Painting and Business
Today I am excited to share some great painting and business tips one of my creative best friends, Heidi Easley from Texas Art and Soul, and I put together for you.
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Heidi and I both have creative memberships. We met in the process of creating our own businesses, and we had an instant connection. We are both faith-driven with personal missions to spread God’s love through painting and creativity.
When we can, we like to collaborate because we serve the same people, except I am not here to teach business. That’s why we work so well together. Our partnership is my painting lesson and Heidi’s creative business coaching.
Perfect partners in crime.
Heidi and I both chose 3 tips each to share. I will cover painting and she business.
Painting Tips
These aren’t your typical painting tips. Instead, these tips are my honest advice to all of you who are just starting your painting journey.
1) Have Fun and Practice
You are not going to art class and painting for a grade. Art is supposed to be fun. I want you to create art for your soul.
It brings joy to you, and that brings joy to others, which is why we paint and create art. Have fun while practicing.
You can’t expect to pick up a paintbrush and just know how to paint. Have you ever seen the show Nailed It?.. That is what it is like the first time painting! Jump in and enjoy yourself, but expect a little wonky cupcake at first. LOL
Don’t let fear stop you from moving forward. Allowing yourself that time to practice will remove the obstacle that’s in your way.
2) Buy a Mixed Media Pad!
This is a more practical tip, but following up on tip #1, you need a surface to practice your craft without the fear of a blank canvas staring back at you.
For some reason, every time we see a clean canvas, we feel like we need to create a masterpiece and that our work is permanent. We can make no mistakes… Right? You just stare at it and think, “what am I going to do now?”
First, strike that out of your mind because it is just paint! You can paint right over it once it is dry. Then, pick up a mixed media pad.
A mixed media pad is like a sketchbook for painting. You can fill its pages, practicing brush strokes until you nail it. And if you become inspired along the way, nothing is going to stop you from painting a whole scene!
Take what you learn from practicing in your pad and apply it to the canvas with more confidence.
You aren’t painting for anyone but you. You will find your voice in your art by practicing those brush strokes.
3) Give Yourself Grace
In every realm of your life, you need to give yourself grace.
I know it’s a hard thing to relate to art, but really, it’s not. I have members in my private painting membership who beat themselves up, but with a little bit of grace, they have given themselves a chance to learn.
We are always so quick to judge ourselves, don’t sweat that small stuff like having the exact color of paint. You can’t learn without messing up. So if you make a mistake, learn from it! Practice that in your mixed media pad and grow.
Do not let others steal your dream and stand in your way.
When you are focused on sharing your joy and God, and not on what other people think you will be more successful.
Creative Business Tips
Now let’s talk business which is Heidi’s specialty. She teaches people how to make money, teaching painting online with art kits and in-person parties. Here are her top 3 paint party business tips:
1) Find Out What You Like to Paint
Anytime you want to make money off of what you create, if you love what you are creating, you will enjoy the whole process so much more. I have my own style of painting and I know that If I am painting in a whimsical style, I am going to be happy.
What is your style?
Don’t feel like you need to create something out of your comfort zone to make progress. If you have a comfortable style and love it, it will reflect in your work!
Even if it’s for business, make sure you are doing something you love.
2) Go Live and Paint!
If you want to do this as a business, you need to go Live and paint on social media!
You have filled your mixed media pad with all these things you like… now you need to show off your teaching skills and paint them Live.
We all know how overwhelming this can feel. Remember, mistakes happen when you are Live… but that is just part of it! So go live and paint, even if you are nervous.
The only way to get comfortable is to practice by just doing it.
Some of the things Heidi and Christie like to do to prepare to go Live is to:
- Pray!
- Make a short list of your talking points. Sometimes you can feel like a deer in headlights once you are Live.
- If you need a little extra help staying organized, hire an assistant.
- Keep it fresh by thinking of topic ideas relevant to the season.
- Select a weekly schedule or day of the week to go Live consistently, and stick to it!
3) Be Consistent
Success takes time.
We see people so often doing what we want to do and wonder why we aren’t at their level. Nothing good happens overnight, none of this is easy, but you have to stay consistent and keep moving forward.
You have to take action, even when you are scared. If you want to make money with your creative business, most likely, you will see some failures, and you’ll have to get back up again. Push through and keep on taking those steps.
Watch Christie and Heidi Talk Painting and Business
You can learn more about Heidi and her Paint Party Headquarters membership where she walks you through how to start your own online or in-person paint party business at: Paint Party Headquarters
Put your family and God first, then paint and build your business all while having fun. Let God lead your journey. I could not have imagined what He had in store for me!
