We recently connected with Clare Norris and have shared our conversation below.
Clare, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Imagine being a public school art teacher, expecting your third child, and wanting nothing more than to “do it right” this time.
In 2010, my husband and I were expecting our first child. I yearned to stay home with our son, and subsequently our future children, but I mistakenly believed this was a life for wives of lawyers and doctors, not teachers. Experiencing becoming parents for the first time, we naively assumed there was no other way to do this “new life” with children: we both had to work, right? We’d get used to it, right? We looked at our surroundings and didn’t see another way: our own parents, my sister, our friends, coworkers, not to mention our teaching salaries. Working was what you did; daycare was what you did. And so, that’s what we did. First, with William and soon after with our second son, Owen. If you want to know this side of the coin to doing life with children, let me put it this way: my memories of Owen as a baby are not as vivid as they should be. I was giving other people’s children my energy and had nothing left to give to my own. Falling asleep mid sentence while reading to our four year old and two year old boys every night was, ironically, the wake up call we needed. We’d never be able to have a do-over with William and Owen, but we knew we could do it right from the start with our third child, Evelyn.
I was able to exit my teaching career in the Spring of 2017 cushioned on a year’s leave of absence with the promise that in the Fall of 2018, I could return to the same school and even teach in the same classroom. It was more like a “free trial”- there was absolutely no risk involved other than a family of five being able to make it on one teacher’s salary. Knowing our impending financial downshift, in December of 2016, I created a Facebook Business page and opened an Etsy shop offering an array of handmade products and services. I had only two immediate visions in my mind with no long term goals: 1) I (Clare) had a lot of creative skills to offer, so let’s offer them all and let the customer decide what they need (Custom); 2) let’s see if I can put my B. A. in Studio Art from the University of Virginia to good use and actually call myself an artist (Studio).
I started my business with nothing except years of formal fine arts education coupled with woodworking skills passed down from my father, and sewing skills passed down from my mother. I had zero business, marketing, branding, shipping, SEO, social media, and sales knowledge whatsoever. I had never opened Instagram, even for personal use, and I didn’t even own a smartphone. I literally took any job I was offered, whether it brought me joy or angst, and I grossly underpaid myself. The lines I cast out to get just one more job included conducting numerous paint night events, painting barn quilts, sewing t-shirt quilts, sewing Barbie doll cases, constructing ribbon boards and handmade lamps, painting murals, sewing pillow covers and seat cushions, restoring and painting an antique milk jug, drawing portraits, painting landscapes, constructing and painting wood signs and porch planks, and eventually creating a wreath, which now, has become 900 wreaths and counting. I never really cared what I made, as long as I was making, as long as I was home. It just so happens wreaths are what sold and fueled the fire.
For me, the question was never, “Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a regular job?” The question was always, “Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to do it right?” When my husband and I were on the cusp of making this life change, I would say: “I don’t want to always wonder,” and he would say, “I don’t want to be the reason we never tried.” We sacrificed a lot of worldly pleasures and comforts to make our new life work and when the Spring of 2018 rolled around, I received a letter of intent from my school system. There were three options: 1) return to teaching in the fall, 2) extend my leave to two years, 3) resign. I chose to extend my leave and we did it yet again. A year later, I received a similar letter but this time there were only two choices: return to teaching, or resign. In the Spring of 2019, I officially resigned from teaching and shortly after, we had our fourth child, Eliza, and a small handmade business we called, Clare’s Custom Studio.
My own two hands allowed me choice- the option to free myself from a career that sucked me dry, to a career that ignites my very soul each and every day. No bad day at Clare’s Custom Studio could ever compare to even the best days teaching. That first year’s leave was a struggle in many respects, but never compared to the struggle of staying awake to read to my boys at night. With each additional year passing, farther and farther away from that former life, I turned random art jobs for “money on the side” to a viable professional art career with a salary that we now rely upon. Being home was what made my studio come alive. It is where my art is created, and homes are where my art belongs. Clare’s Custom Studio brings joy to your home from my home; to your hands from my hands. I am so blessed beyond measure to create for you, no matter what it may be. I am blessed beyond measure to still be able to put my family first and design my work days around that priority. And I am blessed beyond measure that at the end of my work days I have enough energy to be able to read multiple books to all four of my children and fall asleep in my own bed excited for a new day. Don’t question whether you should have a regular job; question whether you have the right job.
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
Visiting Clare’s Custom Studio on Etsy, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest, you’ll probably wonder if this business should be called Clare’s Wreath Studio. The funny thing is, when I started CCS in December of 2016, not one wreath was part of my studio repertoire. For three and a half years, Clare’s Custom Studio was mostly geared toward paint night events, drawing portraits, or painting landscapes for local friends, family, and businesses. Additionally, my Etsy shop was pretty much nonexistent. Between 2017 to 2019, I only received two orders; a custom lamp made out of a vintage oil can and a custom upholstered tufted ribbon board for an interior designer. I believed I was just a small fish in the large Etsy sea, so I decided to put my failing shop on vacation mode and focus primarily on Facebook as a means for building my business. I had no idea Etsy had to be “worked,” a notion I would soon discover all because I ordered a wreath.
Being a personal lover of art, homes, and home decor, browsing Pinterest one night I came across the most gorgeous, simple, classy, tasteful wreath that just so happened to coordinate perfectly with the exact blue in our foyer for the fall season. A blue fall wreath? How was that even possible? I splurged and ordered this handmade wreath that was so perfect for our home, probably even charged it because we couldn’t afford it, and when it arrived, being an artist and maker of all things on a tight budget, I looked at it and said, “hum, I bet I could make a wreath the next time I want one.” So, I did just that. I clumsily dabbled around on my own, not even realizing I had to trim the grapevine base before adding the materials. The motivation behind making wreaths was for my own personal use, it was by no means a business venture at all.
I can’t quite recall when or on which Facebook page I had posted one of my wreath dabblings, but indeed I had, for in the summer of 2020, out of the blue my neighbor, Heather, remembered seeing a wreath in one of my posts. She asked if I made wreaths and would I be interested in creating one for her front door. I did not consider myself a wreath maker, but of course I took the job, as I took all job offers back then. But, when Heather asked about using UV safe floral materials, I felt I might be in over my head and had no idea where to turn for trusted help. The only professional wreath maker I knew was the one who crafted my gorgeous splurge wreath for my own home. So I took a chance and messaged the maker, Jenny, from Jenny’s Wreath Boutique, to see if she could offer some guidance. Not only was Jenny graciously responsive to all my questions, she invited me to her Youtube channel which had wreath tutorials, and low and behold, Etsy tutorials as well. When I started watching her content, my mind was blown as I soon discovered I had been playing the Etsy game wrong all along and realized why I had only made two sales in two years. It was not my art; it was a lack of knowledge.
Heather’s wreath was my first professional wreath created in June of 2020 and I definitely could never forget posting this creation to my Facebook business page. That summer, I created countless “Heather” wreaths for many local customers, as well as taking on other wreath designs based on customer’s requests. I quickly developed a substantial portfolio of work in a very short amount of time. By August that same summer, I was applying for a legitimate business license and I re-opened my Etsy shop utilizing all the strategies I had learned from Jenny’s Etsy tutorials, as well as others like Kate Hayes. All my wreath designs I had previously sold on Facebook became listings in my Etsy shop, and slowly but surely the cha-chings started rolling in from all over the country. From August 2020 to December 2020, my new and improved Etsy shop brought me $12,000 in revenue.
I have been an artist/creative/maker–whatever you want to call it–all my life. I’ve never really cared what I made, as long as I was creating. It just so happens wreaths are what sold and fueled the fire for me to blossom into, and remain to this day, a professional artist. Will wreaths continue to dominate Clare’s Custom Studio? I don’t know. I just know I love to make and if I can make something that brings you joy, and that same something can also bring joy to many others, well then, that is what I will create. Coco Chanel started her business as a milliner–a hat maker. I think of this often. Wreaths just might be my hats.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
When I taught middle school visual art, I had the pleasure of educating a select group of young students who were identified as “gifted.” These students had to be nominated and undergo a grueling audition process to be identified as eligible to receive gifted visual arts services. Even being part of a community with a school system that has this level of support and education for the visual arts, still did not snuff the common notion that the arts are extraneous. I can prove this to you first hand.
One of my most powerful lessons with this group of students was entitled, “How Art is Essential to Life.” My opening day began by settling my students down and warning them that I had some pressing news to share. My mood was somber. They could tell from my mannerisms and expression that this was serious. I warned them to stay composed after hearing my announcement, to remain silent, and to immediately journal their reactions. Their pencils and notebooks were ready. They clung to every word and breath I uttered. I told them that it was with a heavy heart that due to budgetary constraints, our school system had decided to cut visual art from the curriculum for the following school year. Of course this was a lie, which I would later confess, the purpose of which was to derive an authentic response, later to be used as fuel for their independent works of art showcasing how art is essential to life. I, and they, needed to know their why for creating. If outside sources were to strip them of all given art opportunities, would they still create and what would they create? If they did not have an art teacher providing lessons and still life setups to draw, would they still create? My students needed an authentic response, not a hypothetical. So I told them a lie.
As with all new lessons, teachers know there may be a learning curve and needed tweaks along the way to better suit student needs and learning. The astonishing result was that each and every single one of my students sitting before me believed me. They truly believed my words. No one contested me; not even in their writings. At the time, this didn’t sink in. I was just ecstatic that my lesson was unfolding well, the students were responding, they were writing a mile a minute, and that I wouldn’t have to spend my evening rewriting my lesson plan. I ended this class, the same way I started; by sharing some serious news, which of course was the truth, and having my students journal their reactions. My students were livid with me, but after the initial shock, they completely understood my purpose. Recalling their writings, my students reflected on how it saddened them that they believed my lie. Some even wrote how they wondered what their reaction would have been if I announced a course like science were to be removed from the curriculum- that maybe they wouldn’t have even believed me. Later, after reading these same responses from multiple students, I realized: they truly believed me and that was so very sad. They believed art could be removed from our school system. They believed that it could be allowed. They believed that it could be accepted. They believed it could be done.
We live in a society where my lie was believed by the most passionate young artists in my community. Why did they believe me? Was I that convincing? Maybe. Or maybe they had already blindly instilled the notion that art was extraneous, and that is certainly not their fault. Maybe it’s because in elementary school, art as a subject was only offered to them once a week and not daily. Maybe it’s because in school environments across the country arts courses are often referred to as, “exploratories,” “extras,” “resource,” “electives,” and the like. Maybe it’s because the time allotted to such courses are often much smaller and the first to be taken when remediation is called for. Maybe it’s because our student’s parents read and report aloud the news about how other school systems nearby or across the country have actually moved to do away with fine arts courses due to budgetary constraints. And maybe it’s actually because of exclusive “gifted” visual arts programs, such as the one I was hired to teach, that ironically give the impression that art is not essential for all, but only a select few in rare circumstances.
If we want to change societal support for professional artists and creatives to foster a thriving creative ecosystem, it begins by fostering a respect for the arts within our youngest community members, as early as we possibly can. Our systems need to convey that art is not exclusive and extraneous, but essential to life. It can be as simple as taking fine arts courses out of a group of labeled “electives,” committing to not calling them as such, and simply naming them what they are: art and music. It begins by making such courses a required part of the school day, for all students, not just those with exceptional talent. It begins by allowing your own children to see first hand that real, livable income can be earned by being a professional artist/creative/maker.
My children see my studio within our home. They see me don my black paint stained apron every day. They visit me while I create and sometimes even assist. The greatest art education I could ever teach is by example to my own four students. My children know first hand and have instilled a belief that art is essential to life. Because without my profession my children can not go to gymnastics, or swim lessons, or dance, or play t-ball. Because without my profession, my Evelyn would not voice that she’s going to be working in her art studio, as she heads to our kitchen table, setting up all her art supplies, truly believing that she is an artist making worthy creations. Because without my profession, my two boys would not create for hours on end, expertly crafting origami to sell in our front yard. The greatest way I know how to foster a thriving creative ecosystem is to live it, model it, and instill it within my own children. One day, our creative ecosystem will be a greater place because there will be four more individuals who truly believe that art is essential to life.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I started Clare’s Custom Studio as a classically trained artist with zero social media knowledge whatsoever. For the first three and a half years, CCS wasn’t on Instagram, I had never even opened the app, nor did I even own a smartphone. I snapped photos of my work with a digital camera in poor lighting and uploaded them directly to my laptop and subsequently to my Facebook business page as they appeared on my camera roll.
In the Summer of 2020, after viewing some Etsy Youtube tutorials from other sellers like Jenny, from Jenny’s Wreath Boutique and Kate Hayes, I was convinced that social media platforms were a necessary means for driving traffic to my online shop. I knew I couldn’t master all platforms at once, so I chose to focus on Instagram because it was similar to Facebook, the only platform with which I had any experience. With Instagram, I was literally starting from ground zero. I invited my Insta-savvy friend, Deva, over to show me the basics of the platform, and by the end of our lunch date, @clarescustomstudio was born.
Over a year later, by early Spring 2022, I had acquired around 500 followers. It was at this point I started to notice other makers and their larger follower count, questioning why I didn’t have a similar size audience, and why the only substantial growth I saw was in my frustration with the app. I realized if Youtube was a resource for being able to revive my Etsy shop, surely I could find some help about Instagram too. After viewing countless tutorials from various social media coaches, following verified Instagram coaches on the platform, and reaching out to other makers on the platform, I started to implement what I had learned. Slowly, by Fall of 2022, my following grew to 800 and in November of 2022, after posting a reel showcasing a few of my Winter and Christmas wreath designs that went viral, my following surpassed 1,000 within 24 hours. By the end of 2022, in less than two months, my following had grown to 4,000.
I know there might be many creatives reading ‘4,000’ saying, “oh, I remember when I was there,” or even still there may be some creatives reading this number saying, “oh, wow, that’s so many followers!” I was there once. I was that person looking at the creator with 4,000 followers wondering how in the world they had done it. I was there once- gaining a new follower one day, only to lose three by week’s end. So how did I do it and what’s my plan for continued growth? Here is my list. I do not own these strategies, and by no means are they the only ones out there. This is just my list that keeps me going and where I have seen noticeable results.
1.) Social media is a useful tool, but it can carry an array of unhealthy side effects. Balance is key and the best way to achieve this is to create a schedule of active/inactive social media time frames throughout your day. That being said,
2.) It is definitely true the more you post, the more you’ll grow, but it’s also definitely true that social media burnout exists. I believe there is a unique posting schedule that is optimal for you, and you alone. Experiment with different posting frequencies and how they affect your mood, daily life, relationships, and energy level. Your optimal posting schedule could be once a day, twice a day, or once a week. That being said,
3.) Regular, consistent posting is far better than random feast/famine posting. No matter what your consistent posting schedule may be, make sure you can maintain it for the long haul, free from burnout, addiction, or any other unhealthy side effects you could experience. Posting at the same time/s each posting day, not only helps with your reach, it also serves those currently in your following. Remember, you not only want to grow, you want to be reliable to your current, valuable audience. So be sure to show up, no matter what, but also leave when time is up. That being said,
4.) Don’t be afraid to repost old content in times of need in order to show up and maintain your posting schedule. I find the Repost app is quite useful in implementing this strategy. I’ve also found that content I’ve reposted has actually performed better the second time around. That being said,
5.) Everything is content. Film and photograph everything you do during your work day. At a loss for content ideas? What’s your next “to do” for your business? Film and photograph that and turn it into content, and with that being said,
6.) Invest in quality media tools and equipment to create said content. Last spring, I purchased the best smartphone on the market, a ring light, an extra cell phone tripod, and spent time learning the video editing app, Capcut. My videos and photos are optimal quality and my behind the scenes work to achieve these results became easier and more efficient. The investment in quality equipment not only enhances your social media content, but also enhances your business overall- your product photography, website, and print materials as well. Quality media tools and equipment are key to a successful online business.
7.) You will lose followers. It is the natural ebb and flow of the platform. Do not take it personally, and know that this is completely normal over all accounts, both large and small.
8.) Conduct continual research. Find out the current Instagram trends and weave them into your content. This could be as simple as picking up a new strategy from another maker’s 7 second reel. This also looks like following Adam Mosseri on Instagram, following reels tips coaches, following verified Instagram coaches, and watching Youtube tutorials from verified coaches to name a few. The app is constantly changing and in order to stay relevant, you need to be informed from reliable, verified sources. That being said,
9.) Actually implement the new strategies you learn starting yesterday. It is one thing to do the research, and quite another to put it to use. At the very least just try the advice, tips, and strategies you discover. See what works for you, and if you generate noticeable engagement, start implementing this strategy into your schedule on a regular basis. If you notice poor engagement, move on and try something else the next time you post.
10.) Keep business with business, and leisure with leisure. Before the peak of my instagram growth, I cleaned up my business profile followings and bio. @clarescustomstudio unfollowed the cooking accounts, the fitness accounts, and the comedy accounts, and replaced them with more home decor accounts, wreath making accounts, and other maker accounts. With instagram, everything is connected and matters. To learn more about this, I encourage you to watch Modern Millie’s Youtube video entitled, “The Instagram Algorithm Explained.” : https://youtu.be/XNnwdA–2LE
11.) The ideal posting time is your ideal posting time. Go into your analytics, discover your peak engagement time for each day, and aim to post within a couple hours before this peak time. That being said, two hours is a lot of time to work with. Just start experimenting. If you post a half hour before peak time and it does well, keep posting at this time. If you post two hours before peak time and it does poorly, try another time the next time you post.
12.) Finally, If you want engagement, give engagement. Becoming more social on social media will help connect you with like minded people providing you a loyal, engaged community, not just a number of followers. This might look like spending a couple minutes commenting on another maker’s post with details explaining what you like about their content. This could look like participating in another maker’s story poll, which literally takes a couple seconds. Over time, these connections could even develop into cherished friendships. Two of my closest maker/creative/business friendships, Kasy from @kclee.co, and Katie from @wreathsmadebykatie, have developed over Instagram and no amount of followers will ever replace the value I hold for these two beautiful souls. There is so much more to Instagram than your follower count. If you can tap into this, you will look forward to showing up every day and numbers won’t look so important after all.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/clarescustomstudio
- Instagram: @clarescustomstudio
- Facebook: @clarescustomstudio
- Other: Pinterest: @clarefmnorris0712 TikTok: @clarescustomstudio
Image Credits
Clare Norris and Gary Jared