We were lucky to catch up with Kristen McBride recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen , appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I have been able to earn a full-time living by creating custom artisan designs for interior and exterior residential and commercial clientele for the past 2.5 years. Working with Epoxy as a medium for 15 years (as a hobby) has been a huge benefit in all of this. I never would have thought my Artwork would pursue into my career. You always hear the saying “Starving Artist” and it starts to stick with you in believing it will always just be a hobby. I am here to say that statement is false and to always follow your dreams in any field of work.

For many of us, our lives changed during the pandemic and we lost jobs or even had to close the doors to business. Rough is an understatement. At times, not knowing how everything would unfold for our family and livelihood. Which in turn, meant finding a new ground to stand on and using entrepreneurial skills to create the life we want for our children. So we turned our nightmare into a blessing in disguise.

First, I started out by making some small items and posting daily to social media to grab attention and share our new venture.. I even did a five dollar boost with no photos included just to see if it would help. I found the best place is your local groups that are very connected and can help spread the word with good business! After getting my first handful of custom jobs, it was much easier to start posting with content included so it really helped spike the business.

Within a month, we had jobs of all sorts and it showed us the path of what was hot items and also not so popular items.

Kristen , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Art has always been a huge part of my life and in 2009 I started using Epoxy Resin as a Medium.

Now my partner David and I juggle our three children and a full time renovation and Epoxy service business in DFW and surrounding.

Every piece is custom made so I spend time with my clients understanding their preferences in design, texture and color. We take pride in delivering functional or decorative art that the clients connect with. From custom artisan flooring, concrete designs, countertops, wall art, designer walls, marbled or flaked garage floors, shower walls, fireplaces etc. Or any art that is uniquely inspired.

Epoxy Resin is famous for its mechanical properties. Most of this is due to the unique process called curing. Epoxy resin is a type of plastic. cured as a solid of silica, resin, hardener and is reinforced with fiber, making it hard to argue with its durability. It is extremely easy to clean and almost impossible to crack or damage, making it ideal for kitchens, bathrooms and businesses.

With so many working from home these days, home owners have been looking for interesting ways to make improvement and add value.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding parts of being a full-time artist is being able to work around my kids schedules and not have to miss big events. Also, building a portfolio of the works and being able to look back and see how many “one of a kind” designs in homes and businesses we’ve created. Designing is fun but when you get your clients involved it truly makes it custom and special in every room or area!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media can get hard at times trying to keep up with all of the algorithms and daily hashtags but once you get all of your platforms connected it becomes much easier to navigate and make daily posts, reels or stories. Posting daily can be a great benefit for most business owners and artists to be seen and grow a following. You never know who will be watching! Do not be discouraged if you’re not getting many “likes” or “followers” because I can tell you right now some of my favorite clients came from those less seen posts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.epoxyresinprofessionals.com
• Instagram: @epoxyresinpros_kristen
• Facebook: Epoxy Resin Pros

Image Credits
Kristen McBride