I find selling easy, but it has nothing to do with my “ability to sell”. I’m not a good sales person. I’d hate doing a sales job for a living. But I happen to do a lot of other things that remove all the pressure from the sales conversation. I do the hard work in the marketing stage, so that I’d have less work to do in the sales stage. Read more...
I love adding black backgrounds, borders, or other large areas of black to my artwork! In the past I mostly used India ink because it’s affordable, easy to use, and easy to find in stores. But now I'm curious if I can find something better. I tested and compared 14 different mediums and found my new favorite! Read more...
I recently completed my recycled sketchbook that I've been using for messy mixed media experiments. I originally used this notebook as my intention journal, and then painted or collaged over the text and turned it into an anti-perfectionist mixed media “junk journal”. It's a great way to use a notebook that would otherwise end up in the trash! Read more...
The first time you get a challenging question will always feel uncomfortable, and you’ll probably say something you’ll regret later. But that interaction is a valuable lesson, and the trick is to get prepared for the next time someone asks you the same question—because there will definitely be a next time. Here are my polite, no-nonsense answers to questions about pricing, free work, discounts, extra revisions, scope creep, NDA-s and other things that make you sweat. Read more...
In this episode of Nela's Art Chat I’m sharing a Neocolor II water-soluble pastel drawing process of a stylized red-haired lady in my sketchbook, while talking about balancing the roles of artist and content creator on social media. There used to be a clear distinction between producing creative work, and publishing or promoting it. Now there is an expectation that we need to keep people engaged in between big releases, while creating said big releases at the same time. This is a significant burden on creatives. Read more...
The usual answer to this question is “it depends”, and this drives business owners mad. In this article, I explain exactly what it depends on, and share details on timelines in my own logo design process. Read more...
There were always differences between artists with more means and those on a very tight budget. But in the internet age, we can literally see each others’ paint palettes from across the globe, and it breeds a green-eyed monster called the art supply envy. If you're experiencing it as well, in this episode of Nela's Art Chat I'm sharing some tips how to deal with it, while I'm drawing this cute fantasy kitten with watercolors, colored pencils, and ink. Read more...
If your market is saturated by competitors, and you can tell you’re losing clients to other (perhaps cheaper) businesses, you need to stand out in a meaningful way. While it may seem counterintuitive that aiming for a smaller market segment would bring in more business, it actually works because it gives you an edge over generalist competitors. Read more...
Who gets to say whether a design is “good” or “bad”? What are the objective criteria we can use to evaluate the work? Is it appropriate for clients to dictate design decisions, or should it be left up to the experts? In this article, I’ll point out some of the objective and subjective sides of design, and how to make the best of both. Read more...
Have you created any dark art, and are a bit confused because you don’t know where these spooky images are coming from? Or is your loved one creating dark art and you’re worried about their mental health? In this video I’ll help you make sense of dark, spooky, creepy, gory, and macabre art and explain why some people find it so appealing. Read more...
I recently completed this 132-page sketchbook that I've been using since 2016, so it's time for another tour video! This ended up being one of my favorites, filled with fantasy portraits, quirky portraits, floral portraits... you get it, a lot of portraits. There's also animal and landscape studies, as well as abstract-ish mixed media experiments and a healthy helping of doodles. Read more...
In this episode of Nela’s Art Chat I’m sharing the process of creating a mixed media self-portrait, and discuss how creativity and the arts can improve our mental health and help us maintain a healthy outlook on life, give meaning to our life, and help us deal with daily challenges and grief. I would love for more people to learn about this power of creativity that anyone can use in their life. Read more...
The habit of turning to outside sources every time we need an answer trains us to lose trust in our own judgement. It’s great to have mentors and teachers, but at the same time we need to be able to trust ourselves. So what’s the alternative? How do we find our own answers and become empowered decision makers? Let me share my secret tool with you. Except it’s not a secret. Read more...
Branding can be a significant financial investment and as savvy small business owners we need to ask ourselves: is it worth it? Will we actually receive enough of a financial benefit to justify that cost? In this article I explain how branding can encourage clients to see our business as a better choice, and share an exercise to help you see where you may be losing clients. Read more...
How is it that sometimes I can be so full of inspiration and drive to create, but other times I can’t even get myself off the couch? Why is it so difficult to remain in the state of forward momentum? How could I reinvigorate that creative spark after the fire has died out? I’ve tried to answer all of these questions, and more, in this essay. Read more...
I'm tired of seeing misleading claims that multi-level marketing companies are spreading about business, so I want to raise awareness of how damaging those myths are. Starting a small business from scratch is many times more likely to lead to profits than joining an MLM, and the small business ecosystem is way more supportive than any MLM team. Read more...
How can service based business owners convince clients to hire us, instead of someone else? One of the most persuasive ways is to claim an expertise in a narrow field. In this article I’ll explain what it takes to be an expert, and how to demonstrate your expertise to your clients. Read more...
Use this free tool to quickly figure out which parts of your brand are the strongest, and which ones are the weakest and need more work – in under 5 minutes! By fixing up your weakest points, you’ll raise the overall impact of your entire brand. Read more...
It’s common among logo designers to present 3 concepts to the client, so they can choose the one they like the most. I’ve even seen this taught in design schools and courses. I don’t offer multiple logo design concepts to my clients—I show them one, and then we discuss whether it works for the business or not, and if something needs to be changed. This may not work for every designer, but I’ll explain why the “one concept, one revision” approach works for me and my clients. Read more...
Creatives and consultants try to stand out from their peers by claiming to have rare skills and specialized knowledge, but that is only one part of the professional service equation. How we package, explain, and deliver our skills and knowledge makes a difference between the average consultant and a highly reputable consultant. Here's how to blow your clients' minds with professionalism and expertise that shoots beyond their expectations. Read more...
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