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- What
drew you to the greeting card industry?
- What
is your experience with rejection? Even after having established your
own line and company, do you still ever receive negative feedback?
- What
was the creative process of forming your own look and line of greeting
cards?
- Can
you speak about the business side of freelance?
- Is
there any piece of advice you were given early in your career that
mattered the most?
- Does
your creative brain ever get burnt out? What do you do to help yourself
regenerate?
- What
is the best part of your daily job?
- What
is your secret to success in such a competitive field?
1.
What drew you to the greeting card industry?
My background was Art Education and English and I had studied painting,
calligraphy and various forms of media. I began making my own Christmas
cards for my family and always enjoyed creating invitations and personal
notes for friends and family. When I was going through changes in
my personal life, I found that I needed to reinvest in a career. Rather
than go back into Education, I decided to follow a dream of working
for myself in a creative field. A friend suggested that I attend art
and design industry trade shows. She took me to the National Stationery
Show in New York that year. Although I was overwhelmed at first, it
looked like something I might be able to do – combining painting,
calligraphy and writing, all talents I enjoyed. I had a lot of good
ideas and I thought it would be a fun thing to try. After meeting
with a few companies, I had a good feel from the show. As well, I
found that I was drawn to companies like Recycled Paper Greetings,
who not only offered creative freedom, but shared similar values.
I felt my work would fit well there and it has proven to be a “match
made in heaven!”
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2.
What is your experience with rejection? Even after having established
your own line and company, do you still ever receive negative feedback?
I receive plenty of negative feedback and it never ends, no matter
how successful you become. Not everything you do is a home run. You
need to keep in mind that you fail more than you succeed and perseverance
is the key. You may need to take in the constructive criticism to
respond to the needs of the market and find the right avenues for
your work. It takes a thick skin sometimes. Your work may not appeal
to everyone, but if you believe in it and enjoy it, then it’s
worth the effort in the end.
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3.
What was the creative process of forming your own look and line of greeting
cards?
I attempted not to over pressure myself. I have always struggled with
trying to define “my look,” but have decided to work from
my gut and my heart to see what comes out. I’ve found that I
like to work in a variety of different ways with a variety of mediums.
Even though my watercolor looks caught on initially, I still enjoy
working in a variety of styles. Sometimes I worry that I have too
much “variety,” and may lose recognizable components of
my style, but I have heard from people on the outside that when they
see my art as a body of work, it holds together with a common thread.
Whether it is the color palette or the overall look, there seems to
be a quality that emerges as a “Signature Kathy Davis”
look. I encourage artists just to work as freely as they can and not
worry too much about forming their own looks. Once they create a body
of work, things will crystallize more.
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4. Can you speak about the business
side of freelance?
If you decide to work for yourself, be prepared for spending a lot
of time on the business side of things. It can take as much (or even
more) than the time you spend on your artwork. Spending time on the
business aspect of freelance is a hard thing to get used to, and not
for everyone. You have to be motivated, organized, and be able to
meet deadlines and willing to learn about contract negotiations. You
need to be prepared to have business conversations with people you
are working with. And it is absolutely critical to follow-through
with your assignments. Once your work is published, it’s important
to keep track of things, like being paid on time, keeping accurate
records, and handling taxes. I also found it was important to create
a system for organizing my workflow. The investment of time in the
business side of freelance can be more demanding than some artists
care to do.
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5.
Is there any piece of advice you were given early in your career that
mattered the most?
I happened to receive some very helpful advice early in my new career.
A successful artist from the greeting card industry once told me when
I first started out to “Never give up.” If you really
persevere and have talent, you will find work and make a difference.
Another valuable tip I received from the president of a greeting card
company was to keep a clear focus on how I spend my time. This is
especially critical as your company grows and you find the need to
hire help. You need to be the one to set boundaries and delegate and
empower other to take over. If you go into business for yourself,
you will need to invest time in other aspects that may not be related
directly to your art, but you can’t lose focus on making sure
that you strive for the “best and highest” use of your
time.
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6.
Does your creative brain ever get burnt out? What do you do to help
yourself regenerate?
Definitely. One beauty is that even though we do get burnt out sometimes,
ideas don’t run out; your well never really goes dry. The more
work I do, the more ideas I seem to have. To manage the flow, I keep
a journal and log all of my ideas so I don’t forget and can
go back and visit them later. It may be sometimes years later when
I am able to address those ideas. You need to allow yourself that
time to manage the flow of ideas. I sometimes bet burnt out when I’ve
been generating finished artwork for a long time or if I’m focusing
on the marketing side of the business. When it’s hard to get
the flow going, I try to detach myself to nourish my needs. It could
be going for a walk and spending time in nature. Sometimes I go to
museums or bookstores and card shops. Going to a quiet spot and writing
and sketching is helpful, too. The important thing is to “fill
your cup” again. Pay attention to yourself and your needs. We
need to do that as artists, and as individuals. We can’t give
from emptiness, so always remember to fill your heart and mind with
nourishment. Be good to yourself and it will spill over to others
in a meaningful way.
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7. What is the best part of your daily
job?
Hands down, the creative freedom. I also like the balance I have between
working independently on my own ideas, writing and art; versus working
with the team at the Studio. I am inspired by the artist’s work
and like the people fix I get from having a support staff. But I am
usually happiest at my drawing table or working on new concepts and
writings (especially while at the beach!).
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8.
What is your secret to success in such a competitive field?
The secret is that there is no secret! It is all about believing in
yourself. Finding work you love (so that it doesn’t feel like
work), being true to what makes you unique, accepting that there is
no easy formula or template – and being willing to create your
own, working very hard and fully investing yourself. Being afraid
but plunging ahead anyway, being self-disciplines, accepting rejection
and failure without giving up (you WILL make mistakes), taking risks,
changing and adapting when you need to, keeping an open mind to others’
ideas and being willing to compromise, accepting your limitations
and knowing when to ask for help, being responsible and dependable,
continually improving your skills, learning and experimenting, and
last, but not least, treating others with respect and kindness.
I believe these important qualities can apply to success whether you
are an artist, nuclear physicist, a landscaper or a stay-at-home Mom.
Some of the specific qualities that have helped me to become successful
as a greeting card designer are:
-
The ability to both write and illustrate my work (although some greeting
cards in the industry have separate writers and illustrators).
- The
ability to work quickly to meet deadlines
- A
sensitivity to people, their feelings, and the need to communicate
those feelings to others
- An
understanding for what will appeal to a large audience
- A
LOT of ideas!!
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