Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather Donis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Heather, thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

I do take vacations. I think they are a necessary part of life. They help you to step out of your everyday routine and explore some new part of the world. Vacations keep you fresh and help to gain a different perspective, to see the world with new eyes. I love meeting people while I’m not “on” for work. The conversations are richer and time is slow. I can savor what I am intaking. There is always something to learn. Even though I’m on vacation I am working but in a relaxed way always collecting new ideas and seeing so much beauty I want to convey. I try to take two “big” vacations a year like to another country one with my son and one without for myself. Then some small weekend or day trips in between. Wish I could do more big trips but right now that is what my time allows. Future goals for sure.

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 with most artists, I knew I wanted to be an artist from a young age however the path that led me here was a rocky and unsteady one. There was little encouragement to be a fine artist as I was told there was no money in it. I chose the path of Art Education and then decided not to teach and got into Graphic Design and went into Advertising instead. I stayed in that field for a good 10 years with a brief interlude as a Travel Agent in between. When my son was born in 2009 I felt a strong desire to stay home with him and be the one to raise him instead of keeping him at daycare. I discussed it with my husband and decided we would make it work. When I left I did freelance graphic design for a year then the jobs dried up and I was looking for the perfect part time job. I had also picked up the paint brush again after a long hiatus. My friend said her cousin in Florida was doing a thing called Mobile Paint Parties and she thought I should try it. At the time (2011) in my area there was nobody doing that and I did a bit of research and went for it in 2012. I did three test parties to start and at one of them there was a group of PR gals that really launched my career. One of the ladies worked at our local paper and the editor wanted her to do a story on me. The party was in November and the story was published in April of the next year. I would say that is when my business really took off and I was off and running up until 2019. At this point the market began getting saturated with paint party instructors and it was time for something fresh for myself. I had been doing small art shows with some of the paintings I had done for fun and enjoyed mixing it up so at the beginning of 2020 I decided to try some markets as well and aim for bigger shows. I had a whole roadmap planned! We all know the story of March 2020 when Covid hit. Now when Covid hit I was still doing parties just not as robustly and i was in the process of transformation. I was not ready to throw the towel in on being the “Paint Lady”. I was forced to pivot as so many others were and initially I was in a state of panic. At this point I owned a home and I was a single mother living on an artist wage trying to keep it all together. I started searching out any markets I could be a part of and scrambling to throw together a look that was “professional”. I worked outside throughout the year and into 2021 and 2022 in the extreme heat and the frigid cold slinging my art. It was all survival mode. All the while I was gaining more confidence in my art and my teaching abilities. I became stronger and more resilient. I was surviving and breathing and growing. In 2021 I started getting products made with my artwork and was thrilled at the results. That opened more doors for my career. The customers that complimented and bought my art was my fuel and still is. I love providing a bit of happiness and joy through my art. In May 2022 I opened a booth at a local shop called the Painted Tree that houses about 200 or so vendors. That has provided another stepping stone to the direction I would like to head in. My work is known as colorful and whimsical that brings smiles to people young and old and that makes me extremely happy and proud. My paint parties provide a safe space for those that don’t get to exercise their creativity or those that do but not often enough and they create bonds and community for those in the room. It really is quite therapeutic and that makes me proud and happy. I love making connections and bringing in a bit of peace to someones life through art. I’m excited for what is possible and feel so grateful that this is what I do for a living.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think I have survived so long by showing up. I just keep getting back up. It’s also important to keep things fresh which is hard to do once you are in a groove but fortunately I like to have a good amount of variety and never get bored at what I am doing. People keep coming back to see what is new.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When Covid hit in March 2020 and I had to pivot and start doing more markets I became aware of how resilient I truly am. Weekly, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week I started hauling my art and tent around. I would set up the tent and my display then sell from a period ranging from 3 to 6 hours to 2 day shows. This was done in all weather – 95 degrees with humidity, windy weather, stormy weather and frigid weather. You also need to prepare food ahead of time. Most of the time I was by myself and it is hard to leave your tent during a show. Then after a long day then you had to break it all down. After that I would change hats and put on my mommy hat and homeowner hat. There has been a lot of juggling but I’m still here and happy and making it work. I believe it has built me up for my next phase of business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.heatherdonisdesigns.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/heatherdonisdesigns
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/heatherdonisdesigns
• Linkedin: heatherdonisdesigns
• Yelp: heatherdonisdesigns

Image Credits
Heather Donis