Startist Society

Last week, we interviewed Jenni Kowal of Anytime Creative and we talked to her specifically about her Kickstarter campaign for her Self Care Adventure Cards. We wanted to add some extra tips on getting started with your own Kickstarter campaign, so we asked Jenni to come back and share her best tips and tricks, which we're also providing to you as a downloadable PDF. Read the transcript in the  ST...

We have a lot more to share with you about print on demand, but we are taking a short break from this series to talk about another way to get your art and products made without investing a whole lot of your money up front. As artists and designers, many of us are interested in finding ways to get our artwork on products in the world. Rather than waiting for the perfect collaboration with a company...

Last week, we shared all about getting started with print on demand marketplaces and how you can create either a Society6 or Spoonflower Shop. This week we share 10 of our best tips for increasing your POD marketplace sales. Read the transcript in the  STARTIST SOCIETY SHOW NOTES : startistsociety.com/podsalestips/ JOIN THE STARTIST SOCIETY FB GROUP: facebook.com/groups/startistsociety/ FOLLOW STA...

For the first episode of our second year, we're taking you back to where we left off with print on demand. In Episode 50, we introduced you to the different types of print on demand services and talked about the pros and cons of each. This week, we're going to go into more detail about print on demand marketplaces... specifically Society6 and Spoonflower. Marketplaces are great when you don't know...

This week marks one full year of Startist Society podcasting for Laura and Nikki! They share how they plan to celebrate - Nikki with bourbon, naturally. In this episode they look back over their first year of podcasting and talk about what they've learned and what challenges they've experienced. They reminisce about some of their favorite episodes and share some plans for the upcoming year. TOPICS...

This week Laura and Nikki take a break from the usual interviews and educational topics and get more personal with a studio and life update. They share the latest projects they are working on, things they've accomplished both individually and as a team, some of the challenges they've faced over the last year, and they give some hints about what's coming up in the next year and beyond. TOPICS DISCU...

We've been teasing everybody about this topic for months and months, but today we're finally going to begin our print on demand series! There's so much to cover that we're going to break it up into several episodes. There are two options for printing: traditional analog-type printers and digital printing. With traditional printers you typically have to do large quantities of each item and there's...

This episode is perfect for any of our listeners who are interested in surface pattern design. Today we're speaking with Elizabeth Silver, a professional surface pattern designer and a licensed artist for the stationery, gift and textile markets. With 18 years in the industry and hundreds of designs in her portfolio, she also teaches beginner surface pattern designers how to move past overwhelm an...

In the last few episodes, Nikki and Laura have been talking about selling for the holidays and one thing that can really make or break your customers' experience of your products is how you ship them. And when we say shipping, we mean a lot more than just the service and logistics you use to ship. We're talking about the way your products are presented in the package, as well as the protection and...

This week Laura and Nikki interview Luan Jardine, a feminist mental health advocate and ambitiously creative Facebook and Instagram marketing consultant that Nikki met in Quinn Tempest's Create Your Purpose Collective. When we decided to dive deeper into Facebook and Instagram advertising we immediately thought of Luan. We often think the goal of advertising is to sell all the things, but it's als...

Does it seem like the holidays come sooner and sooner every year and with it the pressure to get your holiday marketing plan in order? In this episode, Laura and Nikki chat about social media marketing, email campaigns and sales, breaking it down so it's not so intimidating and feels more doable. TOPICS DISCUSSED: Social Media The two main categories of social media and which ones you should choos...

This week Nikki interviews Laura about her experience with designing, making and selling greeting cards. Laura has been making handmade greeting cards for over 15 years and has professionally designed over 100  greeting cards for manufacturers and publishers in the craft industry. She believes there's something really special about receiving something handmade or custom printed in the mail, especi...

This week, we're continuing our series about selling art for the holidays. Nikki shared last week that calendars have been her best-selling item ever. This week we're taking a deep dive into creating and selling calendars, with Laura interviewing Nikki about her experience. TOPICS DISCUSSED: How Nikki got started with calendars The timeline and process for designing calendars Different types of ca...

This week, Laura and Nikki begin the first of a series about selling for the holidays. We have episodes coming up about calendars, greeting cards, holiday marketing, packing and shipping your products and even a deep dive into print on demand! Today we're starting off with a  discussion on products that are proven sellers for artists and designers during the holidays. If you don't know where to st...

This week Laura and Nikki chat with one of Laura's favorite artists, Lisa Glanz. Lisa is a full-time illustrator with a passion for helping others achieve their creative goals. She loves producing professional resources for creatives, her textures and Procreate brushes are by far some of Laura's absolute faves. Mostly self-taught, Lisa has created a thriving art business and is a rock star on site...

This week Laura and Nikki talk about how important it is to take the time to celebrate your wins – big or small. With all the comparison traps we find ourselves caught in, we tend to rush past our successes and jump right to the next hurdle we want to conquer and don't congratulate ourselves for what we've accomplished. In this episode, we talk about the importance of celebrating, the mindset you...

This week we interview Crystal Marie, an artist and author with a passion for teaching others how to find and discover their own unique voice. Crystal has an established career as a professional artist with gallery representation, a published book on the art of collage, and she's currently writing a book about the intuitive voice. She teaches online workshops and runs a community for creatives cal...

Nikki and Laura share some fears they both have in relation to their creative careers… and not just Nikki's fear of running out of bourbon! Listen to 6 fears that can stop you in your tracks and some tips for getting past them. Do you relate to any of these?  Share your experience with us in the Startist Society Facebook group! TOPICS DISCUSSED What if I'm not good enough? What if I have nothing o...

In this week's episode, Laura and Nikki interview artist, illustrator, musician, self-proclaimed mad scientist and D&D geek, Tyler Thrasher. Tyler has an undying love for nature and its respective curiosities, and there are few things Tyler's brain isn't obsessing over. Between his pursuits to crystallize the world, opalize everything and hunt down some of the most unique plants, his passion to co...

Laura and Nikki talk about the limiting beliefs that can have a significant impact on the way we live our lives and can determine what's actually possible for us in our lives and art careers. If you spend all of your time worrying about all the things you don't have yet, what you can't do yet, or how you compare to other artists (and similar thoughts of a fixed mindset), it becomes a self-fulfilli...

Laura and Nikki chat with Mary Beth Shaw, a fabulous artist, product creator, educator and author who Nikki met over a decade ago. Mary Beth has been a full time artist for 20 years; she's participated in indoor and outdoor art fairs, juried competitions and gallery shows. She's the founder of StencilGirl where she produces and sells stencils of her own designs and those of many other artists. She...

In this episode, Laura and Nikki talk about a question a lot of us are thinking about these days: Is it too late for me to start taking my art career seriously? Am I too old? After you hit the big 4-0 mark (or perhaps the 5 or 6-0!) you might question your relevancy in a world that is constantly changing and seems to reward youth, energy, vibrancy, new technologies, etc. You begin to wonder if you...

Laura and Nikki speak with the amazing Flora Bowley (who Laura met during her Bloom True painting retreat in Bali eight years ago). Flora is an artist, a gentle guide and author of four books, Brave Intuitive Painting, Creative Revolution, Fresh Paint , and The Art of Aliveness . Blending over 27 years of professional painting experience with her background as a yoga instructor, healer and lifelon...

Laura and Nikki introduce you to Liz Kohler Brown, an artist, designer, author and top Skillshare teacher who not only has 50 plus courses on Skillshare, but teaches others how to become a course creator. She's been painting, collaging and drawing since she was old enough to hold scissors and pencils without adult supervision. Liz earned an MFA in art in 2013 and since then, she's been teaching ar...

Laura and Nikki talk about whether or not artists should work for free. As artists, we tend to be generous and want to see our work out in the world, but others don't always see our art as work – and we often don't value our own work as much as we should. How can we reframe this view? In this episode, we talk about the impact of working for free and give examples of times we think artists might be...