We were lucky to catch up with Ivy Chan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ivy, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Earning a full time living from my creative work has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Specifically, I really wanted to draw cute things for a living but somehow it felt unrealistic so I did a ton of other things before I got to where I am today.

My creative career began when I graduated from the illustration and design program (the IDEA program) at Capilano University. Being a graphic design major, I was particularly interested in branding and packaging at the time. I took on a few internships and spent some time working at a branding and packaging agency before I started taking on clients of my own.

Freelance brand design was my main gig for the next decade, but along the way I also did some design work at a software development company and spent some time teaching art in high schools. I really enjoyed doing graphic design but somehow it still felt like something was missing, so I continued to explore my options.

One day while I was teaching and doing some activities with my Art Club students we started talking about creating and selling products as independent artists. It had always been something I was interested in but for I never thought to actually give it a go. After hearing one of my students say “You should try it, I think you’d be good at it!!” I figured, why not? So I did!

Thinking back, it always felt safer to do what logically paid the bills—working for other people. If I had designed things just for my own fulfillment it meant that there was a possibility of failure—I would have to be responsible for the project every step of the way from concept, to production and eventually getting someone to buy it. If no one bought it, I would have lost both time and money. But I had all the skills I needed—I was already using my skills to bring my clients brands, ideas and products to life, so why not do it for myself? It was all a little scary but it turned out to be one of the most freeing and exciting experiences I’ve had—to design without expectations and restrictions of others, how exhilarating.

In the beginning I was creating products just for fun. It didn’t even cross my mind that it could become a full time thing but one thing lead to another and my little passion project had out grew my design and teaching jobs. At a certain point it was no longer possible to grow while also maintaining three jobs and it was time to leave my safety nets behind. I left my teaching job first and gradually took on less client projects until I eventually stopped taking them all together.

Now I’m a full time small business creator designing small gifts and illustrated goods such as enamel pins, stickers, art prints and other stationery goodies to celebrate all the wonderful little moments life has to offer. I can happily say that I found my forever job and I am so in love. There were so many hurdles along the way—learning about taxes, hiring, payroll, dealing with production issues, creating temporary displays for events all the way to getting into retail, etc.

I think the biggest hurdle for me to get to where I am today (finding my dream job) was having the courage to do it. It’s easy to be swayed by the idea of having a conventional 9 to 5 job and having the stability that comes along with something like that. It was the easier alternative to believing in myself and my ability to make my dreams a reality. While I feel like I learned useful skills at every detour along the way, if I could go back in time to speed up the process I would have started creating things for myself much earlier and not wait so long. Perhaps right after design school, maybe even alongside my agency jobs.

I’ve come to realize that it’s easy be hindered by all the uncertainties, the “how’s” and the “what ifs” but with the internet being so accessible now, the solution might only be clicks away. And while not every venture will be a success the only way to find out for certain is to try.

Growth can be scary, every new learning curve comes with discomfort but I know that with this discomfort I am taking another step forward in my journey. Whether it is the right step or not I’m sure I’ll learn something on the way and every step I take will be a tool under my belt to fulfilling my dreams. I feel like this is only the beginning of my journey but I am so excited to see everything that will unfold.

Ivy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My brand ivycdraws is a gift shop selling fun and relatable illustrated goods like enamel pins, stickers, art prints and more! I am inspired by all the beautiful little moments in life and hope to share these little joyous moments with everyone who encounters my work.

I think that shopping is something people do pretty regularly, but shopping from a creator feels to me like a conversation or a shared experience between the shopper and the creator.

Being a small business creator it feels like I am building relationships with people everywhere which is what makes my job so much fun.

People often tell me about the occasions they are buying my goodies for, or the people they are gifting things to and it feels so personal to me. I am grateful and honoured that my creations get to be a part of these people’s lives no matter how big or small the moment might be.

My creations have had the honor of being a part of many weddings—my zodiac constellation lapel pins have been a crowd favorite as a gift for the whole wedding party, whether it’s matching lapel pins for the groomsmen or as bridesmaid gifts. My pressed flower table numbers have also had their moment to shine at many summer weddings.

I know that my cat pins are a great hit with cat moms and cat dads everywhere; and food related pins like my Bun Bun Bakery bunny pins or my Fruity Friends pins like my dancing banana pin are always winning hearts with all the foodies out there!

I try to design goods that accommodate for all styles and occasions so that there is a little something for everyone no matter who you might be. We’re all here sharing this planet together so we might as well all have fun together!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think it’s hard for people outside of the creative ecosystem to understand all the effort and challenges that go into bringing a new idea to life. If new viewers can come and see everyone’s creations with an open mind and see the value of all the steps involved in bringing to life a new creation, that would be super cool!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing about being an artist to me is bringing to life my ideas and seeing other people enjoy it :).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ivycdraws.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivycdraws
• Youtube: https://bit.ly/ivyctube
• Other: Newsletter https://bit.ly/ivyc-frds Pinterest https://www.pinterest.ca/ivycdraws/

Image Credits
Etsuko Lee Photography