Art Biz Mama: Suzanna Scott of Sushi Pot

Today I have a brand new Art Biz Mama interview! This time with Suzanna Scott of Sushipot. I remember coming across her Etsy shop and just falling in love with her creations. She is a hugely successful seller and of course a mom. Enjoy the interview friends.

Could you please share a bit about you, your family and your business? 

Hello to all you fellow artists and blog readers of the lovely Dana! I’m Suzanna Scott, a 36-year-old artist/wife/mama living in the “Little Apple” (aka Manhattan, Kansas). My best friend Patrick and I were married 10 years ago and we have a little girl named Lizzie who is at the spunky age of six. Patrick is a graduate student at Kansas State University. We homeschool Lizzie and we’ve been running a home business together, Sushipot Art Objects, since 2006. I create and sell my own ‘art objects’ and vintage goodies as well. Patrick handles the business side of things to give me more time in the studio and ‘cuz numbers make my head ache. Lizzie keeps us from getting too serious about life!

When did you make the decision to start your art business? 

Shortly after Lizzie was born in December of 2004 I started to seriously look for ways to make it happen.

 How has having children affected your business and creativity?

Both have flourished! Before Lizzie came along I had no steady business. I was an artist and would sell my work from time to time but was not making a living doing it. My daughter has inspired me to create every day from the day she was born and she is an artistic little soul herself. We feed off of each other’s creativity.

 Would you please share what a “typical day” is like for you? Is there school or childcare, etc. while you are working?

On a typical weekday Patrick and Lizzie wake up first, have breakfast together and Patrick leaves for school. They let me sleep in ‘cuz I’ve been up late working in the studio the night before! Lizzie and I take the morning a bit easy. I shower and get ready for the day while she takes care of her chores. After my first cup of coffee, Lizzie plays in her playroom or reads while I turn on my computer, answer any urgent emails, post my blog post (hopefully composed the night before) and check our Etsy shops for activity. Next we do schoolwork together, gather any orders that need to be packaged up and stop for a lunch break at 1:00 pm. After lunch we go for a short walk if the weathers nice and read a few chapters out loud from our current book. The afternoons are spent packing orders and/or working together at our huge 8 foot crafting table that Patrick made for the studio. This table has been a lifesaver ‘cuz we can work side by side and I’m able to keep working while overseeing Lizzie’s current craft projects or school work at the same time. Patrick returns home at 5ish and we cook dinner together and have family time until Lizzie’s bedtime at 7:30. I hit the ground running after the little one is in bed and work in the studio until the wee hours.

 How many hours do you give to your business each week? Are you working during the days/evenings/weekends?

Let’s just say I put in more hours at this job than any other full time position I’ve ever held! I work in pockets of time throughout the day. Before becoming a mom I’d have scoffed at the idea of working in my studio in only 15-20 minute intervals but it’s truly amazing what you can accomplish in that short amount of time. My prime studio time is from Lizzie’s bedtime until at least midnight (and dare I say sometimes later). Every weekend Patrick gives me another big chunk of studio time while he and Lizzie run errands and spend some time together. 

Balance seems to be a myth for many women.  Do you feel you have a healthy balance between your work life and your family life?

I liken the ideal of “balance” to more of an “ebb and flow” or a “give and take”. What works and lends “balance” during one season doesn’t always work for the next. There’s a constant juggling act going on during periods of transition where we have to “go with the flow” or fall off that proverbial tightrope. If it weren’t for Patrick’s voice of reason when the going gets tough I’d have fallen off a long time ago!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us today? Any words of wisdom for other artists/moms out there who wish to create a business out of their art?

Thank you so much for inviting me to share my story with your readers Dana!! To any of you artist/mama’s out there who want to do this I’d have to just say—Go for it! Seriously, start using those tiny pockets of time in your day to create and make it happen! 

Thank you Suzanna!

You can find out more about Suzanna by following the links below.

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 ART OBJECTS: http://sushipot.etsy.com
 VINTAGE: http://sushipotparts.etsy.com
 BLOG: http://sushipot.blogspot.com 

 TWITTER: http://twitter.com/SushipotArt
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Art Biz Mama: Amy Friend

I am so happy to be back with a new Art Biz Mama interview! This one is with the lovely Amy Friend of Cypress Sun Jewelry. It has so many lovely nuggets of inspiration. I know you are going to love it. I did! Enjoy!

  

First, let me say a huge “Thank You” for taking the time to answer these questions. I know how busy you are so it really means a lot to all of us that you took the time to be here today!

I’m absolutely honored. I can’t tell you how inspired I’ve

been by the stories of creative mamas. I’ve learned something from each one, and have been reminded that I can do this wild and crazy thing.

Could you please share a bit about you, your family and your business?

  

I’m Amy, a gypsy hearted girl with a passion for creating soulful, feminine jewelry. I live near Austin, Texas with my husband and (almost) 3 year old son, Z.

Cypress Sun Jewelry came to be right before Z was born, but I’ve been drawn to beads, wire and oddities since I was the tiny girl that transformed her grandmother’s rosary one morning in the pew. I’m fascinated by the little details in life, the intricate ways that people have adorned themselves throughout time, and a good, earth-shaking thunderstorm.

I read on your website that you started your business just 10 days before your son was born! What led you to that decision?

I think I might have panicked, and thought it wouldn’t happen

if I didn’t do it before Z was born! I was also more inspired than ever before to make that jump from 8-5 to a creative business.

How has having children affected your business and creativity?

Soon after I started the business and opened an Etsy shop, everything stopped.

Z was born. This precious child didn’t sleep (not for more than one hour -ever!), I had postpartum depression....It wasn’t the joy I had expected. But this experience was also the catalyst to discovering and creating joy.

A year after Z’s birth, I began to laugh again, and find strength in my creativity. Who knew that putting on a necklace would give me the spark to get going? I wanted to give that inspiration to others, both literally and figuratively. To honor my passion and live it.

Whether or not someone buys, or even likes the jewelry I create, I know I contribute a little more beauty and happiness to the world each day. And when someone does find my jewelry to be their thing, the happiness just goes further.

Having a child is, in my experience, the ultimate meditation. The present moment is all that matters, over and over again. You can survive it, or sink into it fully.

This simple concept has made all the difference for me. I don’t know if I would have gotten here without having an amazing child who reminds me every day to see this world so vividly.

Would you please share what a “typical day” is like for you?

Gratitude, exercise, priorities, work & play. Repeat, repeat, repeat...

There is an interlude of morning where anxiety or excitement seem to compete for prominence in my day. Starting the day off with a simple meditation of gratitude followed by exercise gets me on the higher track, and opens the door to amazing possibilities.

The rest of the day is broken into flexible increments of play, clean up, and work. I’ve found that I can usually work for 30 minutes while Z plays somewhat independently, especially if that 30 minutes will be followed by an active game of hide-n-seek or painting.

Occasionally, I can work for a couple of hours straight in the morning, and then spend the afternoon with him. Sometimes I can’t work at all! If Z naps (he has, by the way, learned to do this thing called sleep!), I work on jewelry and listen (via the ever entertaining Natural Reader) to the blogs posts, and other online articles that help shape my life and business.

Evenings go by so quickly. Sometimes there is time to finish something - a necklace, a blog post - after Z goes to bed. I always try to reflect on my plans for the day, and create a basic plan for the next. Some sense of completion at the end of the day, and focus for the next morning are two things that help me sleep better.

One technique that helps me a lot is note taking throughout the day. I carry a plain jane spiral with me almost everywhere, and jot down thoughts for blog posts, ideas sparked from online information, sketches, appointments, and anything else I need to do/remember. 

At the end of the day, all this information gets organized (in a calendar, etc.) or discarded (crossed, but not torn out). I could do all this on my (not so smart) phone, but somehow it just works better, and I’m more expressive with pen on paper. A side benefit is that Z gets to doodle too.

How many hours do you give to your business each week? Are you working during the days/evenings/weekends?

I work at least 40 hours a week in divided time throughout the week, and typically on weekends as well.

Are you running your business alone or do you have help?

Z helps me chase the beads that have fallen to the floor...does that count? I also happen to have a creative and supportive soul mate in my life. Without him...well, let’s just say that he tops the gratitude list each day.

Do you have a separate studio space in your home?

In the home that we plan to build - yes! For now, I have a corner of a bedroom. This actually works out really well. I can hear and see Z from this space, so I probably get more work done with this arrangement than I would if I had my own studio space.

Many of the Art Biz Mama's have said that really there isn't any balance when you are a mom and have a creative biz.  Do you feel you have a healthy balance between your work life and your family life? Is it all intertwined for you?

Absolutely intertwined. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I’m finally living and breathing something that is exciting to me.

With that said, I have to admit that this balancing act has been really challenging for me. I used to be a workaholic perfectionist, and now I’mforced into recovering from that personality! 

When I read about other creative individuals being able to sit with an idea or a project from beginning to end, or spend all day in the studio, I’m apologetically jealous. But I’m also aware that I am often more productive and efficient in smaller amounts of time than I used to be.

Having a child just may have been the push I was needing to get going on my jewelry business after all.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us today? Any words of wisdom for other artists/moms out there who wish to create a business out of their art?

Don’t compare yourself to others. You have no idea how many years (or $$$) the rock star creatives have put into their businesses, how many people have helped them design their websites, or how many tears they have cried along the way.

Seek and maintain positive relationships with other creatives that will cheer you on, offer heartfelt advice, and get excited about the journey with you.

Let the negative people and thoughts go.

Keep your focus on connection rather than competition.

Stay centered in your dream, and take at least one tiny step each day in the direction of living it.

Get as much sleep as you can.

Celebrate something in terms of living creatively each day.

Take
Every Day Vacations!

Tune into supportive, encouraging sites (such as Dana’s beautiful space) where you can leave feeling inspired and intrigued.

When it’s all too much, unplug, walk outside, feel your feet on the grass, snow...searing pavement, and reconnect to what is real. I’m right there with you.

Keep going!

Cypress Sun Jewelry

To connect with Amy click on the above link.

Thank you Amy! It was so great to learn a bit more about you and your business!

Happy Weekend! I realize it is almost over but it has taken me two days to finish this post. Lately my head + hands + heart have been involved up to my eyeballs in websites, business books, photos, blogs, fonts, colors, etc.. I am FINALLY getting my website up and running. What an experience! On one hand I wish I could hand it off to someone but on the other I am glad I have been learning/doing. I have to admit I am really enjoying the process now.  I feel like it really can be pretty creative.

Things have clicked a bit for me (yes, with the website). And NOW I feel ready to begin. To begin to create surface designs + paintings to submit for licensing (I have already started, and have quite a bit done). To create paintings for sale. To go for those dreams that keep coming. It almost feels like this is my fork in the road. The one where I can turn one way and head down the right path. I can't say that the path will be straight or smooth or fast but really what can we ever say that about? The point is that it just feels right.

I think sometimes as artists we are afraid to say that "Yup, I want and quite frankly, need to create financial streams with my art." Yup, quite frankly I do. There is that bit of "Who do you think you are?" + all that other blah, blah, blah that comes up.

For me to get here, I had to be faced with a different alternative. One that doesn't feel "right". Would it be easier to go that path? Maybe in the short term. Certainly not the long term.

So with the available amount of time and energy I have I will chose to follow the path that feels right.  Wish me luck! :)
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In other news...
A new Art Biz Mama interview is coming on Monday and it is a really great one! :)

And to tie into being a mama and artist here is a recent and really great interview with one of my favorites, Kelly Rae Roberts. She talks to Rice Freeman Zachery on balancing it all. Her career, her art, her family. Enjoy!

Amy from Elemental is giving away $50 gift certificate to her shop. Click here to find out more!

Recently I won a year membership to The Thriving Artist Project.  !
I will share an interview with the founder soon. I have already learned SO much!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! The crocuses have popped up here in NY! The temp may be at freezing but I am hopeful!

xo

Art Biz Mama: Cathy Nichols

I am so excited to be back with an new Art Biz Mama interview. This time we have lovely Cathy Nichols.
Cathy's art just makes me happy looking at it. I love her thoughts on motherhood, art and business. I am sure you will agree. Enjoy!

 

Could  you please share a bit about you, your family and your business?

 

I am a wife and mother of two young children as well as a stepdaughter. My two little ones are (brace yourself) 2 and 3 years old, while my stepdaughter is 8.  My business started out as selling just my original paintings, but I have branched out into selling all kinds of things based on my designs: prints, giclees, calendars, illustrations, greeting cards and most recently, jewelry.

 

 

When did you make the decision to start your art business? 

 

This is a great question because there was a distinct moment in my life when I made this decision. It was about 8 years ago. I had been studying to become a teacher and was about to enter an intensive internship program in Los Angeles when I had this epiphany: 'I want to be an artist!!'  Having made this announcement to myself, I did what my entrepreneurial mom always taught me to do -- printed up some business cards. They said: "Cathy Nichols: Artist."  lol.  Then I bought some huge canvases and started painting. After a few months, I was lucky enough to join a fabulous artists' co-op called Ten Women in Venice, CA, and it was there that my business really blossomed. We had tons of foot traffic, and it was an amazing thing to sell my work to the public in such a creative, supportive venue. When I moved to New York in 2007, I reinvented my business as an online presence -- primarily through Etsy - and branched out again in my local community. My art business has been an ongoing process of re-invention for me, but once I made the decision to be "Cathy Nichols: Artist," I have never looked back.

 

 

How has having children affected your business and creativity?

 

Well, they ARE time-consuming, those adorable little bundles of joy. So on the one hand, I have much less time than I did before they were born, but on the other hand, I feel like, through them, I have learned to be much more efficient in my creative process. I've also developed a piece-work kind of working style because my time has become so segmented into shorter creative blocks. I feel a bit like a quilter -- stitching together pieces of creative work over chunks of time into a larger whole.  

 

 

Would you please share what a “typical day” is like for you? Is there school or childcare, etc. while you are working?

 

Typically, I wake up at 6:30 am, take care of the kids until they start preschool at 9:15, then from 9:30-11:30, I have a glorious block of creative time for myself. This is when I actually make new paintings. I will brainstorm for a new painting and design the piece one morning, then I will start painting it the next and finish/scan it for printing that evening or the next day. Of course, longer paintings take more days, but this is how I work.  After the kids get home from school, they get my attention until bedtime at 7 pm. After they go to sleep, I can do more mundane work like processing orders or setting jewelry.  If I want to fit in something else, I need to get up at 5 am (like did today to do this interview!).

 

 

How many hours do you give to your business each week? Are you working during the days/evenings/weekends?

I devote about 8-15 hours a week to my business. I rarely work on the weekends, and I never do actual paintings at night because I need to do the encaustic work with lots of ventillation, and it's just too dark to paint in the evenings on my sun porch. Plus it's a tad chilly!

 

 

Balance seems to be a myth for many women.  Do you feel you have a healthy balance between your work life and your family life?

 

Right now I think I do have a healthy balance between work and family, but there is a real deficit on the side of other things... like exercise or just plain fun time for myself. And since I'm always thinking about either my work or my children,  I find that I am a little too forgetful in other areas. Like paperwork. And school functions. And just plain ordinary life maintenance. But I have to remind myself that being a mom is still new to me. I have only had children for 3 years. I'm still a novice. Maybe in time, I will become more organized. Hopefully.  And, of course, I would love to have more creative time for my business. This is something, too, that I hope will come in the future.

 

 

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us today? Any words of wisdom for other artists/moms out there who wish to create a business out of their art?

 

I think, of course, the most important advice anyone can give is to believe in your art and keep making it despite the 'odds' against you - whether they be financial struggles, childcare, geography or even technology. It's important to put those logistics to one side of your mind in order to make space for the freedom to create. Yes, as moms we know more than anyone that limitless freedom is a myth, but I think just making a space for this romantic notion allows us, as artists, to create the kind of work that will inspire others (and ultimately sell!).  So it's a little mind trick. And don't underestimate the power of making a new business card that says "ARTIST." :)

 

 

 

Here are the links to Cathy and her art-

 

Blog: http://cathynichols.blogspot.com/

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cathynichols

Art Biz Mama: Maegan Beishline

An ARTIST, a MOM, a CREATIVE BIZ OWNER. What happens when you combine all three? Welcome to Art Biz Mama.  A series of inspirational interviews about being a mom, an artist and a creative biz owner.  

In an effort to connect, share and get to know some of my favorite artists (and I am sure they are yours too) a bit better and because I am a mama who has creative biz visions myself I have asked for a sneak peek into their very busy lives. To share a bit about just what it means to juggle these roles and how it all really plays out.

I know this is a topic that has been discussed plenty but for me (and you) I need to hear these stories. To know there are others reaching for their dreams and maybe stumbling at times, all the while caring for themselves and their family.

I believe we will glean a bit of insight from these smart and talented women that can inspire us all.

This week we have an interview with photographer Maegan Beishline. She is one busy and talented lady. I very much enjoy her blog, Life Set to Words and her beautiful photographs. Enjoy!!

Could you please share a bit about your business, yourself and your family?

I’m a wife and a momma to three beautiful girls {age six and under}. This is always and will always be my primary job. But I’m also a fine art and portrait photographer and the writer of Life Set to Words. My creative work allows me to flex my non-momma muscles while still being at home and making my family my first priority.

When did you make the decision to start your creative business?

I got into photography a few years ago while I owned and operated a soap making business. I needed good images for my website and Etsy store and, in the process, began loving the art of taking pictures. I found myself wanting more time to focus on my new hobby and not having the time or heart anymore to make and sell soap. So a year and half ago I closed the doors to my soapmaking business to develop my photography skills.

In April, I opened an Etsy shop and began selling my fine art prints. This past summer, I began taking portraits professionally and just last month launched my new photography website!

I have been blogging about my creative journey since 2008…journaling my experiences with making and selling soap, motherhood, my transition into photography, and now my experiences starting yet another new business and all the growing pains that come with it! All the while, my blog has carried an underlying tone valuing the importance of creativity. Last spring, I hosted the Creativity Boot Camp {a two week intensive creativity building e-course} which turned out to be a huge success!  I now host a weekly creative prompt and link up called The Sunday Creative.

So, there’s just no simple answer to that question. I guess I should have asked “what creative business?”

How has having children affected your business and creativity?

Wow, you know…I have never been as creative as I have been since becoming a mother. I actually wrote a guest post for the Wishstudio last April about how each side of me {the creative and the mother} actually contribute so much to each other. So I don’t know that I would be here today, doing what I am doing, if I hadn’t had children. The very ironic part is that, since having children, I have less time for anything creative than I ever did before. But I think that the challenge helps me to stay motivated.

Would you please share what a “typical day” is like for you? Is there school or childcare, etc. while you are working on your biz?

A typical day includes me getting up and ready and getting my eldest off to school. Then I usually spend some time answering emails and checking in on FB & Twitter while my little ones play and watch Sesame Street. Then I’m pretty much just a momma until nap time when I can do some photo editing, write on my blog, or do any other computer related business work. Then I’m momma and wife again until the kids go to bed…when I usually catch up on my blog reading.

I have my camera with me constantly so I’m always taking pictures. I have the majority of my portrait sessions on the weekends when my husband is home and our time is not so sparse. As I mentioned, my family always comes first for me, so I tend to those needs first and fill in with work when I can.

How many hours do you give to your business each week? Are you working during the days/evenings/weekends?

That would be really interesting to know…but I would have to really count hours for a whole week to know the answer. I don’t have set working hours. But I do make sure to take entire days off…no “work” allowed. Also, there are days and times when things need to be done for work so I make sure I really concentrate then. But other than that, I work whenever I get the opportunity and don’t feel like doing anything else. I love my job and therefore it never really feels like “work.”

So far none of the Art Biz Mama’s have felt there is a balance between their family life and biz life. How do you feel about the topic of balance?  

I think balance is an elusive concept. I’m not sure it exists. But I do believe in the constant pursuit of balance and the need to evaluate where our time and energies are going. It’s a continual process.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us today? Any words of wisdom for other artists/moms out there who wish to create a business out of their art?

Do it! Don’t wait until that perfect moment…it simply doesn’t exist. And all those things you may be waiting to figure out before you jump in may just need to be worked out as you go. Try things and then, if they don’t work out, try something else. Don’t be afraid!!!

Thanks Maegan!

For more of Maegan please check her out at:


Her site:
http://www.madelinebea.com/

Her blog:
Life Set to Words

Her shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/madelinebea