Smart Creative Women with Monica Lee

I have been obsessed with calligraphy and hand lettering lately. When I ran across Molly’s Jacques Introduction to the Art of Modern Calligraphy on Skillshare, I realized I had been seeing her work everywhere, on some of Sugar Paper’s stationery and at Great Lakes Lettering.  It was so nice to put a (pretty) face to  pretty work. I also was blown away when she said that when she began, she spent 3 months at 40 hours a week perfecting her calligraphy skills…what?! I had to have her on! Tune in, she is tenacious and talented and that certainly makes her a Smart Creative Woman!  In fact, I fell in love with her brushy script so much  that I used it for the new 16 Month planner that I am releasing in a couple weeks!! Check it out below!

This is a really important message today! I really think this message is meant for someone today. I know when I had this ah-ha moment, it really changed my perspective on my own creativity! You see flourishing is never a part of “just you.” It is a “so that” proposition. SO THAT people can be encouraged, gardens can be planted, businesses can be run in original ways.  As a creative person, the way you “see” and take things and how express them into ideas becomes your “so that” proposition.  It is time to tune into the personality traits that are innately given to you. I believe that some people gifts or talents can lie in how they see or perceive shape, color, form and function. I hope this podcast will give you some clarity and sense of purpose as you grow in your creative journey. As you head out into this holiday season, I want you to  consider your gifts and talents and what you uniquely bring to the table. Let&rs

You are going to get some rich, fabulous and CANDID advice from this interview! I knew I needed to catch up with Claudine and ooooooh, I was right! She has recently reinvented her entire business.  She talks  very candidly about how she needed to officially break up with certain aspects of her past career. (Just like a bad boyfriend, ladies...) Claudine tells us about the painful love-hate relationship she had with licensing her artwork.  She is really honest about her  hilarious epiphany on the Super Shuttle when she realized just what she needed to let go of! This is such  great advice for anyone who has felt like they needed some ch-ch-changes and didn't know what to do. You will laugh and get great insight, so tune in! Once you have listened in, help me spread the word! Tweet: "Your customers will show you what they want." -@claudinetweets Listen to how she has reinvented her career!  Tweet: "Through the work, the way will be found." -@

Interested in the licensing business? Marty Segelbaum is laying it ALL OUT for you today in this episode! We cover everything you need to know currently about this business. Why do I emphasize currently? Because like any business, it is changing! Retail is changing, manufacturing is changing and if you are an artist who wants to get your art out on product, you need to understand those changes so you can make educated decisions about your own art business. We cover they way art is shown and licensed now. We also cover portfolios, working with or without agents, trade shows, that never ending question on whether or not to password protect your art. I even ask him about developing your own audience as an artist! I liked his answer! Marty has been in the art licensing business for a long time (sometimes I think he is even surprised by it, haha!) He and his partners at MHS Licensing  know a thing or two about this business and how it as ch

Today I am  finally to pulling back the curtain on a BIG project that I have been working on. This is a big step of faith that I needed to do today when I realized how much I needed YOU! Months ago,  I gave myself permission to pursue a DREAM. It was an idea that I had mentioned casually on and off, you know, the “pipe dream” kind of dream? This is how it has played out in my brain: 1. Wouldn’t is be cool if I could... (dreaming) 2. What I really want to do is... (hopeful) 3. Maybe I could do this... (optimistic) 4. I’ll just to test the waters... (scared) 5. I am going to commit to this... (resolved) 6. Am I really going to commit to this? (er, not so resolved) 7. This is waaaay harder than I thought it would be. (where's my EASY button?!) 8. Can I do this? (poop, doubt cycle starts all over again) 9. I am going to commit to this and am even going to tell people about it. (brave, scared, nervous, excited.

Oh! This is a don't miss! Calcutta born artist Nidhi Chanani runs Everyday Love Art and you are going to love her! She started her art career with no role models insight yet she marches to the beat of her own drummer quite successfully. Don't believe highly illustrative art goes on walls? Don't tell Nidhi, because she is selling her wall art like gangbusters! This cute print below just landed on the set of Modern Family. Nidhi has quite the resume going on,  including a trip to the White House for her art! This chick rocks, breaks stereotypes and is here to encourage you with her story! She has so much to offer as she shares the why behind selling her art.  You'll get a kick out of all her advice including, "Don't pay  attention to analytics and likes!" I promise if you tune in to this entire interview, you will walk away with nuggets of wisdom!

I am mixing it up with a podcast only message today! Tune in to see what's up with that! This podcast comes from a  place of love as I talk about what I see missing discussing within the creative community.   My podcast today will help you understand the truth behind the myth that someone is juggling their life more deftly than you are. What has happened in the fast paced age of magazines and blog features is that no one is discussing the compromises and choices that are made during different seasons in our lives or the fact that there are different seasons. Different parts of your journey will produce different results, tune in as I talk about what I gave up to start Smart Creative Women. Lean in, lean out-let's talk about it all candidly! Today I want to you understand why you need to know what it looks like when the curtain is pulled back. Why women need to share with each other so we are not left alone standing in the dark,  judging ourselves or comparing   accompli

Ladies!! I have found bliss! I am interviewing a shoe maker today!! How exciting is that! Mother and daughter team, Caroline and Catherine are the brain power behind Caroline Macaron a stylish and elegant show that fit your needy tired feet! The original idea came about when Catherine did not want to give up wearing stylish shoes when she developed bunions. (I love  French sensibility!)  Her daughter, Caroline set out on making the perfect show for feet with "needs." (Hello! Don't all our feet have needs?) I learned so much in this interview, even why I used to be able to keep my pumps on my feet and why with new shoes I can't (hint: it's all in the back heel height) Tune in to this episode and learn what they did right and wrong with their start up and why they have such LOYAL customers! AND if you or a friend have a hard time finding elegant wearable shoes, you might find the Cinderella fit you need with Caroline Macaron

Does it look like hanging out with Meg Biram would be fun? Well, it is! She is fun (and gorgeous!)  verysmart and super down to earth! Meg is a social media and branding  strategist, life style blogger andartist! I was surprised to learn that she got her start at Hallmark. She says she learned a lot working for a large creative company and it shows. Meg knows how to get things done, work with big brands and how to expertly adapt to the changing world of blogging and social media.

My guest today is blogger and creative community leader, Jaclyn Carlson. Jaclyn is an expat with a super cute accent who pulled up stakes in the US and moved to Australia. She was in search of creative folks to hangout with  so Blog Society was born! Jaclyn is another fabulous example of a women gathering like minded people in her community and via the internet. Her community is not just growing in the country she resides in but It IS possible to hang out “in person” with people that love the same things that you do! The catch is YOU might have to be the person to put it all together! Think bravely and listen into this interview where Jaclyn talks about how she built this passionate online and offline community! She has SO many ideas, tune in! If you are listening from Australia, Jaclyn wants to meet you!!

Jane Hamill is my guest today and she is on a mission! Jane Says, "My goal is for every designer to make a living using their creativity while becoming business savvy – even if you hate sales and cringe at the idea of a marketing plan." As a former fashion designer and retail store owner, she is a woman with experience and she wants to share her experience with YOU. I loved talking to her-she offers such great wisdom even if you aren't into fashion-she is offering up advice to any creator, maker, and artist in this interview. She talks about her own start which is a  fabulous, gutsy story! Fashion Brain  Academy offers online training courses and private coaching for fashion designers and creative entrepreneurs. She has a live bootcamp event this week in Chicago (and I get to go!) Too fun! You can check out all the course she offers on her site! Tune into today's episode and soak up some of Jane's wisdom for the savvy creative business woman in you!

I met Stacy on a trip to New York City and loved her instantly. She is a bundle of fun energy and go get 'em attitude. You will enjoy her story,  it is filled with good old fashioned ingenuity. She creates custom stationery and gifts for you and your furry friends at  Inkspot Workshop. Her customized gifts would be perfect for a special back-to-school treat and would make terrific holiday gifts. Tune in and hear about her first forays into computer graphics! Stacy is the perfect example of working her business out.  She didn't let anything stop her from figuring out what people want and then figuring out how to make her business happen!

Here is some Monday Motivation for you today! It is too easy to look at where someone else is and wonder if we will ever become all we desire to become. Even though we may admire people (ok and sometimes down right envy) we are all on the same journey. If you believe you are sitting on a part of you that is unrealized,  I believe it will come to fruition! Understanding if you are in giving or receiving mode can help you stay the course and also prepare your heart to release your potential! Tune into to see what I mean and then go to Smartcreativewomen.com to tell me what you think!

Everything about Merrilee Liddiard says, playful, imagination and creative! I had so much fun interviewing this artist, author, designer and blogger (and mom!)  You are going to simply love her! She is the popular author of Mer Mag and she makes me want to be a kid again. She throws parties, she is always thinking up kids projects (so you don’t have to.) She has a fun “after school” workshop over onatly.com  and she is about to release a new book, Playful.  Don’t have kids? Don’t let that stop you from learning so much in this interview! She is a smart cookie and has developed a sense of style and business smarts that will keep her on your radar screen for years to come! This is a must see and she is a must follow (Yay! Makes me so happy!) There is a such a fun innocence to what she produces AND she adds her own aesthetic to all her projects! That is why I invited her into Smart Creative Style to talk more abou

I have a question for you today! I want to know where you are in your journey! I came up with a list of popular "mental places" I have found myself in during my creative life.  None of the places are bad places to be <em>at all!</em> It's is only bad if I am in a particular place for too long! Then I think that counts for being stuck (ugh!) Tune in to this video to see what I mean.   Here is my basic break down   1) Learning   2) Executing   3) Highly productive creativity   5) Unrest   6) Seeking   Did I miss one? Let me know what you think and where you are in your journey right now! Also some exciting news! Merrilee Liddiard from <a href="http://mermagblog.com/" target="_blank">MerMag</a> is my guest on Wednesday (this is her art above!) She is a new addition to the <a href="http://smartcreativestyle.com/" target="_blank">Smart Creative Style </a>course! She will be in to the course and will share how she formed her art style AND t

I have a fun guest for you today! Ani Alonso from Magia Pura! You may have seen her in the recent issue of Where Women Create or you may have seen her collecting fans on Facebook (over 81k and counting!) What you may not know is that this talented artist has quite an illustrious past (including a stint and a fashion model.) She has found her style and is comes across in everything she does in her dressing, her work and her relaxed and warm spirit. I found this interview so interesting as she told me how she is trying to overcome obstacles and government embargoes in her own country to continue to grow her brand. I love how determined she is. I am seriously impressed at how much she has done and  problem solved to keep her art business growing over the years. Keep and eye on her as she is plotting to expand! Want to make sure you have a recognizable brand like Ani’s? Smart Creative Style can help you get in touch with your personal creative aesthetic and direction like

Being a creative business owner, make that ANY TYPE of business owner requires vision and a lot of it. You have to have a lot of pieces in play to run a successful small business and it can be daunting. You know I am your constant cheerleader but I am also a practical cheerleader and I  want solutions! How do you gain that vision and get yourself to a place where your passion assists the tenacity you need to grow your creative business? I want to you to succeed, I want to you to ask yourself the hard questions and be able to do math and to tackle marketing and to make sure your product is unique to the market place. How do you make it unique to the market place? By tapping into what makes YOU unique! What I see happening again and again is that our inner critic can trip us up. We get so consumed with being “good enough” that we fail to launch or when we do launch we are still waiting to “be discovered” instead of taking a common sense approach to marketing what

If you are not familiar with the name Lorena Siminovich then I am sure you are familiar with the fun and sophisticated style of Petit Collage. Argentinian born artist, author and designer, Lorena Siminovich is full of creative energy and good business sense. Petit Collage’s sustainable and chic children’s products are a fixture in stylish kid’s rooms everywhere. In this interview you will hear how when she moved to NYC she got off a plane from South America, waited for Kate’s Paperie to open to buy a portfolio case and went straight to an interview. (I used to fly that trip-exhausting! It is an 11 hour flight through the night!!) She has not only creative, she has guts too! Fast forward years later and she has grown her own company into an industry leading children’s brand. For this interview she tells us the real version of her story, don’t you just love that? I loved everything about this interview!This is a must see 

People  can get stalled when it comes to marketing their businesses and themselves and I don't want that to be you! Today I am going to introduce (or re-introduce) you to Tom Henell, my better half! In this video he is giving out tips as well as explaining what you can expect in his Marketing 101 class on atly.com. His course has 5 parts. While he teaches some of the same principals in the Smart Creative Style course, this is an expanded look that focuses on the principles you need to market your creative business. He feels strongly, like I do, that your business is unique and it is up to you how to apply these principals but understanding them is crucial to your success! We both believe that  adjusting the way you think about marketing can go a long way into developing an ease when promoting your business. Let's get to a place of ease around this subject!

Today’s interview is with Abigail Kiefer from the start up Red Clay Design. Red Clay Design reached out and said they watched the show and wanted to get together. I started researching Red Clay and this is what they have to say about their business, “Our platform simplifies product design, connecting freelance designers with iconic brands and providing tools to manage the process.” Cool! Then I saw the word “crowd sourcing” (insert screeching halt) It’s a hot button topic for me and one I generally keep to myself. So I got on Skype with Abby and started grilling her (in a Monica sort of way!) Abby and her team have built a high end design resource for manufacturers and they are trying their very best to respect all parties involved. Not an easy task but they are working at it with passion.  The Red Clay platform marries companies and designers AND is paying designers (starting small but hoping for it to grow) for work even if the desi