We were lucky to catch up with Heaven Parkinson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Heaven, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

The most unexpected problem we ran into was from our biggest project – the Enchanted Mushroom Tarot Deck. When you’re an artist trying to make it all work, you always think the bulk of your efforts is going to be in the creation process. But producing products, especially ones with very specific parts, is such a challenge! After over a year of drawing, designing, and researching, the biggest hurdle was production.
To solve our problem, we had to order samples for all of the different pieces from multiple printers and decide how to put something together we’re proud of without causing the deck to go beyond what we’d want to charge. There’s always a balance between providing the best quality and avoiding breaking the bank for either us or those who wanted the deck in their collection. After many many samples, we found the perfect card and box printers, while moving the booklet to an online resource. Then, using revenue generated from prints and stickers, we were able to order all of the pieces of the deck in bulk and assemble ourselves. It’s a lot of time and effort, but we couldn’t be happier with the end result. We’ve gotten such positive feedback for the deck and we’re happy we still get to produce it!

Heaven, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Heaven, and I’m the artist! My partner Ari is the other half of this equation, and he helps keep the wheels turning in our small operation. I’ve been an artist since my teens, but tried very hard to develop a career in a typical 9-5. I realized it was time to get Dear Honey off the ground when every day in a corporate position felt further and further away from the creative life and community I wanted. I began selling prints online, but have since expanded to pop-ups around town. So far, it’s been a fulfilling adventure!

Dear Honey is an art shop that focuses on exploring human connection, the metaphysical, and the small joys in life through calming creatures and whimsical illustrations. In our little shop you’ll find a series of cat painting in happy places, cozy home creatures, relatable stickers, and a mushroom woodland tarot deck. We make lots of charming art, and through that have made lots of connection with the Nashville community. Ari and I both explore the wonderful nuances of life through our art, and we really hope to share that exploration with others. Beyond connecting with people who simply like whimsy art, we love getting to know other artists and sharing any lessons we’ve learned along the way – gatekeeping helps no one.

You can catch me around Nashville at art markets talking tarot, getting to know other artists, and sharing photos of my cats.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn this idea that your art had to be perfect (or even “good”) to be an artist.

Hear me out! So many creatives never make that album, or painting, or project, because they fear a lack of perfection. The key to doing it isn’t waiting for perfection – it’s about putting it out there, receiving the feedback, and the staying consistent. Don’t wait for your art to be good enough to share, because that feeling of pure confidence doesn’t come from your first few times doing it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media can be tricky and can feel like a drag, but it is undoubtedly the best free way to market yourself as a small creative. The biggest things that helped me understand marketing on social media are developing a clear brand, coming up with categories of posts that fit that vision, and posting on a schedule.

Spending an hour writing out your post pillars (some basic genres that fit within your brand) make it significantly easier to figure out what to post. Half of the work is done for you when you’ve filtered down what types of posts you can make. Plus, it helps you understand who your target audience is going to be. You really only have to do this once, so long as your brand doesn’t change!

The second half of the puzzle is getting on a consistent posting schedule. Aim for 2-3 times a week, at the same times on the same days weekly. Growth won’t happen if you don’t stay consistent! I find it easy to stick to a schedule when I spend some time once a week scheduling posts.

If this all sounds confusing, it’s okay – start by looking at what your favorite creatives are doing on their social media. How often are they posting? What type of posts are they making? This is where I began, and I still look at my favorite artists when I’m stuck.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dearhoneyart.com/
• Instagram: @dearhoney.art

Image Credits

Dear Honey