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

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I had made some nostalgic watercolors for my brothers for their Christmas gifts one year. The same year, my husband got me a gift card to a local print shop. This gave me a bit of a nudge to finally start making prints of my illustrations. I borrowed the original paintings I had made for my family to scan in to make prints. I whipped up a few listings on Etsy and sold a few right away. At the time, Etsy had a ‘cha-ching’ noise like an old school cash register. With every cha-ching, I had a feeling I was onto something.

Emily, 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?

About a decade ago, I decided to quit my job as the Head Editor of a website to be a stay-at-home mom and artist. I sell original paintings, fine art prints and greeting cards. I accept custom painting requests ranging from favorite childhood toys and house portraits to vacation-inspired landmarks and landscapes. I love using vibrant hues and playful subjects in my paintings to invite the viewer to feel a sense of joy or remember pleasant memories. I work primarily with acrylic gouache, watercolor paint and micron pen.

I have worked with clients including Canon, Atmosphere TV, Chive Media Group, Food & Wine Magazine, Disaronno, Diplomatico Rum and more. I have shown work in multiple ATXGals art exhibitions and have been a part of East and West Austin Studio tours. I have had solo shows at Jeffrey Benjamin, Desert Door Distillery, Studio K Design Boutique and Gallery K on Broadway. My art has been included in multiple group shows including the ‘SWOOSH’ exhibit at Ruth Koomler Art Gallery. My artworks have been auctioned off at multiple charity events including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art ArtRageous Gala and the ArtLink BASH. I was also invited to create a large ice cream cone mural at Electric Works in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When I first started my art career, I decided to partake in a 90 day painting challenge. I made a painting a day, from start to finish, for three months straight. I would take a photo of the painting when it was a work in progress and post it in the middle of the day. I added a photo of the final painting at the end of the day. Not only did I build my portfolio, I also gained 1,200 followers on Instagram during that time. Two years later, I participated in the 100 day project. This time, I made a timelapse video of everything I created. There was an uptick in followers during that time as well. My biggest piece of advice is to post on a consistent basis. Make it clear to your followers if any works of art are available for sale and direct them to your website if you have one.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I can alleviate stress and anxiety in my life by painting. I have four children so life can get hectic at times. Every time I go to my studio it feels like a nice dose of therapy. I can feel a sense of calm coming over me when I get into a flow state while creating.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emilymercedes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilymercedesart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyMercedesArt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-mercedes-15653010/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmercedesart

Image Credits
Jared Christiansen