Blog

Kelly Thiel

Name of Business: Kelly Thiel Studio

Website: kellythielstudio.com
Blog: kellythielpottery.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/kellyTpottery
Facebook: facebook.com/KellyThielSculpture

Years in Business: 10

Brief Bio:
An artist and a mother of two young girls, Kelly Thiel lives in South Carolina, USA creating award-winning clay and bronze sculptures, as well as doing art journaling and mixed media paintings. She just finished building a new studio at her home, and is dying to log some real hours in there! Kelly is doing her best to live life to the fullest and enjoy each day, with her art and her family.

Success in Business is defined as…..
I’ve recently been able to narrow down my definition of success a bit more. It used to be something akin to “Make Cool Stuff”. Not so much anymore. Now that I have two young daughters, I am interested in generating income to use for the education of these two girls. I have recently decided that I will be “successful” if I can do several things: Generate enough money with my art for the ‘education fund’, exhibit with a certain caliber of galleries, and receive some peer recognition. The thought of these things keeps me awake some nights. But I think that’s a good thing 🙂

Please, go there to find the other blogs and read the other questions/answers 🙂

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

Hello !

I know I did not published a Gratitude Friday in what seems like FOREVAAAAAAAAAA but I will try to get back to it from now on.

Despite the huge amount of stress I still feel today, it’s important for me to thank for all the blessings I receive. Even the tiniest ones.

This week, I am thankful for:

• This new home we just moved in. I can’t believe how perfect it is for us, and it is OURS (well… it will be in 20-ish years, for now it’s to the bank lol).
• My husband, he is the bestest and I could never have dreamt of a better match for me.
• I am one of the artist interviewed for Cindy Jones Lantier’s project called Mixed Media May (or M3), you can read my interview just right here.
• Speaking of projects, I love being part of the project 101010 (you can see daily blogposts of the others participants answers).
• I’ve finally started to paint the walls of my future creative studio. It will be a beautiful teal. I am thankful for this opportunity to finally have my space to create and work.
• Thank you to my friends. They are dear to my heart.
• The good nights of sleep. I’m beginning to be okay with being exhausted, I still have good nights of sleep again and I love that.
• I love finding inspiration in the most surprising places. Like a restaurant washroom wall.
• Starting to take care of my health again. Exercising. Better eating. I want to be back to the Nolwenn I know I should be. And I KNOW I can do it.

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post):
[linkme]

LeanneWargowsky

Name of Business: From Chaos ComesHappiness

Social Media Links:
Blog: www.fromchaoscomeshappiness.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/From-Chaos-Comes-Happiness/125848910797771
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/chaostohappiness

Years in Business: Approaching 1

Brief Bio:
Born,raised, and living in the Chicago land area, this happily chaotic soul is definitelya newbie in the universe of creative businesses. Last August, after 25 years inhealthcare, I was released from days of insurance and hospitals and I started listeningto my inner artist. My dream, From ChaosComes Happiness, was born. I’m not doing it alone, though, as my supportsystem is wide and deep with a husband who encourages me and two beautifuldaughters who inspire me. While I have a long way to go in this business ofmine, I’m determined to remain true to who I am, and stopping just long enoughto smell the roses along the way.

Success in business is defined as . . .
I’d love to say that success in business has only to do with following your dreams, and nothing to do with maintaining financial independence while doing it . . . but I wouldn’t be honest if saying that. In a perfect world; I would be able to sit in a studio from sun up to sun down, painting my heart away, as little blue birds flew in and out of my house, tending to the dishes, laundry and children. Of course, money would grow on the trees outside of my little studio and I would simply GIVE my art away to the hundreds lined up outside my door, as “selling” would be of no concern.

However, life is not always perfect. So, to my realistic creative soul, success in business is being true to my artistic thoughts and ideas, being able to produce and create my work, and selling my art to others in a manner that will offer greater financial stability to my family and myself. All while maintaining a healthy balance between my life and my art. That, to me, would be success.

Please, go there to find the other blogs and read the other questions/answers 🙂

Stephanie Amos

Name of business: KoiStudios

Social media links:
Web: http://www.koi-studios.com
Blog: www.samos-koistudios.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/stephanieamos
Etsy: www.muddypotts.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/samos

Years in business: 7 years

Brief Bio:
I live in the mountains of Colorado with my amazing husband, three loving dogs, two handsome horses, and the queen of all cats. When I’m not out riding, I am usually in one of the two studios at our home where I paint, throw, sculpt and shoot my camera. I am more or less a free spirit in the sense that I can never sit still and am easily distracted by my interest in trying something new. I am fascinated with color and texture which is not limited to just art, but architecture as well. I love to travel and have been to many beautiful places and look forward to seeing the rest of the world real soon.

Success in business is defined as….
I’ve been pondering how to end this statement for days. And what I have concluded is that my own personal success in business is defined by customer satisfaction and my own contentment with the creativeness that I have shared.

Let me explain: If we don’t care about our customer’s happiness, then why are we in business? I’m a people pleaser by nature anyways, so it only makes sense that this idea carries over while selling my work. This concept helps me to strive for excellence in creating my art and in working with my clients. I also mentioned that my own satisfaction is also important to the success of my own personal business. I believe that if you’re not happy with the art you have created, it will reflect in how you present the piece. For example, if I created a painting that I absolutely love, it will show in how I present it to people. My enthusiasm will shine through and others may also find the piece intriguing. But if I created a painting that I really didn’t care for, that feeling would carry on with that piece as well, making it more difficult for me to sell because I don’t even like it, and so why would someone else?

Please, go there to find the other blogs and read the other questions/answers 🙂

Kelly Warren

Name of business: Happy Shack Designs

Social media links:
Website: http://www.happyshackdesigns.com
Blog: http://happyshackdesigns.blogspot.com
Jewelry shop: http://happyshackdesigns.etsy.com
Art and photos shop: http://kellywarrenphotoart.etsy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Happy.Shack.Designs
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kellynwarren

Years in business: 7

Brief Bio:
An artist with a short attention span, I create work in artisan jewelry, fine art photography, mixed media, and book arts. I’ve also been known to sew a thing or two. I work full-time by day as the Director of Student Life and Leadership Development at a large four-year college in Florida, and am the lucky mama to wonderfully sweet eight-year-old twin red-headed daughters. I have been married to a handsome man of great patience who’s put up with my art shenanigans for 17 years now.

Success in business is defined as….
I think this is a very interesting topic, and I think it all depends on your goals and your outlook. For me, my art business is not my main source of income.

I have a pretty demanding full-time career in higher education on top of my art. So for me, success in my art business is simply finding the time to put a little bit of me out into the world for others to enjoy.

Would I love to be able to “quit the day job” and devote more time to my art? Absolutely, but I know that’s simply not a possible reality at this point in my life. So maybe for me, success in business is defined as knowing what my limitations are (time!) and embracing them rather than fighting them. Fighting them takes an awful lot of energy that could be better spent on enjoying the process instead.

Please, go there to find the other blogs and read  the other questions/answers 🙂