Disclaimer: this blog post features quotes from an interview one of Creative Hive’s coaches, Alonda, did with Kat Wilmore, with certain parts edited for grammar. Head over to my YouTube video if you want to watch the entire interview.

If you’re an artist who sells your own art or paintings and you’re wondering how to make more sales online, then read this post below.

Let me introduce you to the incredible Kat Wilmore from PlantBasedPaintings.com. She has turned her passion for art into a handmade business that makes consistent sales.

Thanks to her persistence, she has found the sweet spot where she gets to spend her time with her family and create beautiful art that her customers love.

Now, doesn’t that sound like a dream scenario for any artist?

The good news is, you can totally do this too! I hope that Kat’s story inspires you to pursue a career in the art space.

Your art deserves to be seen, appreciated, and yes, sold!

About PlantBasedPaintings.com

“All of my work is colorful. It’s all nature-inspired, and I try to be as eco-friendly as possible So I don’t use any plastic with my packaging. And every order over three pounds plants a tree in the Amazon rainforest. […] I’ve partnered up with a company called OneTreePlanted.org and they do all the tree planting.” – Kat

A lot of artists are conditioned to think that “success” can only be attained if your art gets into top galleries in the city.

Back in university, one of Kat’s tutors repeatedly drilled into her mind that a lot of students weren’t going to make it in the art space.

It wasn’t exactly the nurturing environment an artist craves.

Kat, unfortunately, ditched her art dreams, thinking that maybe that path wasn’t meant for her.

Instead, she took on a corporate job and put aside her passion for making art.

That was until Kat had children of her own, and her favorite way to spend quality time with them was to draw artwork together.

She finally thought to give her art another shot, and just like that her story as a handmade business owner began.

Kat’s initial goal was to sell one piece of artwork. Just one.

She just thought that it would be amazing to have her art posted on someone’s wall.

The first artwork she sold was to someone who found her on Instagram. 

“I wasn’t driving a car at that point. So […] I went down to the printers on a bus, got one print printed out, then brought it home, then posted it. I […] didn’t make  any profit. In fact, […] I think I made a loss, but I was so excited that somebody that I didn’t know had bought my work.” – Kat

Even though she didn’t roll in profits that time and might have even made a little loss, the thrill of a stranger appreciating her work was worth every penny.

Kat rolled in a creative high for a long time after that, thinking that she might just have a good shot in this.

Getting Clarity in Her Business

Kat found herself at that familiar crossroads where many business owners hit a plateau, thinking that maybe this isn’t going to be a long-term thing for her, maybe making art should stay a hobby.

The uncertainty was creeping in, threatening to overshadow the dream she so badly wanted to turn into a sustainable career.

That’s when she stumbled onto my A Sale A Day Business Program, drawn in by the success stories and testimonials of others who had walked the same path. 

“I just thought, you know what, this is the time to properly invest in this and have somebody help.” – Kat

Soon enough, she decided to enroll.

Suddenly, the fog of uncertainty lifted, and she found a roadmap to her goals. 

The program provided her with a clear understanding of what steps to take next – a revelation that turned out to be the biggest takeaway.

“Thanks to the course, I do now have an idea of what I need to do to get where I want to be and that has been probably the biggest thing out of the course, actually. It’s just going from not knowing quite what to do next to having a clear idea of, yeah, I know what I’m going to do next.” – Kat

She added:

“I think the course just gave me a lot of confidence that I didn’t have because it made me feel like it got rid of a lot of that impostor syndrome because I felt I’m qualified now in this certain bit, […] like, okay, you are an expert tell me exactly what to do.” – Kat

Sometimes, it’s okay to admit that you don’t 100% know what you’re doing. You have your own forte.

It’s not shameful to ask for help from people who can tell you what to do next.

Alonda adds, “You have this skill set and you know that you can create and you love it, but then […] having somebody say this is how you do the other parts that maybe either don’t come so naturally to you or just are […] something you haven’t done before.”

A Life Worth Living

Kat’s journey took a beautiful turn when she welcomed children into her life. This was when she truly realized the value of her time.

The idea of diving back into the corporate world didn’t align with her vision.

She understood that every moment spent away from her kids was a precious one lost.

For Kat, being able to spend quality moments with her kids was non-negotiable.

As a small business owner, time is valuable especially when you have a family and you want to spend time with your kids and be able to create.

We’re artists, we’re creatives, we want to do what brings this passion about. 

“When I look back sometimes I just think I can’t actually believe that this has all happened and I get to do what I love doing and. You can’t really put a price on that.” – Kat

Kat loves the reality she’s living – a life where she gets to do what she loves every day.

“I’m grateful every single day. I get to spend a lot of time with my kids. I get to be flexible with things. And I get to find different ways of doing things. I feel very grateful to be able to do that. You have your own schedule to work on your own terms to be your own boss. There’s so many elements to it that are amazing.” – Kat

The beauty of being an artist and a handmade business owner is that you get to choose how to live your life according to what you value the most.

How to Make Selling Products Easy

Like a lot of handmade business owners, Kat started selling on Etsy.

A hundred sales later, she expanded and got herself a website to sell her products outside of Etsy’s confusing restrictions.

Her sales on both platforms were doing okay.

However, she realized that relying on Instagram to drive traffic was unsustainable.

Keeping up with the constantly changing algorithm left her feeling like she had limited control over her business.

Plus, the results were just okay, not the thriving success she has been working so hard to achieve.

So, frustrated by the unpredictability of social media, Kat looked for a way to grow beyond it.

“And you do feel like sometimes you’re just shouting into the void, aren’t you, with a gazillion other people. […] So I just knew that I needed to do something else. And Mei just seemed like the solution.” – Kat

With the help of A Sale A Day, Kat was able to create multiple streams of income. There’s Etsy and her website, selling in shops, and doing media outreach. 

“Instead of just having just Instagram, just Etsy, I now have a wider field to draw from. It’s just helpful because sometimes you are going to have harder months and so having lots of different avenues really helps.” – Kat

Recognizing the power of connection, Kat ventured into building an email list, maintaining a consistency that resonated with her audience. 

One of the biggest things I teach in A Sale A Day is the importance of having an audience that is yours.

When you have an email list, you can contact your subscribers directly and it’s a lot easier to sell your products that way.

“The reason for starting it was just I wanted to try and actually get to the point where I was making a sale a day because […] Some days would be good and sometimes I’d have weeks without anything. And then I’d really panic and start doubting myself and thinking this is never gonna happen. And [… Mei] does a lot of it into kind of automations and getting things set up so that it’s automatic, which saves loads of time. And I just got really consistent with sending out a weekly email. I put the email out, I tell people about it, I’m showing videos of me actually painting it. people come along with me in that journey.” – Kat

The best part about showing up?

“When it comes to actually buying the art and I launch it, then I got a couple of sales straight away because people were invested in that journey.” – Kat

Her growth doesn’t stop there, though.

She also started pitching to media and local shops, because of another thing I’ve been teaching in A Sale A Day: media outreach and pitching.

“The first day that I tried to do media pitching, I sent out three emails and […] out of those three emails, I got a podcast where they said yes. And I got a local magazine who came and interviewed me in my house and they did a double-page spread and they did it as […] a local newspaper in my community. That led to quite a few sales as well. And it’s free. Like, all you have to do is ask and they either say yes or no, but it’s free. And if they don’t like it, you either don’t get a response at all, or you’ll just get a no thank you. And that’s it. And then you move on and you think, actually, great. And you do become a bit more okay, that’s not for me.” – Kat

The thing is, pitching is scary, regardless of how many times you’ve already done it, whether it’s your first time or your tenth time.

But you do get used to it eventually, and you decide to stick to it because it’s the most effective way to get people buying your products.

So Listen Up!

A tip Kat wants to share with fellow business owners is:

“I would say as early as you can, I would try and get some kind of coaching in place that is literally a step-by-step coach that you can trust because I do think that having that has massively accelerated where I would be.” – Kat

Kat emphasizes the value of having a trustworthy coach who’s been down the road before.

The insights and guidance from someone a bit further along the path have been instrumental in steering her business toward success.

This mentorship not only accelerates your progress but also serves as a guide to navigate around potential issues.

Kat also added the importance of having a supportive community, one that she got from A Sale A Day’s forums and buddy system.

“Just having that support there […] is really helpful going forward because if you do get stuck, then there’s someone there to help.” – Kat

Conclusion

I’m absolutely thrilled to see the incredible growth and success that A Sale A Day has brought to Kat’s handmade business, PlantBasedPaintings.com.

And you know what? If Kat can do it, so can you!

It’s all about your dedication and how much you’re willing to make the life of a handmade business owner work for you.

Dive into this free workshop designed specifically for business owners like you.

It’s a fantastic way to get a sneak peek into what A Sale A Day is all about and start shaping the path toward your own flourishing business. 

Remember, your dreams of being a sold-out artist are within reach. I’m here to support you every step of the way.