07: Embracing the Artist's Life: A Conversation with Sarah Rafferty
Mariana:
Wow. You, guys, I have a wonderful episode teed up for you today. I want you to meet Sarah Rafferty from Atwater Designs. She is a friend, she's an artist, an educator. She is just a beautiful human being who I had the honor of chatting with and who is also the first guest of the Liberated Artist Podcast. We are talking about embracing the artist's life and how it can make us better at running a business. So welcome to episode seven, Embracing the Artist's Life, a Conversation with Sarah Rafferty.
Hey, artist friend. This is Mariana Durst from The Liberated Artist Podcast, a space for unvarnished conversations about selling art online from a place of artistry, integrity, and courage. So whether you've got yellow ochre under your fingernails or clay dust on your jeans, I'll be your go-to guide as you bridge the gap between art and entrepreneurship. Your art isn't meant to stay stacked against the studio walls. Ready to walk this path together? Let's get started.
Hey, liberated artist, this is Mariana Durst. Welcome to the Liberated Artist Podcast. I have a really amazing episode for you guys today with one of my favorite people that I've met on the internet. That I hope you know her already, but if you don't, you are sure to love her. Her name is Sarah Rafferty from Atwater Designs, and she is a cyanotype artist, an educator, a mastermind leader, and just this beautiful human that I have grown to really adore. She is one of those people who embody community over competition 100%. And I just adore you, Sarah. Welcome to the Liberated Artist Podcast.
Sarah:
Thank you so much for having me. That was such a lovely introduction. You made me cry before we even start.
Mariana:
Me too. And it's because you're like one of these people that I've heard from other people about like, "Oh, Sarah. Oh, Atwater. Oh, like you need to meet her." And these people that we both share in our lives have been telling me about you like we should be connecting. But it wasn't until last year where you reached out super sweet, offered some amazing advice in a moment where I was truly needing it. And it wasn't even art related or business related, it was just person to person. And I was kind of fangirling that you knew who I was.
Sarah:
That's so funny.
Mariana:
I know. It's so funny because you see people on the internet and the photos and they look like superstars, and I just felt so honored, and then to just confirm that you are that person, you are what they say about you.
Sarah:
That's so funny. It's lovely. But it's also so funny because I'm just a normal person. We're all just normal people, but we have these interesting internet understandings of each other. We were just talking about Francis Palmer and I talked to you the day I went to see her studio.
Mariana:
Oh, okay.
Sarah:
Isn't that-
Mariana:
What a coincidence?
Sarah:
I know. Isn't that an interesting overlap?
Mariana:
Yeah. What a great day for you to talk to me and her. No. I'm just kidding.
Sarah:
Exactly.
Mariana:
Oh, my God. I'm sorry you. You know this about me. I'm a little bit silly sometimes but-
Sarah:
I love it. I love it. So great.
Mariana:
Okay, Sarah. Well, we are here to talk about one of those subjects that you are super passionate about. That is something that I know that you embody and I'm excited to share with the listeners of the podcast. We're here to talk about embracing that artist's life, and I want you to tell me, give me the gist of it. What is your philosophy on this?
Sarah:
Well, thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here, and I just adore you and I'm so glad we're connected. It's so funny. I felt the same way about you. I think I had learned about you through some of the women in my mastermind and I was like, "I just have to know her." And then, I really appreciate getting to know people kind of through the internet, but then understanding the little parts and gems of them off the internet.
Your sense of humor is so, so good. So anyone who's listening, if you don't know Mariana's, amazing sense of humor, it's really great. Sign up for her email, because I think that's where we get to see a little bit of your humor.
I feel like the artist's life is this thing that is a lens that you see your life through. And I feel like as I've run my business and been a working artist for 20 years, that's so scary, isn't it? When you start saying things like-
Mariana:
I know.
Sarah:
... for 20 years. Goodness.
Mariana:
I've been an entrepreneur, a creative entrepreneur for 20 years too.
Sarah:
Like, oh, we're old.
Mariana:
So right there with you, sister.
Sarah:
We're just old now.
Mariana:
It's fine. It's okay. Right?
Sarah:
No. It's great. We have wisdom. We have wisdom.
Mariana:
We're so wise.
Sarah:
I think that that wisdom has really, it's so ingrained in the way of looking at my life and channeling that has been just an evolving thing that only has gotten kind of more refined as I have opened my business, worked on my business, and been involved in both art and business together. And I talk about this a lot in my mastermind with my mastermind women that I think that the running of the business can be just as creative as the art itself. That when we look at our life through that lens, everything, everything can be beautiful, everything can be inspiring and not fake.
I'm not saying let's put on a fake persona, but what do you do every day that feeds you in these little inspirational ways that kind of comes back around to your art, but isn't necessarily the art itself?
Mariana:
I love that. I mean I think you come to that understanding with experience and time and being a well seasoned artist and entrepreneurs, because I think you and I back when we were starting in our creative journeys, we wouldn't have known that. We wouldn't have been able to even discern how living a creative life would inform our business. And I don't know about you, but I always felt like I had to put on a business hat to do business things that was completely different from the art making.
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
And it felt like I was two different people, like Jekyll and Hyde situation. Not fun.
Sarah:
I know. I totally agree. I said the same thing about teaching because I taught forever in the classroom and until 2020, and I always used to be like, "Well, I am the teacher in the classroom and the artist outside of the classroom." But then as I got more mature in my teaching career too, I was like, "Oh, the best teachers are, the best art teachers are the ones that are also working artists." And they're kind of in that same discovery with their students, even though you're at a different level as a professional artist, as my students, it was so awesome to be like, "Oh, yeah, I'm struggling with that same thing."
I can also ask myself, "What am I trying to say here? What am I trying to do here? Oh, this composition looks terrible." And be able to relate to my students in that way. But now I feel like it's over time it has helped to meld these things together. I am an educator. I am an artist. I'm a mentor. I love to cook. I walk outside. I'm obsessed with nature. All of these things really are just the creative life.
Mariana:
Yes. And you're living the most Sarah life that you can. And it takes a while to really know what that means, because at first you might be trying out all different types of personas and ways of being as you're developing, not only as an artist in your own artistic practice and viewpoint, but also as a human being. And I think, I don't know about you, but this stage in my life, I feel more secure in who I am and know what my path is and be able to say yes to the things with my whole heart and no to things that aren't for me. I don't know if that's happening to you too.
Sarah:
Absolutely. I think it's a refining of that and really choosing the things that serve me and my artistic vision and things that don't, and ways to sort of feed the soul, feed the artist's soul.
Mariana:
Yeah. For sure. And I mean I've been an artist professionally and also just hobbyists. I've kind of been all over the place with my own artistic practice, and I just finished a 12-week-long course with Nicholas Wilton, his CVP program, which was mind-blowing. I'm still kind of digesting it. But having gone through that process of really being in this studio consistently every day and reinvigorating my artistic process has enriched the way that I show up for my clients so much so, even though I have a bachelor's in fine arts, I've made art before. I've sold art before.
There's nothing like being in the trenches to just inform all parts of your life, and it also makes me a better mom. I'm able to bring my son into my studio and we're bonding together and I'm just happier. And my husband is also really happy. It is just such a gift to be able to know what the Mariana life is.
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
And kind of be defining that and kind of shooting my arrow in that direction and honing that.
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
So yeah, can you talk to me a little bit more about how embracing this artistic life, diving right in, and how has it impacted your business, the actual business side of Atwater?
Sarah:
I was really thinking about this and I think that these things happen slowly over time, gaining wisdom and focus, but I think that starting Atwater at the same... It was about the same time that we got a dog and she was so rambunctious. I started walking her every day and it was in the... I don't think I had ever done anything every day, like anything at all.
I actually made this book about it in college. I wrote this little book with a robot that was, if only we did things every day, floss our teeth and meditate. But then the book was sort of like, but if we do that, then we're robots and we don't want to be a robot, so you still have to live your life. It was kind of... My brother found that the other day and he was like, "Oh, this is kind of profound, Sarah."
And I was like, "Ah, the things I was thinking about even back then." But the walk every day, it's not a robotic thing, but it is the only thing I've ever done so consistently. And it taught me so much about how to just show up, how to just show up for yourself, for others, for your mind. Every time I would go for a walk, I could have had the worst day ever, and I would come out of the walk and be like, "I feel better. I feel better. I feel more ready for whatever is next." And it changed that it, or it didn't change it.
I mean it's not overnight, right? It's like these slow progressive things that are just these beautiful ways of reminding myself, do it even when you don't want to, do it even when you're sad, do it even when you're frustrated because usually whatever is happening is going to be better eventually.
And I think that was the start, because on a walk, and it was always outside in nature. And I have the privilege of living very close to several preserves, and so that's where I walk, but I feel like you could do it anywhere. But it was in that space that I started to really put on that lens. That lens of inspiration because I was out in front of the things that I work with because I work with botanicals.
And so, I would just be obsessively looking around and I've always done that, but I didn't do it every day. I've never done it every day. And when I started to do that, it was like this inspiration just kind of plug every day. I would just get this little inspiration spout, and then back to life. And it just started to show me how much that was helpful in leading a business, in my own art practice, in just showing up in generally. But I think the feeling that I had during that time was like, "I could truly try to have that feeling in everything I do from the first cup of coffee I pour, to the way that I clean my house, to the way that I show up in my studio." Because there's this, it's almost like a romantic feeling about your own practice.
And I really love that and I like being able to create that even when it's not just there, because I remember some of my earliest memories, my mom always listened to classical music and there's some of my earliest memories are painting while she was cooking with classical music playing, and our house had a screen porch so the windows were open. And in that memory is the world, everything is just divine.
And I still have that when it's a really good 75 degree day, there's no humidity, because in Pennsylvania it gets pretty gross, and it's usually there's some music playing and it's like this moment has been created where anything is possible. And I just love trying to create that anywhere I am.
This weekend actually, or two weekends ago we had a big county tour of art studios. It's a big deal around here every year, and John helps me with it. My husband, he helps me get everything ready, and he put on some French cafe music and I was like, "Oh, John, this is the music that actually just is going to help me. This is it. This is the moment. It's like having this music in the background."
And I'm so bad. It was a Spotify playlist. I don't even know the artist. I'm terrible at that. But I looked at him the other day and I was like, literally, no one can be upset when they're listening to this music. And I was like, this is just going to be the soundtrack of my life from now on, because it puts me in that space almost instantly.
Mariana:
Oh my gosh. I love everything that you just said. I'm going to have to look up that playlist too. I love a good playlist.
Sarah:
I'll share it with you.
Mariana:
Yeah. To try everything. And maybe I'll even link to it in the show notes in case anybody wants to set the Sarah Rafferty vibe, studio vibe in their own studio. That would be awesome.
Something that really spoke to me is that you were like, you have these lenses that you put on when you would go on in your walk, and you're looking at these botanicals in relation to your art practice, and you're looking at that first coffee that you pour in the morning in relation to your art practice. And I feel like that's so much how we can turn into conduits for the inspiration and the information that we need to hear if we have those lenses consistently on, not just in the studio, right? Because it's almost like that-
Sarah:
Totally.
Mariana:
... principle of confirmation bias that your brain will seek to confirm the thoughts and the beliefs that you have. And so, it'll pay attention to the things that confirm those beliefs.
And I feel like if you have those lenses and you are out there living life with a certain intention, your brain will seek those things that will help you embody that intention or somebody who creates that environment or that artistic process or that business, even that's important why I don't believe in separating the artist from the entrepreneur. That we have to learn how to be all of it together.
And if you keep that lens that you use to live that artistic life with your business, suddenly you're not so much looking at step-by-step formulas that show you how to do this one thing or this launch process is supposed to be like this and you need to do these things. Nightmare situation for me. Begin saying, "Well, I have my artist lenses here. How can I really make it work? How can I work within my resources?"
Sarah:
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I love that. And I think that lens is exactly what you said. It's the intention. And I think if I were to use one word about my artistic practice and my studio practice and my art, my business, it would be intentional. I really feel like I step through each thing with intention. I hope that I look at things kind of deeply and unearth the rocks and make sure that what I'm doing is really going to serve my art and my business and my audience and the things that I have built.
Because I think there's, it's really easy as artists to be like, "Oh, what's that? Oh, I want to chase that." Or somebody has some idea, or you see somebody who has success and you're like, "I'll try that." But it might not have anything to do with the business you run or the art that you make or anything that you want to put out there.
And so, stepping back, I feel like I talk about this with my mastermind all the time, that we have to start from the why. And I don't think that you have to put all of your pressure on what is your why. But I do think that when we know our why and the intention, it makes everything else so much easier. Because if you know why you're doing something, then you know what kind of website you want and you know what kind of email you're going to send and you know what kind of art you're going to, the art that you're trying to put out to your audience, it makes a lot of things fall more naturally into place.
And then, I think what we get is this authentic artist, instead of an artist just trying-
Mariana:
Robot.
Sarah:
Instead of a robot, exactly. Like an artist just trying all the things, and not to say that I think we've all been through, you try things and trial and error is important. I think that's so important in our art practice. And failure is our greatest teacher, but I think within reason, right? Give it a try and-
Mariana:
Yeah. I love that. I love that intention fuels your decision making. And the what.
Sarah:
Absolutely.
Mariana:
You already know the why, and then what kind of just falls into place. And the how also, because you have that intention. Yeah. It's so much easier to be an artist and have a business if you are thoughtful and intentional about your actions, because then suddenly you get a lot of clarity of what is going to serve that intention and what is not. And you become a curator of your life and of your experience as a business owner and as an artist, but also for your audience.
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
Right?
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
Because you have that singular intention and that clarity of intention that just creates this brand. And I don't use brand as a bad word, not here, not in this podcast. Brand is not a dirty word, neither is marketing. But really that's what it's all about. It's about curating our point of view for our audience. So can you tell me a little bit about your people? What is your audience like? How did you find them? How do you define them if they can even be defined?
Sarah:
I feel like my audience is just the most wonderful, generous group of mostly women. I do have a few men in my audience. I actually met one of them recently, and he's just delightful. I would say I kind of have two, because I have education and I have art.
So I have my art collectors, which tend to be sort of a 40 to 60, 70 range, who people who are art appreciators, who like usually nature, since most of my work is botanical art. And I think that there's a common thread in that part of my audience of people who appreciate having nature come inside and being reminded of how nature makes us feel. I think that people who embrace my work like the ability to think about nature even when they're not in it, or maybe when they don't have enough time to be in it consistently, or maybe they're busy or I think that's very much a common theme.
And then, of course, I have a large part of my audience that really loves blue and white because cyanotypes, right? Traditionally are blue and white, you can fudge them. It's a photographic process so you can tone them and bleach them, and there's lots of fun ways to change cyanotype, but they still are within a blue, brown, tan range, green sometimes. You're never going to get a purple sign type. That's sort of my art collectors.
And then, my students who are more the people who are learning, I think are people who are interested in the business that I run. So I have a mastermind called Wonder, and it's a mastermind for creatives that is for business owners that are interested in leading with their why or leading with wonder at the core, because I think that's very much what I approach my business with is this sense of awe, and that when we can feel a sense of awe in as often as possible, I try to put myself in that position every day or that situation.
I just think that it creates this beautiful business, which is exactly what we just were talking about. But the people who have come to me, I feel like they find me, I don't know how I found them. I put this stuff out and it is amazing. Every year my Wonder Mastermind, I call them My Wonder Women. It's a year long program, and every year I'm amazed at the group. Every year it's a small group. I really, really, really believe in a small group.
It's usually about 10 to 12 people. And each year I just am amazed by this group of women that really want to run beautiful businesses. And we talk about business and we talk about art, and we talk about why and we talk about nature. And it's been one of the coolest things ever. And I think that my students, beyond my mastermind, so Skillshare, some of those students are just wanting to learn cyanotype, but I think that there's a lens that I make cyanotypes from that I think most people come from that, like for that.
Mariana:
Oh, my gosh.
Sarah:
I just feel like they find me though. I don't know. Of course, I do the marketing things of having an email list and I put things out there, and I have an Instagram that's fairly robust, and I love Instagram. I love sharing. I love documenting. But I don't know how people find you.
Mariana:
Yeah. You probably couldn't even attract somebody who wasn't on the lookout for that sense of wonder themselves with that intention that aligns with you. Because I feel that's when we find our best audience is when we have aligned intentions. And especially for people who are running creative and wholehearted businesses like you and I, we need to be very thoughtful what we're putting out there and that we're talking about that philosophy and that blends that we wear because that is what makes a niche of our very own.
For example, I do have a very specific niche of where I work with fine artists, but even then, it's not all fine artists. There are other artists who have websites or copy or branding done by other people, but the reason that they're coming to me is because they believe in what I'm saying.
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
And they have those feelings themselves, and they want to align with that because we're all in the same bandwagon where we're tired of the marketing trope and feeling sleazy and all that, and we want to do it differently, and we want it to feel good. And so, the same thing with you, it doesn't matter whether like that you have two different audiences, they all share you, in common, and that desire to bring a natural and intentional vibe into their world, into their business, into their lives, homes, whatever.
Sarah:
Yeah. I totally agree with that. And I love aligned intentions. That feels like the most accurate way of saying the women that come into the wonder, in particular, because those are obviously the women I know the best. But I would say even with my workshops, it's usually these just incredible groups that are there for, with all of it. From learning a skill to the side conversation. It's such a gift.
I feel like for so long I tried to separate my, like I am a teacher in the classroom, and I'm artists outside like we were talking about before, and I just realized it's just all part of me. And I just started to embrace that a lot more in the last few years. It's just all a part of me, and I can bring my teaching experience and leadership to the people that I interact with, and I can bring my artistic practice wholly to the business of selling my work. And I can show up as both of those people.
Mariana:
And you can show up without having to put on a mask-
Sarah:
Right.
Mariana:
... that you're someone else or without feeling like you're not in alignment with yourself. You can step into your business as an artist, as an educator, as a mastermind leader, as Sarah. Period.
Sarah:
Right. I know.
Mariana:
Oh, my god.
Sarah:
Talk about liberated. That is so liberating to me, because for so long I just thought it had to be separate. I think that's very much the world that we live in, especially in academia. It's so separate and it's these silos that don't really serve the full whole being. And I just think it's so good. It's so good to be a whole person.
Mariana:
Yeah. And speaking of academia, you do have a master's, right? In fine arts. So tell me-
Sarah:
I do.
Mariana:
... you went through your master's, and right now you have your own business. You're a leader, you're an educator, you're an artist working in, I know you have gallery representation, but you also sell your own work, right?
Sarah:
Yeah.
Mariana:
And so, how do you bridge those two worlds of academia and being a "liberated artist?" I'm using air quotes.
Sarah:
Yeah. Ooh, that's such a good question, because there's a lot of things that I've had to unlearn in the last, since 2017 in forming my own business, because academia doesn't, or at least my program, and a lot of fine art programs, don't necessarily teach you that you can really sell your work. And that most of them, and I say this like having had a fabulous experience, and I would do it again, but there's a lot of I think formal art education that is all about skill building and much less about business.
And I mean I would say that with a lot of other things, you go to school for English, they don't teach you how to sell your writing. But I think there was a very strong thread of if you want to be an artist, you must be a teacher and feed the system and then do your work on the side. That was my message, and it took me a lot of time of unlearning that and meeting some mentors along the way that have helped to break down that understanding. Like, "You can do whatever you want. You want to create work and sell it on your own. Great. You want to create work, sell it on your own and have gallery representation. Great. If you want to do cards and fine art, do it."
You can do it. You can do whatever it is that you are setting your intentions towards and that you can guide your audience on your journey. And I think that has been so valuable to me in my life. But I would say that my master's was hugely important to who I am. And I don't think everybody needs a master's in fine art, but to be an artist, actually, think a lot of people don't need any degree to be an artist.
I think we all are very creative humans, and tapping into the artistic abilities is not something you need to go to school for. But I do think that my time in my master's was the start of understanding what it is to have a practice, a daily practice. I would show up to my studio cubicle every day without fail, and I loved every minute of it. I couldn't wait to be there.
It was hard and stressful because you're asking yourself a ton of questions, but it was in that space of showing up to my work that I got to understand my work. And I think that this kind of goes into some other things that we were talking about like that when we know our work, really fully understand our work, because we have been in it, we have spent time in it, we have turned it over and turned it over, and we have kind of obsessed over it.
We've written artist statements, we've talked to other people, we've gotten a critique. We've had another critique. We've had... Yes, we've had people make us cry because it's hard to hear. Then, you've had these amazing moments of this is what I mean, this is what I want to say, this is it. This is it.
It's so exciting that all of those things have helped me to get into my work fully. And I think that when we are in our art work fully, then it's so easy to talk about it. It's so easy. It's just in us. It's just there. And so, when I talk to people about my work, I feel like I have something to say because I'm in it. And I think that grad school actually was the beginning of understanding that. Because I remember in college, people, my teachers wanting to know like why, what was the meaning behind the images?
And I was a photo major and I taught photography forever. And so, my world is very much through a photographic lens. And then, in grad school, I studied book arts and printmaking and spent a ton of time in the alternative process photography studio. And it was in my undergrad that I was like, "I don't need an artist statement. I'm not trying to say anything with this." I was such a rebel and so frustrated by that whole concept.
And then, I realized, "Oh, there is usually something going on in your work." Like even if... It can be simple, it can be complex, but there's something going on in our work. And when we actually embrace writing an artist statement, we open this door to our work. And I think that when we open a door, it means so many other people can come in and share in that work. But if we resist that, and I think that's very intertwined with running a business, right? Because the business is the door.
How are you creating the door? How are you building this structure to have people enter your work? And how do we do that authentically, intentionally with the same vibe and the same just honesty? And I have started to just love the door. I'm like, "Here's my door. Come on in." If it's right for you, you'll know. You'll know. You'll come to the door and be like, "Oh, yeah. Yes. It's right for me. Maybe-
Mariana:
I'm going to walk-
Sarah:
... you'll come in and then you'll leave." Yeah. Maybe you come in-
Mariana:
Oh, my gosh.
Sarah:
... and you leave and you're like, "Eh, it wasn't for me." And maybe some people are like, "Oh, my gosh. This is to remind me to be in for a long time."
Mariana:
Oh, I love that. I'm like starting every single paragraph that I am saying I love that, because I just love you so much. But I really think that what you're saying about that artist statement, and having, like not having to, because we don't have to do anything, but letting yourself struggle with it and complete it and take it as a challenge can lead you into more connection with yourself, with your art, and with the collectors or your audience.
And it's the same thing with copywriting and marketing. That's why I always say that artists make the best entrepreneurs, because they're already doing all these marketing activities-
Sarah:
I know.
Mariana:
... but for their art practice. And it's such an easy thing to just kind of shift them over. And I'm like, "Okay. Let's take that same energy, that same vibe, and apply it to writing our website copy." How are we going to structure it so people feel welcome so that we're opening that door and establishing our online presence? And then, okay, how are we going to be strategic? Just as a painter would choose values and colors and composition, the same thing goes for the business. You have to choose how you're going to market, what your platform's going to be, what your message is going to be. And that has to come from a place of self-introspection, and that knowledge of yourself comes from showing up every day.
Sarah:
Totally. Totally. Oh, I love... And I think that's so true. The business is the... It's like we have the easiest job, we don't. It's so hard. But when it comes to marketing your work, we have this beautiful... Like artists have a product that is inherently beautiful or at least interesting to look at. That's what we are asking of our audience. Look at this. Right?
Mariana:
Yeah.
Sarah:
And so, we have this thing that's just supernatural to share, and it's usually a process. You don't just paint a painting in two seconds. It's not like boom. So there's this natural process to help people to join in, to be invested, to be excited about it. It's the coolest thing ever. You document your work, you share it consistently, and then people are like, "Well, when is it going to be available?" That's magic.
Mariana:
It's like a magic sauce, right?
Sarah:
Yeah.
Mariana:
A lot of people that I've talked to say, "Oh, I don't want to talk about my work. I just want my art to stand for itself." And I'm like, "Okay, bring out the soapbox. Let's put... Let's Mariana get on there." That's the best way to trigger my little soapbox moment. I mean I don't think it's a cop out for everybody. I think people genuinely do want the viewers to form their own relationships with the artwork. But there's something really beautiful about making it easy and welcoming for somebody to step into a door, instead of having a window that people have to hop into, make a door, make a door, and open it so that people can come in and build those relationships with a foundation of what your intention was.
Sarah:
I totally agree. And I often try to... For my mastermind, I often try to take experiences from other things or an analogy from other things to help make the point more clear. And one of the things that I have referenced is, would you just open your door and say, "Okay, I'm having people over for dinner?" Good luck.
Would we ever do that when we had a dinner party? No. You would make sure that the house is clean and you would set the table and you would welcome people and offer them a drink. And then, maybe you play a game or you have some kind of activity. If it's more of a structured event or maybe not, or you have the rhythm of dinner and then dessert and maybe a fire out back or you plan, you welcome, you facilitate.
I do think that if we are asking anyone of anything coming over for dinner or buying our artwork or just entering our world, we have to make the path clear, otherwise people are like, "What? What are you asking me to do? What do you want me to do? How do I engage with you?" I just think that that can be as beautiful as setting the table for a beautiful dinner. That can be as beautiful as a walk in the woods.
Mariana:
Yeah. It can be just as intentional. You can make it as artistic and put your own spin on things, and how are you going to double down on your vision and have it support your artwork? That's one of the things that I'm like, "Oh, I get to do this for a living? I get to spend time with artists, and-
Sarah:
I know.
Mariana:
... learning all about their values and their approach and their vision and their lenses and all these things, and then curate and then build this bespoke space for their art to really shine. Like, oh, I hacked the system. This is good. It seems like you've done the same. We get to live this artistic life and do things that really feel rewarding at a soul level.
Sarah:
It is. It's also really hard. It's hard to ask those questions of yourself. Sometimes I'm like, "Oh, it's so much easier to just show up at work." Sometimes I miss teaching. I think there's still a lot of creativity and intention that needed to happen in my photography classroom, but I feel like showing up to work when it's someone else's schedule is easy. It's nice. You show up to work, you leave work. If you're lucky, you don't take much work home, but I think deep down that wasn't as meaningful as I wanted my life to be.
Mariana:
How do you find harmony between art and business? Because I know we've been talking about this on this podcast episode, but there's still business activities that need to be done that are pretty boring. So tell me a little bit about how you find harmony between the business and of running your business and the artistry part of it. Because I know we've been talking about that throughout this podcast episode, but how does it actually look like for you to bridge that gap between art and entrepreneurship?
Sarah:
I think this is such a good question because as an entrepreneur or someone who's starting their own business, you have to do a lot of really crazy things at the beginning, or I mean forever. But at the beginning, you're really doing them. And I think it's everything from making the art to website design, to making contacts and doing your billing and banking.
And there's just so many hats that people wear. And I actually think that at the beginning, just try to do it all and record the things in that space that you hate, and then record the things that you like, fine, and then record the things that you love. I do think in this age of complete distraction all the time, batch working those things as best as possible. And I'm still, I'm not going to preach that because I'm not very good at it, but I do think that there's a lot of value in just getting some things done and we don't necessarily do them because we're just so distracted. And I think our distraction comes in particularly when we're doing a task that we don't want to do.
And then, we make it longer and drawn out, but I really kind of studied myself, and that's kind of the best part about owning a business, is that it's just a big course in self-actualization. And it's been really helpful in just understanding who I am and what I am all about. And I really just studied myself. Like what do I like doing and what do I not doing? And slowly and surely I tried to do more of the things I liked, and I don't have any help at this point. It's still just me. But I do think that having, just getting a little help cleaning the house was a really big deal, and that helped a lot.
And now we moved, and so we don't have a house cleaner now, but we do have somebody who comes and helps with the lawn. And that's super helpful because that takes a ton of time. And so, then that time is used on the other parts of my business. And as I'm refining, I'm starting to feel like, "Okay, those are actually things that I don't do well or things that I just need help with because they're dragging me down."
And I've been, this year has been kind of a study in that kind of thing. But at first, I would say just you just got to do it. You just got to do the things because you have to figure out what you like and what you don't. Actually, really enjoy bookkeeping. I've always liked numbers and simple math, and most of my artist friends are like, "Are you kidding me? That's the first thing I hire out." But I like that. And so, I don't want to hire that out. I'd rather hire out something else.
And then, just recently I've been talking with a person who runs ads, and so it's the first time I've ever run ads and we're just testing the waters. But that's something that some entrepreneurs and some artists are really excited about doing, and they'll do it themselves. And I'm just like, "No way. I don't want to do that. I don't want to know the backend stuff like that. I don't want to do it."
So I think it's a lot of trial and error and seeing what fits with you and your personality and your time and what doesn't and just continuing to refine that, because I think it's not a stagnant thing. Our art practice isn't stagnant. Our business isn't stagnant. Our websites aren't stagnant. There are just this moving, evolving thing that we just get to continue to make it better.
Mariana:
Yeah. And we get to call the shots.
Sarah:
Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Totally.
Mariana:
That's why we're entrepreneurs. We get to call the shots. We don't have a tiny little boss like following us around, grading us on our paper, grading our paper. No. We don't have that. We are the people who get to make these decisions, who get to curate how our day looks like. And yeah, I totally agree with you in the beginning, you have to do all the things.
And for the most advanced things, when you're ready, if you're ready to run ads, that means you're bringing in a certain level of income. You have approved offer that you know is going to sell. So at that moment, you can hire those people out. But before then, you have to find ways of testing out your offers, and you do it yourself and see if it's worth it. And as you build, you kind of get support and call in support when you need it, because like you, I don't have an agency. It's just me. Surprise, surprise.
Sarah:
A one woman show.
Mariana:
A one woman show. But I do have wonderful support and bookkeeping, which I'm one of those people that just cannot. That was the first thing that I got support on. And I also-
Sarah:
See?
Mariana:
Yeah. I was just waiting to get to that point where I could afford a bookkeeper, and I do. And, "Ooh, I'm never going to let her go." And I also have somebody who helps me edit this podcast. Dave, who is wonderful. And so, I get to bring in those people. And to help me market on Pinterest, I also have some Wildroot Marketing helping me with that just so I don't have to worry about that. But my business can sustain and can support me focusing on the things that I love doing. But you don't get there at the beginning, unless you have unlimited funds that somebody says, "Here, burn this money."
Sarah:
But even still, right? That's like burning money because at the beginning, that's the thing that I would say do not do. If you are a business owner and you're like, "Oh, ads. I should run ads." Don't do ads until you know what you're running ads to. And that is the critical piece of running ads, or just putting more of an effort into the marketing strategy beside just... I think getting out there in as many ways as you can at the beginning in a natural, organic way, do some social media, do some Pinterest, show up in-person, get hooked into a gallery, get a article in a news, pitch yourself to people.
Try and see what feeds you and also what feeds your growth. Where are those people? How are they finding you? If you have a great audience on Instagram, great. Then, channel that. Use that to your advantage. But, yeah, that was one of the things that I learned a little while ago. It was maybe a couple years ago, I watched a woman who was doing wallpaper come out with a very strong marketing strategy, because she had wallpaper to launch, and then it was running ads to the wallpaper. And I was like, "Oh, you only run ads when you have a very intentional thing." The offer. The offer is clear.
Mariana:
Exactly. You don't just run ads for fun to give Mark Zuckerberg more money. That's why we don't show up on Pinterest just for fun. Have a goal. I mean, obviously, you can do that, but for marketing purposes, why? Right?
Sarah:
Yes.
Mariana:
Coming back full circle to why are you doing this? So Sarah, thank you so much for being the first guest of the Liberated Artist Podcast.
Sarah:
Oh, my gosh. What an honor.
Mariana:
I know. I should have told you this at the beginning. No pressure, by the way.
Sarah:
I hope it's good.
Mariana:
Oh, my gosh. I think, I mean this was good for me, if anything. I got the best conversation ever with you. So thank you so much. And can you please tell everybody who's listening where they can find you, any goodies you've got that might interest them, et cetera? Tell us all about it.
Sarah:
Okay. I am on Instagram as Atwater Designs with an S. And thenmy website is atwaterdesigns.com. And my website is something I'm really proud of, and I hope that you'll go visit, everybody who's listening. It is where you can find my shop, but you can also find my educational offerings. You can learn through Skillshare in-person workshops and retreats, and also my mastermind. There's more information about Wonder.
And then, there's also a ton of free resources. There's guides for just five tips for creatives. There's 10 ways to harness your holiday. And I'm going to be writing my first course. I mean I'm writing it, wrote it called Harness Your Holiday, and it's all about the visual artist embracing the holidays as a way to reach your audience.
Mariana:
Oh, my gosh. I cannot wait to check that out.
Sarah:
I'm really, really excited about this course. I hope that it has that Atwater vibe to it.
Mariana:
I believe in you, Sarah. I believe in you. I'm sure you're going to deliver with beauty and just make it so special. And I did take one of your courses on Skillshare, the one about matting.
Sarah:
Oh, nice.
Mariana:
Yeah. I took it because I have a bunch of stuff that I need to mat. And then, I was like, "Wow. Sarah is such a great teacher." She really breaks it down. She delivers on what she's going to say. Everything I got, I just need to get my materials and start, matting. But I just want to learn more, and I just want to be in your circle and in your vibe and influenced by you so.
Sarah:
Thank you so much. And I will offer your listeners a discount code so I'll put, I'll give you that in an email.
Mariana:
Yeah. Please check the show notes after you check out this episode to get all of Sarah's links, that special promo code. I cannot wait to see what's in store for Atwater Designs. And for you, Sarah. You are just the most wonderful, beautiful human being, and I appreciate you.
Sarah:
I appreciate you. Thank you so much for having me. This has been the best way to start my day.
Mariana:
Oh, so glad. All right. Bye.
Today's episode was brought to you by Mariana Durst Studio's prolific and profitable artist quiz. A quick quiz to assess your marketing prowess, learn your superpowers, and get a personalized plan to overcome overwhelm and get your art seen and sold. Your art visibility plan awaits at marianadurststudio.com/quiz.
It's been a true pleasure speaking with Sarah today, a voice of inspiration and authenticity in the artist community. Her journey really has shown me the beauty of intertwining art and our lives and teaching us that we're not just creating art, but also crafting a life that is reflective of ourselves. And as I'm wrapping up this episode, I am thinking about how every day is truly an opportunity to embrace the artist's life, to get to know myself better, to show up for my art, for my audience, for my clients and my business.
And I don't know, I just feel really inspired to cultivate that discipline and celebrate the space that I have to create and just be fully engaging with both my artistic and my professional practices. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Marianna Durst, reminding you to take a look at what your artist's life looks like and take a few steps to immerse yourself in it more deeply today.
Thanks for listening to The Liberated Artist Podcast. Be sure to visit liberatedartistpodcast.com for show notes, bonus materials, and to subscribe to get new episodes dropped straight into your pretty little inbox when they're published. If you enjoy today's podcast, I invite you to follow or subscribe to the show wherever you're listening so that new episodes magically appear on your feed. If you have any artists in your life who desire to, or are selling their art online, then please be sure to share this episode with them. Want to connect? Me too. Let's continue the conversation on my Instagram at Mariana Durst Studio.
