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

Hi Irene, thanks for joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?

I would not be where I am with my business without the help of my friends and family, and I think most small business owners would agree with that. Support comes in many other forms than buying my goods or commissioning art—many of my friends and family have shared their knowledge and used their skills to help me execute projects. In turn, I do the same for them. I’ve never outright asked my friends and family to support my work financially, and I’ve never felt that people close to me are obligated to purchase from me. I just happen to have a very supportive community who have encouraged me and bought my work from the beginning, and I’m super grateful for that.

Irene, 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?

My name is Irene Mudd, and I’m an artist and illustrator based in Louisville, KY. I am also the creator and owner of Guided Hand Studio, a small art business that takes inspiration from tarot, magic, feminism and esoterica. I have been an artist all my life, having received my formal arts education from Manual High School’s VA magnet and my BFA in painting and fiber art from U of L in 2017. After graduating art school, I created my tarot deck, The Guided Hand Tarot, which is a mixed media/collage style deck that approaches the tarot from a inclusive, feminist perspective. After funding the first run of my deck via Kickstarter, I opened my Etsy shop Guided Hand Studio in 2018, and in Summer 2023 I launched my own Shopify site, guidedhandstudio.com. Over the last 5 years, I have developed my illustration style and products based on my passions for tarot, magic, feminism and folklore.

As a brand, Guided Hand Studio is based on the idea of “art magic”, which is the notion that creative work is in and of itself a powerful form of alchemical magic. Every product I offer is either made by hand, or a reproduction of original artwork. The aesthetic of Guided Hand Studio can be described as vibrant, mystical, and textural. I offer a variety of products ranging from my tarot deck, stickers, cards, art prints, and hand crafted home decor.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In March of 2023 I took a major leap, leaving my day job at a gallery to pursue my art career and business full time. While I had been planning this move for a couple years and had a plan in place for leaving my job, this major life change triggered a substantial amount of anxiety and scarcity-mentality thinking for me. This was easily the biggest risk I had ever taken, so while I was excited about pursuing my dreams full time, the weight of financial responsibility loomed heavily over me. For the first time in years, my future felt wide open with possibilities, which was as terrifying as it was freeing.

About a month after leaving my job, I traveled to Galway, Ireland for a month-long art residency—my second ever residency and first international residency. I arrived in Ireland at a crossroads in my art practice and identity as a creative business person. While continuing to battle with self-doubt and anxiety, I recommitted myself to my studio practice, and allowed myself to explore and play in ways I hadn’t in years. The experience was challenging, but ultimately helped reunite me with my creative flame and curiosity about the world. I realized upon returning to the States that I had been leading myself from a perspective of fear, rather than allowing myself to be led by my ideas and creative process. Since shifting my perspective, I’ve become much less anxious and have been really enjoying the flexibility of a self employed work schedule, not to mention being able to create everyday.

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

For many years, I strongly connected my sense of self worth to my creative output and (perceived) productivity, a tendency that I think a lot of artists and creative small business owners struggle with. That negative thought pattern likely stemmed from receiving my arts education in a very rigorous, competition-focused environment, but also, I think making creative work your main source of income can breed that kind of mentality. I certainly still deal with that now, but I’ve tried to shift my perspective to view art and business as facets of who I am, not where my inherent value as a person lies. Making that separation has really helped my mental health and overall approach to art and work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://guidedhandstudio.com/
• Instagram: @guidedhandstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GuidedHandStudio
• Other: guidedhand.shop@gmail.com