We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Strong Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather , appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started to get back into art after losing a job. I had a summer (2021) where I just didn’t have anything to do and so I started painting again. I started an Etsy shop and listed my original paintings on it, and created an Instagram just for my art. The only people who purchased anything from me in the first few months were family members. I went back to my part time job in the fall and continued to art in my spare time. I had one person purchase a commissioned painting from me for Christmas that year and it was so exciting and nerve wracking to give it to them. In January of 2022 I decided to purchase an Etsy seller course to help me sell more artwork. It was a lot of money for me but I took a leap and did it anyways, hoping I would learn how to make a full-time living selling on Etsy. I put into practice what I learned and had very high hopes. I was honestly very disappointed after a few months. I had only sold a few things and it was not nearly enough to cover the cost of the course. At this time I had people start asking me if I taught art classes for kids. I have a degree in elementary education, so it made sense that people were wondering about it. At first I fought the idea because it sounded too hard to figure out all the legal issues in working with children in my home, but I after researching, I found that there weren’t many options for kids art classes in my area. I decided to just do a test run and see what the response was like. I was able to fill 3 classes and part of a fourth, just by posting on my Instagram. It was a huge success and that’s when I decided to teach art classes full time. I gave my notice at my job, created a website, got a business license, talked to a lawyer, and started advertising. Now I’ve been teaching art classes for just under 6 months and am making a steady income from it. I still create my own artwork, but it is a secondary source of income and not something I need to stress about all the time. I think the key for me was being willing to see other options and be brave enough to do something that required me to learn a lot of new skills.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a child, my Mom tells me I would sit and draw for hours. I’ve loved to create since I can remember. My parents put me into art classes in 2nd grade, and I continued with them until I graduated from high school. I had always dreamed of being an artist and began college as an art major. After one semester I realized that majoring in art wasn’t for me. It wasn’t fun when professors were telling you how to do things and grading you on your work. I didn’t enjoy it anymore. I decided to switch majors to Elementary Education, because I had realized that I loved teaching people and loved working with kids. I graduated with my degree in December 2019. I worked in education for a couple years, which I enjoyed but eventually got back into art after losing a summer job. Thats when I really decided to chase my dream of making art for a living again. I created my brand HeatherThymeArt, made an Instagram and an Etsy shop. I have been selling my artwork on Etsy for about 1 year now. I paint in watercolors, acrylic and oil paints. My favorite subject matter are landscapes, but I also paint flowers, animals buildings and more. I haven’t been able to make a living from just selling my art, but I also teach children’s art classes out of my home, which provides a steady income. I love getting to work with kids and see them explore. I focus on supporting their creativity while teaching them techniques and skills in various mediums. It’s so important to me that kids be allowed to be creative instead of following a set process in their artwork, because I believe that creative thinking is a key to finding solutions in our world today.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The book that has helped me have courage and take the leap to owning my own business is “You Are a Badass” By Jen Sincero. This year I have spent the entire year slowly working my way through the book and creating weekly goals to help me implement them. I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to go for it without reading this book. I have gained a lot of confidence and learned ways to love myself, be proud of where I’m at and also find new ways to improve myself and my business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing to me about creating art is getting to see the impact it can have on other people. I was asked to create a painting as a memorial for someone whose husband had died and it was so special to be asked to do that. I love knowing that my work is helping someone feel peace/happy/grateful or any other positive emotion.

Being an art teacher is even more rewarding because I get to see the students have moments of creativity, work through problems and feel proud of their work. I love that I get to be a person who encourages them in their artistic development and helps guide them to new techniques.

Contact Info:

• Website: HeatherThymeArt.com
• Instagram: @heatherthymeart
• Other: Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherThymeArt

Image Credits
Miranda Cheney Photography