If you decided to study art in school, I’m sure you’ve been told at least once(let’s be honest it’s probably more than once) that you are wasting time and money getting an art degree. I’m sure you’ve been asked how you’re going to get a job, how you are going to support yourself and how anyone is going to take you seriously without a “real” degree. Surprisingly, there are still people out there that think that artists can’t make a living out of their art. Well I’m here to tell you that you absolutely can. That you can (shocker) make art, love what you do and still pay the bills. .
Raven Hill, the owner of The Botanical Studio, is a perfect example of a bad ass girl boss who has overcome fears, shyness and doubt and created a successful floral design business that continues to bloom (see what I did there?). However, Raven herself admits that the road wasn’t always easy and that she had to learn a lot along the way to make her business what it is today. In this episode we talked about some of the lessons she learned that have helped her build her business and still love what she does every day.
We All Start Somewhere:
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 15 years, you probably are on all of the major social media platforms; Instagram being the big kahuna. These platforms can be great tools to give you inspiration, connect with other like minded individuals and keep up with friends. However, they can also been our worst enemy. As creatives, we tend to see others work and wonder “Is there work better than mine?”, “How are they so far ahead of me?” & my personal favorite “why didn’t I think of that?”. This comparison game is almost unavoidable and it can turn into a really damaging practice if you let it get out of hand.
Raven shared that she struggled with comparing her work and her business to others and started getting those fraudy feelings that we all know and love. Her way of combating those pesky thoughts was to remember that she couldn’t compare her journey to those people she looked up to who had been doing things much longer than she had.
Basically, you can’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. We all started somewhere and looking at someone’s business that is already 10 years in and comparing it to your business that’s only a year old will make you crazy. Keep your perspective and instead of saying “why am I not where they are?” just acknowledge where you are in your journey and instead maybe say “That’s where I want to be in 10 years”.
Tip: Go through your accounts and unfollow those people that are binging you down. Only follow people that inspire and lift you up. Remember, you control what you see on social media so if it’s not healthy for you, unfollow and move on.
Surround Yourself With A Solid Support System:
Raven shared that she is lucky enough to have a super supportive family and boyfriend that have lifted her up and cheered her on since the beginning. However, not everyone has that support system in place and sometimes they are even struggling with this who are supposed to be supporting them actually tearing them down.
If that is your situation, Raven suggests that you create your own tribe. If you don’t have a creative family around you, go out and find one. reach out to people over Instagram and ask them for coffee or drinks. Seek out a mentor that can help guide you and answer questions.
Now, I know that finding a mentor can be tough and sometimes it can be an awkward thing to ask of someone. Not everyone has the time or the inclination to share their knowledge and gifts with others. If you reach out to someone and get turned down, don’t take it personally. Simply thank them for their time and (IMPORTANT!!) ask if they can refer you to someone else who might be willing to work with you. Don’t skip that last step! You would be surprised who you meet by just asking that follow up question.
If you are still struggling to find a mentor, try a site like Mentorly. This is an amazing mentor matching site for creatives that can help match you up with someone looking to be a mentor. Then, down the road, once you’ve established your business and feel comfortable in your role, maybe you can give back and become a mentor yourself!
Why aren’t They Taking Me Seriously?
Young entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs, unfortunately have to deal with this crazy pre conceived notion that we don’t know what we’re doing. It’s crazy, I know, but for some reason the world still needs convincing that we are savvy business owners and that we are capable and smart decision makers. Raven shared that this had been a major struggle for her and that pricing has been her Achilles heel. When she wavered on her pricing or if a client second guessed her, she felt her credibility was damaged and that they stopped taking her seriously.
One way that both Raven and I have found to work around the pricing issues is to simply take the emotion out of it. Calculate your prices based on the component needed to do the service and then don’t waver from that number. You will feel more confident when your prices are based on a formula instead of an emotions and it will also help save you from giving out discounts when it isn’t necessary.
I use Jenna Kutcher’s Pricing Guide that helps you break down your pricing into a manageable, logical formula. Just me, follow this method and you’ll never arbitrarily hand out discounts again.
I absolutely loved that I got the chance to interview Raven for this episode and I hope you guys go check out her work because it truly is stunning. If you want to see the shoot we collaborated on you can view it here. the theme was Leather & Lace: Rock n Roll Gypsy Wedding and Raven absolutely nailed the theme.
Resource List:
Jessica Zimmerman- Business Behind the Blooms
Get In Touch With Raven:
https://www.botanicalsbyraven.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thebotanicalstudio/
