Badass Creatives: marketing and business advice for creative entrepreneurs

Ingrid Victoria Ruth Anderson of Chimera Lashes is a lash designer, makeup artist, and self-proclaimed “idea person” who realized she needed to focus on just one of her ideas in order to make a big impact. Before turning to lashes, she previously created a number of different handmade products including Panties with a Pocket and The Crocheted Beard. In this episode, we also talk about finding a business partner to help balance the business side of things with the more creative aspects of running a business.

Wesley Henderson is an “entrepreneur’s lawyer” based in Charleston, South Carolina. In this episode, we talk about the legal basics of starting a new small business, such as forming a legal business entity like an LLC, as well as the basic kinds of contracts a small business might need to protect themselves. We also talk about some intellectual property basics, such as trademarks and fair use, as they pertain to artists and creatives.

Jeanetta Gonzales is a Los Angeles-based artist, illustrator, surface pattern designer, coach and brand consultant for artists. In this episode, we talk about art licensing and Jeanetta shares her advice for developing a cohesive and authentic brand. She also shares how she made the leap from a day job with Mattel designing packaging for Barbie to working on her own.

Alexandra Franzen is a writer, consultant, and entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon. Her writing about creativity, productivity, goal-setting, handling adversity, disappointment, and fear, and how we can all use our gifts to create a positive ripple in the world has been featured in places like Time, Forbes, Newsweek, The Huffington Post, and Lifehacker. Her newest book is called You’re Going to Survive. It’s a book about how to deal with stressful, discouraging times in your career, including dealing with negative online reviews. (Alex helped her partner Brandon open a restaurant, and dealing with online trolls and 1-star Yelp reviews is something she’s had some personal experience with!) While Alexandra has a significant online following of her articles and email newsletter, she no longer uses any form of social media. We talk about what led her to make that choice and how she runs a thriving business without being on social media. We also talk about scheduling “life” first, the importance and joy of tiny projects, and how to say “no” in a thoughtful, helpful way that can leave the other person better off.

Midori Tajiri-Byrd is a master at juggling multiple creative pursuits. As a descendant of Japanese samurai, she grew up in a family of artists and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. These days, she makes her living as a professional makeup artist and she performs drag as LibeRaunchy the BeauxQueen. I met Midori while we were doing Cycle 2 of the New Orleans Drag Workshop in 2014. We recorded this episode in her art studio, where we were joined by local photographer Jason Kruppa.

Tarsila Krüse is an award-winning children's book illustrator living in Dublin, Ireland. Originally from Brazil, she got her start designing souvenirs after moving to Ireland 11 years ago. In this episode, she shares her creative process, how she transitioned to illustrating children’s books, and what it’s like to work with publishers.

Robin Barnes, aka the “Songbird of New Orleans” grew up in a musical family and now sees herself as a cultural ambassador of New Orleans. In this episode, she shares how her background in business helped her to create a successful career in music, and how a life-changing health scare inspired her to start her second business, Move Ya Brass, a cardio fitness training program.

Dynamo is a sexual health and wellness focused romantic boutique based in New Orleans. On this episode, I chat with co-owners Hope Kodman Von Starnes and Nico Darling about business partnerships and the hurdles they overcame to open up a brick and mortar retail boutique, including using crowdfunding via IndieGoGo to fund the renovation of their building.

Monique Malcolm is the host of the Pimp Your Brilliance podcast and creator of the Visionary Journal, a goal setting system & planner. We talk about how she went from fashion blogger to t-shirt designer to goal setting guru. Monique walks us through the process of taking a physical product from idea to first iteration to manufactured product. She shares the importance of connecting with her email list and Facebook contacts to use Kickstarter to pre-sell her product, and how she’s used Pinterest to drive traffic to her website. We also talk about setting goals and creating systems for productivity and time management, plus Monique shares how she got Issa Rae to feature her t-shirt line on Awkward Black Girl on YouTube years before Issa got famous.

Beth Miller is the Executive Director of the Creative Education Foundation, a non-profit which produces CPSI, the world’s longest-running creativity conference. We talk about deliberate creativity, embracing vulnerability, and how a paper Beth wrote as an undergraduate has been adapted into a play.

Juliet Meeks is a full time artist and surface designer whose work has been featured on products from Birchbox. We talk about how she prepared to quit her day job as a graphic designer, how she got started printing her designs on fabrics, and how she makes extra money by teaching online classes via Skillshare.

Gary Hirsch uses visual art and improv theatre to help communities and businesses be more creative. In this episode, he talks about letting other people steal his creative ideas, finding ways to offer value to people, and the logistics of creating large scale murals.

Nikki Cade made the leap from special education teacher to full-time artist a year ago. She’s a world traveler whose work reflects her love of travel. We talk about following your intuition and how she got her work featured at Pottery Barn and Anthropologie.

Curious about hashtags, growing your audience and driving traffic to your website from Instagram? This week’s episode is full of Instagram tips and tricks.

How do you get your creative momentum back after taking a break? How do you set your artistic intentions for a new year? In this episode, Mallory shares her plan for a daily art project in 2018, why she changed her username on Instagram, and why “community” and “vulnerability” are her words for the year.

Melissa Capps works with creative businesses to help them understand their financials, from bookkeeping basics to their profit strategy. In this episode, she shares the money mistake she sees creative business owners make most often.

We’re getting deep on this week’s episode. From imposter syndrome to design thinking to mental models, let’s explore ways to rewire your brain and think about problems in creative ways.

Nathan Allotey is a web designer and digital marketing strategist with a passion to teach others. On this episode, we talk about how freelancers and other creatives can successfully price their work and raise their prices.

How do creatives stay motivated and inspired, and how do you stick to your guns and true to your artistic vision?

Marrus is a New Orleans painter who’s been turning the fantastical pictures in her head into a roof over it since 1992. We discuss the journey that’s taken her from comic book artist to painting faces at Renaissance faires and beyond. We talk about the importance of being genuine, sharing sacred knowledge, attracting your tribe, and getting uncomfortable as an artist.

So you’re thinking about starting a new website, blog, podcast, whatever… but you’re worried about how to grow a social media following for your new creative project. Here’s my advice.

This week’s guest, Taylor Lee, is a self-taught abstract painter who creates artwork inspired by self-image, self-love, and body positivity. Painting became a form of art therapy for Taylor while she was in treatment for an eating disorder. We talk about authenticity in business and why life is better with color.

In this week’s episode, I recap the highlights of VenturePOP Conference, talk about celebrating women in tech, and share my passion for creative problem solving.

This week’s guest is Rebecca Duckert of Sweetface Snoballs. We discuss starting a creative business in a new city and bringing New Orleans culture to the streets of NYC.

It’s been 10 years since I attended my first creative conference. Learn more about my favorite conference experiences and my tips for how introverts can use conferences to meet new people and grow their business.

Hamilton Perkins launched his eco-friendly fashion company with a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. We chat about how he made that happen, tips for getting press, and sustainable manufacturing.

This week host Mallory Whitfield takes a look back at her own hurricane story, plus she answers a listener question about selling on Etsy.

This week’s guest is artist Natalie Rodriguez Ivicek of Maps Travel Art, a collection of custom maps and travel art, and Don't Tell Me 2 Smile, an anti-street harassment and anti-gender violence clothing line. 

Ready to get started selling your art or handmade products online, but have no idea where to start? This intro to e-commerce is just what you need.

From the oil fields of North Dakota to selling her art on Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans, April Joy Whitecotton is a self-taught Zentangle artist who has had plenty of ups and downs in her artistic journey. 

Host Mallory Whitfield shares the top 5 marketing mistakes that she sees artists & creatives make that prevent them from selling more of their handmade products online.

This week’s guest Rachel Park is a made-to-order tie designer and breast cancer survivor. During treatment, Rachel created the ParkPuff™, a seatbelt pillow for breast cancer patients. Host Mallory Whitfield and Rachel chatted about creating one-of-a-kind customer experiences and why, as a creative brand, you’re not for everybody, and that’s okay.

Host Mallory Whitfield spent more than 10 years selling her handmade work, as well as the work of other artists, at craft shows, festivals, and other events. In this episode, she shares some of her craft show must haves and lessons learned from selling at craft fairs.

Vinsantos DeFonte is a drag performance artist, musician, assemblage art doll creator, and art gallery owner based in New Orleans. We talked about the New Orleans Drag Workshop and why kindness is at the heart of making a living as a creative.

Mallory discusses the basics of writing and sending out press releases, and she goes behind the scenes of some of her own PR wins. Learn why you should focus your publicity efforts locally, especially when starting out.

VersAnnette Blackman-Bosia is an abstract painter and poet living and working near Chicago. We talked about empowering other women creatives, tips for pricing your artwork, and the mindset shift that needs to happen in order to sell your art.

In this very first episode of Badass Creatives, host Mallory Whitfield takes it back to the beginning of her own creative journey, sharing the lessons she learned from her experiences and why it’s so important to “Be your own niche.”

In this introductory episode, find out more about Badass Creatives and what you can expect from future episodes.