We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Hansen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jamie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
I have created drawings and paintings since I was young and I am still a full-time creator. I create websites, software integrations, illustrations, marketing materials, and large scale watercolor paintings.
After I earned my art degree twenty years ago I relied on my creativity in a variety of jobs. Years ago I was delighted to find a job working for a wall decor company where I occasionally got paid to draw. I worked for a variety of other companies that gave me the opportunity to learn skills in e-commerce, web design, and photography. I have cobbled together these skills and serve a variety of clients as a freelance artist and graphic designer.
When I first started freelancing, I was determined to be a “real artist” who made money only by drawing. I listened to anyone who would tell me what an artist was supposed to do. I used money from my art commissions to study with watercolor artists that I admired. I booked as many watercolor commissions as I could and saved enough to buy an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil for myself. I bought all the tech toys that I was curious about and took class after class to learn my new tools. I tried to do everything they told me would qualify me as an artist. I made plans to attend craft shows. I started an Instagram, created a Facebook page, and executed an elaborate Pinterest content plan.
I sold hundreds of illustrations to clients all over the world. My illustrations have given my family and I the opportunity to travel and created joy and solidarity for hundreds of families. The graphic design felt like a fallback: it was a skill that I had to use when I couldn’t book enough painting commissions to make ends meet.
However, my feelings changed as I saw the websites I built solve difficult problems for my clients. Web design is challenging work that is constantly changing. The medium is creative and innovative but structured enough to give me a framework for success. The websites feel functional in a way that my art commissions sometimes didn’t. I have realized I can create value using every part of my skill set. I am no longer ashamed that I cannot choose a niche.
Building a reputation and a business is a slow process. I’m not sure that it’s possible to speed up the process of crafting a career based on your own reputation and creativity. Even passive income streams require ongoing maintenance and lots of setup work. I’m grateful to be in a place where I can begin to choose my projects, and work in the places that give me the most opportunity for creative autonomy and impact.
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
Some of my clients come to me for custom illustrations and paintings. Some are referred to me for web design work and Shopify solutions. I create everything from marketing campaigns to elaborate family crests. My design work solves problems in technology and storytelling. My illustrations help my clients celebrate milestones and commemorate memories. A common thread that runs through all my work is my attention to detail and client service.
I build and maintain websites for a variety of businesses and artists. CSS is the most recent art medium that I’m working to master. Web design affords me the opportunity to create lasting partnerships and relationships with clients and do creative work that is used sometimes by thousands of people.
Many artists share an innate curiosity. They ask questions and are brave enough to do something novel as a response to a problem. I consider myself a generalist in many aspects of my online work, and I have struggled to reconcile my identity as a web designer with the watercolor art that I create. Each of these creative endeavors are reinforced by my love for the craft and a desire for meticulous detail and careful construction. I might not be the most adept artist or the most talented designer, but I’m the one that listens and takes careful notes. My role as an artist makes me curious and unafraid of challenges. My role as a designer has taught me restraint, balance, and attentiveness.
I am grateful for all the creative challenges that my clients trust me to solve. I’ve grateful to work with a variety of software and resources to fix problems in e-commerce, online marketing, automation, and data management. I thrive in a space where I am constantly learning and solving new challenges: both on sheets of watercolor paper and in the digital space.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I still mourn the art business that I created and then closed. It was born from an Etsy shop called Flourish Family Crests that I started in 2012. I sold hand-drawn family crests inspired by my love for insular manuscripts and books of hours. My clients gave me a list of symbols to include and then I used Photoshop to piece together a sketch of a fantasy coat of arms for them. I edited their mock-ups according to their whims and then re-drew the art by hand. I charged about $200 for the first pieces that I shipped. I didn’t need the money since I was working full time, but it was fun to collaborate with a variety of different families on projects that were always changing.
When I started to rely more heavily on the income from that business, I raised my prices and got more serious about my process. I created vast libraries of hand-drawn symbols to use in my mock-ups and purchased CRM software to keep my projects organized. I doubled down on Pinterest marketing and implemented sales funnels and email sequences. I made dozens of calls and sold hundreds of watercolor commissions. I started looking for coaches to help me fix what I knew was a failing business: but I was more interested in buying tech tools and watercolor courses. I didn’t know who to ask and told myself I couldn’t afford help.
At my busiest, I booked forty-seven commissions in a single year: almost one per week. I brought home just under $30,000 from my art in 2019. I had worked my way up to $1800 per piece, but I frequently allowed potential clients to talk me down to smaller packages to fit their budget. That year I recorded $19,000 of expenses: after shipping fees, advertising costs, software expenses, and technology tools I made about $190 per week: considerably less than SC’s poverty level. I worked every week and most weekends. My hands ached constantly. I started to resent the body of work that I had created and the punishing schedule of one-to-one service-based projects. I dreamed that I had something bigger and more important to say even as I created custom art for famous sports figures, television producers, and authors.
As I struggled through creative burnout and hand pain I chose to significantly scale back the business. I refunded $4000 in commission deposits. I briefly went back to a part-time graphic design job at a local history museum. I stopped responding to any commission request for nearly a year. I have only recently started carefully accepting projects again for the elaborate and carefully customized illustrations. I will use the lessons I have learned from the technology industry to help me balance these projects against my well being and financial needs.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Artists solve unique problems by weaving together pieces from many disciplines. I have been blessed with many clients that trust me with complex problems and are glad to compensate me for my work. Working for repeat clients has helped me earn enough to provide for my family and pursue my own creative practice. I look for clients who can offer me confidence and creative autonomy. I also look for places where I can make an impact with my skill set. I hope to create a little more joy, connection, and kindness through my work, and I look for clients in alignment with these goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jamiehansen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiehansenart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamiehansenartist
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-hansen-art/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamiesdesigns
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamiehansenart/
Image Credits
Sara Touchet and Christy Tripp