I have started yet another day job to supplement my income as a struggling artist. It always feels bittersweet, because while I love the stability of a part time job, I feel like I’ve now lost that time for my art and business to put cash in my pocket. But having this current 9-5 has been good so far. It’s not creatively taxing, so I have creative energy leftover for my work and it’s not physically taxing, so I don’t feel like collapsing on the couch.

I also feel good about contributing financially to the household to help put our family in a better position, so it’s definitely a win! I just hope to be able to contribute with my art business someday.

sooo i’m a procrastinator alright! I have been working on this widdle secret project for 2 years and it hasn’t amounted to much, but nonetheless I am proud of it and I love it.

Here it is in all its glory on Etsy! https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/LoveAndPeasArt My art is only available for digital downloads only for now, but stay tuned!

Getting your art career to go the way you want it takes a lot of work and effort, and I feel like I have always done it half a-ed so here I am trying to get over my procrastination and learn how to be a better organiser, and DOER.

It’s an innate human trait to want to be externally validated. It feels good to have someone tell you you’ve done well, but that kind of validation can only take you so far.

I have personally struggled a lot with giving myself credit, REALLY struggled with self motivation and receiving praise. All this because I couldn’t cheer for myself and give myself the self love I needed to make artwork that is meaningful.

Being an artist takes so much practice in self acceptance. You are exposing your talent to the eyes of others to be critiqued. It’s a slow journey, but you’ll get there, I promise!

If you have been wanting to change your business direction and not sure where to start, try cold emailing. If you are a student wanting to find internships or jobs, THIS is definitely for you too.

I have created a FREE spreadsheet template for you to collect emails. It’s a great way to keep track of who you’ve contacted in once place. I don’t like to use softwares like Hubspot for example because this could be detected as spam or promotion and go into a different inbox. Download it here https://merindadesigns.com/free-download

Join me through the entire process of painting two mural for Quinney’s Bush Camp in Nelson, South Island! This is my very first outdoor mural and travel job that I was so happy to get!

In this video I’ll be talking about how I found the client, what that the communications were like, design and feedback stage as well as painting and the hurdles of that and some travel too!

When I first started painting murals, I had no idea how to find clients, let alone my FIRST clients! All it takes is one mural to gain experience and a portfolio piece. You truly can only know about this art form by experiencing it yourself.

In this video I tell you how I got my first mural clients and how i priced for those first two murals. These first two murals really changed the course of my art business for the better and helped me understand that my art has significantly more value than I had ever hoped.

I’d love to share how I for my first full paying client next, so if you have any questions about that, leave them in the comments!

Every January I get into hustle mode. I think about work 24//7, dream of the way to expand my business and conjure new ways to create income. I'm listening to podcasts and watching educational content. Then February rolls around and that passion instantly fades. My ears get tired of the motivational speeches and my mind is exhausted of thinking and scheming my way into a successful business.

By mid-Feb I usually think that the year is over. What’s the point of continuing on with these lofty dreams, I don’t have the energy to do it.

But not this time! This year, my year starts when I say it starts. My motivation will continue on beyond January because I want it to. So that’s why… I’m sharing my 2024 goals, even though it’s May.