If I could go back in time and share some of the lessons I’ve learned so far on my journey of running an art based business, these would be the top ten things I’d say. I hope that you find this episode helpful if you are starting out on your own art business journey.

In This Episode Keita Discusses:

·       Ten things I wish I knew before starting an art business: Nobody can give you Validation but you, It takes a long time, paint what you love not what you think will sell, your mindset matters, times of rest are just as important as times of productivity, invest in learning, there’s more than one way to do it, connect with your peers, make a space for your creativity, share your work.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Do you have any tips that were not mentioned in this episode?

If so, DM Keita on Instagram @artbykeita and we can discuss on a follow-up episode.

Hello, and welcome to the painty mama podcast, we're taught that artists are poor, throw kids in the mix and it seems impossible to thrive. While balancing motherhood creative projects and building a business along with everything else is hard. I believe the universe gave you your unique talents and children, so you could live a full inspiring, creative, beautiful life together. Join me for conversations about creativity, motherhood, business, and finding calm in the chaos. I'm Keita Thomas. And this is the Painty Mama podcast.

00:40

Hello, and welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for joining me here today, I wanted to talk to you about 10 things that I wish I knew before I started an art business. And I've seen some things with similar titles floating around. And I know that this has been talked about by many artists before. However, some of these points I just came up with myself. And I really tried to dig into myself and think about the main things that I really, truly wish that I would have known or realized about myself and the realities of creating an art business in the time of life that I was at when I started. And with that reflective view from now.

01:29

So, a little bit about how I started might help! I started from kind of a difficult place. And I think that's why I talk often about the healing power of creativity and making artwork because it really did - without sounding dramatic, it saved me a lot. And perhaps you can relate to that, I never made art in the beginning of this business journey with the intention of selling it. I had just become a mum for the third time. So I, I think my daughter was about three months old-ish, three or four months old, and I had been having a really hard time I was, as I say, newly single. So I had more on my plate than I'd ever had before, more responsibility. But I also had this renewed sense of really wanting to remember who I was, and discover parts of who I am now, now that I became a mum or not now, then, because I'm going back in time with that. But that's how I felt at the time, I just really wanted to express myself and a huge part of me before life as a mum was painting, I used to work as a scenic painter, and a theatrical designer. And all those things I'd put in the back of my mind, with a view to start a family in the first place. And I'd been at home with my children for about two years without working before that. And I loved that, that was definitely what I felt called to do and right to do at the time.

03:17

And then things changed and things shifted. And I really wanted to create space for more of me, because I felt this inner urge to, yeah, just kind of refigure out who I am in the world. And I know that for me, it's always started with artwork, and drawing. And sketching, that's always brought me back to myself in any time of life. But the thing was, when I first started painting, and drawing, every single thing that I made, I absolutely hated. It was like I'd forgotten everything. I had no voice. I had no outline as well, which I'd been used to being given briefs and projects by other people and outside forces, whether that was a show or a suggestion. But I never had to create from just wherever I wanted to start and that was really hard.

04:16

But what I found was, I'd really lost a belief in myself as an artist as a painter. And as a creative person. Just because I was in such a low spot. I think it trickles in when you can, when you're suffering with depression or you're just in a really low point in your life. Everything seems to get harder, but I knew that working through some of those tricky things would help me to gain a little bit of momentum and self belief and that is actually what happened. I kind of knew it would but I didn't know how it was going to work out but I just had to put pen-to-paper, paint-to-canvas and just get making something. And even though my sketchbook became filled with, like, gross drawings, from my point of view, I think it was more that it was reflecting how I felt back at me and I could see it. And I didn't like how I felt. So that was coming out on the page. But then as I pushed through, and I kept drawing, and I kept painting, and I started to share those things on Instagram and on Facebook, and just with friends and family. Then I started to believe in my skills and believe in myself a little bit more.

05:35

And at some point, I'm not sure exactly when, I started to create things that I did like, and I wanted to share more. So it was a really slow process for me.  So that's a little bit about the background of when I got started. And as I say, I didn't start an art business. To start an art business, I started an art business by accident, because I knew that I had this inner feeling that I wanted to paint again, because I'd literally put down my brushes for so many years before that, when I had stopped believing in my ability to earn money and be creative at the same time, it felt selfish to me. So I've had a lot to work through.

06:27

But we'll get to that in one of the 10 points anyway, on with the 10 points as I've rambled on! So the first thing that I would say, I wish I knew is that nobody can give you validation about your business or about your artwork. Except for you. It sounds kind of obvious. But it really is true. You can look up, and I'm sure on your Facebook feed and Instagram feed or wherever you go on the internet, you can see all the gurus that will flash up and say "you need to do this amazing way of doing Instagram", or "you need to plan out your exact way of doing things. And it will work", and they'll tell you how to be an amazing marketer of your artwork. And I've fallen into trusting those things before I use an example of email marketing. I already had an email list that was small from a previous business that I'd run, which was pretty unrelated, but filled with people who I know and people who I'm connected to. And I had followed one of these gurus advice about you know, before you launch something, you should email however many times and like use this template and say this kind of thing. And my email list just like dropped dramatically. And I wasn't seeing any return on anything. And I was like, oh, that didn't work. And I think I'm just irritated people. Because I was not doing it from an authentic place. It's not what felt right to me before that I'd always emailed like once a month or once every week or two. And that's what those people expected of me. And then all of a sudden, I was kind of bombarding their email list with phrases that didn't sound like me. And it felt icky when I was doing it, but I was like, "Oh, I don't know about email marketing, and this person does. So I should definitely follow their advice because they know and I don't".

08:36

But the one thing to take away from the experience is no, I should have listened to the icky-ness. Whatever feels right to me to share is the right thing to share. And I now do a little bit of a gut check. So I say gut check, because I think that energy in your body will inform you how you feel about something. So if you're thinking, for example, about sending an email out to your email list, and it's about selling something, and you feel like cerebrally that that's a really good idea, but then like in your heart you feel like emotionally a bit like "oh what if nobody likes it, though". Those two places can often be misleading, because we get to in our heads or two in our emotions, but the one place I like to make decisions from are right in the bottom of my tummy.

09:29

So if it feels good in my gut, I literally try and imagine like an X or a checkmark over the top of my stomach. And that will tell me whether or not Yeah, that feels right to send on that day or not. And it's just about following your own intuition and internal guidance system. And that has taken me a really, really long time and a few trial and errors to figure out, why I just need to trust myself and nobody can tell you how to run your business and how things are gonna work for you other than you, because you are you, uniquely made, and you have your own voice, you have your own style of art to make and way of sharing. And that is actually what will set you apart from everyone else is the you-ness. So don't copy anyone else. I mean, for sure, take their advice, but just make sure that you're leading with your gut and your intuition.

10:32

The second thing is one that you will have heard a lot. It takes a long time. It takes a long time to build an art following never mind a business. So it's like, you have to be really passionate about what it is that you're making and really love sharing it in the first place, before anything will start to pick up any traction whatsoever. Because if you don't believe in your art, then why would anybody else? If you don't like your art, then why would anybody else? And if you're still in the phase of developing your own style, like I was, I didn't even know what I wanted to paint in the beginning, I just started painting and drawing things that were like around the house and in the garden. And if you're in that spot, I'd say experiment. And there's so much greatness that comes from the experimentation phase. And I often still return to that experimentation, because it freshens up whatever it is that I'm making. Even if I want to do another ink drawing, or I want to do another oil painting, I might try it in a different medium first, just to give myself a different perspective on it. And it really creates a unique voice. Because from those moments of sketching away and painting away, and you'll find the bits that you like about it and the bits that your like, "oh I don't mean like that that much". And then the next piece you do, you'll take the things that you liked and the things that worked and felt good. You'll bring those into the next piece and drop the things that didn't work. And then it kind of snowballs. And then you end up, over time developing a style without even really realizing that that's what you're doing, whether that's through the medium, or the subject, or just your hand doing it is - that's what makes your style. And that takes a long time to cultivate. So I think we're in a culture where we think oh, well, let's just post this thing. And you know, build it, and they will come and I've been working on this for three months. And it's not doing anything, but it takes ages. And there is no rush. And the thing is, if you're here, I'm assuming that you're probably a mother as well. And just like with your children, you can't rush them to learn things, you can't rush them to behave in a certain way, you can't rush that process. And it's the same thing with your art business. You can't rush through it and think "I need to make this work. So it has to work". It just creates tension, where there should be freedom. So feel free and give yourself time to relax into it. You're in a phase of life if you're a mum, where you don't have unlimited hours to sit and draw and that's okay and what are you in a rush for anyway? Don't you want to enjoy it? Isn't that why you're doing it in the first place?

13:33

I've definitely gone through phases where I will try and rush things and I end up feeling frustrated and yucky. And I don't feel like that is a good use of my skills or my time. Because, it's not why I'm doing it in the first place. I'm doing it because I love to paint and I love to make art and I want to love it, not rush through it. So point number three would be paint what you love, not what you think will sell which kind of ties into what we were already talking about developing a style. A few years ago, I had a little brick and mortar store I used to used to own a metaphysical shop and we sold crystals and books and did readings and held meditation classes. And I absolutely loved it that was kind of the gap in time where I didn't create as much, so that was about three or four years of my life was dedicated to that and I had a little store front and we had to stock it up with, obviously things that people to buy so that they would come in the shop to buy nice things. And I'd put up some of my artwork, now. The artwork that I was making, I didn't really like and I was trying again to work to a non existent brief but one of my own that I made up which was only do like the spiritual things that will fit in the shop. So I was drawing pictures of lotus flowers and Buddha's and quotes and angel wing hearts. But I was doing it in a way that was not coming from me, it was coming from the other things that I saw were selling in the shop. And I think I sold one painting once. And I didn't make a ton of them. But it did not feel good. And it's not because it didn't feel good to sell a painting. Obviously, it did. And nobody in the shop knew, because I was at the front desk, nobody knew it was me, that was the artist and nobody knew that they were actually my paintings that we were selling. The thing is, is the the painting that sold was not one that I thought would have sold, it was one that did slightly, I wouldn't say fully, but did slightly come from more of a me-centered place when it was my favorite one that sold. And it's cuz I'd felt good while I was painting that, but it's not one that made as much "sense" for the store aesthetic.

16:09

And the truth is you never know what's going to sell. So you may as well make artwork that you absolutely love and feels good to you and comes from your heart, from your experiences and the things that you just feel called to paint. They're the things that you should be painting. So please, don't think that you have to be something that you're not. You can find inspiration in other people's artwork, and certain ideas can be a springboard, but directly focusing and trying to narrow your focus to a point where the piece becomes not yours and not a representation of who you are, at that time when you paint it, it doesn't feel good.

16:58

My favorite pieces that I've done are the goddess portrait series that I have. And they're a series of goddesses and I love painting them. And they all represent different things to me. And I include symbology. And I really get into those paintings, even before I've started painting them, I really feel like connected to that particular goddess energy, or it's something that I've been thinking and feeling around in my life at the time. And then those pieces mean a lot to me. But they don't really sell. And then I did a challenge for Inktober, and I wanted to explore ink drawings, because I've never painted with ink. I'd drawn with ink, but I've never used ink with a paintbrush, and I was like "oh, this would be a cool idea just to do something a little bit different". So I had sketched out and inked in, and was playing around with inks. And some of them I really liked when they came out and some of them I was a bit "meh". And those pieces, some of the ones that I was a bit "meh" about, they're like some of my top sellers. So you just never know there's no rhyme or reason to what people like. Just make the thing. Just make the things and follow the breadcrumbs of what you like. And then the right people will find you and the right people will start to see where your vision was when you were creating certain pieces.

18:35

And that's really who you want to connect to with for longevity in your business. You don't really want somebody who's going to be like, Oh, I just want this one thing, and I don't care about that person who made it and I don't feel anything from it. It just matches my curtains. You want people that really want to follow along with your journey and find you as a person interesting and they want to learn from you and they they see what your magic is what your specific spark as a person is. So yeah, that's paint what you love, not what you think will sell.

19:12

The the fourth thing I wanted to talk to you about is a little bit of a shift. It's about money DUN, DUN, DUUUNNN - nobody likes to talk about it's a bit taboo. But, your mindset around money really matters. I can't tell you how much working on my own mindset around money has helped me immensely. And there's always more layers. I always say people like onions like you think you've worked on one thing and then there's always like a surprise layer underneath that you are not even aware of but it will keep going like we have multiple layers of emotions and things to work on all the time. And that's one of the things that I love about doing work on yourself is that it's not one healing session and "done, boom, I'm healed, I'm great". It's like you keep going, and the issues get deeper. So we all have issues around money and our beliefs around money can shape the way that we price our work. And pricing from a place of, "well, that's what I would pay for it", because you're not valuing yourself as much as someone else would. Or On the flip side, over pricing things because you're just sticking a random number on it, that you're not really thinking about. Those two things that are equally misaligned. So I would really suggest figuring out what barriers you have around money, what beliefs you have around earning money from artwork, how much artwork costs, how much your artwork costs. And that helps to dig into the emotional baggage that we have around money.

21:05

 I also want to just touch on mindset. Rather than just money mindset, I want to talk about mindset as a whole. You've got to know why you're doing it. And I can look now with 2020 vision, in hindsight to go, "Oh, I needed to do art to heal". And I had a mild awareness of that at the time. And now I have more clarity of why I needed to do it. But All I knew is that I just wanted to draw and I wanted to paint more than I had been doing for years because it made me feel good. But then when you get into business, it's about serving other people. And I was doing it for me. So that becomes a tipping point where you've got to figure out why you're doing what you're doing, how it can help other people. And if you can marry the two,1.  your why, and 2. coming from a place of service and helping people, then that's where your sweet spot is. And it took me a long time to marry those two together. So even if you just have a little sit and a think about who you are as a person and in life, what kind of people you could help. And just start offering things around your artwork and your messaging around your artwork becoming more about other people. And if something helps, you, will probably help them because although we're unique and lovely in our own ways, we also don't go through struggles alone. And if you're going through something, you can be guaranteed that somebody else is experiencing something very similar somewhere that you could really help with your insight and your knowledge and the skills that you've learned. And even just bringing beauty to their space and beauty to their life. Artwork's such a gift. And it's everywhere. It's everywhere we go. It's you know, the designs on your coffee cup, it's your Apple phone, like design and artwork is everywhere. And it brings beauty and joy, and a sense of calm and balance to the eye and therefore life. Because the art gets internalized.

23:29

Anyway, I'm gonna get off my soapbox and talk about the next thing, which is number five - times of rest. And doing other things instead of making stuff is just as important, if not more important than the making process itself. So I've talked a little bit about this before. And I really do you stand behind this, I thought that if I wanted to be an artist and a successful artist, you know, my image of that is like working 16 hour days in a studio by yourself, lock yourself up and shut the door and, you know, put some music on and get to work and all you're doing all day is paint, paint, paint, paint, paint. And I was like, "Well, I'm a mom, so I can't do that. So that's it for me. No, no dreams of being an artist for me anymore". But the complete opposite is what I have found to be true in my own experience. The times where I force myself to sit down and paint are the times when the crappy stuff comes out. It just turns out a bit rubbish because I don't have any intention behind what I'm drawing or painting or the ideas that I'm coming up with. And my sketchbook will be filled with rubbish drawings that I'm not going to use and I'm not they're not going to go anywhere.

24:52

But then there are times where I've come up with an idea - I might have done like a squiggle on a page and then I've had to run off to you know; wipe somebody's bottom, or fold the laundry or something, just being real here. But that's what I have to do. And then I won't get to it for a while, but the ideas will be still in my mind, and I can fully form them. And then when I sit down to actually make something for two or three hours at a time, I know what I'm doing, I know where I'm going with it. And my ideas are, there.

25:26

Also the best ideas come to us when we have blank space, just creating space in your life. So when we have quiet time, when you're not thinking about, "I have to make I have to draw something, what am I going to draw on my God, or don't want to do" - like, you can spiral yourself into thinking that you're never going to come up with something, and then therefore that becomes true. Whereas if you're doing something completely different, like washing the dishes, the ideas'll flow, how many times have you got a good idea while you're doing something mundane, I mean, that's where I get all of my best ideas.

26:05

And resting your body is so important as well, I know in my life, and I'm sure if you're a mum in your life too, the times of rest a few and far between. and you have to really focus on that, because usually running around doing a million billion squillion things all day, and then the times of rest, sometimes I can feel guilty for that. But I'm really working hard on not feeling guilty for times of rest. I think 2020 was a big year for me for that. And I finally gave myself permission to just like, be still. And I want to cultivate that and bring that further into this year. And all the following years, because rest is so important for your body it's important for your imagination, your mind. And if you're not taken care of, you're not going to make great art. Because you can't come up with good stuff when you absolutely, like fall down tired. You're not going to be that creative. It makes sense, right? Like, if your eyes are drooping shut,, how can you paint the details on your painting?

27:20

Number six, learn and invest in the teachings of how, but remember that the why of your business is up to you. Now might sound like I'm contradicting myself from point number one. But point number one was nobody can give you validation. So there's a really big difference between learning from someone and learning skills and how-to's  from people that do know more, because they're further along in their journey than you are. That is super important. And the amount of time and insight that you can gain about business about making art about what the journey feels like about how you want to cultivate your own journey and your own work life is absolutely amazing and invaluable. But just make sure that you have a line between learning the "How's". And you owning your "Why?" Because you can learn all the how-tos but you almost have to absorb it, write it on a piece of paper, screw it up and throw it in the garbage and then start with you and what feels good to you from that. So cherry pick from what you're learning from the people that are further ahead in your journey from the experts. Cherry pick what works for you.

28:47

Always be learning there's so much to know, there's so much that we can learn and there are so many people. There's so many artists that are absolutely wildly successful people that are just like you. And I'm not making this up. Like all you need to do is go on social media and look around and you'll find people that are just like you that are absolutely killing it. And it makes you go, "Oh, I really want to be like that". So learn from them learn what they did and take that pieces but then not you you have your unique journey, and you have your unique voice and you know why you're making this business and you know why you want to make art and what you want to say with it. So make sure to invest in yourself because you are worth it. Your art business is worth investing in.

29:40

And point number seven is (kind of harks back to what I already said but) There's a saying I really don't like the same way I'm gonna say it anyway. It's like "there's more than one way to skin a cat". I just think that's an absolutely horrible visual but there's more than one way to have an art business. There is no one way, one formula, that's gonna work for you. And whether you learn that from, you know, a teacher, or a guru or someone that is telling you about "do this, and then this and do your email funnel and your sales page etc", all those things. And people will have found a way, if they've reached a level of success, they'll have found a way that works for them. And sometimes when they try to reverse engineer that, and give it back to you, it won't work for you. Because algorithms change, people change, they're not you, they're not you with your skills, they don't have the same voice as you or the same opinions as you. And what works for them might not work for you. But you kind of have to try it and throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. So be inspired by those people, but just be aware that the people that you're watching just because they have a YouTube channel or a podcast, or they have a killer blog that's really successful, or whatever is that they have, it doesn't mean that you have to do exactly that, or you won't be successful.

31:17

There's so many ways, especially now with the Internet, and saying "now with the internet", like really old lady "now with the internet these days". But I remember the days when it was dial up. I actually do remember the days and it was dial up and it was absolutely riveting listening to that noise. But there sorry, I'm getting way off topic there is. Essentially, there's more than one way that you can build your business. So take inspiration from people, but don't try to think or copy exactly what they're doing. Because that might not work for you. It's more about figuring out what fits your life, what fits your personality, how can you best help people and get your message across? How can you best show the aspects of you and your artwork to the world. And that is not going to be the same for every single person is just not, we're all different. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. So figure out what yours are. And then create yourself a little plan from there.

32:23

Point number eight is connect with your peers and other people making businesses at their creative passions along your journey. There's soooo much to be said for having a community of people to be able to bounce ideas off of, because not everyone is going to be able to see or understand your goals like you do in your life. I'm talking about like, you know, asking your best friend, and your mom and your close people that, sometimes they do get it and sometimes they're 100% behind you, and sometimes they just don't quite see where you're going with this. Or they might think, Oh yeah, that's all well and good, but you can't really do that though, because of their own limiting beliefs or their own mindset things that they have yet to work through. Or just that it's not really their cup of tea. And that's alright. And sometimes they can love you and think that they're really happy for you to do it, but they don't see you being successful. And they might try to see you with the best intentions. But they might not be able to see it for themselves. And that's okay, because they're not in your zone. So if you surround yourself with people with a community, that are all working towards a similar goal, you can lift each other up and get so much more comfy in where you are, and in what you're trying to do. And it's really helped me to be a member of a number of different communities. And I go to them for different reasons and different things like just sometimes I'll feel like, I really want to do this thing, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me. And because some of those, you know, close business friends and they will run an idea past them and then they'll go "Oh, yeah, that's a great idea", or "have you thought about coming at it from a different angle and maybe like tweaking it a bit". And it's relevant feedback. And sometimes your mind can get cluttered when you're relying on your partner or whoever else to validate your ideas. Again, it mainly comes from you first. But if you do need to bounce something off someone, I'd say get involved in some communities, get involved in some groups, and there's loads of free groups all over Facebook even - where there are lots of people trying to do similar things. things and they have a wealth of knowledge. And they can really help you sometimes because they might have tried something that you're thinking about trying, and it failed. And they can be like, "woah, don't try that do this instead", because this is what happened for me. It's relevant feedback instead of irrelevant feedback. I hope that makes sense. Also, it's just nice to have friends. It's just nice to connect with people. And to support them, I have a number of artist friends that I've made on Instagram, I feel a bit like a geek saying that, because it's like we're virtual friends, but I do have a lot of virtual friends. And I love them. And we have amazing chats about all kinds of things, not just art related. But you know, I know about their kids. And I, you know, we talk about meal plans, and you know, random stuff, too, because we've genuinely become friends. But it's due to having the one connection of artwork, and I feel very supported in the direction that I'm going. And it's because of a lot of those friendships that I've cultivated outside of my immediate circle of friends and family.

36:18

 Okay, so point number nine is - making space for your business is a choice. And it's one to take seriously. So this is sometimes a hard one, it depends on the situation that you're in, in your living circumstances, and how you're going to go about it. But if you're serious about creating an art business, there's nothing more powerful than setting a space for it. And whether that is, you know, a tiny corner with a basket full of paint supplies that you pull out every now and then, or a room in your house dedicated to making art, or you have a separate studio, that's like a massive loft, and you've got paint everywhere, it really is all the same intention, which is "this is my space to take my art making seriously" and you can make room in your life, it's not going to flow to you, you've got to grab it, you've got to make the room, you've got to declutter the things that get in your way, and figure out what time of day you work the best where in your house, physically, you can work the best and what mediums you like to use. But sometimes the medium that we choose to work in doesn't work with our lives. And you've got to figure out what medium works the best what space you have in your life, and in your schedule. And in your physical home that you can work in and get rid of anything that is kind of in the way of that space, so that you can clear it for yourself. And that becomes your designated space to make art because you're setting more than a space, you're setting an intention to create art for your business. So yeah, make a space, make it sacred and make it yours with intention.

38:20

And number 10 This is something that is probably more of a recent one for me, that I'm always trying to get over. And that's why I do the gut-sheck thing that I was talking about in the beginning, is that you're not bothering people, when you share your artwork. It's not going to be everybody's cup of tea. And that is okay. In fact, it's a good thing not to please everybody with the artwork that you're making. And the way that you're sharing it, it actually helps to weed out the people that truly support you from the people that are just kind of not really that bothered. So you're not bothering people, you're adding beauty to their day. And if they like your artwork, they will share it, they will love it and you're actually bringing them joy when you share it. So if you're not sharing it, you're actually doing a disservice to that person because they don't then get to see that beauty that day. Or that beauty hanging on their wall. Or they'll never get the opportunity to gift that to their friend that they really want to add beauty to their day so it it spreads like all you're doing is you're spreading joy and beauty around when you share your artwork. And don't feel bad. This is, I'm saying this to you because I still struggle a little bit with this not as much as I used to but I'm really working on not feeling bad about asking for a sale. Grown adults can spend their money on what they want. You are not forcing them to buy something by saying "this is for sale". It kind of flips the way I was thinking about it because I was thinking, "I feel like I'm like a beggar going, like, please pay me for the paintings" and like, coming to it with that, like desperation, energy. Feels. Horrible.

40:16

However, people are grown adults who have money, if they have money in their budget to spend it's none of our business. If they want to spend it on artwork, or whatever else they want to spend it on in their lives, that's their choice. All you're doing is you're offering them a choice, "would you like to buy this or not", and not being tied to the outcome is everything. Like that's changed everything for me, I was placing a lot of my value as a person in like, "do people like my paintings and want to buy them?" And I don't do that anymore. And I haven't done that for a long time. Because I really realized that it's really, it's just nothing to do with me, if they want to buy it or not. That's just a choice that I'm offering up for them to make if they want it, they want it if they don't they don't. And either way is fine. And it says nothing about you. It says nothing about your skills as an artist or what you should paint or what you shouldn't paint. It's kind of irrelevant. But do share it so that you can spread joy because sometimes even just seeing a picture of it brings joy and beauty to somebody's life.

41:35

To summarize the 10 things I wish I knew before starting an art business you've got number one, nobody can give you validation except for you. Number two, it takes a long time and you're in no rush. Number three, paint what you love, not what you think will sell. Number four, your mindset matters. Number five, times of rest. Number six, learn and invest in the teachings of how but remember that the "why" is yours. Number seven, there's more than one way to "skin a cat" haha. There's more than one way to build an art business. Number eight, connect with your peers and other people that are making businesses at their creative passions. Number nine, make space for your business. Number 10. You're not bothering people when you share your artwork.

42:44

Thanks so much for joining me here today. I hope some of the things I shared about what I wish I'd have known before starting an art businesses helped you. I could have shared so much more but we probably would have been here for hours and hours. So maybe we'll do a part two to this episode at some time soon or something. If you have any tips or things that you wish you would have known before you started your art business, please DM me on Instagram @artbykeita. I'd love to know any extra things that you think I might have missed, and maybe we can include some of those in the follow up episode. And if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe so you can catch the next one. Until next time, have a beauty filled week.

Thanks so much for spending time here with me today and feel free to message me on Instagram to let me know what great ideas have come to you while you've been daydreaming. You can DM me @artbykeita if you enjoyed this podcast, please don't forget to subscribe for more episodes and leave a review as it really helps other Painty Mama's like you to find us. And you can find all things Art By Keita, including the "Banba" goddess painting mentioned in this episode, at keitathomas.com. Until next time, have a dreamy week!