65 – Society6 Success with Brittney Lewis

Laura

0:06
Hi, this is Laura Lee Griffin.

Nikki

0:08
And this is Nikki May with the Startist Society, inspiring you to stop getting in your own way and start building an art biz and life that you love.

Laura

0:17
We are artists who believe strongly in the power of community, accountability, following your intuition, taking small actionable steps and breaking down the barriers of fear and procrastination that keep you stuck.

Nikki

0:30
Follow along with us on our creative business journey as we encourage you on yours.

Laura

0:39
As part of our ongoing print on demand series, we’ve been introducing you to different companies and marketplaces and we’re supplementing our own experience by interviewing artists with expertise in different areas.

Nikki

0:53
Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Brittney Lewis, an artist, photographer and outdoor enthusiast obsessed with travel, journaling and being in nature. Her colorful, bold work includes surface design, typography, photography, ink and more.

Laura

1:09
We specifically invited her to talk to us today about her experience with Society6 and how she developed her style, created and developed a successful Society6 shop during the pandemic, which has now created some really amazing licensing opportunities with target Smartwool and more.

Nikki

1:27
Brittney, welcome to the Startist Society.

Brittney

1:30
Thank you, so excited to be here.

Nikki

1:32
So we like to start all of our interviews with your Startist story, how you got started with art and your business. And for you especially we’d love to hear about the diverse combination of products, platforms and interests that make up your creative career.

Brittney

1:48
Oh my gosh, it feels like eons ago when I started. I’ve always been a creative person. I’ve been making art since I was a child. But initially when I went to college, I went for biology. I remember looking under the microscopes and being like, Oh my God, this mitochondria would be amazing pattern. Like I’m not paying attention. I’m drawing and like, I don’t know if this is for me. So I’m like naturally good at like science, but I just wanted to draw. So I told my mom and she was like, Are you sure like this is what you want to do. And I was living in Charlotte, North Carolina at the time. And we had the Art Institute of Charlotte. And I went to tour the school and they only had fashion marketing, they didn’t have fashion design. But me being young, I’m like, it’s fashion, I can design clothes. So, I went there. So I got my Associates Degree in fashion marketing. And I learned that I had a thing for graphic design naturally. So I had been using Photoshop since I was about 15. I used to be on Flickr all day and like, learning all the tricks and stuff. And I had won best portfolio, and I was like oh my god, I guess I am really good. And I had decided that I wanted to go to SCAD so I booked a tour to SCAD and I’m like, Oh my God, this school is amazing. This is like the real deal.

Nikki

3:23
I actually went there for grad school.

Brittney

3:26
It’s It’s amazing. When I when I was when I got there, I was like okay, this is the place. I want to live here. It’s so cool. So I went to SCAD for accessory design and jewelry.

Nikki

3:37
Oh cool.

Laura

3:38
Oh, wow.

Brittney

3:39
Yeah. So I got my bachelor’s.

Nikki

3:40
I took some jewelry classes there too. So yeah, so much fun.

Brittney

3:44
Oh my god, amazing. So I kinda developed some skills, not only in graphic design, so I’ve been using Photoshop, Illustrator doing vector work. But I also learned how to make jewelry and handbags. So after I graduated I was like, where am I gonna go next? I’m from New York originally. But I don’t like the cold.

Laura

4:08
We don’t either.

Nikki

4:09
We can relate.

Brittney

4:10
I just can’t function. So I was like, I could either go to New York and be cold or go to California. So I moved here in 2014 and never looked back. So I moved to California. I had a couple of interviews through SCAD and I ended up taking an internship with a jewelry designer here and I was in Beverly Hills. It was like culture shock. I’m like, oh my god, it’s so fancy. So cool. So I worked for a couple of small jewelry designers. And then I ended up at King Baby in Santa Monica. And I learned so much…

Nikki

4:50
What is King Baby?

Brittney

4:51
King Baby is a jewelry designer in Santa Monica, they make everything by hand. You get to see like from sketch to the final piece? I wouldn’t say it’s a factory because like, it’s like 20/30 people. But uh, yeah, it was so cool to like be able to like see it from start to finish. But there I worked in production. So I was actually the production manager. So I managed a team of about 20 or 30 people, and I had to make sure that we hit all of our shipping deadlines on a regular basis. And doing that I realized that I could really multitask. So I was doing graphic design, I was doing production. I was doing admin, I was helping with marketing, and I’m like, wow, like, I really like doing a lot of things. I consider myself to be a jack of all trades. And I was like, You know what, I think I could, like do this for myself one day. So a couple of years go by, and I ended up working at a design agency. And I started doing a lot of like, graphic design, and doing marketing. But I found myself kind of like stuck. I just felt like my creative voice wasn’t being heard. I guess I was doing more design of service and not really art. So I was kind of like stuck. And I was just like, I really want to like, make something of my own. And that’s when I started doing Society6 work. And I’m like, let’s just see where this goes. I didn’t have like a plan or anything.

Nikki

6:20
So you were just doing that on the side while you were working full time.

Brittney

6:24
Exactly.

Nikki

6:25
Okay.

Brittney

6:25
And there was like, no plan. I was just having fun, right making art for no reason. And I think that was like when I was having the most fun because I had a full time job, my bills are paid. I was good. And I was literally just making stuff for fun.

Laura

6:41
Yeah, there’s not the pressure on there that you have to like, you know, turn it into something to support yourself, I can understand that.

Brittney

6:48
Exactly. So I was experimenting, I was doing digital stuff. I was taking Skillshare classes. I was playing around with ink and watercolor, watercolor pencils. I was being influenced by all those people on YouTube and like buying all the things

Laura

7:04
Nikki and I know nothing about that.

Nikki

7:06
No, no, nothing

Brittney

7:08
Just like why do I have this? I didn’t even like you know how it goes. So yeah, that’s how I got started. And then it started, I guess, around the pandemic. And all that stuff happened. I was like, you know, I think I really want to like, see what I can make and see if I can like channel my artistic voice. And I remember around the time, I think that the George Floyd thing was happening. I had made the “More Us More We” poster that I made on Society6, and it got posted on their homepage, and posted on their Instagram. And like it just blew up from there. Yeah, it was pretty incredible.

Laura

7:49
So you started like dabbling in that in 2020/2019 timeframe, right?

Brittney

7:54
Yes. So I think I originally started in like, 2016/2017. I was like putting up random pieces of artwork. But I didn’t take it seriously until the end of like 2019.

Laura

8:04
Okay. And you not only do art, like I’ve seen on Society6, you also have some fine art photography, right?

Brittney

8:12
Yes. So a couple of years ago, I think I randomly decided to go to Yosemite, for my husband’s birthday, yeah. And I just really started getting into photography. I told you, I was taking those Skillshare classes. And I bought a camera and I was like, I just want to see where this goes. And I started taking all this landscape photography. And I posted it on Society6. And I think the cool thing, I think working in marketing and like working for a brand, you know, you really have to stick to like guidelines. And when I was putting stuff on Society6 I let all that stuff go.

Nikki

8:47
You could do it ever you want.

Brittney

8:50
I was like, brand, what’s a brand, I’m just gonna throw it out there and see what happens. And so it was really cool to see like what picked up and what did it and I felt like it really gave me the freedom to like do what I wanted. Because like all my portfolio, I was scared to post that stuff because it didn’t fit with anything. So I was like, I don’t know where this stuff is gonna go. So I’m just gonna throw it on Society6 and see what happens. And one of the it was actually a picture from the side of the road. I wasn’t on a trail. I didn’t do anything magnificent. And it went viral. They put it on the homepage again. So it was so cool. Like that’s one of my best sellers on that website.

Nikki

9:30
And what is that one of?

Brittney

9:32
It’s just it’s two trees and like the valley it was on the side of the road like Half Dome’s not in it, like it’s nothing like spectacular. It was during sunset. So the color and the tones like.

Laura

9:45
We’ll link to that in the show notes.

Nikki

9:47
Yeah, definitely.

Brittney

9:48
Yeah, thank you.

Nikki

9:49
So looking at your website and everything you post and talk about, travel seems to be a really big influence and especially being outdoors. Tell us more about that and how that fits in with your creative practice and some of the favorite places that you’ve been?

Brittney

10:07
Yes. It’s everything, it’s where everything starts. So originally, I also, when I was working at King Baby, I started making handbags. And I was like, you know, maybe I could like make a handbag company on the side. So I was actually making handbags out of cork. And I put them on at Etsy. And I was, I think that was around the time when I was like, Okay, I have to like, be on Instagram and have to do all the things. So I started traveling to take pictures of my bags, but then I started enjoying the traveling more than making the bags. So like, I was really getting into photography at the time. And like, whenever I came back home from a trip or a hike, or just visiting someplace, I was so inspired, like, I had so many ideas, and it just changed everything for me. And then I think when I noticed like I wasn’t getting the traction on Instagram, just like I do not know what to do with Instagram, like I was really trying, I was like doing classes, but I just wasn’t getting the engagement that for the amount of time that I was putting into it, especially investing in like the cameras, the equipment, trying to do video, like I was spending money on outfits trying to coordinate with the places that I was going it was so intense.

Nikki

11:21
All for the gram.

Brittney

11:23
All for the gram. But I wasn’t seeing anything in return. So I think, I stopped making handbags. And then I kept traveling though. And like I think that was when I started my blog. I was like I don’t know where to put this stuff. Because like, I was still working like doing freelance and graphic design. So we didn’t really, I couldn’t put it on my portfolio. So I was like, I’m not sure how to navigate being like, a multifaceted artist, like I’m not sure how to like package this. Because I can’t like send a brand to my website and be like, oh, yeah, I’m doing photography, too. But I’ll make you a logo. Like, it was so confusing.

Laura

12:00
Well, I have that same problem.

Brittney

12:02
Totally.

Nikki

12:02
A lot of us have that same issue. I mean, you know, I do also graphic design, web design, branding, fine art, more commercial art. And I always play with that, you know, do I put it all together on one website because it’s all me or do I have separate ones? So how have you handled that?

Brittney

12:24
It’s so confusing. Oh my gosh. So initially, I was doing everything off Instagram. And I think I had I think I called it Brije Accessories. That was my bag page. And then I had by ByBrije, which I still have today. And I was doing both of them. But it just felt so weird, like, and then just the time constraints of both. So I started to make my own website. I’m like, You know what, I’m just gonna try like blogging. I don’t know where it’s gonna go. But at least I can like, not throw myself in a box. I felt like on Instagram, I was stuck and I had to do the same thing over and over again, right? Like, I love so many things up. I like photography, I like painting, I like digital. None of this fits together. And like, I don’t know how to scale this, because I love so many things. I don’t think that’s how the algorithms work. So I’m like, I can’t do Instagram. So I didn’t. So for those two years that I was growing on Society6, I did not post and my business grew. But now I’m like, oh my god, I’m starting to get like these connections with these brands. And I’m like, holy crap. I’m not on Instagram and like they want to tag me and stuff. So now I’m like trying to navigate how to figure that out.

Laura

13:39
But you know what’s really cool is that your business grew and your art grew without you having to constantly post on Instagram. A lot of people think they have to do that. Right?

Brittney

13:51
Yeah, totally. But I think also, when I was on Instagram, I was comparing myself to a lot of different people. So it was just like I would be influenced either by a material that what they were using, or maybe the color pattern and I’m like, oh my god, like now my work looks like theirss and not even on purpose.

Nikki

14:07
Yeah, it like seeps into.

Brittney

14:10
Yeah, subconsciously. So like, I think tuning that out and really kind of just letting my art develop into its own signature style, it really helped me and just like focusing on that. Because I think when you’re, you’re trying to make your business be great and then also become an amazing artist. Focusing on marketing can kind of like… marketing’s so important, but it can just like change your entire course of your business. So I think like targeting that offer a little bit and like really like focusing on my voice, my story, what I’m really attracted to like, it just changed everything. And then I also realize that when some of the brands started reaching out to me, they said, Oh my god, I read your blog, like I’ve been to this place. I saw that you like this, like I feel like I know you. So I was like I guess I thought like writing those blog posts were like for no reason. I love journaling. So I’m just like, maybe I should just put this out there.

Nikki

15:07
Well, your scrapbook section on your, on your blog is what really… So I actually found you because I was looking for people to talk to about Society6. And then I found your website and your blog, and especially the scrapbook section, which is a pretty unique style I really liked. But

Brittney

15:27
Yeah, it’s so much fun. And speaking of style, let’s talk about your signature style that you developed. Can you talk about how that happened, where it came from, how you started… I mean, you have a very distinct style with your design work. Tell us how you figured that out.

So I like I said, I’ve been drawing since I was a child. And crazily enough, I’ve been drawing like little shapes and colors, like on my homework, since I was a kid. But I never realized, like how long I’ve been doing that until I started looking back at all of my art. And I’m like, all of my art looks like stained glass.

Nikki

16:05
Yeah, true. Yeah, I can see that.

Brittney

16:07
So like when I look at, like my old portfolios, and some of my projects from college, and like, there’s always a little bit of like, just geometric color work. And I think, I don’t know, it’s just something that like I’ve been doing and because I do it every day, I think it’s just become like a second language. And I don’t know it’s something very natural that I’ve been doing for a really long time. But I’ve been trying to incorporate like different things to differentiate myself because then when I do go on like Pinterest, I’m like, Oh, my God, this type of artwork is like very popular right now. Like, how am I going to make myself stand out like some of my favorite artists like James Jean, I can always recognize his artwork without his name being on it, right, just by his like, fine line work and just the flow of his work. So I’m like, I really need to, like work on, you know, what’s my signature line going to be? What’s my signature color palette, so like, really limiting the use of my colors, and starting to play around with texture now, I’ve been using Clip Studio Paint on my tablet, and I’ve been like playing with screen tones and like all of these different patterns just to see like, what sticks and how I can develop my voice. And my signature style.

Laura

17:27
So that’s interesting. You mentioned that you use a tablet, and the app you use is called what? It’s called?

Brittney

17:33
It’s called Clip Studio Paint, it’s actually a manga comic book type software. But all of the shortcuts are the same as Photoshop. It’s very easy for me.

Nikki

17:44
That’s convenient.

Brittney

17:45
Yeah, exactly. To use it.

Laura

17:48
Very intuitive. Okay. So you use so use a tablet, but a lot of people use an iPad, and I don’t think you actually use an iPad, right?

Brittney

17:57
No. So I only have an iPad, because I like to make cinemagraphs like GIFs on my blog. And there’s only one app that’s for Apple. So I gotta have to have an iPad just for that. Which is so sad because it’s a complete waste of money.

Laura

18:10
What does that app called?

Brittney

18:12
It’s called Flixel. Make cinemagraph. So like, it’s easy to make GIFs, high quality GIFs. So I love that app. But that’s the only reason I have an iPad.

Nikki

18:22
How did you decide on the the Galaxy and the Surface instead of using the iPad.

Brittney

18:29
So I’ve been like going back and forth between Apple and Samsung for a really long time. So like, because I work in the industry. Everybody has a MacBook or whatever, say I have a MacBook. But then when they took away all the ports, I’m like, I’m so mad. I can’t. So like I sold my MacBook. I still have my iPad, but I was so mad at Apple. So I went in like full Samsung changed my phone, got the tablet and like it just works. So like my phone, my tablet and my laptop, they’re all synced. So whenever I take a photo, itpops up on my computer, so like when I’m out like sometimes I go to like parks or the beach, and I’ll like draw on my tablet but my reference images are on my laptop. So it’s nice to be able to take a picture with my phone, see it on my laptop and draw on my tablet. So it’s nice that they kind of have that ecosystem that Apple has. But I feel like I’m like the only one to not use an iPad.

Laura

19:26
What kind of stylus do you use?

Brittney

19:28
So it’s actually like a Stadler pencil. I don’t use what is it called the Galaxy Tab pencil that comes with it because the nibs are no good. But Stadler has a nib like Wacom, so it’s like really good and it lasts a really long time and there’s no batteries, it doesn’t need to charge. It’s all good.

Laura

19:48
Nice. Very cool. As we mentioned, you have a pretty distinct style. I love your use of color. How long did it take you to kind of to develop that?

Brittney

19:58
A long time. So I had been like, like I said, like when I was at work or on lunch break, I would just be like, trying to draw here or there. I remember what was that book. I think it’s called Draw Your Day or Draw Your World. It was a journaling book, and it was trying to show you like how to journal and draw all day every day.

Nikki

20:20
Was that a Danny Gregory book?

Brittney

20:22
I think, I can’t remember. But I remember reading it. I want to learn how to like capture my life.

Laura

20:28
Oh, it might have been. What is your name? Simon Baker, something Baker. She’s got an amazing book about journaling your every day.

Nikki

20:36
Yes, Samantha Dion Baker, Draw Your Day.

Laura

20:40
That’s it?

Brittney

20:40
Yes, yes. So I remember reading that. And I was like, I was so pressed on time, I was working crazy hours. But I still wanted to draw but I couldn’t like, I wanted to focus on it. But I felt like I couldn’t.

Nikki

20:53
We can relate.

Brittney

20:54
So because I had a time constraint. I had a time constraint so I can do on my lunch break or at 4am. Because like, by the time I got home, I live in LA like the traffic’s horrible. It takes like two hours to get home. So I was just like, Okay, I could do this for an hour, or like, wake up early and have like, two to three hours. So I did on my lunch break. So I was trying to figure out ways to do artwork quickly. So I first I started with watercolor. Horrible at it, I I don’t have the patience for this.

Nikki

21:24
You can’t erase.

Brittney

21:25
I can’t. So then I started with colored pencils. And I kind of like these, I like like the how colored pencils make me feel, it makes me feel like a kid again. And it’s like super relaxing. But like the color and the texture wasn’t as bold as I wanted it. So then I tried watercolor pencils. So I kind of got the texture that I wanted. But again, like the coloring was taking way too long. So then I tried gouache because it was all over Instagram. I kind of I liked gouache a lot. But again, I couldn’t paint fast, right? Like, I’m just not fast. So then I started with my tablet. And I’m super fast. Because again, I first I started with my laptop. And I’ve again, I’ve been using Photoshop since I was 15. So quickly. I was like doing all the shapes and stuff started playing with Illustrator. I’m like, Yeah, I can do this. Yeah. So like, that’s when it started. I started playing with typography. I was just playing with lines, like just experimenting, and I got super, super quick. And like, it’s almost like second nature to me, which is really cool. It’s almost like another language.

Nikki

22:32
Yeah, definitely.

Laura

22:33
And you can take it with you so much easier than taking like, I don’t know, gouache or I mean, I guess watercolors are too hard to take, but it’s so much easier not to have to have the water and the pens and the whatever.

Brittney

22:43
Yes, yeah, portability is nothing. So even like, I had to take my little cousin to the doctor. And I’m like, I can just draw while I’m waiting. So it’s like it’s very convenient.

Nikki

22:53
It is it definitely is. So let’s, let’s get into Society6. So you’re still working full time, and you’re doing this stuff on the side, and you’re starting to post to Society6, and just take us specifically through this Society6 journey.

Brittney

23:09
Oh my gosh, when it first started, I was like, I think it like popped up on an ad or something on Facebook. And I’m like, What is this? Can you really make passive income? So I think I posted one random post of a girl with hair like me, nothing. I think I got one sale that entire year. I made like no money. Another year went by. I think I posted like a couple of pieces, but nothing radical. I think I made like less than $100 that entire year. And then in 2019 when I started freelancing, I had more time on my hands. I was like, You know what? Let’s see if this works. I think I came across Cat Coq. And I’m like, Whoa, she’s like living off her money. Oh, cool. Like, there’s no way. Let’s try it. So I started posting I’d say like, once or twice a month. I wasn’t like putting that much time into it. But I started doing it more frequently. I think I made 4 or $500 that year. And then around the time that George Floyd happened, I started like putting more purpose behind my artwork. It just wasn’t like abstract stuff. Everything changed. So I was like, wow, let me like, keep doing this. And like, I started, I think I tried a 30 day challenge where I was like, let me just see if I can like make one piece a day. And I did I completed that. I think I tried like posting a couple of those on Instagram, but again, no traction. But I started posting them on my blog as well and then trying to explain like what my concepts were behind these collections and things just really started to take off. And I was like, Well how can I turn this into a business because I felt like if I really wanted my freelance and my surface pattern design section to really like blow up I really need to like narrow in on something. So I was like, How can I do this? I don’t really have a social media following. I’m not on YouTube. How could I do this? So I was like, maybe SEO. So I started looking into SEO and like really studying Google Trends. And I’m like, I could either like crank out a million designs to say, or like, really just figure out what people are looking for. So I started using Pinterest and Google Trends and like, really like looking at what people are searching for on YouTube. You know, when you type something in and like the little drop down, box comes down. I’m like, Okay, so maybe this is what people are looking for. And then I think Society6 at the time, they started releasing blog posts about what the most popular things were. And I’m like, Okay, well, these colors are popular. Let’s put some of these things and my travel photos together and see what happens. And that changed everything. I wish they had analytics so I could see like, what SEO keywords like, got people to my site? They don’t.

Nikki

25:52
Yeah, that would be really nice, huh?

Brittney

25:54
It would be amazing, because I think RedBubble does it. I have no traction on RedBubble. I have the same artwork on Society6 on RedBubble. But I think it’s a different audience. Yeah.

Nikki

26:04
Well, when in this journey, did they put you on the homepage?

Brittney

26:07
So right when that George Floyd thing happened, I was on the homepage the next week. And then like maybe a month later, my Yosemite picture from the side of the road that was on the homepage. And then I believe they reached out a couple months later, and they were like, Hey, do you want to be on Deny Designs? And I’m like, What’s that? And that’s when they told me about Target. And I’m like, Target.

Nikki

26:29
Uh, yes.

Laura

26:33
So tell us a little bit about Deny Designs and what what artwork and products you did with them?

Nikki

26:39
Well, first for people who don’t know about it, tell us what it is.

Brittney

26:42
Yeah, yes. So Deny Designs is Society6, I would call it their wholesale portion. So they work with Target, I believe they work with Nordstrom and a couple of other different stores to take the artists’ artwork and literally put them in stores or on their websites. So it gives you way more outlook. And it’s amazing. So the only, so they do make you sign contracts sometimes. The percentages are different than what is on Society6. So I think on society six, we make 10% of each sale, right and kind of control the I believe the art prints, but not the other price. But with Deny Design, sometimes that’s different. So they reached out, because I guess they saw that a couple of my artworks were selling, and I signed the contract. And it was done. I was so excited. And it really like showed me that I could take this seriously because I was so like, should I like, I was freelancing because of the pandemic and everything. And I wasn’t sure if like, I should go back to corporate, because I’m like, I really want to like, count on my voice and like really make money from my own artwork. But I was just like, I do have to retire. And like I don’t know what to do.

Laura

27:57
Probably a lot later than when Nikki and I retire. Just saying.

Nikki

28:02
Wait, are you talking about how old we are again?

Laura

28:04
Yes, I am, I am. That’s okay.

Brittney

28:08
I just wasn’t sure like how it was all gonna pan out. Like, can I really make a living, a substantial living from like doing this art licensing thing. And then seeing all the courses that were coming out. I think I did take Cat Coqs course on Skillshare. She had a course on Instagram, I believe. And then she showed us like how she creates her artwork. And I’m like, Hey, we kind of do the same thing but she liked paints more. I was like, I think I can do this. I’m just not sure like how to navigate to get on people’s radar. But my blog has been bringing people in. So shortly after Deny Designs reached out, a woman emailed me and she said Hey, I came across your blog. I love your journaling. The CEO of my company wants to purchase like 200 pieces from Society6, and I’m like, Oh, wow. So they purchased 200 beach towels as their company gifts for Christmas.

Nikki

29:08
Oh, that’s fantastic.

Brittney

29:09
For “More Us More We” and Society6 handled it. I contacted, I think I went on their contact page. So I’m like, I don’t even know if they can fulfill this by this time. Because I know that shipping like you have to do all these things. And I’m like, let’s see. So I reached out and they were like, oh yeah, we can handle this for you. We have a wholesale division. We can get it shipped out to them on time. So I made a great commission off of that. But again, she said she read my blog. She was so impressed. And I was just like, wow, I thought I was blogging for no reason.

Nikki

29:36
Did she say how she found your blog?

Brittney

29:39
Pinterest?

Laura

29:40
Oh, interesting. You know, Pinterest is one of the best seo things I think to drive people to your own website, right?

Brittney

29:47
Yes.

Laura

29:48
So do you post on Pinterest regularly?

Brittney

29:50
So initially, I started using what was it called, Tailwind? I think I came across somebodies blog and they’re like, Yeah, use tailwind. So I just didn’t, again didn’t have the time because I was freelancing to like, do all this research. So I was like Tailwind. Okay, let’s do it. So like it automatically, like pinned stuff for me. And I guess it worked. I think Pinterest, I think is a little bit better for me. I’m an introvert. I don’t like taking pictures of myself. And then when like, I’m making art, it’s not like, natural for me to be like, Oh, let me like, make a video of me, like, it’s so awkward. Like, I don’t know, I think I’m old. It’s like, not natural for me to like, do that. It’s hard.

Nikki

30:39
Well, let me tell you, first of all, you’re not old.

Laura

30:43
Yeah, and personality types are all different. I mean, I’m, I’m a part introvert as well. And I’m, I’m not super comfortable being on camera. And I’ve kind of had to force myself into it, because I’m teaching on Skillshare now, but yeah, there’s that said, there’s definitely a challenge with, you know, trying to, again, compare yourself to what everybody else is doing. And thinking that you’ve got to like, figure out how to do the same thing. So

Brittney

31:05
Yeah, it’s so hard.

Nikki

31:06
Well, and that’s what’s great about Pinterest, because it’s more about what you’re posting than just pictures of yourself. And, and again, I mean, we’ve talked about this before, but it’s more of a search engine than social media. Your, your stuff has a much longer shelf life there.

Brittney

31:25
Yes. That’s totally true. Yeah. And I think also, when I realized that, like, with Instagram, you can’t search those images. They don’t pop up on Google. So I was like, Oh, wow. So I’m putting all of this effort, all of this money into these posts. And like, you can’t even find them after they’re posted. So that’s not good.

Nikki

31:48
Right. So so that was smart to focus on Pinterest for sure. So talk more about about your growth on Society6. So you did the the 200 corporate order thing?

Brittney

32:01
Yes, that was so cool.

Nikki

32:03
And did you think oh, well, that’s cool. How can I get more of that?

Brittney

32:07
Yeah. So once that happened, I was like, wow, like, I really, I was doing the blog more for fun. And then also, just to because I love so many things, I just wasn’t sure what to put everything. Like I said, I had my portfolio. But I felt like I couldn’t like put everything that I liked on there. Because it just doesn’t, it doesn’t make a brand or doesn’t fit. So I was like, You know what, maybe I should keep blogging and like, show more of my process in a way that is comfortable for me. So like, say, for instance, I’m designing on Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint, and like, I’m in the zone, I’m in flow state. And then when I’m done, I can like take a photo, a process photo, and posted that on my blog, that’s easier for me to do than trying to figure out how to put the tripod up, record it make a story, like, it’s just not natural. And I was like, You know what I’m gonna like, put all of this stuff on there. And then post on Society6. So my, I called it my creative rep, I really wanted to figure out how I could like, get the needle moving. So my goal was to get inspired, go outside and do like a nature walk or like, even if I was at work, I would like go on a walk on my lunch break and take a photo. And then that photo would be the photo that I would draw that night. And then after that, I would make a blog post and like say like, Oh, I was inspired by this African lily that I saw on my lunch break. And then post that on Society6. So like, I started doing that, and I started to see traction. And I noticed whenever I post on Society6, I get more sales, they might not be for the thing that I posted. But I see more sales come in. So I think it’s kind of related. I just like posted a whole bunch of new artwork and then I saw my sales increase as well. But again, it’s usually the best sellers that increase. So it’s really interesting, like paying attention to how their algorithm works as well.

Nikki

34:03
Well, I’m guessing that when you post new things, they tend to show the newer things when people search and then that helps people discover you and then find all of your old things.

Brittney

34:16
Yes, yeah, so Exactly.

Nikki

34:18
So posting frequently, is a good idea.

Brittney

34:22
Yes, exactly. That’s the goal. My my goal would be this year if I could continue and do things my way. I will try and go out every day and like be inspired by new place. It would be nice if it was like a national park, you know, just create little collections from there. And like, make money off of my artwork. That’d be so cool.

Nikki

34:42
Well, that sounds like a great plan.

Brittney

34:45
Right? Passive Income not having to handle like all the prints and everything. You know, it makes things easier. I think working in production and knowing how much goes into like, producing stuff. It’s just like that’s a whole job in itself.

Laura

34:59
Well speaking of national parks, didn’t you do a project with national parks?

Brittney

35:04
I did almost forgot about that. So, how did that come through? I remember, I think I was working at the design agency at the time. And I reached out to Parks Projects. So they, they create like T shirts, really cool T shirts, inspired by national parks and a lot of the proceeds go to the national parks as well. And I went on a camping trip with them to Joshua Tree, which is really cool.

Laura

35:32
I’m a U2 fan. So I love that.

Brittney

35:36
Really cool, awesome team. And then they had reached out to me and said, Hey, we’re doing a collaboration with Society6, would you like to participate? And I believe it was me and maybe like three or four other artists and we got to design artwork inspired by the national parks. So of course I did Yosemite because I just went there the year before. And it was really cool. They did a Forbes article on us. It was on the homepage of Society6, it was also sold on Parks Projects website as well. So again, like Society6 has been coming through.

Nikki

36:09
Yeah, definitely.

Laura

36:12
But what’s interesting in that is you reached out to them before the Society6 thing happened. Right? You proactively reached out to that that parks group. Interesting.

Brittney

36:22
Yeah, exactly. So I think I haven’t done much outreach to other brands, which is something I want to start doing. I’m so nervous to do it, but I’m going to do it.

Nikki

36:33
Well, you’ve already proven to yourself that it works.

Brittney

36:36
Yes. So initially, my goal last year was to like build a portfolio because you can’t like reach out to people and then not have work right. Now that I have a substantial portfolio and I know what’s been selling, I feel like now I have more confidence to start reaching out to more brands. And then the Smartwool thing came about which is so so cool.

Nikki

36:59
Oh yeah. Tell us about that.

Brittney

37:01
Crazily, a girl came across my Instagram that I haven’t been posting on. I started I think the last thing that I posted on Instagram, I was making patches, randomly. Patches inspired by the National Parks, I would take my artwork and then turn it into a patch. And I would make the patch.

Laura

37:21
Wait, make the patch yourself?

Nikki

37:22
Oh, you were making them yourself. How were you doing that?

Brittney

37:26
I was teaching myself embroidery.

Laura

37:28
Wow.

Nikki

37:30
They were hand embroidered patches.

Brittney

37:32
Yeah.

Nikki

37:32
Wow.

Laura

37:33
Those should have been $3,500 each.

Brittney

37:37
Exactly. That’s why this is a whole thing. But it’s been fun. I started making the patches just for fun. I posted them on my ByBrije page. And it was just random. I just said, you know, just having fun posting the patches. And I got an email from Smartwool. And they said, Hey, we had an interview with a girl. She said she came across your artwork and your patches. And she thinks that we should do a collaboration. Because our values align. They said that you love the outdoors and we’d love to work with you, can you get on a call? And I was like oh, that’s so crazy. So yeah, we worked together since I think last November. We have a couple of things in the works with Smartwool. I’m really excited to be working with them. But again, like, I guess posting on Instagram and your blog, I mean, even if you don’t think anybody’s watching, somebody might be watching and they might like recommend you to a company. So

Laura

38:38
That’s amazing.

Brittney

38:39
Even if there’s crickets keep posting.

Laura

38:42
And I love Smartwool. So people, people who don’t know the Smartwool brand, they make the most amazing socks. And very comfy Yeah, they may make other products as well. But I really really love their socks.

Brittney

38:53
Beautiful. And they’re doing a lot of work with artists, which is really cool to see. But yeah, keep posting even if you don’t think anybody’s watching, someone might be watching.

Nikki

39:04
Well, and speaking of your blog posts, there’s a couple blog posts I want to talk about in particular, because you have gone into, I guess this was last summer you did a post that was how I made my first $1,000 on Society6. And then just last month, you did an updated one and it was how long it took me to make 5k in passive income on Society6. So tell us about why you chose to go into that kind of detail. We love it when people go into that kind of detail and share their their actual numbers and things and a lot of people are afraid to do that. But then anybody who does, you know, it gets great attention and it’s you know, it’s great information to share. So tell us about that.

Brittney

39:51
Oh my gosh, I was like struggling to post that. I wasn’t sure if I should. But I remember like coming across Cat Coq. I think she was like yeah, I’m making over $5,000 a month from art licensing. And I was like, what? There’s no way. And like that really, like changed my, like outlook on everything was just like, well, maybe I can make money from my artwork because you know, when you take these jobs because you’re trying to like make ends meet, you’re just like, I have to do this because, you know, my artworks not going to do it. And I think seeing that, like, I think push me to like, really try with Society6. So I was like, maybe I can like, help someone who’s in the beginning. Because I think the first couple of years are the hardest, like, you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re not making any money. Yeah, you’re trying to have fun, but you’re also trying to make money. So it’s just like, it’s a hard juggling act.

Laura

40:43
It is. And I think that’s also when people tend to give up. Like, if they don’t get an immediate result. They’re like, Okay, this isn’t for me, it’s never gonna work out.

Brittney

40:52
Exactly. But I think if you stick through it, and then kind of like, analyze what’s working, you can kind of, like, get things going. And I think for me in the beginning, because I was working, I wasn’t like, as reliant on it. So I could like play around with it.

Nikki

41:08
It took the pressure off.

Brittney

41:09
Exactly. But now I’m still freelancing a little bit. But now I actually rely on my Society6 income. So like, I really do, like put in a strategy like, okay, so this month, I’m going to make this many prints or this many designs, or make sure I go to this museum or go to this national park so I’m inspired, because I do want to keep up the momentum. But in the beginning, I did feel like I was climbing up a mountain and then like, snow would just fall on top of me. I’m getting nowhere.

Nikki

41:38
Well, it’s really nice, the way you shared on your latest blog post, which we’ll share a link to in the show notes. You know, you have year 1, 2019, three designs, three items sold, $16 earned. Right, but then just one year later, okay, we’re up to 34 designs, 283 items sold, and you still made under $500. But you could begin to see the momentum. And then you know, you’re up to 90 designs, 964 items sold, and you made more than $6,000. So I mean, if you look from 16, to 475 to 6200. You know, those are really big jumps.

Brittney

42:26
Yes. And I was really super excited about that. And then I think I gained a little bit of confidence after they posted that Yosemite photo on the homepage. And I started looking at my sales, and I realized that you can kind of play with the prices of your art prints. And I was like debating whether I should change my percentage because I’m like, I am putting effort into this. I’m not just posting right, just a post, like I’m actually like, spending money to go to these places to actually just go get photos or either make artwork. So I was like, I don’t know, I asked my husband, I’m like, What do you think? Should I like make my prices higher? I’m so scared. Like, I don’t know, he was like, they value your work? What do you mean, right? Just do it. So like he like pushed me to do it. It was so hard. But I changed my percentage.

Nikki

43:13
So how much more, I mean, share whatever you’re comfortable with, but like how much? Sure did you bump it up?

Brittney

43:20
On Society6, the default is 10% for your art prints. And I think framed canvases, all the art prints.

Nikki

43:26
And is that what you started with was, their recommended percentage?

Brittney

43:29
That’s what I started with. And then I saw I was getting so many sales when I was on the homepage and I’m like, oh my god, like I think I can make more if I raised by percentage. So initially, I was like, Okay, I’m just gonna do like 25% I’m like, okay, that’s fine. So I think like one of my prints. Initially, I would make like, maybe like $10 from a $50 order. And then I changed it again. And now I’m going to change it to 40% and I’m going to see what happens. See if people still buy it. They were still buying it. So right now I think I’m at 45% instead of 10% of the sale.

Nikki

44:06
And that’s great because now you’re now you’re approaching like real wholesale kind of pricing.

Brittney

44:11
Yeah, so I it felt it was scary in the beginning but now that people are like reaching out to me for specifically my design style, it feels more like validating I guess. Yeah, but it was nerve wracking.

Laura

44:25
Pricing always is, pricing always is.

Nikki

44:27
It really is.

Laura

44:28
We tend to undervalue ourselves.

Brittney

44:30
It’s so hard like, and I think also I’m in this Facebook group called the Fair Pricing for Surface Designers, or something like that. But it helps so much because now that certain brands are starting to reach out to me I’m like, I don’t know like what to price for myself. So it’s nice to be able to refer to that and to see like what the industry standard is. And you know for where I am in my work. I’ve been doing graphic design and production for a really long time but surface design is, I feel like I’m still entry level. So it’s like, it’s kind of hard to kind of put value on myself that way, because I’ve been doing something else for like the last 10 years. So, yeah.

Nikki

45:14
So what kind of freelance work are you doing these days?

Brittney

45:17
So I do graphic design, I help with websites. I’ve helped a couple small companies in my neighborhood with branding and marketing. I do a little bit of everything.

Nikki

45:27
Same.

Brittney

45:28
Yeah, I’m all over the place. So I just go where people need help. I mean, like I said, I’ve done like graphic design for a really long time. I still do photography, but mainly like landscape photography. But if somebody asks like, Hey, can you take my like, portrait or something? I do it. But yeah, and I also like, look up like freelance stuff like on Indeed, and LinkedIn and stuff if I have to, yeah, I’m still I feel like I’m still in the beginning of like, my freelance, or what I say freelance. I feel like there’s two, I have my freelance service. And then there’s like art licensing? I feel like I’m still in the beginning of like, trying to push my art licensing to be like the forefront. I eventually want to let go the freelancing.

Laura

46:19
But you’re still also, it sounds like from your description, as you’re still able to engage in all your different interests, you know, all the different things that you enjoy doing. Even though you might be focusing your energies more on the art licensing and the thing that you kind of want to push forward.

Brittney

46:35
Exactly. Art Licensing, like just seems so amazing, like, it’s almost like too good to be true. It’s, like, do what you love from any place in the world. And like partner with these, like giant brands, which is so cool and see your artwork on product, like it’s like a dream come true.

Nikki

46:55
It is, it’s just a slow a slow growth that you’ve got to keep at.

Brittney

47:00
Totally.

Nikki

47:01
And spend more time reaching out to people.

Brittney

47:04
Yes, most definitely. I think that’s my goal this year. And then I think to just stop being so over analytical. I think I get because I think I am an artist at heart, I like I want to do all these things and like make things like mean something, but it’s like, my best sellers. I like the most simple things. Like a lot of the quotes or the typography work. That’s what sells the best. Or like the Yosemite photo. That’s one of my best sellers, but it’s like, it’s the most simplest photo. I think when you think about the stuff that people buy, it’s usually like very simple. It’s either to like, accent the colors in their living room, or like, be as blue as the rugs in their bathroom. Like it’s just you can’t overthink it. You just got to put it out there.

Nikki

47:52
Oh, come on, we can overthink anything, right, Laura?

Laura

47:55
Oh my gosh, I’m such an over thinker. But it was interesting, Brittney, because you and I talked previously before about your artwork in house, sometimes the things that you do the quickest are the things that sell the best. So you’re talking about simple here. And I think you’re pretty prolific because you can crank out work in an amazing speed from what you were describing. So I bow down to you.

Brittney

48:22
Thank you. I think just like I think I want to like romanticize my process sometimes, like when I see those like reels on Instagram of like people painting the most beautiful things and like, oh my god, I can’t even document my process because it’s so vast, but like it would not it would not be like that. I think more of the beauty of my process comes from the inspiration part. So I tried to highlight that.

Laura

48:48
But it’s still a beautiful end result.

Brittney

48:51
Yes. But again, I think it just comes from like what I’ve been doing the last 15 years is like doing Photoshop and doing all of that stuff. So it’s like a result of like doing that every day. I mean Photoshop, I know Photoshop probably better than English. I used to do like tech packs and stuff and like just be on Illustrator and Photoshop like all day.

Laura

49:13
So let me ask you this, since you’re such a Photoshop expert, and you put artwork on Society6, how many designs do you have on Society6 today?

Brittney

49:22
Let’s see. I don’t even know.

Laura

49:24
I’m curious. And then do you use Photoshop to do different colorways like have the same piece of artwork?

Brittney

49:31
Sometimes so it depends. So my process now, right now I have 149 designs. My process right now usually starts with my tablet in Clip Studio Paint. So the reason I like Clip Studio Paint is because you know in illustrator where you have to use the pen tool to get like perfect shapes in line. With Clip Studio Paint, they have a vector brush where you can kind of control how smooth it is, and I can get those lines really crisp and perfect as a vector really fast.

Nikki

50:05
By drawing it, not just adding points.

Brittney

50:07
Yes, no, like I don’t have to like, I don’t know, this isn’t very intuitive. So like, I’m able to like draw tree or like, draw my lines very quickly. And then from there, I can save it as like an SVG and keep those lines and import it into Illustrator. And then I know, you know how you can like edit the colors and like play with different colorways that way. And then I can bring it into Photoshop. And I can play with texture. I can play with color, Photoshop’s just like my first baby, I guess. So I am faster in there than Illustrator. But Illustrator is industry standard, so still got to use it.

Laura

50:43
Well, what’s nice about Illustrator too, is that for Society6, I know they sell some pretty large like poster size things too, right? Like the prints could go quite large. So if you’re working on your tablet, and you’re not starting out with a canvas that’s big enough, it’s going to look pixelated, right, when you increase it, yes. So working in vector allows you to probably to create these really giant, you know, pieces of artwork to upload, right?

Brittney

51:06
Exactly. Yeah, I usually start with like 9000 by 12,000 pixels always. 300 dpi. Yeah, across the board. I used to like, I wasn’t sure, because I know Society6 has like different sizes for like different things. I’m like, I don’t, how do I like just capture all of them?

Nikki

51:23
So just make one giant one. That’s pretty much what I do.

Laura

51:29
That’s good to exact 9000 x 12,000.

Brittney

51:32
Yes, the only thing that I change, or I have to make an addition of is the all over print t shirts. Their template is a little different. So you have to like actually make that one. But other than that everything else fits.

Laura

51:44
Yeah, I found that with the socks as well, because well, it depends on your artwork style. But if you have a directional pattern, and you put the one thing on the socks, then the socks are backwards. Like one of the socks is backwards. So it’s like they’re upside down. So I’m like, Oh, okay.

Brittney

51:59
Interesting.

Laura

52:00
I’m trying to get better at Photoshop myself.

Brittney

52:02
So yeah, I’m gonna play around this year, I think I’m going to try and play with traditional media, we’ll see how far that goes. I think I get impatient because I can do things so quickly on the computer. And then I know that like simple stuff sells. So it’s like, it’s like, my marketing brain tells me No, when I’m like, making traditional stuff, it’s hard for me to like, get into it.

Nikki

52:24
So one thing that I love to ask people who do so many different things is how do you balance it all? How do you juggle so many different kinds of projects? How do you, how do you manage your time? How do you manage your projects?

Brittney

52:41
Oh my gosh. So like I said, I journal. So I Digital Journal now. And within that digital journal, I have like a calendar. And I like to write everything out like the first of the month to figure out what I’m going to be doing. I had read a book, I believe it’s called the 12 Hour Work Week or something, don’t quote me. But ideally, it’s like, you take a day, and you consider it a week. So like, what would you do in order to make the most progress? And I was trying to figure out, like, what would get me over the hill? What vehicle could I use to like, get me over the hill, because like I said, when I first started, I just felt like I was going up the hill and then like, a boulder would just come down, would just be running. So I’m like, What could I do every day? Even if I had to work or even like if I had a medical emergency or something, what could I do every day, my creative rep. And that was doing the digital artwork, and then posting it on my blog. I was like, I know that I can do that every day. Even if it’s not like substantial or like the most amazing thing. I can do it every day. So I do wake up at 4am. I don’t post everything that I make at 4 am.

Nikki

53:57
What time do you go to bed?

Brittney

53:59
I go to sleep early. I go to sleep at like 9/10, I fall asleep super early. But yeah, so we go I get up at 4 and even if the artwork isn’t good, I don’t post it all the time. But it’s more of a creative exercise. Yeah, because I noticed that I get really quick with Clip Studio Paint. So like, I think last week, I went to Santa Monica Pier. I got this little like camping chair that like you can just take out really quickly and I’ll just sit and like draw, like digital plein air, I guess. I’m trying to I’m trying to get faster at drawing on location. But I’m trying to do this wherever I go. Yeah. So I think if you can like limit your, try and give yourself a timeframe of how long you can make art, you can still accomplish everything else in the day. So like laundry, dishes, bills, and still have the whole day to do all those things. I think in the beginning I struggled because I wanted to do art all day.

Laura

54:52
And can you do that without waking up at 4am? That’s my question.

Brittney

54:55
You can. Yes, I can. But I like I think I like the quiet time.

Nikki

55:00

Laura

goes to sleep at 4am.

Brittney

55:03
I think over time, I realized that like, there’s a lot of interruption. So like, my mom will call me like, during lunchtime, like, Oh, hey, what are you doing? And like, I lose my train of thought, or like, I have to go pick up my little cousin from school or I got to take the dog out for a walk, like all of those interruptions, I think, mess up my art flow. Yeah, so like, 4am is my time. So it’s nice.

Laura

55:25
Well, and I can understand that because for me, it’s usually between the hours of like, you know, 11pm and 3am, when the whole world starts getting quiet, which, you know, it’s just the opposite, because I, I kind of want to punch people in the face if they’re chipper in the morning, because.

Brittney

55:42
I’m not chipper, I’m groggy. I’m just like, there.

Laura

55:46
But I can understand that finding your time when you don’t have the interruptions is important. Yeah.

Brittney

55:52
Yeah, totally. And it’s I think it took me and my husband, we’ve been together like 12 years. We’re highschool sweethearts.

Nikki

55:58
That’s kind of who I want to punch in the face. People who are together forever.

Brittney

56:04
Yeah, but like, he knows. So I have like a little area in our room just for me to make art but a lot of the time he’ll like, interrupt me. And my thing I always say, would you interrupt Lebron James and a middle of a dunk? Why are you interrupting me? And he gets so offended when I’m like, Oh my God.

Nikki

56:25
I’m gonna try saying that to my dog. Listen, Rocket, would you interrupt Lebron James?

Brittney

56:31
Would you know? So? Like, I feel like people don’t take art time seriously.

Nikki

56:37
It’s true, art and just people who work at home.

Brittney

56:41
Yeah, totally. There’s just so many distractions. I don’t even work in my home office anymore. I actually bought a van and I have like, it’s like putting myself in art prison. I guess because the van’s small. It’s nothing big.

Nikki

56:54
You have a studio in your van?

Brittney

56:56
I do. Oh, it’s really small. I bought one of the rugs from Society6 of my art in and put that on the floor. I have a little folding desk thing, and my little camping chair that I was just telling you about. And I make art in there. It’s quiet. No interruptions. I can open doors. It’s really a it’s it’s awesome.

Nikki

57:15
You can take it all different places.

Brittney

57:17
Yes, that is the goal.

Nikki

57:18
So will you share a photo of your van studio with us?

Brittney

57:22
Yes. So blog posts coming soon, coming soon. It’s in the works, fairly new. But I’m trying to incorporate that, like just getting outside. I feel like digital work, you can kind of get stuck in the house or behind the screen and I’m like trying to force myself to get out. Or I have cabin fever from the pandemic.

Nikki

57:42
Well, there’s, there’s some of that too.

Laura

57:44
We all have it.

Brittney

57:46
Over it.

Nikki

57:47
So we just have a few more like really general questions that we want to ask you. What are some resources that you’ve just found tremendously helpful that you can share with our listeners?

Brittney

58:01
Let’s see. Skillshare like I said, I took Cat Coq’s class really early on and that kind of like introduced me to art licensing. I think I had heard of like Lisa Congdon.

Nikki

58:15
Lisa Congdon?

Brittney

58:16
Yes, she came across like other blog posts and stuff. And I was like, Okay, this is a thing. So taking that, like changed the game for me. Finding the Fair Pricing Facebook group also, I still refer to it.

Nikki

58:31
We’ll link to that.

Brittney

58:32
Yes. That’s amazing. I’ve also come across Bonnie Christine’s class. I haven’t taken it yet. Because I know that I’ve been using Illustrator and Photoshop for a long time. So I’m a little hesitant because I’m like, I don’t need to relearn this.

Nikki

58:46
Well. Laura and I met through that class.

Brittney

58:51
Really?

Nikki

58:51
Yeah, yeah, that’s how we got together, we met through Bonnie Christine’s Immersion course. She puts together peer groups and we were just randomly assigned to a peer group and…

Brittney

59:04
I was this close to taking the classes this year. I’m like, I don’t know. But I I think I kinda want to get the confidence to like start pushing my work out there. I like people. I’ve been letting people come to me, but I think maybe that class could help, I hear a lot of good things about it.

Laura

59:17
I would say the class is amazing for learning Illustrator. Especially if you’re a newbie and don’t have don’t understand how to apply Illustrator to surface design, you know? But you know, if you’re already an expert, you might already have a lot of the tools that you need, you just need to spend that time getting out there.

Nikki

59:34
Totally. Well, if you want to learn a lot more about technical aspects of create – because I, I’d been using Illustrator for years when I took it, and I had, I had taken some Skillshare classes to learn how to do repeat pattern designs. And I did get a lot like, you know, she starts off with the very basics with Illustrator, which I didn’t need, but she goes into a lot more technical detail about creating patterns and collections that I think you could probably still get a lot out of.

Brittney

1:00:04
Okay. So I might take that. We’ll see. I think it opens again next year.

Nikki

1:00:08
Yeah, it just I think as as we’re recording the registration just closed a couple weeks ago, week or two ago.

Brittney

1:00:14
Oh my gosh.

Nikki

1:00:15
Anyway, so. So those are really good resources.

Brittney

1:00:19
Definitely. And then I think, I think that’s it for art licensing. I think I just try to stay inspired. I like, watch a lot of YouTube videos when I’m working, you know, those silent videos of people just working, I think. Just trying to stay positive. I try. I don’t go on Instagram as much. Because again, like I said.

Nikki

1:00:42
Comparison.

Brittney

1:00:43
Yeah, so I try to stay away from that. But YouTube, I think is different. I don’t know, I don’t really compare myself. But I think I like seeing people’s processes and how they work or how they navigate different issues, I think can give a lot of insight.

Nikki

1:00:57
Well, I feel like sometimes Instagram is, hey, look at me doing these awesome things. Where as YouTube is, hey, let me teach you how to do some really cool things.

Brittney

1:01:09
Totally.

Nikki

1:01:09
It’s just kind of a different mentality.

Brittney

1:01:11
Yeah. Oh, and Elizabeth silver. I’m on her email list, reading her blog from time to time.

Nikki

1:01:16
We love Elizabeth.

Brittney

1:01:18
Yeah, she’s really cool.

Nikki

1:01:19
We’ve had her on the podcast, and then she interviewed us on her YouTube. So yeah, she’s fantastic. And she’s got some great courses too.

Brittney

1:01:27
Yes. haven’t taken them yet. But we’ll see.

Laura

1:01:33
So Brittney, what is one piece of advice that you could give to artists and illustrators who are just getting started with Society6.

Brittney

1:01:41
I think there’s the barrier to entry for society six is like, zero. Just start. See what works. See what you like. Like, don’t have a plan. I think that’s the beautiful thing about it. Like, just start.

Nikki

1:01:57
Don’t overthink it.

Brittney

1:01:58
Don’t overthink it. Literally, I put photography, paintings, scans of things. I just wanted to see like, what people gravitated towards, like really experiment and don’t take it too seriously. In the beginning. I think if you can kind of just kind of see like, what people want from you or what they’re attracted to. You could really like build something beautiful. Instead of like saying, No, this is my brand. This is what I’m doing. And it not working?

Laura

1:02:24
Yeah, it’s been a way to organically grow because you see what people gravitate towards? And then you do more of that thing. Right?

Brittney

1:02:31
Exactly. So don’t be afraid to be seen trying I think that was like in the beginning. I was just like, I don’t know if this is gonna work. But again, like, I think Society6 takes that pressure off, because it’s not like Instagram, like, I don’t know, it’s just easy. Just try it. All you have to do is hit upload.

Nikki

1:02:50
That’s great advice. I have one last question for you. Are there any questions that we should have asked you that we didn’t?

Brittney

1:03:00
I don’t think so. I think we hit everything. I think when you first start, make sure you still have a job. It’s gonna be crickets in the beginning. This isn’t a quick fix, or something you can do very quickly. I think I’m in year three. And I just hit over I think I’m over 7000 now. But again, like it’s something that takes time, I think people think that passive income is something that you can do passively. But there’s a lot of stuff behind the scenes that you have to do. It’s not really that simple. You have to put in a lot of time and work. But I think if you can just find one little thing that you can do every day, it’ll add up to something. So don’t quit your day job.

Laura

1:03:54
Good advice. You can build alongside it. So Brittney, where can our listeners find you online?

Brittney

1:03:59
So like I said, my blog. I don’t really do too much social media. So my blog is bybrije.com.

Laura

1:04:06
Awesome.

Nikki

1:04:08
And we’ll have a link to that in the show notes so people will know how to spell it.

Brittney

1:04:11
Awesome.

Nikki

1:04:15
And of course Society6

Brittney

1:04:17
Yes, Society6 byBrije. I post pretty frequently. So yeah, definitely stay up to date on that.

Laura

1:04:24
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today, Brittney. We really enjoyed this conversation and I’m really excited to dip my toe more in the water in Society6 and also to see how your career develops because you’ve got so many exciting collaborations happening. You do beautiful artwork and you I can’t wait to see all the cool things that are headed your way.

Brittney

1:04:46
Thank you. This is so much fun.

Nikki

1:04:48
Yeah, thanks so much for being here. We, I think you’ve inspired us both to… I tried Society6 years ago and and didn’t give it enough time to figure it out. But I think you’ve got have inspired us both to put more time into it.

Brittney

1:05:02
Yeah, just try to just take it like once a week. You don’t have to do it every day. It’ll add up

Nikki

1:05:09
To learn more about Brittney and read today’s Startist Society show notes, go to startistsociety.com/brittneylewis.

Laura

1:05:18
If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, we’d love for you to leave us a five star rating and review. reviews help us reach more Startist like you and keep us inspired to create new episodes. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next week.