We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Beasley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The very first time I saw that magical first sale email roll through, I was shocked and amazed. I couldn’t believe a total stranger not only found my art in a sea of people but loved it enough to pay me for it. I originally opened an Etsy shop as a fun side project in early 2015 with no plan, and pretty average artist skills. I decided I could sell digital invites and some original canvas paintings. After a few weeks of having my shop open, I sold my first digital invite! I realized I enjoyed being able to make additional money outside of my day job, it felt so easy. The hype from earning a few dollars on a digital invite had me wondering how I could make more money from one sale. Honestly, it became sort of an unhealthy obsession. I eventually added custom design services to my offering for all the wrong reasons. It lead me to feel burned out, pausing my shop, and stepping away from art entirely for a year. Fast forward a few years, and with a new design focus, I started selling my designs in a new way, on Spoonflower—patterns for fabric, wallpaper, and home decor. The difference this time was that time I was passionate about it and had a plan. It didn’t take long to receive that first sale email. I made a whopping .50¢ commission, and I was thrilled. Every penny counts as a business, and I always know there are more sales on the horizon.

Ashley, 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?

After dabbling in a few creative endeavors, I finally followed my passion for surface design and art licensing. Surface design is creating art to be applied to—you guessed it—surfaces, and art licensing is allowing a company or brand to apply your art to said surfaces. For me, my main focus is repeat pattern design for fabric, wallpaper, and home decor. I first started selling my patterns on Spoonflowers print-on-demand marketplace for fabric. I created my son’s baby blanket using their minky fabric, and the rest was history. I knew I wanted to create as many patterns as I could. I draw all of my designs from scratch on my iPad, so the art you receive from me is 100% unique. I love being able to customize designs to fit a client’s specific need, and print-on-demand is a great avenue to quickly upload art to products for clients and customers on a range of products.

My designs aren’t limited to fabric and housewares, I also love hand-lettering and illustrating for greeting cards, stationery, and art prints, which you can find on Minted and more. My proudest moment was having my art chosen two years in a row for Pottery Barn Kids via Minted, and having greeting cards sold in Target’s retail stores.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

You need thick skin to be an artist. An artist’s work is very personal to them, and it can feel like a personal attack when you’re rejected either by a client when you pitch your work, or participating in competitions. A lot of the platforms I’m a part of host design challenges—they provide a brief and you create it. Participating in challenges is not for the faint of heart. There can be a lot of disappointment involved if your work didn’t perform well or win any prizes. I submit my art almost weekly, which means more chances to win and lose. If I were to be upset and give up every time I’m not chosen, I wouldn’t be anywhere. I use these as opportunities to improve next time. Starting a business, especially one based on commissions, is a slow game. You have to be able to bounce back after rejection and continue to create what makes you happy.

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

Everywhere you look in the world something was designed by a creative, from the exterior of a building, to the interior. Everyday objects wouldn’t exist without creative minds, and I think a lot of people forget that. Creatives and artists are often looked at as unimportant and we’re given the “starving artist” mentality when we tell people what we do for a living. Those same people don’t want to pay fair wages for an artists’ work or time, but what they don’t realize is that the pretty notebook they’re writing notes in was designed by an artist. The fabric on the chair they are sitting in was designed by an artist. We may not be saving lives on a medical table, but I would love for art to be looked at as an important part of our world because it is often what brings people happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.presuttidesign.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/presuttidesign
• Facebook: facebook.com/presuttidesign

Image Credits
Ellen Renee Photography