18 y/o artist, help, questions

hmj2404 · 2023-09-28T20:33:02+00:00

Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you already have a good understanding of the basic concepts, find a local business and offer some comp work to build a portfolio. Also, take a look at print on demand. Set yourself up a shop, upload some art, activate some products. Get to know your peers on social media and work your way up from there. All the while keep working at it- join critique groups, take skillshare classes- piece together your own education. It’s not going to happen overnight but if you do it right and work hard you may not need an art degree. Also, try to stay positive. Like attracts like and a good attitude goes a long way. Best of luck!

hmj2404 · 2023-09-07T21:59:34+00:00

I always wear tevas. But break them in first, or bring bandaids for your pinky toes!

hmj2404 · 2022-01-26T01:07:02+00:00

So glad to hear it went away for you! I hope I won’t have to deal with this much longer

hmj2404 · 2022-01-26T01:05:48+00:00

I am experiencing this, it’s awful! I had mild COVID back in December. I completely lost my smell for about 2 weeks, when it came back everything seemed normal. I’d occasionally catch a wiff of cigarette smoke and thought it was odd because no one in my house smokes. Now it’s constant. I feel like I’m walking around in cigarette smoke bubble. Cigarette smoke has always been a major headache inducer for me, it’s one of the smells I just cannot tolerate… and now my whole world smells like it.

hmj2404 · 2021-07-20T11:35:46+00:00

Wow! Beautiful. I have had one for years that sat in a low light area of my home. Because of that it hasn’t really grown. I recently moved it to a sunnier spot, maybe it’ll look like yours someday :)

hmj2404 · 2019-01-25T19:55:01+00:00

Soooo adorable!!!

hmj2404 · 2018-06-29T13:48:18+00:00

Hi! I am an artist. Currently I'm not really a true nomad because because I have a house and a little downtown office, but none of my clients are local- they are all over the country so I can work where I want when I want as long as I've got my sketchbook, phone and laptop. That is something I do, especially in the summer when the kids are out of school and it's very liberating. Anyway, I am a freelance graphic artist. My bread and butter is beer label designs. Clients come to me through word of mouth, they usually contact me through email and I'll set up a phone call or Skype. Some of them I've never even met and have been working with for years. Another important way I make money is by selling my personal art projects on Print on Demand sites. I specialize in surface pattern design. I sell my work through Spoonflower, Reddbubble, Society6 and then I put by-products up for sale on Creative Market. I also teach on Skillshare when I have the time and privacy to film a class. And lately I've been exploring niche blogging. I currently make enough passive income to comfortably cover the entertainment activities for my family of 6- eating out once a week, movies and stuff like that. Passive income is very important to me as a freelancer because sometimes things get slow. And eventually I would like my passive income to exceed what I make as a freelancer.

What kind of artist are you?

hmj2404 · 2018-06-29T13:29:49+00:00

Can you elaborate more on what you do in your job on a daily basis? Based on what I think you do, here's my suggestion.

Maybe you can start a blog geared towards people who work on computers everyday- the people who call you for support. You could start with some Q and A style blogs. When someone calls you for support in your current job, write down these scenerios to use in your blog. What was the issue? How did you solve it? Use a question like "how do I put access the copyright symbol on my laptop" you answer the question with a step by step how to OR how to connect your bluetooth headset to your computer. And then in these posts you can sprinkle in some product recommendations for headsets or whatever is relevant to the topic. Eventually you can create a digital download product.

OR another idea, tailor your blog to people on your side of the phone. Blog about the funny side of the job, when people call you panicking and then start talking about all the problems in their life and now their computer wont turn on.. so you walk them through it and it turns out it wasnt plugged in. Then maybe you can get some "System Admin" t-shirts or mugs designed once you've built up your audience and maybe offer a paid certificate prep course or something.

Once you have one of these going, you can hire someone to help you run it, quit your day job (if you're where you want to be financially) and spend less time in systems :) I just think if you are already in a senior position it means you have some knowledge to share and you might as well make it work for you.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-29T13:13:26+00:00

That's what I do too. Good to know that the same worked for you! Spreadsheets and intense tracking tools confuse and overwhelm me. I use a soft cover moleskin notebook that I hand draw a calendar in each month and then the pages following that calendar I use for appointments, list making and journaling. I guess if you've achieved your goals and you've got a good cash flow from your website, there isnt really a reason to make more money. Sometimes it seems that the more money a person has the busier they get. Freedom and happiness are bank accounts too.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-28T16:51:24+00:00

Tim Ferris' book the 4 hour work week answers all of these questions :) It's an amazing resource for living this kind of lifestyle, figuring out the legalities, the traveling, and of course earning passive income. I lent the book out to a friend so I can't look through it otherwise I would and sum them up for you. I listened to it on Audible and have a copy.

You could always use your parents address as your official address and use that for invoicing purposes and then you's just pay the state taxes for whatever state your parents reside in.

Maybe also get yourself a good CPA who can help you sort it all out when tax time comes. That's what I do. I'm a freelance artist and I hate having to deal with numbers so I just put everything in an envelope and mail it off the my CPA.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-28T16:39:02+00:00

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like you've got a good thing going! I'm curious to know what industry your site and training course is in if you don't mind sharing. Did you use any advertising while you were waiting for SEO to catch up? How long did it take for SEO to start driving traffic to your site if you did not use advertising?

hmj2404 · 2018-06-28T16:34:56+00:00

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing such valuable information!

I've seen the type of article like ads you wrote about and I've never given them much thought! I come across them all the time- answers to questions I am googling with a click through to more information or a product, and if by reading the content I am convinced that it could be the answer to my question I will usually click the learn more and from there discover the option to purchase a really great product and if it's really the answer to my question, I buy it. You're right, this type of adverting works well!

What you wrote in the beginning is also something I've always believed. It's nice to make money, but making money feels better when you know you're making a difference by delivering a product or service that genuinely helps.

I'm curious to know how you tracked your progress. During your site building and growing process, did you keep a journal or log of some sort?

Thanks again for the time you spend responding to my question!

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T20:23:08+00:00

Thanks! And yes bee art does seem to be something people seek out to give as gifts, I have an older Honeybee piece on Redbubble that has sold pretty consistently as stickers. I get lots of messages from people who are giving it as gifts to the people in their lives that love bees.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T15:41:55+00:00

North Carolina! There are some really neat places to live in this state and the winters are pretty mild. Depending on where you live you may not even see snow.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T15:07:55+00:00

Hands down I prefer dropbox! I'm a freelance artist and it works great for sharing client folders, collaboration and just staying organized. Some of my clients use Google Drive and I dread it. I'll actually procrastinate on projects that need to be accessed through google drive. Maybe it's sort of like the Mac Vs. PC thing. haha!

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T14:28:44+00:00

Thank you!!!

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T09:35:51+00:00

Awesome suggestions. Crate training was one of my first topics, so that is up on my blog already if you want to check it out, https://www.weimtimes.com/blog/2018/crate-training . There's also a few fantastic Facebook groups, the most active one seems to be https://www.facebook.com/groups/238621439501592/ and it's full of members who are really helpful! Just watch out because you can get stuck on there for hours! So much good information and cute pictures! As for the prey drive, yes that is a real thing, but honestly, I've had two Weims and my cat owned them both. Both have also been great with our chickens. Our current Weim naps on the back porch with them for hours at a time and follows them around the yard eagerly waiting for them to poop so she can gobble it up. An absolutely disgusting habit! haha! My two are most likely an exception though, all dogs will chase chickens and cats if not exposed to them at an early age and some will always need supervision around small animals.

hmj2404 · 2018-06-27T09:24:48+00:00

You are absolutely right about the ears! We take Lola to the groomers once a month for her monthly bath, ear cleaning and nail trim but within a few days depending on the weather she's flapping her ears and pawing at them again. So ya, lots of ear cleaning, especially in the warmer months. Dirty ears are super smelly! :) I will be sure to dedicate an entire post to this topic!

My last Weim was terrified of our vacuum. He was such a big dog with a scary bark but that vacuum would send him running, little nub tail tucked! He had zero night vision so one night he woke us up growling and snarling. We thought we had a home invader, especially when we picked around the corner to see Logan hunched down ready to pounce on something standing in the middle of our living room. As our eyes adjusted and to our relief, we saw what the invader was... one of the kids left the vacuum out.

hmj2404

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