It was so fun reading the
questions y'all had for me on my instagram post yesterday. I narrowed it down to a some of the most common questions i've been asked over time, so here's a little more about my boring ol' myself!
I've divided the questions up in two separate blog posts (pt. I and pt. II) to give you (and myself) a quick break between the tons of questions!
-How did you and Andrew meet?
(this was secretly my favorite question, so it goes first, heh) I always tell people it's not a very exciting story. But it's exciting to me! We met through mutual friends we both had recently made at my apartment complex in Utah. We became almost immediately exclusive once we met (or once he found out I wasn't crazy), mind you, I also had purple hair at the time. Bless his soul for sticking with me.
-What are your favorite places to shop?
I could never narrow it down to a few places because I'm a shopaholic - more like window shopaholic, though. I don't buy a lot, just more like collect over time. I love Free People, Zara, Target! (no joke), Anthropologie, I thrive off of little local boutiques to find unique items as well!
-How do you get your hair to so grow long and fast?
Well first off, it was not a fast process at all! When I was 18, I had shoulder-length hair and always wanted longer hair. I had also been platinum blonde for a long time and bleach is no help if you want your hair to grow healthy and long. But somehow, I managed over the span of 4 years to have the length finally to my hips. A big reason I stayed platinum AND long hair is because I never blow dry, straighten or curl my hair. Rarely brush, even. I just let my natural wave do it's thang every day! I'm very low maintenance when it comes to beauty, haha. Lately I've stopped with the platinum hair to give it a break and let my natural new growth take over in order to keep my hair healthy.
-How do you stay happy and positive when you feel down?
This is a great question! As most girls, I'm pretty emotional and sensitive so I can get pretty down pretty quick. A good way to lift my spirits is to remember how lucky I am for all the great things I've been blessed with in life and how I'd be nothing without those blessings. Also having a loving husband is a dang big help.
-Where did you study art and how did you know you wanted to start a business?
I never necessarily "studied" art a lot of my life. I did take classes when I was younger and did a semester studying as a fine arts major at the college I attended - but I would never say that's the reason I wanted to start my art business. I've been an artist since I could walk, so really it's all I know I'm truly talented in. Or even interested in. I always had friends and family ask me to make little projects for their homes and I'd do it gladly for free, until I became older in my college years. A light just kind of went off in my head and thought it would be fun to open an Etsy shop... and if no one bought anything, that was fine! I just wanted the experience to tap in the entrepreneurial world to see if I had a chance. It was definitely a slow start, but eventually I made it my full time job to fully focus on growing it to be a successful job. I still learn new things every day!
-What kinds of watercolors and brushes do you use? For calligraphy?
I wish I could tell you what pallets I have, but those were gifted to me years ago. They're on their last leg and I am definitely running out, so once I go to buy more paints, I'd love to share what brands they are. And I use Reeve's tubes. I love mixing tons of different paints. For my calligraphy, I don't use any special pen. Although I'd love to learn to use a calligraphy-specific pen! I just use a brush and watercolor for my wording. That's all I've taught myself!
-What kind of paper do you like to paint on?
Anything acid-free, hard pressed watercolor paper. The higher quality paper, the better!
-How did you start this "empire" of art and fashion that you've created?
Well first off, thank you! I wouldn't consider myself an empire because I feel like I'm just being myself on each post I make on Instagram. I think that's where it started - Instagram. I never meant to grow as much as I have the last few years, but thankfully people have liked me enough to stick around! I'm so flattered by it. I just post about the things I'm doing and obsession photos of my husband. I've always been interested in fashion and quirky style, so marrying a man who loves to take photos equals photos of my quirky outfit choices. He sees something in me, so he encourages that I embrace my ideas and share them with the world. Especially my artwork, because I create something new every day, I love to share it to see if it's something people are interested in & would buy from my shop.
-When you fail at a task, how do you overcome it?
This has happened a lot more than wanted, let me make that clear! Learning to make a successful business on your own is extremely hard and comes with many mistakes. It's also very rewarding once you find the solution to your failures. There are countless times I've failed at painting the right thing for a customer or printing problems (happens all the time) or getting a bad review from a previous customer. It's hard not to take these things personally, but instead of sulking, I contact that person who was unhappy with their purchase and fix it immediately. I keep re-printing all of my failed prints that don't turn out until its 150% perfect, even if it means I waste $100 worth of ink. It's a headache, but so worth it. Hearing back from a happy customer is always my end goal at the end of the day. Treat everyone how you would want to be treated!
-Some advice running your own business?
I'd say be tough, proactive, open-minded, professional, and totally be yourself. I haven't changed a thing about myself throughout this process and I think it's very important to be personable when communicating with new clients each day.
question game pt. II will all be answered tomorrow!
xoxo celo
