We recently connected with Keslie Nelson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Keslie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

As a young artist I almost always have these crazy ideas. One in which has led me to be a business owner and creator. It all began with a talent that was able to grow with experience. I’ll begin with explaining my love of sculpture and how I was able to create a business and name for myself. My love for the arts started when I was just a little girl. I grew up in a loving, supportive family, where I developed my artistic eye and a desire to create. It wasn’t until high school in an AP art class that I really began to branch out into new mediums. The class was focused on creating a portfolio of about 15 different art pieces, all part of a specific theme. This is where I decided to experiment with new 3d mediums such as bailing wire. Wire was tricky at first, causing my hands to get cuts, blisters, and eventually calluses. Eventually wire sculpting became natural for me and my abilities began to grow.

As my love for wire sculpting grew, so did my desire to share my creations with others. This aspiration led me to one of the most impactful decisions of my career – participating in the St. George Art Festival, the largest art market in Southern Utah. Though my initial application was hastily put together and rejected, fate intervened when I received a last-minute call to fill in for a no-show artist. With just two days to prepare, I miraculously managed to assemble everything I needed, all without the burden of vendor fees. This unexpected opportunity marked the beginning of my journey as a professional artist.

With the help of experience, practice and furthering my education, I soon able to develop my own brand and business. I have been able to create a wide variety of wire and mixed media sculptures. My art is modern, realistic, and simple, and revolves around the theme of the wild west. My style and love for the worlds beautiful animals led me to name my business name, “Wild Wired West.”

Today I sculpt a wide variety of animals and other unique sculptures. I am always looking for ways to get my work out there Whether it be in markets, stores or art galleries. I hope to continue to grow as and artist and Buisness owner by staying involved. One way I have been doing so is by mentoring young children in art classes, helping and inspiring them to explore many different art styles. I love to see their progress and hope to continue to help them as my mentors helped me develop as an artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! I am Keslie Nelson. I’m a young artist from southern Utah who has developed my own unique art style. I use wire and driftwood to create 3D sculptures. I am always looking for new and creative mediums to sculpt with. My art is modern, realistic, and simple, and revolves around the theme of the wild west. My style led me to name my business name, “Wild Wired West.” I enjoy sculpting beautiful animals that I admire.

My love for art started when I was just a little girl. I grew up in a loving, supportive family, where I developed my artistic eye and a desire to create. It wasn’t until highschool in a sculpture class that I really began to branch out into my current style. The class was focused on creating a portfolio of about 15 different art pieces, all part of a specific theme. This is where I decided to experiment with wire as a medium for my art. Wire was tricky at first, causing my hands to get cuts, blisters, and eventually calluses. Eventually wire sculpting became natural for me and my abilities began to grow.

Today I sculpt a wide variety of animals and other unique sculptures. I have recently gone into the teaching side of art. I mentor young children in art classes, helping and inspiring them to explore many different art styles. I love to see their progress and hope to continue to help them as my mentors helped me develop as an artist.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

I am not much of a risk taker. However staring your own business and trying to create something out of nothing is often a big risk! Creating my brand Wild Wired West was not the easiest thing. Despite having help from family and friends being the sole proprietor of a business (even a small one) can be taxing. I have had to experiment with all sorts of marketing platforms and strategies just to get some sales. I always find selling my handmade work to be very rewarding. Every time I go to a market or someone sees my art, they usually have something nice to say. It feels good and keeps me motivated to continue. I don’t have any one sale that is my favorite. They all are, every sale is a win, and I just love to hear peoples Ideas and reason for their purchase. My work is quite unique to is always fun to share it with others. It always makes me excited to keep trying new things to expand my audience. One thing I will be risking in the future is investing a large vendor fee for a very large Christmas market. I am curious to see if it pays out. I know it is a very large and successful market. However it is a large fee to be paying as a small business. I am curious to see how it all turns out.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I currently sell my work and sculptures on Etsy and I hope to sell on more platforms in the future. I had heard both positive and negative things about Etsy before starting my own shop. Here Is what I have learned. I have learned that you can in fact get sales through Esty, that it is a picky algorithm, and that its worth trying. When I first started I was worried about all of the little fees you are charged just by using the Etsy service. However those fees are nothing when I compare it to what have been able to make through Etsy. It is a very user friendly and is well known. I love being able to say that I have an Etsy Shop. But one thing that I struggle with on all social platforms is getting along with the algorithm. I really just don’t care to learn the algorithm it seems like a chore in my mind. I know that I would be far more successful on my social media platforms such and Instagram and Esty if I tried using the algorithm. Any ways we will see if I get any better at it with time. I know there is a stigma or mind block some people have against selling through Ecommerce sites such as Etsy. I am here to tell you that Its worth selling on Esty. Don’t expect to make a ton of sales when you start. I still don’t get a ton of sales. But a few sales here and there are worth it. Its better than sitting stagnant with products on your self. I am excited to branch off more in the future. Its so nice to have an online store that is easily accessible for buyers. It is just another way to grow your businesses’ audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/wildwiredwest
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wild_wired_west
• Linkedin: https://linktr.ee/keslienelson
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnuQ_y-12Wyr1NL4J79U-Lg
• Other: Etsy- https://wildwiredwest.etsy.com