We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristin Calhoun a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristin , thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

When I started my online business in 2017, I just knew that it was the perfect career for me because it allowed me to work from home, (painting art and shipping it all over the US, and creating video tutorials to sell online), it didn’t require certain set business hours, no structure imposed on me, freedom to structure my day the way I wanted,
But about the same time I started my business, I started seriously studying ADHD when I developed an anxiety disorder (which I’d never struggled with until then), and discovered that my business was in some ways the WORST possible thing for me to do because 1) I don’t want structure but I NEED structure,
2) I didn’t want a list of tasks that I was required to do, but I NEED a list of tasks that I’m required to do (but I don’t have anyone to require me to do them… problem). Lol. There are more but you get the idea.

So I”ve struggled (and continue to struggle!) to do the things necessary to run a successful business: prioritize, create structure and systems that work for me, organize my day, (or my supplies and my content creation for that matter.)
It’s been a journey FOR SURE, and earnest work learning to staying positive by managing my thoughts, and finding strategies to work around my brain so that I can TRY to be as productive as I need to be.

Unfortunately I haven’t found anyone who wants a full time job that pays exactly zero dollars who is willing to keep me organized throughout my day and week and prioritize what needs to happen when with timely texts many times a day Ha.

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.

I started painting our own furniture (and walls) as a young newlywed with no money, and discovered I was good at it, and fast as well. It’s one of the few positive things about my kind of ADHD – the hyperactive type – that is actually helpful! I can get physical tasks done like nobody’s business. once I know what to focus on.

So l started first painting people’s walls, then their accent walls, then kitchen cabinets and flipping furniture and redesigning furniture pieces for clients. Then I discovered the online space, where I could paint a piece of furniture live and grow an audience, while also selling the paint i was using and the actual piece… and also make tutorials about how I was doing it. You can’t beat that, at least for an introvert!
So I jumped into learning about Facebook lives, online marketing and all that goes with it with both feet.
During that time I started a Youtube channel, painting and teaching mostly DIY home projects like painting wood floors, faux wood techniques, painting cabinets, countertops, just anything you can DIY with paint, you can find a video on my channel about it!

About three years into growing the social media presence of She Paints, I took an art class from a friend, of Anissa Marie Art, and fell in love with canvas art.
So I started working on learning that and selling and shipping less furniture and more art (much lower shipping cost!)

The next little pivot I did was when I started learning about ADHD and the association with depression and anxiety, and could not NOT share the information I was learning. So almost as many of my videos became talking about those things and/or painting art.

Even though it seems on the surface that painting has nothing to do with ADHD and mental health, it was a way to reach creatives (who VERY often are struggling with adhd and its various symptoms), and I’ve been teaching art but also offering ADHD education, tips and knowledge about it as I’m learning and applying it in my own life.

I am most grateful for and proud of the fact that most of my viewer’s testimonials and comments say things like “This is life changing”, “Thank you for talking about this”, “You make me feel so hopeful and ‘normal””.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

One of the most impactful books I have read since owning my online business – there are SO many great resources available to us – has been “Fear is not the Boss of You” by Jennifer Allwood.
I learned early on, thanks to her, that letting fear of what people think will keep you from what you’re supposed to do, what you’re meant to do, what you’re equipped to do.. and thinking you aren’t good enough to do the thing is a lie to begin with!

The main resource that literally has taught me what I need to know and that has EVERYTHING an entrepreneur needs to learn is Youtube. It’s free and that’s still astounding to me, considering the wealth of information it is for anyone. From every aspect of marketing, to how to make a good video, to email lists, to mindset and everything in between… it can be learned on Youtube. I sound like an ad for Youtube lol, but I so wish everyone knew to look there for anything you need to learn!

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

The most rewarding thing about being an artist, especially online, has been showing women all over the US that EVERYONE was created to create, that the problem is our own wrong thoughts about it that were usually formed when we were children, and then helping them put paint on a canvas and create beauty where there was none.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shepaintsstudio.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shepaintsstudio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shepaintsstudio
• Linkedin: https://linkedin,com/kristincalhoun
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shepaints

Image Credits

(I took all the photos.)