We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kaitlyn Brophy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kaitlyn below.
Hi Kaitlyn, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
I started my business completely on a whim! I have enjoyed painting and drawing as a hobby throughout my entire life and have always made handpainted cards for friends and family. After hearing “you need to sell these!” about a thousand times, I’ve always had the idea to start a creative business in the back of my mind marketing and selling my artwork and greeting cards. I saw that a local night market was taking applications for new vendors three years ago. I stayed up all night to submit an application and created new works of art I thought the market managers might take an interest in. I was quickly accepted into my first market and have been figuring it all out as I’ve gone along on this wild journey as a first-time small business owner! If I didn’t pursue that market application three years ago, I wouldn’t have started the business and it wouldnt have flourished in this way.
Kaitlyn, 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?
I am a watercolo artist based in Charleston, South Carolina. I specialize in whimsical, sweet paintings mostly designed for tourists visiting the city and looking for a piece of Charleston to take home. A lot of my paintings have a slightly “messy” look that has become my signature. Although I used to be a perfectionist, I found that leaning into a more messy aesthetic has helped my creative side grow. I am so proud of the business I have built and sharing beautiful art every day that brings a smile to people’s faces. My favorite comment to hear is “this makes me so happy!”– that means I’ve achieved my goal to bring a little extra whimsy and happiness to someone’s day.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I first started this business mostly as a way to entertain my lifelong hobby of drawing and making cards. My first 10 months in business I lost money by setting up at markets and funding expensive printing costs. I would sell just enough cards to break even on some of my printing costs and was working 2 other part time jobs in the meantime. Eventually, after a year and a half of 6-day work weeks, my business started growing to a point where I had to pour more time into it and had to quit my part time positions. Once I took the business full-time, I was able to breathe so much more life into it by giving it my undivided attention and from there it truly took off.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Starting a business has taught me how to be resilient, patient, and learn how to adapt quickly. Trends change very quickly in the age of social media and it is important as an artist to know how to forecast new trends. This means staying on top of popular color palettes, motifs, and designs. When I first started my business, I focused very heavily on building a catalog of greeting cards only to learn that these were not very popular in my area. Though my cards always sell well at farmers markets or wholesaling into boutiques, they are not very lucrative at such a low price point. This means I’ve had to lean into creating art prints that tourists and locals resonate with alike. At first I felt like I was creating art I didn’t feel a connection to but over time I’ve learned how to create pieces that still felt authentic to me and my design style.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kaitlynbrophy.square.site/
- Instagram: brophyink
Image Credits
Avery Martin photography
https://averymartinphoto.mypixieset.com/