We recently connected with Kiana Diaz Figueroa and have shared our conversation below.

Kiana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

Throughout the course of my journey of trying to turn my passion into my full-time income, the things that have helped the most in the growth of my business have been support from my local creative community and professional business support.
Early on in starting my business I took an intensive business planning course from a local non-profit that really helped me understand the fundamentals of running a business. While that gave me a good foundation for understanding business, I was very anxious about putting my work out there. As an introverted artist, my inclination is to want to stay buried away in my studio making the things I love. It took a while (a couple years), but eventually I worked up the courage to apply to local markets and events, and in doing so I ended up meeting many other amazing creatives in my area who were also working hard to make their dreams come true. Having a community to lean on, ask questions to, and feel supported by was another huge leap in my creative career and this network also lead to new opportunities to show or sell my art.
The other huge jumps for my business happened when I worked one-on-one with business consultants who were also artists and very familiar with the world of selling art and products. They provided industry specific knowledge as well as encouragement to take risks and seek more opportunities.
While it can be very scary and vulnerable to put myself out there, it has been the only way to grow! If I were to start over today I would push myself to be braver and get my work out there – it’s how the magic happens!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Snail Bear’s forest is filled with creepy-cuteness and I hope to fill your heart with it too!
Using graphite pencil and watercolor, I illustrate baby monsters that combine food, flora, and fauna from my home countries of Honduras and Jamaica and my new home of Olympia, WA. With my illustrations I make stationery and home goods, with an upcoming focus on organizational stationery for those of us who struggle with balancing all the responsibilities of being an adult. As someone who has struggled with my mental health and by extension with home and life tasks, I aim to create planning tools that can help relieve the immense chore of adulting while also adding the dopamine of cute baby monsters to help you with your everyday tasks!
Currently I sell products such as stickers, notebooks, cards, fuzzy posters, tote bags, mugs, and more on my online store, at local events, and through wholesale at different stores in the United States. I strive to source all my products and packaging materials as locally and sustainably as possible.
Snail Bear’s Baby Monsters are all bursting with cuteness and just a hint of weirdness, celebrating uniqueness, multicultural identities, and our inner child. At the core of my brand is the desire to create a world that is removed from stressful things, that is relaxing and comforting, and that you can surround yourself with to take a mental break from how hard it is to be an adult.
Take a stroll through Snail Bear’s forest and find the perfect Baby Monster companion for you!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and selling my work has been the journey to find the deepest, truest part of myself, find the courage to share it, and then meet other people who deeply resonate with it.
When I first started selling my work I thought I had to make art that was only cute or sweet for it to sell. I filtered out the parts of myself that longed to make art that was weird or strange in fear that in doing so I would not be able to turn my dream into a business. Even though it did sell, I felt deeply unsatisfied and lost.
I was filled with excitement that were people interested in my work, but I also felt hollow, like something was missing. Eventually I hit a creative wall, and decided to dive deep into the journey of finding my artistic “style”. This was a long process, and the absolute best advice I found during this exploratory phase was “go deeper, not wider”. This truly blew my mind. For a long time I wanted to make work that was for everyone, but in fact going deeper into what I love, who I am, and what I want to create was what really solidified my brand and my joy of creating. While it took me a long time to figure out visually how to represent this, the biggest hurdle to overcome was the fear of being too “niche”. Even now I catch myself censoring my work because of the fear that it will be perceived as too strange and I have to constantly push myself to be my full authentic self, even though it’s scary! But this shift in my mentality has led to one of the biggest, and surprising, joys of sharing my work – having moments were I connect with people who intrinsically understand everything I have put into my artwork. It feels they can see the deepest parts of themselves in the deepest parts of me, and to feel seen and connected in that way is truly amazing. Even though I often feel like an outsider in many ways – I’m an asexual woman, an immigrant in the United States, and still connected to my home countries of Honduras and Jamaica, neither of which I see represented where I currently live – being able to connect with people in this meaningful and authentic way has been the most rewarding aspect of being an artist in business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has surprisingly been from doing local markets and events. While I try hard to maintain a social media presence and an online store, most of my opportunities have come from my local community. It is truly an amazing feeling to have people come up to me at events and tell me they recognize my work, or that they even came specifically to find me! While doing in-person events has been anxiety-producing for an introverted person like myself, it has led to wholesale and consignment opportunities, as well as opportunities for showing my original artwork, that I wouldn’t otherwise have had. I’m truly grateful to live in a community like Olympia, WA that celebrates unique art and businesses

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.snailbearart.com
• Instagram: @snailbearart