and she looked up

This episode is all about the risks of building your creative business on the backs of other businesses - namely social media platforms and marketplaces - like Etsy.  These are platforms where the customers and users are not yours, where you can be removed at any time and where algorithms are created to support the platform's goals - not yours. So, what can you do instead?

Alexandra Newbould is an artist who's work you know. As a Toronto based freelance courtroom sketch artist and fashion and architecture illustrator, her work has appeared all across North America on newscasts, in newspapers and print, online and in brand marketing campaigns. She joins us to talk about the challenges and rewards of being a freelance illustrator, tattoo artist and, her newest venture,  working as an event artist who captures special moments in people's lives.  

You’ve made or created the thing. You’ve put it on social media and your website or Etsy. But nobody has bought it. So how the heck are you supposed to find your customers?? Melissa and Heather do a deep dive into how to find your people - and how to sell to them without it being weird or uncomfortable - even if you’re an introvert or shy (or both).

Best selling Canadian independent fantasy romance novelist Demi Winters talks about all things relating to being a self-published fiction author - including the release of her newest book, her writing process, Book Tok and building community around her work, seeking help to take her work to the next level, balancing a private life with a public author persona and how she's running her independent author business.... as a business!

Gail Taylor left behind a successful career as an investment advisor to go all in with music - in her 50s! Now, as a Canadian songwriter, author, keynote speaker and entrepreneur, she's a passionate advocate for the power of music to inspire change.  Her new book, Curve Balls, is coming to shelves soon thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $10K.

Melissa and Heather do a quick recap of how 2023 went for them and then dive into discussing some of the trends they think will have a big impact on their creative and art businesses in 2024 - as well as some things that are beyond trends and are, in fact, here to stay!

Transformational Coach Geneviève Retzlaff joins the show this week to help us lean into change in order to have fulfilling creative careers and lives. Whether you're thinking of leaving a traditional career to start a creative business or, you want to ramp up a side business or, you've already got a creative business but it's just not lighting your fire anymore, Gen helps us through the roadblocks we tend to put in place for ourselves!

Inspirational speaker and certified life coach Sara Fisher joins the show this week to talk about the Law of Vibration and how we can use it to foster both personal growth and growth in our creative practices. We talk about the Law of Vibration, the Law of Attraction and manifestation -  and how they all work together. And just as importantly we talk about why you still need to do the work in order to grow and create change in your business.

With so many of this season's guests asking me off air whether or not they should start a podcast and how to get started, I thought it might be time to do an episode on the ins and outs of podcasting for a creative business. So today, with 140+ episodes in the can, I take a deep dive into the pros and cons of podcasting for creatives, and how to get started in 2024!

Going 'viral' is something a lot of small business owners hope for - but are you ready for it if it happens to you? Episode 146 dives into what can happen when you go viral - including two case studies and tips for how you can be prepared