We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Schweitzer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.
Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Taking care of customers isn’t just good business – it is often one of the main reasons folks went into business in the first place. So, we’d love to get a conversation going around how to best help clients feel appreciated – maybe you can share something you’ve done or seen someone do that’s been really effective at helping a customer feel valued?
Every order I receive, I try to customize as much as possible so that the customer knows how much I value their support and their business. Sometimes I feel as though online shopping or shopping in general can feel very transactional and that’s not how I want my customers to feel when they support my art. I like to customize every order by writing a handwritten thank you note, or including extra freebies/gifts when I package the order. This goes a long way because I always recognize repeat customers. It’s so fun to recognize their names from a previous order or from meeting them in person or through Instagram! Connecting with my customers and supporters is the most fun part of what I do. I enjoy writing personalized notes, responding to their Instagram photos/stories, and sending thank you notes, and I think that creates a safe space and welcoming nature for all supporters of my art. This leads me to one of the best ways my customers have shown how they appreciate my art.
Creating this safe space through my art, and my Instagram, and engaging with my customers has led me to meet so many kind people. One of these lovely individuals and I connected through Instagram and they ordered some art from my Etsy shop. I thanked them, wrote them a note in their order(s), and I continue to chat with them when I see their content online. This person mailed me the sweetest card which included stickers that made them think of me. This warmed my soul and showed me how caring this person is and how much value comes with connecting with my customers. I’m so grateful to have such a positive experience with the individuals who support my art.
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.
My name is Jess Schweitzer, I am an Artist and an Illustrator and I started an Etsy shop called happy lil canvases in 2017! Happy lil canvases is an Etsy shop that offers a unique blend of art, stickers, gifts, prints, and illustrations. The shop is inspired by a variety of pop culture, country music, leftist, and Pittsburgh themes, giving customers a diverse range of products to choose from.
Since 2017, I’ve explored a variety of mediums, projects, ideas, and audiences in my art. I started off painting on canvases mostly, which developed into painting with watercolors and acrylics and exploring landscape art, custom art, wood signage, etc. Additionally, I ventured into the wedding industry to design signage and calligraphy for Pittsburgh weddings.
Eventually, I would continue to paint, do calligraphy, design, and wedding art but I started to branch into more digital illustration. I fell back in love with drawing again and found how fun it can be to draw on my iPad. In 2020, I started getting into creating digital art, stickers, magnets, and anything I could print at home through my illustrations!
In 2021, I cultivated an audience that I really honed in on – Pittsburgh natives. I’m from Pittsburgh, PA and I had an idea one day in 2021 to paint very specific Pittsburgh coasters. These took off online and I realized how fun it would be for me to create Pittsburgh-specific art. It’s mostly silly, it’s mostly queer, but it’s a very niche audience that I connect with through my Pittsburgh art. I’ve met so many new friends, locals, and folks who really connect with my Pittsburgh art and I’m grateful to have found an audience with whom I can share!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing my art through social media has its ups and downs. I think as an artist in the digital age, there is so much pressure for likes and engagement, that you sometimes forget exactly WHY you started as an artist – as a creative outlet to create something YOU enjoy. There would be times when I would think of an idea for a design or piece of art that would be so fun to create and I would enjoy the process. But then when it comes to sharing that idea on socials or listing on Etsy, it wouldn’t do as well as I thought it would, which would bring me down and lead me to criticize my art too harshly.
The lesson that I am still trying to unlearn is that just because something I create might not get many shares, likes, or sales on Etsy, does not depreciate the value of the art itself and the enjoyment I had creating. I think it’s important to remember that you don’t have to create something just because you think it will sell or because you think your audience will like it. You have to remember that not everything will take off on social media. Not everything will go viral. Not everything will be the biggest hit for your audience. But remember that you need to create things for your own joy too.
I’m still learning how to follow my own creative nature without fear of my audience not connecting with every single piece of art. It’s always important to create what you enjoy.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Through Instagram. I love connecting with my followers through Instagram. I enjoy creating a space where my followers and I can chat about art, local news, personal lives, etc. The best is when I receive an order on Etsy and I recognize the name of an Instagram person I have been chatting with! It’s so fun to meet customers in-person too. Treat your customers like you would treat your friends and just be yourself. This has helped me to foster more of a community, rather than brand loyalty. Your community will support you, if you support them too.
Contact Info:
- Website: happylilcanvases.etsy.com
- Instagram: @happylilcanvases
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happylilcanvases
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessschweitzer/
- Other: TikTok – @happylilcanvases My country queer art Instagram – @happylilyeehaw