Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Melissa (Melissa Lee) Shaw, Surface Pattern Designer, located in Placerville, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm an illustrator and surface pattern designer living in the hilly forests of Northern California. My business name is my first and middle name, Melissa Lee because I wanted my name to be attached to my artwork. I primarily license my artwork across different industries to be sold on various products or "surfaces." I sometimes do freelance illustration work, but I'm working towards building more licensing deals so that I don't have to do as much of that kind of work. I'm a licensed fabric designer with Riley Blake Designs, so currently, most of my customers are sewists, quilters, and fabric shop, owners. Alongside doing freelance and art licensing work, I've spent much of my time cultivating my love of sharing what I know and encouraging others to nourish their creative side through teaching online art courses on Skillshare, where I'm a Top Teacher to over 50k students.

Tell us about yourself

Like many people can relate, I have always loved drawing and any kind of arts and crafts. Growing up, art classes were the fun classes in school for me, and that never changed all the way up through college, where I majored in studio art and beyond that to now. But it wasn't until after college in the spring of 2015, when I found the online learning platform, Skillshare and learned about surface design and how to make a repeating pattern, that I really thought I could make a living out of illustration. I had never before felt so excited or motivated to succeed in a creative career. I had approximately a truckload of determination, and luckily that ultimately served me well, but I definitely had some road bumps along the way.

For example, in October 2019, I went to the fall Quilt Market in Houston, Texas, and met with a few different fabric companies so that I could show them my portfolio. I didn't get a licensing deal there as I had dreamed I might, and so I spent a good month or two feelings pretty discouraged and sorry for myself, but I eventually picked myself back up and started submitting my portfolio again. Funnily enough, the next company that I submitted to, Riley Blake Designs, signed me on as a fabric designer.

One of the things that keep me motivated to keep doing what I'm doing is the simple joy of seeing my work on products like fabric and seeing what other creatives will make with those products. It's a really wonderful feeling to know that your artwork has contributed even just a small piece of beauty, happiness, or self-expression to someone's life.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment to date is definitely signing on to become a fabric designer for Riley Blake Designs. Everything else after that feels like a bonus. It has been my number one dream since I learned about art licensing to get my artwork on quilting fabric, so to get an offer from one of my favorite fabric companies, no less, was and is a dream come true. They have been absolutely wonderful to work with, too, and I expect to continue creating fabric collections for them for as long as they'll have me.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

For me, it's definitely consistency and self-motivation. Like many people, I find it difficult to complete projects in any timely manner if I don't have concrete deadlines set for me by another person or company, and I believe (from past experience) that if I were more consistent with my art practice, this wouldn't be as big of an issue as it can be for me. I've started a habit tracker, and one of my daily goals is to "make marks/sketch/create" at least once a day. I decided to keep it as vague and simple as possible, with no time requirements, because the easier a task seems, the easier it is to start and accomplish. And I've found that most of the time, I end up spending more time drawing or creating than I expected to on any given day.

Don't get me wrong, accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes are all things I struggle with as well, as a self-employed artist, but I've learned a lot over the years and have reached a point where I'm managing those things fairly well for myself.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Remember your why. I like to gently remind my students and my creative acquaintances and friends to remember why we're doing this in the first place. It's because we love art, right? We love making art. We love being creative. We want to improve our creative skills, not only because we want to make a living but because creativity is rewarding in and of itself.
  2. I think sometimes we get so bogged down in all of the anxiety surrounding being creative, the worry of if we're good enough to succeed, whether we will be financially stable, etc. We get so distracted by all of these negatives that we forget the true why. Why are we following this path when it can feel so difficult and vulnerable sometimes? Yes, the answer can also be that we want a more fulfilling career or we want to work from home. But the true heart of it, the core of why we're here, is because we enjoy making art, right? And everything else stems from that. Try not to lose sight of the fact that you enjoy being creative.
  3. "Allow yourself to fail before you succeed" is my sort of career catchphrase and mantra because I think it is really important to remember that you will "fail" on your journey to success and that that's okay and you are never alone in that struggle. You will have career losses, and you will receive far more nos than yeses, and recognizing that that's a natural part of any creative career is super helpful.
  4. Remember the four 'P's: Practice, Persistence, Patience, and Perseverance. Allow for the ups and the downs of your moods and doubts and confidence, and be kind to yourself about those natural feelings, but as long as you always keep those four 'P's going, you will find success.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.melissaleedesign.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissaleedesign
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaleedesign/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-shaw-223b1a6b/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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