Artsy Friends Podcast

You might not be surrounded by people who uplift you or encourage you to go down the artist's path. In this episode we discuss why people express negativity towards your art goals, mindset shifts around art as a career, and finding advice that actually moves you forward. If you're feeling doubtful about being an artist, this one's for you. Sticker Mule Link: https://www.stickermule.com...

Painting a mural soon? Keep these tips in mind as you prepare to paint your large scale artwork. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast, we discuss how to plan your artwork, transferring the image to large scale, protecting your client's environment, longevity or durability of the art, and more. Want a custom wallpaper mural in your space? Check out my previous custom artwork at: https:/...

Surface design is simply putting your designs on surfaces. As artists, we can put our artwork on many different art products to sell online or anywhere else. In this episode I detail my favorite art products from a business perspective and a few that I no longer offer --and why. See the products for yourself at www.acupofcloudy.com/shop Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join us in Art...

There are tell tale signs of an artist who has a well-defined signature style -- do any of these sound like you? If you experience repeat customers, full-on collectors, a satisfying feeling when you look at your portfolio or any of the other signs discussed in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast, you may have an art style. If these all sound like foreign experiences to you, then you miiiight...

The back-end of your creative side hustle is the foundation of your business. We all love the front-facing art style, marketing, social media branding aspects of an art business but finances and legality are the foundations which all of that stand on. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we discuss the basic financial definitions and practices every artist needs to stay afloat. If you don&...

Art, business, and travel meet as we discuss four big things learned this past year. 2023 was a huge learning curve for A Cup of Cloudy as I took on a new premium art product line and went from full time traveler to full on homeowner. I even discovered a little something about you :) Of all the things I discovered, four made the top cut and I know you'll gain insight from them. Make sure to sh...

Today you're actively making choices throughout your day that will give you MORE TIME to spend making the art you're ~obsessing~ over in your mind. This episode details exactly what choices, swaps, audits, and mindsets you can adopt to give you your time back. Artsy friends, buckle up for 7 tough love tips that will have you running to your craft cabinet. If you want to read the blog versi...

There are the basics you always hear: good lighting and flatlays -- but what about listing art for sale? Displaying art online requires special attention to details when you want someone to BUY it, not simply look at it once and scroll on. This episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast covers 6 tips that will have your artwork looking good and finding a forever home. ☁️Shop 2024 calendars until Novembe...

What does it mean to presell something, how are the different ways to do it, and what can you gain from a strategy like this? Listen in and learn from my real life artist examples in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast. At the end you'll get a prep list you can use as a journal prompt to get you going on your first presale experience. Shop art and view previously presold products at www....

Popular subject matter sells. But what's popular now won't be popular forever. And what's popular within your audience may not be popular within a different group of people. So how can you stay true to your interests and build a personal brand, yet achieve those goals of awards and sales? In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we discuss all of this and more. ☁️ Get art and learn...

Formal art education comes with huge benefits and huge downfalls. Truthfully, no creative NEEDS to go to art school to be fulfilled, successful, or happy with their art practice. But there are many factors to consider when making this big life choice in your creative career. Listen in to my thoughts on being self-taught or formally educated in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast. ☁️ Shop art...

I knew it was a good decision to invest in clear protective print sleeves after keeping track of my inventory for a short time. After a year, I knew what my best selling prints were. After two years, I learned which month was my busiest month. Inventory recording and tracking is one of those boring tasks that yields fascinating data -- like taking a personality quiz, but for your art business. In...

Forget the confusing formulas. Let's go over what factors actually matter in pricing art and which ones you can ignore (and when). I recount times I messed it up and what I think about when setting prices now. We discuss materials, time, undercharging, reputation, rarity, and signs it's time to raise your rates. ☁️Join Elements of Art Style to give your art portfolio a visual makeover. ☁️...

What's the first thing to do after you decide to put your artwork on products? Decide on the item specifics, find a supplier and finalize the artwork. Surface design is a lovely avenue many artists take, including myself, and it's a large topic. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we discuss the beginning steps of creating a new product with your design on it. ☁️ Shop art prints a...

Aspirational action gets you better results than practical action!! This mindset shift will make you a risk-taker, change-maker and ultimately reach your goals faster. We also discuss part two of the story of how I acquired a second art business -- a highly aspirational, not very practical move that has been working out great so far. Stay tuned for future juicy details on that. As always check out...

Be the one people think of when they need an artsy friend!!! In this episode of The Arty Friends Podcast we discuss how being known as an artist and making friends helped me to score a huge deal for A Cup of Cloudy. Networking put me in a position to buy another artist's business at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. Tune in for nuggets of pure wisdom, lessons about seeing the signs, and notes...

Want to do art pop ups, shows and exhibitions? The best place to start is getting a feel for what types of events there are to choose from so that you can apply to those that are the best fit for you. There are many different artist events. In this discussion we go over the most common categories and how they blend together. Check out The Complete Guide to Your First Art Show mentioned in the epis...

Artist side-hustlers, full-time creatives and hobbyists: I'm talking to ALL of you in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast where I outline the benefits of doing art shows. Art shows are any in-person event where people gather to look at and buy artwork. This could mean gallery exhibitions, craft fairs, pop-ups, vending at festivals and even house shows. If you make any type of fine art, c...

Hot takes abound in this episode where I discuss AI artwork, ethics, a new generation of low-barrier-to-entry artists and more. Using artificial intelligence to create images is the latest trend in the art world. It brings up the age old question: what is art? We don't get too philosophical, but we do get serious about how AI is affecting artists, writers, and creatives working today. Tune in...

All art serves as a means for connection. People relate to you as a person when they relate to your images. People use artwork as something to talk about and bond over. So how do you create work worth connecting over? In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we discuss messaging, appearance and emotion and how you can attract a community around your creativity. As always, support the podcast b...

Learn how to judge yourself! Jk I bet you're already a pro 😂 BUT for real: are you analyzing your art in a useful way? In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast I give you 3 big tips for becoming your own best critic. We go over how to make the critique ~actually~ constructive and what measuring sticks to use for progress. If we want better art, we have to measure what is working and not w...

Storytelling is a skill all on its own. What to emphasize, what to leave out -- knowing which events are worth sharing in the first place. Visual art can be an accompanying tool to any story. And stories make artwork more meaningful, memorable and strong. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast, we discuss how to intertwine story and image. ☁️ Support the podcast! Buy a print at www.acupofclo...

Artists are promoting everywhere online -- but where are we actually making the sale? Taking payments online is not a heavily discussed topic, even though it's vital for any art business. You've got to have a home base for making the transaction. Are you using a self-designed website? A marketplace platform like Etsy? Maybe a print-on-demand situation like Redbubble? In this episode of The...

Are you drawing things in the hopes of gaining approval from someone? Your customers, maybe? Your friends? In episode 20 of The Artsy Friends Podcast we get into why you should ask yourself this ✨one✨ profound question before you make any piece of art ever again. As always support the show by visiting www.acupofcloudy.com and you can view the roadtrip video mentioned in the life update on my Tik...

Full-time or part-time artistry should feel easy. Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life, right? In this episode I feature an older video recording that digs into the topic of effort, making work of your hobby, relationships, and mindset around need vs want. I also lay out 3 major things to tweak if you're feeling like being an artist is actually really hard for you AND...