We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ariana Faison. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ariana below.

Ariana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?

Building your brand!

I currently work fulltime at a well known, four-lettered tv Sports Network. As part of their corporate culture they have often emphasized the importance of building ones brand.

I have implemented that concept into my small business, particularly when interfacing with clients on marketing and branding strategies (mine and theirs!). While there’s more to it, simply stated it’s a matter of listening, adapting and being pleasant . If a client likes you and your work, they come back for more. Better yet, they spread the word about you and your work to their contacts!

In Hollywood, often times casting decisions are not just made on the acting prowess of an individual but rather their capacity to integrate with the rest of the cast and crew. They’d rather hire an actor who might not be the best at the craft but is pleasant and enjoyable, over the diva who drains the life out of those around them. This concept applies in any job that I have worked and I’m willing to bet it’s a universal truth: you don’t have to be the absolute best to find success, but a positive disposition will carry you an awful long way.

Ultimately you will generate a positive reputation, with the resulting notoriety and returning client base further advancing your business and career.

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.

I have been drawing since I could pick up a pencil. What and where I drew were irrelevant: computer paper, a notebook, or – to the dismay of my parents – the dining room walls were all valid canvases.

Though I feel like I‘ve aways had something in my hand to draw or paint, artistic endeavors were superseded by life. It wouldn’t be until I experienced an emotional loss that I rediscovered my passion for painting. While I was continued painting as a means of self-care, I also began to refine my skills. It was then that I wanted to share my enthusiasm for art as a small business.

Today I work mainly with acrylic paints, though oils and other media like Plaster of Paris are employed to create bespoke works. My paintings and textured pieces have been commissioned by various clients at all levels of success, from neighbors and family to professional athletes and media personalities.

While my artwork is a side business – my full time job is in TV production – I’m motivated by my client’s reactions when I deliver a finished piece. Their astonishment and raw happiness is more motivating and inspiring to me than anything in this world. Many clients have direct connections to the subject matter of the artwork so to be able to recreate or capture a moment, to evoke a memory and incite an emotion is incredibly fulfilling.

Recently I have started working as a event coordinator. Discovered while planning my own wedding, I realized that the attention for detail, organizational skills and multitasking that I was using in my other work would be well suited to planning events for others.

I am currently working to build and expand my brand, while taking on new projects and events. I continue to look for new opportunities, clients, and challenges to help me grow as an artist and entrepreneur.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Nothing goes further than a hand shake, a hug, and “thank you.” Once a painting has been completed or an event has wrapped I make a point to reach out to my clients for any feedback or insight, It’s also to simply check in with them…I love seeing where clients display their paintings! When it comes to the events I’ve coordinated, the feedback my clients receive from their patrons is nearly as important as the client’s own.

Any business is ultimately one of customer service and there is no better source of feedback than from the people you’ve served. It is very easy to only seek out the positive reviews, However, when growing a brand you have to be open to the constructive criticism. It’s often the most impartial feedback you will receive.

It is very easy to default into a mentality of defensiveness, after all we’re proud of what we’ve done and anything said otherwise must be an attack, right? Being receptive and open not just to the critique itself, but to the process of constructive criticism in a more general sense will benefit you in both your personal and professional life.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Today social media is so pervasive that it would be easy to overlook it’s effectiveness, but is a very important tool both by itself and in support of my most effective source: word of mouth!

Be it for my paintings or event coordinating, the majority of my initial client base came via personal contacts who have in turn “spread the word.” Social media initially provided an easily accessible gallery for people to view my work. While direct referrals are a bit of an analog concept, social media allows the idea to be applied in the digital world.

Accordingly, social media has become an increasingly direct source of interaction with prospective clients. I’ve particularly found success by posting to local and special interest Facebook pages. By sharing my work across different social media platforms, I’ve been able to further my outreach by exposing my brand to a wider variety of individuals than traditional means alone. I recognize that social media can be employed not only as a place for potential clients to get a sense of what I offer, but it often facilitates the direct client interactions that are so crucial to my success and brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allthelittledetailsart.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: night_owl_art_ct
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Allthelittledetails164
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/espnam/

Image Credits

Bradley Faison