Want peace of mind as an Artist, Solo-preneur Creative Business owner?

I'll never forget what one of my early Mentors said to me "You want to sleep at night as an entrepreneur? You're going to want many eggs in your basket"

And she was right. By eggs, she was referring to multiple revenue streams. The part that I would add today is to make as many revenue streams as you can recurring revenue.

Artists in particular have to be very careful about conserving their energy, especially when they turn their Art into a business because feeling inspired is not only tied to your creative well but to your income.

It's all too easy to experience burnout when you're consistently creating for your revenue.

You can really sleep at night when you have consistent income coming in, in some cases while you're sleeping.

In today's episode, a behind-the-scenes of one of our Expansive Artists call, my friend and Mentor Stu McLaren is back on the podcast to share ideas for all the ways you can add recurring revenue via 2 different models into your business, especially as a creative.

And I stay on to answer questions for our members about ideas they have plus my experience investing in Mentors and the choice to grow the Mentoring side of my business.

Stu is hosting his 1X annual FREE Workshop all about starting your Membership and it starts TODAY!

Jump in and join us here

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

Did you hear about what happened to Etsy sellers last week?

After 16 years of selling Art online, getting an early start also selling on Etsy, there's one non-negotiable that I emphasize to ALL of the Artists I have the opportunity to work with, and I'm sharing it with you in today's episode.

The recent Etsy events reminded me just how important this one tip is an inspired 2 more I'm sharing especially if I were getting started selling my Art online today.

In this episode I talk about:

• the most important assets in your business and how to protect them
• the trends that are happening in online selling and how to prepare for the changes coming
• how to get noticed faster than when the algorithm chooses to feature you, and without paid ads

If you want to put these tips into practice as soon as next week, Come join us! I'm hosting my Sell A Piece of Art Workshop + Coaching Week and you're invited.

Click the link below to register

sellmyartthisweek.com

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

Not just talking about your studio space today, or perhaps? a kitchen table studio like where I first started my Art business, but in today's episode I share a story about how I figured out what cultivated my most inspired creative times.

It wasn't obvious to me until recently ~ first when I founded The Expansive Artists, with an intention to cultivate and support an inspired creative community of fellow Artists growing businesses along with hosting in person creative events, like retreats and workshops ~

Here's the thing: the environment and community you choose to surround yourself with can make all the difference in the way you find, tap into and express your unique creative vision.

It's way more important than you might realize.

I invited a special guest, Floral Designer and Founder of Apotheca Flowers, Alyssa Van Guilder to join me for this conversation.

We're both excited to announce that our 2020 dream of hosting an in person creative + creative business event together, is finally happening this year.

You can get all the details and save your spot to join us here!

https://floraldesign.shinepages.com/

You can find all things Alyssa Van Guilder and Apotheca

@apothecaflowers

https://apothecaflowershoppe.com/

Click here to join the Creative Thursday List

Are you someone who writes down your goals for the year or do you question if this ritual actually gets you the results you want?

How about writing down your "word for the year"?

Do these practices really make a difference or are they just busy work to remind us what we didn't accomplish since last year?

Do they only make sense at the beginning of a new year or can they still make a difference in any month you choose?

I'll be honest, I was skeptical for a long time about whether this kind of specificity around my goals and intentions was actually helpful, then I gave it a try and realized it's a game changer.

In today's episode, I share with you why I decided to not only choose a word for the year but to share it publicly.

I talk about

• how these simple practices can help you gain clarity year after year, no matter when you implement them
• how that clarity can help you know exactly what to focus on next
• the powerful intentions a single word can cultivate for you and what mine are for the word I choose this year

Excited to hear about our upcoming in-person Art event in Los Angeles? Want to be the first to know when you can register

Click here to join the Creative Thursday List

Should this podcast stay or should it go?

Inspired by a variety of conversations with creatives I had at the start of this new year, the response to a spontaneous instagram post I created that is now my most liked post of ALL TIME, celebrating the 300th CT episode, all coinciding with a BIG birthday in just 2 days - I'm assessing next steps personally, professionally and specifically with this Creative Thursday podcast.

Let's just say the lens with which I'm choosing to Mentor and Coach is shifting and I'm sharing with you why.

I'd love your thoughts on the ideas and suggestions I'm offering in this episode and then...

If you like me simply want more time to create your Art this year and make it a regular habit again, I've got 3 tips to begin feeling like an Artist again, especially if you're an Artist who's turned your Creativity into a Profession.

On a side note if you LOVE rabbits, and/or are curious about seeing and collecting a new series of Creative Thursday paintings, then you'll want to check out the new Year of the Rabbit-inspired originals right here at creativethursday.com

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, through reviews and messages.

The tradition continues for the 3rd year in a row!

I'm back with my 2022 year in review.

At the close of each year, I share a behind-the-scenes studio wrap-up of what worked and what didn't when it came to my art practice and my creative business.

How did my work impact my personal life and this year especially how did my personal life impact my business?

One of the most challenging years filled with a new level of growing pains plus the emotional and physical pains left over from a significant amount of personal health stress ~ I share:

• my biggest lessons I learned
• the progress I made in spite of it all
• what I'm choosing to leave behind
• what I'm choosing to take with me into 2023
• what I'm most grateful for even through the hard lessons learned

Ready to start fresh for 2023 and kick-off your year with clarity + focus for your Art business!

Join me for the Profitable Artist Plan

https://profitableartistchallenge.com/

Is prioritizing creativity on your list again for 2023? or is it just me 😉 (actually this year was pretty decent for me because I used the tip I'm sharing with you here more than I thought I'd have time for)

How'd it go this year for you? Did you feel like you made time for Art making the way you wanted to?

If you're feeling like it's challenging to summon that creative muse, this is my best tip for kickstarting creativity.

Works like a charm for me every time.

Not to mention in this episode I'm also sharing some bonus wine, vineyard and travel tips for you.

A jam packed 30 minutes where you could grab your brushes right now, pop your EarPods and make some Art.

pssst...if you make Art while you listen you'll be getting a head start on the 3 steps I'm sharing with you today.

Enjoy!

And thank you for supporting my Art xo

The new ornaments are releasing today @ 11 am PST via email first. Join the list and view + collect your ornaments as soon as they're released in the shop section or click here.

My planning practice, or rather my planning obsession, has reached a new level and I've got a brand new tip to share with you in this episode.

Inspired by another new love for project management - something that before my business started to grow to include a team that I had no idea "was a thing" - this planning tip is good for both using pen (preferably markers!) + paper and digital.

I’m also celebrating the release of the brand new 2nd edition limited edition 2023 creative planner, which is date free so you can start it or use it at any time of the year that you like.

Are you feeling frustrated that you aren't getting any traction in marketing and consistently selling your work?

This might be why... Not all marketing trends are the best strategy, especially for Artists starting out.

With a new "Art expert" popping into my social media feed every other day, there's more noise than ever out there with a million and one recommendations and marketing strategies to try, one of which is the trend that encourages selling work in Collections.

In today's podcast episode I'm breaking down why I disagree with the trend of recommending that you sell and release your work in Collections, especially if you're just starting out.

And if you want to go deeper on this strategy in an upcoming LIVE Masterclass I'm teaching next week, you can learn more and save your spot at Dailypaintingmethod.com

In almost 300 episodes I haven't shared EXACTLY how I started my Art business, how is that possible?

The truth is that business owners can get so distracted by shiny squirrel syndrome (listen to this previous podcast episode no.) and all the latest marketing strategies, that we can miss the most obvious one that's right in front of us, and forgetting to stay focused on what works (easily!) and double down on doing more of that.

Exhibit A - me, Marisa right here mentoring you and forgetting to emphasize what was the most important foundation to growing Creative Thursday, the specific strategy that took me from selling 1 greeting card an entire holiday season to growing a 6 figure Art Business.

In this episode, I'm sharing the practice that helped me

• stay consistently connected to making my Art
• find my Artist voice
• grow my following + my email list
• find my Collectors many of whom are still collecting my work today
• and generating consistent revenue with Art sales

And if you want to go deeper on this strategy in an upcoming LIVE Masterclass I'm teaching next week, you can learn more and save your spot at Dailypaintingmethod.com