10 things I learned as an Entreprenuer + Artist
Art By Thiviyaa Turned 2!
September 2017 marked the two-year anniversary of my business and what a ride it has been! I am so grateful for the love and support my family and friends have showered me over the last two years when I finally decided to go public with my work. It's a beautiful feeling, when you can do what you love and not even notice it's ‘work’. What better time than the end of 2017 to share my gratitude and experiences.
Art By Thiviyaa Celebrates 2 year Anniversary!
Story-time.
Two years ago, I was accepted into my first exhibit thanks to the push from a dear friend of mine. For over 15 years, I only shared my paintings with my family and closest friends. I never called myself an artist and rarely would speak about it unless prompted. So this exhibit was the most daunting and exciting challenge I took on. I share more of my experience in my first blog post.
Before I knew it I was creating custom orders for private and corporate clients and selling my original work.
The last two years, I have been in 10 exhibits, published in two books and showcased my work at Toronto’s largest art night ‘Nuit Blanche’ …twice. And of course created special paintings for my amazing clients. The list of experiences since I launched is incredible and I’ve said it a few times, but I am incredibly grateful for my family and friends who have pushed me and believed in me even during times I had doubt. It has been a tough ride and I could never have pursued my dreams without you.
To my clients, without you, there is no...business!
You purchased local art, supported my work and were a pleasure to work with. I have been in awe of the trust my clients give me. “Do what you think will work, I trust your vision’.
Music to an artist’s ears.
10 things I learned as an entrepreneur & artist.
Disclaimer: It’s only been two years, so please take what I say with a grain of salt as I am very early in my entrepreneurial life cycle.
1. Being an entrepreneur does not need to be your only job.
This is an important learning for me. I often get asked oh so you are an artist fulltime? Yes. Yes, I am a full-time artist, but I also have a full-time day job. I always have had a job outside of ‘Art By Thiviyaa’ and being an entrepreneur does not have to be about dropping your day job to pursue your dreams.
That might work for MANY other entrepreneurs but for me, I have always had a career outside of art. They work together. I believe my day jobs have always inspired my art, and developed the skills for my business. Yes, it does have its ups and down. I find time on my commutes to do emails, social media management on the subway or client calls on my drive home, etc. The moment I finish work, I go into artist mode and try to do as much as I can in the mere 5- 7 hours I have left in my weekday. Yes, that math equals team #nosleep. Weekends I bounce between exhibit preparations, client management, social media, and website management, and of course, painting! But at this point in my life, my day job has given me tools to thrive as an entrepreneur and has proven to be the best way to manage my work life. I promise there is a method to my madness. Keep reading.
2. Love what you do & you will never work a day in your life.
Cliche but true!
Based on #1, my day must look completely scattered! However, one thing makes all the stress disappear into thin air. I never feel like I am working when it comes to ‘Art By Thiviyaa’. We've all read these words – 'love what you do'. I believe this so strongly, it is engraved in every experience I have had with my art. I go to sleep thinking of ideas for my art, day-dream about what I want to aim for in the next few months, jot down a new inspiration I had from a subway ride, and the list goes on.
Find something you are passionate about and you will wake up excited to take on the day! It has been a dream come true to create 'Art By Thiviyaa', and hustling to make it bigger and better is a gift. The sleepless nights mean nothing to me because it was for something I loved.
Pursuing your dreams does not need to such a drastic move, it can start as a hobby or side project. That's how I got started and I fell in love with what I was doing and the rest just came afterwards.
3. Find the right rhythm for productivity and organization
Here’s a little about me: I am Google Calendar & organizational maniac. Everything and anything is dropped into my calendar. I love task lists, project management and being efficient. Everyone manages their time and schedules differently and finding that rhythm is important. For me, tools like google calendar, journals for ideas, google photos for all my paintings, etc. support the management of my business. Yes – I even colour coordinate between my personal schedule and my business schedule. This took me time to figure out and I don’t think I am still where I want things to be but finding that groove to be productive can be a huge stress-reliever. I often hear ‘I always want to start painting but have no time’. That was me two years ago.
Here’s a tip: add it to your NEXT weekend to have 30 minutes to do that thing you wanted to do for just you, and don’t cancel. Try it, and trust me you will finally do it because you planned it in your day. If you had an event, meeting or party to go to on the weekend you would go, right? Why not add some me-time in, and agree to ‘attend’ that too?
4. If not now, when?
If it weren’t for taking that first step 2 years ago, I probably would have launched ‘Art By Thiviyaa’ months or years down the road. I always dreamt of having a solo exhibit but I was worried my work would be rejected especially by the art community. When I applied for my first exhibit, I did not have new paintings in my portfolio and hadn’t painted in over 10 years. However, I remember saying ‘why not now, when?’ and diving it. I had no idea how things would pan out down the road but I am so glad I went for it. Got something you keep putting off for the right time and right moment? It will never come. Just do it now.
5. I learned the value of critical feedback & how challenges has given my successes more worth.
How many readers who are fellow artists just sighed? The biggest issue I have had as an artist is the constant doubt and worry of external acceptance of my work. I may have been accepted to 10 exhibits but I applied for much more! I have received rejections for work I truly thought would make the cut. It’s a hard pill to swallow because art is subjective.
But then...
Paintings I never thought would be accepted have been! Last year, I submitted 3 paintings to be published in a book; my first abstract piece was the only one to get accepted. If you follow my work, lately you may have seen abstract paintings popping up more. This is a true passion of mine outside of landscape paintings. The impact of having these paintings accepted over others, transformed my whole portfolio. It gave me the boost to go public with more abstract work. It was tough to hold out for exhibits and receiving rejections but I did not want this to shake who I was an artist. After the first book, I created more abstract work and I applied again this year. 3 paintings were submitted, all 3 were accepted and...my abstract submission was also chosen for Juror’s Choice.
2016 Big Art Book
Published Painting: Heartbeats in the Amazon
2017 Big Art Book
Published Paintings: (1) Dip Your Toes, (2) Pulse, (3) Untouched Tranquility
6. Social Media Acceptance
Not everyone will love your work & that’s okay.
My style has changed so much in the last two years, last 10 years and even the last 6 months. I have ventured into abstract work but it was tough to put it out publicly. Not everyone loved it but those who did were supportive. Social media as we all know can be a distructive and can change how you let other percieve you. Often I think to myself...'okay one post to share a painting I made for weeks, months or years…no pressure.' Getting out of my own head and remembering at social media is just an outlet, is an ongoing battle. I promised myself when I first went public on social media, to ignore the numbers and not get sucked in. It’s still hard but if you start to lose the love for your work and aim for the love from others, what are you doing it for? I have paintings that are my favourite and not so popular with my network. AND I am totally fine with that! Art is what you make of it. Who cares what others see, understand or experience. If you create it because of your truth, that should be the bottom line. My work may change even in the next year, but those who enjoy it will become customers and those who don’t well… that’s the point of art.
“I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.” Frida Kahlo
7. Invest profits back into your business
The only way to grow is to put money back into your business. To develop my brand, inventory to take on orders, website and social media management, it could only be done if I invested my profits back into the business. Creating a foundation for your brand can be slow but trust in the process and don’t let early success cloud your judgment or growth.
8. It’s not about the money
Every tip comes back to tip #2. Social capital and learning experiences on the way is the greatest profit an entrepreneur can have getting started. My first year was about creating a foundation, growing and moving with the waves. By the end of the year, I had created my first commission order and it was through the learnings early in the year that I could do so.
9. Visualize it and it will happen.
Pulse, 2017
At the end of 2015, I made a few goals for myself and wrote them down. I reminded myself about them often, lived it through my work and made sure steps I took would inevitably land me there. In 2016, I published my work at Nuit Blanche and checked off an item off my bucklet list I thought was so far reached, it was absurd. I dreamt of painting the Toronto skyline for the last 3-4 years and wanted to showcase it in a big way but did not know how or when. November 2017, I had 'Pulse' my skyline painting and love letter to this incredibly city, accepted into Nuit Blanche and published by the City of Toronto & Scarborough Arts.
2017 was about creating my logo, website, collaborations and so much more. These were goals I made in 2016 and I never stopped thinking or visualizing it. Here I am writing a blog about it all, before the year is over.
Visualize it and it will happen. Here’s a suggestion: try visualizing what you want. A vision board, write it down, make a note on your phone, whatever tool you want, see it, say and live it. Being reminded of what you want to achieve will work magic. I am a strong believer that what you put out in the universe, will come into fruition if you visualize it and have faith in it. Always remember why you started.
10. Challenge yourself. Step outside your comfort zone.
Getting out of your comfort zone is not easy but some of the greatest achievements come from this experience. Being an entrepreneur, there is no rule book or guide on how to get started, or if you are even doing well. It's a constant roller coaster. Some of my greatest and exciting ideas have came from challenging myself. Here's my favourite project of the year : Thivs Travelling Canvas. A series of paintings I did live, spontaneous at beautiful destinations. Earlier in the year, I went on an amazing back-packing trip across South East Asia. I could only take a small bag of liquids for a month long trip so I had to leave behind acrylic paint (my usual medium), and replaced it with a watercolour kit. I strongly disliked watercolour, hadn't tried it for over 10+ years, was not a patient painter, and was so upset I could only fit that in my bag. Taking this kit on the trip was the best decision I made this year, and it made me a better artist. But more on that on another blog!
Thank you so much for reading and hope my experience helped inspire you. Grateful to celebrate two years of Art By Thiviyaa and can't wait to see what happens next.
