Impressionists were originally shunned by the art community in Paris. Of course they are now widely loved and celebrated (not to mention, the art is worth millions).

In 1917, Marcel DuChamp submitted an upside down urinal as an affront to the so-called “Society of Independent Artists”. This move has gone down in history and gave rise to Dadaism.

The greatest historical artists we know today were the ones who broke the mold and pushed back against the establishment. These artists were ahead of their time, controversial, and often under appreciated until late in life or even after death.

So how can I follow in the footsteps of the great artists of the past?

Today, there are once again pervasive ideas about what being an artist should look like.

Many of my professors at University scoffed at the idea of selling art online on fashion and home decor products. They held the belief that a true artist should suffer for their work, and should only show in established galleries, otherwise they’re “selling out”.

Another pervasive idea is that art should only be understood and accessible to an elite few. I think that idea is bullshit and needs to be smashed like the patriarchy! I hold the belief that art should be accessible to all.

The internet and the ability to self represent has completely changed the landscape of being an artist today. We can spread our work around the world all on our own, and become business men and women in our own right. We can create any kind of artwork we want and find a market for it.

All artists should be taking advantage of this and starting a new movement. Our movement doesn’t have a name yet but one day people will be reading about this time in history. Just like we read about the “Renaissance” “Impressionism” and “Dadaism” movements of the past.

This is how I’m breaking the mold as an artist and doing what every other great artist has done before me.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on what being an Artist in the 21st century means to you. Leave your comments below! Please note: I’m not an art historian and have definitely over-simplified some aspects here, so feel free to point out if I’m completely wrong.

Thanks for sticking around long enough to read my rant! I really appreciate it. Head over to my gallery to check out my artwork, and make sure to subscribe to my blog if you want to follow along on my journey.

Cheers,

Julie

Motivational Quotes for Entrepreneurs

June 4, 2019June 4, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 5 Comments

Hey guys! Anyone else feeling a lack of motivation today? I needed a little pick-me-up so I decided to put together some motivational quotes in Canva.

This goes out to all you entrepreneurs and small business owners out there who hustle hard and need a reminder to keep doing what you’re doing!

Motivational Quotes to Inspire You

I love this quote because it reminds us that wherever we are in life we can always keep working toward our goals and dreams.

start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. Motivational quotes.

I recently read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and this quote of his really resonated with me.

the hard road often becomes easy, and the easy road often becomes hard - motivational quote robert kiyosaki

Sometimes taking risks pay off, other times they don’t but we’ll never know unless we try.

People will always be jealous of your success and some will try everything in their power to tear you down. Don’t let that get to you. Just remember, if you have haters, you’re probably doing something right!

if you have #haters you're doing something right. #quotes

When all else fails, sometimes we just need a reminder to not give up. Take a break, step away from something, but always come back and try again.

when all else fails just don't give up quote

I hope you’ve enjoyed these motivational quotes! I’m already feeling a little better after creating these.

Let me know which one you like the most by leaving a comment below!

More quotes to inspire you:

What to do When Sales are Slow in Your Print on Demand Store

May 27, 2019May 28, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 2 Comments

What to do when sales are slow print on demand stores

Hey guys! Today I’d like to share with you my thoughts on what to do when sales are slow in your Print on Demand shops and online stores.

In retail, whether online or brick and mortar, there are sales cycles. This means that sales slow down at certain times of the year and peak during other times, like at Christmas.

It can be frustrating and confusing to go from making several sales in a month to barely any, but that is totally normal and just the reality of retail. It does not mean you’ve failed, so don’t get down!

Think about how you personally shop. What times of the year do you spend the most money and when do you save? You will most likely find this reflected in your sales.

Here you can easily see the cycle peaks and lows during the year from my Redbubble analytics:

sales cycles on print on demand online retail stores

You can see my sales peak in November and December and drop down in the spring. Then they steadily climb back up until August when people shop for Back to School.

Now this sales cycle is totally normal and something you will need to get used to and prepare for, especially if your sole income is through online retail shops.

Instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel, there are lots of things you can do during these low times to get your shops ready for when the sales start to rise again!

Here is a list of ideas:

Work on your website or blog. Start one if you haven’t yet.
Continue creating and adding new designs to your shops.
Find new ways to promote your shops. Start using Pinterest for example.
Grow your social media followings.
Go through your stores and fix or delete under-performing designs.
Go through your designs and update keywords.
Enable new products you haven’t offered before.
Do a brand overhaul: new logo, banners, etc.
Promote sales. If your sales are slow, so are the websites you sell on and they will often have really good sales during slow times to get people to buy.
Ask others for feedback. You could ask friends or other Print on Demand artists for feedback on your stores and/or designs.
Network. Find and join support groups with like-minded individuals. There are lots of Print on Demand groups on Facebook.
Learn new business and marketing strategies through YouTube or other sources.
Take a break. Sometimes we need some time away to replenish our creativity. Go on a holiday or spend time with friends and family and come back with new ideas.
Open a new store. There are lots of print on demand sites out there, perhaps there is one more suited to your style. Here is a list of Print on Demand sites to try.
And most importantly don’t give up!

Looking for more? You can find lots more tips about selling your art through Print on Demand websites in the resources section of my blog.

Happy selling!

Cheers,

Julie

How to Fill Out the W-8BEN Tax Form for Print on Demand Sites

April 9, 2019May 30, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 5 Comments

print on demand tax forms and information

Ah tax forms, one of those annoying administrative tasks we have to do to sell artwork online through Print on Demand websites. Many U.S. based Print on Demand companies, like Zazzle, require a W-8BEN tax form to be filled out and submitted in order for payments to be processed.

This form can be confusing, and if you don’t submit it or fill it out properly your royalties can be subject to a whopping 30% withholding tax!

As long as you live in a country that has an income tax treaty with the U.S. (such as Canada) you do not need to pay this withholding tax, or may have to pay a reduced withholding tax. Here is a short list of countries with tax treaties with the U.S. and their withholding amounts. A more comprehensive list can be found on the IRS website.

To get started, you will have to download the W-8BEN form from the IRS website.
Below I have provided an example of how to fill out the form as a Canadian.

how to fill out us tax withholding W-8BEN form

Things to note:

The SIN number (Line 6) is the same as a U.S. Social Security Number. I am assuming most countries have an equivalent personal identification number for tax purposes.
The ____% rate of withholding (Line 10) may differ depending on the withholding tax rate of your resident country. This is where you will use the list provided at the link above.

I hope this guide will be helpful to those of you who are getting started selling your art through Print on Demand websites and are required to submit this form.
Let me know your thoughts or questions be leaving a comment below.

Cheers!

Julie

Looking for more information about selling your art through Print on Demand sites?

Check out these posts!

How to Sell Your Art Online in 5 Steps

November 14, 2018May 24, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 16 Comments

Step 1. Build your portfolio.

In order to start selling your art online, you should have a decent sized portfolio for potential customers to choose from. Aim for 10-25 artworks.

sketch book designs feathers pug painting watercolour

You can either make a bunch of new artwork, or dig up some old pieces that could work digitally or physically to sell.

Step 2: Decide where to sell your art.

Next, you’ll have to decide where to sell your art and that will depend on your medium, style, and goals as an artist.

Identify your audience and how you want to sell your art.

Are you going to sell primarily prints? (many avenues)
Are you going to sell physical work, such as paintings? (Etsy, or Fine Art America)
Do you create sculptures, jewelry or something else tangible? (Etsy)
Are you interested in designing t-shirts and/or home decor products? (Society6, Zazzle or Redbubble)

Check out my blog post about Where to Sell Your Art Online to help you decide.

For even more help on deciding where to sell your art online check out these posts:

Step 3. Optimize your artwork for sale

You’ll have to optimize your art digitally, or take a nice photo of it in order to sell it online.

Scan or photograph your artwork
Make it a large file size
Try to get sharp lines and true colors
Post process in a program like Photoshop to fix colors, or clean up scans.

Here is a an explanation of how I clean up my drawings using Photoshop and Illustrator

Step 4: Upload and enable as many products as possible

Upload your art to your chosen platform.

If you are going the Print On Demand route, only add to products that look good and work with the design.

Step 5: Market your products

This is where a lot of artists struggle because, well, we’re artists not business or marketing professionals!

Share your products and artwork on social media.
- Create an Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook page dedicated to your art.
- Ideally, choose one you use frequently so it’s not a burden to learn or use daily.
You may consider building a website, which can be a hub if you sell on multiple platforms. It could be a blog or just a portfolio of your work.
Check out my pages for inspiration:
To dive deeper into marketing, watch tutorials on YouTube or try Skillshare to hone your business skills or even artistic skills as your business grows.

There is a lot to learn on the business side, but don’t neglect your art!

Consistently create new designs so you can figure out what works and what doesn’t, and go from there.

Consistency is key!

For more tips on selling your art online check out these posts:

Social Media Marketing Tips For Artists
Blogging for Your Art Business
How to Increase Your Sales on POD Websites

I hope you’ve found this guide to selling your art online useful. Feel free to leave any additional tips or questions for me in the comments below!>

Cheers,

Julie

6 Inspiring Quotes for Female Entrepreneurs

October 26, 2018May 24, 2019 ~ Julie ~ 25 Comments

Hey guys!

As you may already know, being an entrepreneur can be challenging at times and especially for us ladies who are often juggling multiple responsibilities like jobs and families.

Sometimes you need a little something to keep you motivated so I’ve created these fun, inspirational quotes for you to enjoy and share as you like.

These are all made using Canva. If you haven’t used Canva before you really should check it out, it makes creating share-able social media posts so quick and simple.

Without further ado, on to the quotes!