Lessons Learned from being a "Yes" Man Ahem Woman!
As the last financial year came to a close and I filed my taxes and all that jazz I came across a poignant reality, I had the best financial year of my life as an artist and I realised why this happened after years of dormancy.
WARNING: This is not a step by step “How to” kind of blog post, instead this is a personal story of a Mum that has tried to make money off of her art. If you stick around and enjoy.
My artistic journey started in 2019 after having my daughter. I began to explore and experiment in mediums with the goal of monetizing my work. I wasn’t very successful in those earlier years as I am what is known as a “safe” person. I do not like going out of my comfort zone and after years of trying to be a successful artist I realised my padded wall of protection was more of a hindrance than a help.
With that being said I decided to treat 2023 like Jim Carey in his brilliant and hilarious movie “Yes Man”. If you haven’t seen the film, Yes Man is a 2008 romantic comedy about a man who challenges himself to say “yes” to everything. I took on this Yes philosophy and decided every time I encountered a new lead, prospect or challenge I would firmly say yes to it!
The very first thing I said yes to was for a spot at a trade show called the Sydney Gift Fair. I found them from a Faceboook ad and filled out their application that day. Did I know anything about trade shows? No. Was I completely out of my league? Yes. Did I do it anyways? YES! I was fortunate enough to secure a spot on “Artisan Lane” which is a feature of the Sydney Gift Fair where they bring in new talent with a special discounted price, a relatively small pice to pay for a fantastic return of investment. The weeks leading up to the show were like a rollercoaster. I was furiously cram reading and ingesting any information I could in regards to wholesale/trade shows and how it all works.
The show ran for 4 days and I showcased a mixture of my talents in both illustration and ceramic ware. Although the majority of my show case was ceramic ware, I still brought in my illustrative work including my Medical Medium range. If you don’t know who Medical Medium is, he is a medium who offers pseudoscientific health advice based on alleged communication with a spirit. In my personal health journey I followed his protocols and I healed some chronic illnesses I had been struggling with. I became a huge believer and would often incorporate his health protocols in my art. Examples of these are The Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie print and the Healing Juice celery enamel pin.
The show commenced and I met a lot of lovely people but as the days went on I found I wasnt able to secure any buyers, what was I doing wrong? I was feeling utterly defeated and that mixed with exhaustion I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole “Yes” attitude. The show finished and although I gained some incredible leads I did not secure a single buyer. Gulp.
A few weeks went by and then something magical started to happen. Leads that I gained from the trade show began reaching out and placing orders. The most lucrative lead of all in fact came from a fellow vendor at the trade show and not an attendee! I was fortunate enough to be neighbours with Kuvings Australia. If you don’t know who they are Kuvings Australia is a global leader in healthy kitchen appliances with a huge sector of their business being home juicers.
The owner of Kuvings Australia came past to visit my little booth one day and was excited to see that I had Medical Medium related artworks and we hit it off straight away. He took down my details and contacted me a month after the show and purchased my largest order of enamel pins to this date! It all wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t been a Yes Woman.
The rest of 2023 followed in similar fashion . Every time I saw a call out for new stockists from retailers on Instagram I would apply. This turned into a snowball effect as every time I gained a new stockist I would put it up on my stories on Instagram and then other businesses would see the story and reach out to me for a catalogue.
Take what you will from my experience. Whether you want to go down the wholesale road or whether you would like to get your art out there and make money it really just comes down to mindset. Saying yes to one job or opportunity may be the segue to your dream job…..you just gotta say YES!.
If anyone is interested in asking a question or would like to collborate feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me via the Contact page.
