Logistics

Logistics - Direction - Relationships: the business of stumbling

Western Rose Photography

All branding images courtesy of my beautifully talented sister at Western Rose Photography.

When I started Lonely Door Creatives, I knew two things only: that I liked to paint, and that I wanted to paint for others.

From those two truths came over 100 paintings, projects, prints, shows, markets, and a business bursting at the seams. From knowing those two things, to where LDC stands today, there has been one constant: stumbling.

Business ownership is hard, especially doing it independently. Daily decisions accumulated turn in to a sprawling entity that is you, but is separate from you, too. It’s own… thing.

It’s those decisions I want to share - the ones that helped me, the ones I got right. And maybe the ones I got wrong, too.

Disclaimer: I am not a business coach, a boss babe, an expert - in any of these areas. This is my personal experience only, and these things may not apply to you, your circumstance, and your goals for your business!

Original: Fields of Fire

this baby has a home.

Logistics: Get it right the first time

Over this content series, I will share in three areas that have driven the growth, sustainability, and enjoyment of LDC. So - let’s get started on the Logistics.

Let’s chat start-up. There are two things I did, before anything else, that aligned with my values, personality, and felt good to me.

Register

I registered LDC under a trademark name. For this, I used Ownr - a website where you can file online! This is the first step I took to establish my business, in regards to logistics. Registering your business is region and industry specific - search registering small business & your province, territory, or state to get started! The requirements differ for your business, depending on your circumstance.

For many opportunities, I was asked to provide my registration. This included opening a bank account, registering for Amazon Business, and more!

Figure out your $$$

For me, this meant registering for a bank account, establishing Auto Deposit, and securing an accountant to do my taxes! I opened an account as part of a promotion on Ownr that returned my investment for registering, and then some, when opening a business account. I was approved for a credit card, which helps me to cover expenses & pay bills, regardless of what the month looks like. My credit card has been essential for my larger investments, as well!

Secure Supplies

The next step to establishing the logistics, was securing supplies. Early on, I found two primary suppliers who I commit to and work with exclusively for my products. This ensures consistency, allows me to set up billing appropriately, and takes the guess-work out of supplies - I know exactly what is carried, where to find it, and how to get my hands on it.

I purchase all of my art supplies from Delta Art and Drafting Supply local to Edmonton, AB. An incredible long-term staple for the art community here in Edmonton with an incredible story of its own. A top piece of advice I received while very, very new to the art of supplies was standing right there in that store, where an employee leveled with me that I should always, always use the same paper for my work. I even tried to cheap out on that for a while this year, and promptly came crawling back. Thanks, Delta.

I personally use Uline for packaging materials! I purchase in bulk, so the pricing model works for me. I have made some big mistakes in supply procurement, too - I’ll save those for the mistakes post.

So fresh

one of my very first shows & opportunities to show my work, featuring my portfolio series!

Set-up your Physical Space

We are living in a post - brick & mortar world. That means, your physical space can be anywhere that works for you! Personally, I need a lot of space, for the vast physical items I need to have to run my business. This includes a computer set-up, an easel work station, a portable work station, a laptop, a printer, a place to store finished work, a place to store materials, and a space to store packing materials,

My partner helped me clear our office to make room for a studio, though I do still have two wedding dresses currently taking up prime real estate in the closet, so I have spilled in to our spare room as well.

You need a safe place to meet clients, if you are doing so! As a general rule, I do mail or drop-off, unless with a client I know personally.

Website Time!

A website was a later decision for me, but an absolutely crucial one. While socials are great, websites are still a key factor to establishing legitimacy, consistency, and a brand protected from changes to social media platforms.

I used Squarespace for my website (obvs - hi Squarespace!) which allowed me the artistic flexibility of creating an online space that suits my brand, with a user-friendly interface. Websites take considerable time to build, contribute to, and maintain, so I recommend doing this after establishing your community, products, and brand to an extent.

I built my website at the one year mark, though I would recommend sooner if selling products! I am still merging product sales given that I sold for a year through Etsy before making the switch.

There are more decisions that helped, but let’s stop there for now! Next up on the journey is a little more exciting - direction. We chat branding, ethics, social media, and more coming up whenever I actually sit down to write on this thing again.

VANTAGE

V A N T A G E (5ft x 4ft)

the makings of a painting. part 1.

It has been a WEEK in my studio, working away at new commission pieces, running admin with my clients, mailing, prepping, and packing up to do it all again the next day. After a slow start to 2021 in honor of taking care of myself, we are back at it. To celebrate a return to the studio in a big way, let’s walk through how my paintings come to be, together.

Come on in & let me show you around.

It’s during my lunch break from work on January and my phone goes off. It’s a good friend of mine. A photo of a staged painting of a mountain range shows up on my screen followed by “do you think you could paint something like that?”. This, for me, is the best moment of all. As soon as I open the photo, images start flashing in my mind. My favorite ranges, paintings I’ve seen, paintings I’ve done, rooms and sizes and papers and - questions.

“Yeah totally I can!”

Can I? I mean, I haven’t really done anything like this before. It’s going to have to be big. Can I paint big? How? What will it cost? How much time will it take?

Mostly - what if it doesn’t work?

“Yeah totally I can!”

It’s one of my favorite people, someone I’ve known since I was 16. Someone I grew up with, from teenagers with no idea what our lives would look like to adults with adult jobs, and adult homes, and adult relationships. And baby dogs, but that is beside the point. The most important question of all follows - why not?

There is a safeness that sinks in, when working with someone who really knows you. A safeness that instills confidence. That makes risk taking possible. That tames the nerves. That understands the human element of the work. Being hired by someone you know is, to me, the greatest compliment - they see you, not only for you, but for the work that you do.

(Terrance - if you’re reading this, I always knew what I was doing. Never a doubt in my mind. Alllll under control. Not terrified whatsoever. Definitely did not confidently exclaim I could do it without thinking about if I could actually do it.)

View fullsize

Watercolor Ground Texture

And so, we got to work. It was settled - I could, and would, do it.

I strolled through the tight aisles of my local materials store, seeking out sizes that would work for the project we were going for. I needed big, and watercolor - two aspects that are not always synonymous. A canvas - that is going to work. How do I make canvas work for watercolor? Watercolor canvas? Too expensive, and hard to source.

Ah - Watercolor Ground. What is Watercolor Ground? In short, Watercolor Ground is applied to a surface as almost a makeshift layer of paper. It acts as a textured comparable to watercolor paper, in my experience. I propped up the largest canvas I had ever handled against the wall in my studio, and J and I took palette knives, spreading the ground and trying not to freak out at the gravity of the situation, being the very large financial investment in the materials, if it did not work out or we did a shit job.

The next morning, I walked in to the studio, and there she was. We did not, in fact, do a shit job.

She was perfect.

Now, time to hesitate some more.

To be continued.

I move because I want to.

Click to purchase!

Or something like that.

I move because I want to.

I have settled on LDC brand colors, so why not a graphic that is relatable to a lot of what I’ve been hearing lately.
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I’ve always been a mover (I type as I sit down at my computer after finishing my day job… but I digress).

I played hockey & football growing up. Then I took up running. Yoga. Hiking. Rugby. Weight training. Powerlifting. My newest - cycling. My body’s needs are simple: I move every day.

Knowing this very simple and straightforward fact took years of learning, unlearning, exploring, and frustration wrapped up in a very complicated lesson. What has changed over the years? My relationship to exercise and fitness, and specifically the quantification of movement.

I love the data. I love the stats. I love the weights lifted, the distance hiked, the kms/hr. I track to prove to myself, and others, that I choose to move. That I am committed to movement.

Why? To show I am “doing something” about my fat body.

In the past year, I realized something important - I’m a mover, and I move because I want to.

I no longer see it as a vehicle of punishment, a tool of shrinking, a box that I have to tick to be ‘doing something’ about my body. And, I don’t see my body as a limitation. I don’t allow that assumption, about a bigger body participating in movement for the sole purpose of becoming smaller, to ruin what I love.

I move because I want to. Because it helps manage my injuries and pain. Because it’s a way to spend quality time with my partner and pets. Because some of my favorite places can only be reached by foot. Because it assists in my mental health management.

And I realized that just because I love it, doesn’t mean that everyone does. It doesn’t make me better, or more dedicated. It doesn’t mean I have to ‘motivate’ others. Not everyone loves movement - and that is ok.

I move, because I love it. It’s something I often do alone. It’s a coping mechanism, an outlet, and a purely magnificent time.

In 2020, I had arguably my most active year of my life. I moved, every day. I explored new ways of doing old things, and tried things for the first time too.

Allowing myself to remove the pressure of quantifying movement and checking boxes allowed me to realize - I move, because I love it. That’s it.

Here’s to rolling all over my city this summer.

Survivor Series

Hi - I’m Court. And these are my paintings.

The Story.

I’d like to tell you about Kelsi.

Well, not me, per se. I knew Kelsi. I worked with her on various projects in 2020, both personal and business oriented. As all who met her were, I was inspired by her. I remember feeling intimidated, not by her spirit as it was kind and confident and brave, but because I knew the work I was doing meant something. It was important, in a way that had me strapped to my computer obsessing over details. It was important, because Kelsi was important. And she still is.

So, back to it. I want to tell Kelsi’s story, but I am not in the best position to tell it. I knew Kelsi, but not in the way a best friend knows another. Not in the way a mother knows a daughter. Not in the way a peer knows a classmate. And so, I have debated telling her story. Mostly because I don’t know I am the person who should be doing so.

The reality is, this series was born while Kelsi lived. While she laughed, and sang, and cried. While she was here with us.

Survivor Series is born.

The reality is, I told her I would do it, and that hers would be the lead piece. And so I will. For her, and for her mum, her family, and for Zoe, and for you, and for me. For us. For Kelsi.

Kelsi will have her own post for the series. Her story is one that needs its own highlight. Kelsi was beyond her cancer, beyond her physical being, beyond this series. And so I have a few people who shared her heart, her tears, her vulnerabilities, and the fierce resiliency of her spirit to help tell that story as the lead piece in the series, coming up next.

The Survivor Series

So, what is the Survivor Series? Well, it hasn’t changed much since that very first thought back in September. Presenting the full spectrum of the human experience by sharing stories of surviving. Surviving sickness, surviving trauma, surviving our experiences, surviving ourselves.

These stories are not about shiny endings or “it’s all better now” rhetoric. Life shreds you sometimes. And while we may persist, we do not always recover. Not in the way you see on Instagram, in movies, or in cafe chats. We don’t always recover. And not every hard story has to have a happy ending.

Oh - and survival is relative. We will not be comparing suffering. We will not be comparing our stories with the others. Your pain, your story, your Survivor Series isn’t Kelsi’s, isn’t mine.

The Logistics

In the coming days, the initial submission form will be released. While I will hear and consider all stories, my limits exist as being a singular human being with a paint brush and a large capacity for connection.

Depending on submission interest, I may not be able to include all stories in this wave of the series. I am more of a big idea person than detail-oriented, so we are just going to see how it goes.

I will select stories, will capture your story in the way that you are most comfortable with sharing it, and will depict it in an art piece. I may request reference images for the piece, and I may represent it in an abstract or metaphorical way. That will come as I take the story in, and allow my brain to create it. Again - we will see how it goes.

What I can say, is your story will be safeguarded to the extent you want it to be. Anonymous, or not. Including your likeness, or not. It will be shared, but how you are connected to it is entirely your decision. Informed consent is foremost at all times.

The intent with the project is to share it - both here in the blog in written word and in the art piece. To share it through social media, through print media, through galleries (maybe - if you own a gallery you just go right ahead and hit that email button).

To share. To free the shame of hiding our vulnerabilities behind carefully crafted captions and transformation photos and stories of “coming out the other side”.

Well, that’s enough reading. More to come.

Let’s Manifest…

DRIED - Original. For Sale in my Shop!

Or something like that.

We are barreling toward 2021, my friends. These precious couch days before January are for resting. And resting is for overthinking. So, let’s overthink together.

We defined success differently in 2020. For many businesses and individuals, success was survival this year. And for many - it meant a huge holiday season thanks to the shift toward investing in our local small businesses (thank-you, customers - we love you!)

As we rest, relax, and if you’re like me, close the doors to the studio for an extended period of time, it is natural to reflect on 2020 & plan for 2021. As you know if you’ve followed along with me for a while, I believe that relationships along with product are the key element to good business. So, let’s chat relationships!

DRIED - Original. For Sale in my Shop!

I’m going to be pointed here - I want to work with the following this year:

• Framing Company - I’d love to forge a long-term relationship with a local framing company.

• Florist/Greenhouse - a Florist, greenhouse, or plant seller is top of my list of businesses to collaborate with this year through Creative Consulting. Curating a branding package, logo, or other marketing materials.

• Potter or Ceramist - I would like to work with a local potter to bring my designs to the product realm in a way that feels authentic, and functional, to me.

• Creatives interested in commercial clientele

My intent behind these collaborations is the following:

• Framing Company - Presenting my Originals series as a complete product for shows & clients, particularly commercial clients. Providing framing options for my print clients.

• Florist/Greenhouse - As I develop my style and focus deeply on advancing my skills in my particular specialty, I want to work with a business centered around it - plants! Collaborating with commercial clients is a big goal for 2021.

• Potter or Ceramist - I want to enter the product realm with my designs & art. I want to focus on functional home products that are enduring, thoughtfully created, and can be collected.

• Creatives - I intend to build on to my Creative Consulting platform to widen the range of products LDC can offer to small business clientele. If you are interested in becoming part of the team offering services, please contact me directly!

LDC will be releasing our Creative Consulting services in 2021 & we are so looking forward to working with our small business friends to enhance the visuals & design behind their product & service delivery.

Who do you want to collaborate with, and what is your intent with this collaboration? Maybe you’re here because that’s me - let’s connect & create!

You can’t make friends in business

Yes, I’m a fat artist. Nice to meet you!

And other lies you’ve been told.

You’ve heard it all. The importance of branding and putting your why at the centre of it. Speak, but not too much. Post, but not too much. Be relatable -- but certainly not too much.

Business is transactional, and it is changing. Note how many people you know are shopping local this season? Moving away from mass-produced goods toward personalized gifting that adds value, sentiment, even nostalgia. We are changing - and most of us don’t even know it. We’re more willing, and likely, to pay a higher price for a product that makes a difference - for the recipient, or for the seller.

The heart of business is changing - from transactional, to relational. And I’m here for it.

Fields of Fire, Original

Now let’s be honest with ourselves and others - my business benefits from this shift, and we use it in our branding! Buy personal, buy relational, buy… and while this branding helps us to make sales and continue to bring accessible art in to homes, it is also the heart of our business.

At the heart of our why is art and design as a means of giving and building community - and we have accomplished just that. Not only have we made friends, but we’ve kept them. Repeat clients, referrals... LDC has lived on through a difficult year in large part thanks to the relationships we’ve built, and maintain. You invest in your relationships. You support your friends. You trade goods and services. You answer the phone when you’re needed (but please don’t text me because I may never respond - my mum says I should try harder at this in 2021). Businesses flourish when your community relations are at their strongest - with your clients, and with other businesses.

OK now I’m rambling but you get it. that’s what this blog is for anyhow. So, for our small business friends with nothing but your product, time, and support to give - your relationships are invaluable. Cultivate them. Grow them. Maintain them. And not for the sake of the transaction - transactional business behaviors even when disguised as relational, are still transactional, and will be seen as such.

Be relational in nature. Show us who you are, what you have to offer, and more importantly what you have to give. Show us your heart, and show up. Stand behind that heart. You don’t have to be perfect for us - you just have to be willing to give and take a little.

Here’s to the next phase of business & here’s to all of the friends we haven’t yet met. Send us an email, even just to say hello - we’d love to know you.

Do what you love…

5 am Studio Time

Do what you love, and you’ll never be alone again.

Nothing could have prepared me for doing something I love. Yes, I’ve had many loves in my life; ice hockey, winter, dark chocolate - but none of them have prepared me for this.

I guess introductions are in order - I’m Court. Owner, Visual Artist, frantic business operator and occassional crier. Nice to, kind of, meet you, and welcome to my space.

So, let’s talk business. Lonely Door Creatives was born out of an inspiration fever when, get this, I had too much time on my hands. I’m not sure what was going on then, but it may have something to do with this venture, that I haven’t experienced that feeling since.

We will tell the story of Lonely Door Creatives soon. For now, I want to talk about doing what you love. I am a notorious lover of things - I am the jump out of bed on a Sunday morning with 17 plans and no map kind of person, to the dismay of my partner, I’m sure. I love action, adventure, celebration, food, events, and being busy. And the love I have for this business outweighs it all.

Fern, B&W, Print

Things I didn’t expect when I started this venture:

• Losing THIS much sleep. Not because I have too much work to do, although also that, but because I am excited in a way I haven’t been, maybe ever. Excited about new ideas, new potential, new relationships and friendships and community. And at the heart of it - new art.

• Forging Community. An introverted fear of strangers, won’t pick up the phone in a personal setting type, I am what is referred to as an expressive introvert. Professionally, you would never know - and that has transferred to this business. I’ve taken chances, forged relationships, and become involved in my community in a way that was wholly unexpected, for someone who spent five years in this city mostly alone.

• Improvement. The art - at the heart of all of this, is my longest-standing skill, aside from possibly my comedic gift (right, mom?). A skill I trained for my entire life, a skill I did not anticipate would ever be used in a business setting. A skill I took a leap of faith on, and have committed to since. The commitment has paid off, in the work, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue developing it.

• Loving it.

That last one - that’s the big one. The passion, committment, excitement, anticipation, drive that I experience about my business is an unparrelleled passion. And when I say I’m passionate… it’s an understatement.

I didn’t expect to love it - not this much. Not so much that I am sitting here in my studio at 5:00 am, because I had an idea and can’t get back to sleep. Not so much that not a second has been wasted this year, and not once have I resented it yet. Not so much that it would change the way I see, me.

Giving, connecting, and maintaining sustainable relationships with my community is my greatest sense of purpose, and I have found the vehicle to do just that. Do what you love - and you’ll never be alone again. Owning your heart business is relational - an exchange of your resources, to build an entity infused with you, but that exists outside of you, too.

Have you found what you love yet? I can’t wait to hear about it.