Artist post! Last fall, Kat French Design celebrated ten years!! We’re excited to have Kat joining us on the blog to share some of her wit and wisdom on being a creative. Woohoo!
HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY TO KAT FRENCH DESIGN! You guys, it’s been a DECADE. My little freelance graphic design business has grown up and become a wildly awkward preteen of a paper goods company! There have been a lot of highs, lows, change and growing pains over the years and I’m a better person because of it.
TO CELEBRATE I’ve decided that instead of listing all of the things that I’ve accomplished in the last ten years, I am going to list some of the things I have learned instead. The next ten days will be a glimpse into the old days of KFD and some of the creative entrepreneur knowledge I’ve been gleaning in this time.
I wouldn’t have made it this far if it weren’t for my amazing customers who somehow are on the same level of weird as me, my husband who has always supported me, my bestie who would drop everything to help stuff cards and work show booths, Proof to Product and Katie Hunt who are my compass in the product-based business world, and the amazing community of makers in Dallas who are always there to support, encourage and vent with…because some days I ugly cry. I deeply love you all. Here’s to the next ten years!
10 Things I’ve Learned as a Creative Entrepreneur:
1. Freelance Design – I think I learned that I shouldn’t be a freelancer. Inspiring, right? I did it for over five years and always felt a struggle between what the client wanted and what my natural design tendencies ended up actually creating. A lot of times this was okay and the end product was fine, but it created a tension in my emotions that got old really fast. My unintentional design aesthetic has always leaned toward colorful and thick designs and that wasn’t always a good fit for lawyers and real estate agents. So, I would have to dial back what my gut wanted to make so that it would be a better fit for my clients. After several years of this I felt ready to design for myself…but I had no idea what to make.
2. Etsy – Experiment! Etsy is SO amazing for new business owners. It’s a great platform to put your stuff out there with very little risk. When I first started on Etsy I had just decided to stop taking freelance clients and was ready to design for myself, but I had no idea WHAT to make. At first I made some kids stationery and it was okay, but I don’t think there’s a super strong market for that and I also wanted a more adult creative outlet. So, then I experimented with art prints then handmade journals. Those actually did well and I enjoyed making them, but they were too time consuming and I couldn’t make a profit off of them when I calculated the time investment. So then I played around with a couple of Valentine’s Day cards and had a lot of fun coming up with the phrasing and found out these did pretty well (I think I sold 16 of one of them and that felt like a lot). I also added some digital downloads and then kind of felt a little lost, but a few months later I realized on a road trip with some friends (even longer story) that I wanted to try tackling a card line and just went for it. Etsy was such a great avenue for me to spend that year experimenting. With that time I was able to “find myself” and figure out what the right fit for me was going to be. After that I focused on: developing a lot of different items, improving photos, telling my story and pricing right.
3. Aesthetic – I had to just keep creating until my style emerged. I mentioned the other day how my design aesthetic has always steered toward colorful and thick, but when I decided to start my own card line I wasn’t sure what look I wanted to go for. I drafted about 10 different versions of my first card (some of these are posted here) until I finally made one that felt very “me.” From there I took the look of that first card and carried it over to another 20 or so cards. From there I just kept illustrating more and more and eventually my line developed even more of its own look. As I continue to illustrate more and more cards I continue to find my aesthetic evolving. It’s just the natural effect of continuous work. The more you make, the more your style will emerge.
4. Family Life – I’m still learning to be okay with setting work down. The main reason I work for myself is because I wanted to be at home with my kids. This means my studio time is only one or two hour chunks while kids are sleeping. Usually this works really well, but every once in a while I find myself overloaded with new designs, orders and craft show prep. It’s in these seasons that I find it really hard to enjoy the time I need to spend with my toddler while a to-do list burns a giant hole in my brain. I have gotten a lot better at being able to put a project down, but sometimes it’s so hard. I just have to allow myself grace and, at the same time, think to the future when I’m old and wretched and know I’ll be thankful that I stopped working so I could focus on kid squabbles, spilled milk and quiet snuggles because those days will be long gone.
5. Craft Shows – I had a big learning curve at my first show where I had spent several months designing the perfect booth with my husband. I had made it to look kind of like a candy shop or bakery with a high counter and wooden walls behind the counter to display art prints. After my first show and only selling ONE art print TO A FRIEND, I realized I needed to get my prints out in front to the customers. So, now I put my wood wall to the side of the booth with prints all up and down that thing so shoppers can walk up close to it. This simple shift has transformed my sales. So, yeah…get your items in front of your buyers without a moat…and make eye contact, say, “Hi”, smile, let the customers be critical, try to hide your annoyance when customers take pictures of your work instead of buying it and just have fun.
6. Community Over Competition – Dallas is really special. There are a ton of other makers here and they are so awesome. I’ve been a part of the Etsy Dallas Team for the last 4 years and have had the chance to be a part of several awesome local stores that are run by local makers. These groups really focus on helping each other grow as entrepreneurs and artisans and I cannot emphasize how much this has been amazing for both business AND personal sanity. It can be isolating to work for yourself and I found I really needed those friends who were in the same boat. If your area doesn’t have any groups like this then I encourage you to get to know other makers and start a group yourself. Craft shows are a great way to meet other makers, but don’t just walk the show – be a part of it to earn some cred and comradery. It’s a game changer, I promise
7. Wholesale – When I first started selling wholesale I was terrified of breaking the rules. (You can totally see my personality type here.) I was afraid that I was going to do something wrong and totally screw up my first wholesale order.
Four years later I have learned that there really aren’t any rules. I mean, there are definitely industry standards that are best to follow for your benefit like minimum order requirements and payment terms, but outside of that a lot of shops are just making it up as they go…just like us! So, some stores will buy months before a holiday hits and others will purchase like a week before that holiday. Some stores will want to order online and some will just want to send you an email. Some stores want zip code exclusivity and others don’t. Every store is different.
This means that the key factor to success with each and every wholesale buyer is COMMUNICATION. If you’re unsure about anything with an order it’s so important to just ask for clarification and when, inevitably, you DO end up making a mistake just be willing to humble yourself, apologize and try to make amends with a special offer. After all, we’re all human, right?
8. Marketing – I really feel like I don’t know jack about marketing, but I think something I’m really trying to do is be myself and show my face more. I want my customers and followers and target audience to know me and to know what I do and why I do it. I’m not sure I’ve been successful in doing that, but that’s my goal nonetheless. I don’t have much time to pour into marketing and I don’t really enjoy the idea of making it so construed and in a box, so I don’t know….thats about it. Maybe I’ll have more to say about it on my 20th anniversary.
9. Product Development – I used to dive head first into creating new products without giving much thought to costs, inventory storage, packaging woes, etc. I’ve learned to be more cautious and selective with adding new types of goods to my line because I’ve seen how much space inventory can take up and I’ve seen product just sit. I’ve also discovered that packaging products isn’t a favorite pastime of mine. Plus, you don’t know how your audience will respond and you don’t want to be out hundreds or thousands of dollars on a dud that never sold.
So, to be more careful in my product development, I created a secret focus group on Facebook of friends whose opinions I value. When I’m working on a new product and I’m not sure about it, I post it there and get their input. It’s been really helpful and has helped me make up my mind on a number of occasions. Also, I’ve started asking myself if I would feel compelled to buy it if I saw it in a store. I’m confident that one question has saved me a lot of time and money over the past few years.
10. Ruts – Push through them. Every couple of months I either end up in a creative rut or I just feel all bummed because sales have slowed down. I have learned these are totally normal cycles in creative businesses! There have been several times where I’ve thought that I might want to shut down shop, but I told myself that I was committed and needed to keep going…and within just a few weeks I was inspired or sales had picked back up. I can’t discount how much prayer and trusting God to provide comes into play here, too. He has always been faithful and has taught me that slow growth is good growth for a stay at home mom who has tired brain and two crazy kids. Could you imagine if my business exploded? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to handle that and God knows it. I’m thankful that He knows me better than I know myself. But, yeah, I have seen a surprising number of businesses similar to mine who seemed bigger and more successful decide to close up shop for one reason or another. I have decided that I don’t want to be one of those. I really love what I make and I want to be in it for the long haul, so I have to push through the inevitable ruts. You can, too.
