We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lili Donovan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lili, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve always been connected to art in one way or another. Whether through visiting museums, attending expositions, studying art history, or through classes and workshops – and throughout it all, creating my own art. I was born in Arica, the northernmost city in Chile, and from a very young age I developed a passion for learning and creating all types of visual arts and handicrafts. Everything from drawing, painting, creating ceramics, to woodworking etc…
Besides art, I’ve always maintained a keen interest in writing, as well as numbers and the business world..
As the years passed, although I’d decided against following an artist’s path professionally, my love for art never went away.
Subsequently I earned my degree in Publicity in Santiago, Chile, and after working in market studies for a publicity agency, the restlessness again stirred in me, pushing me towards something more numbers-focused, so I returned to school, earning a second degree in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing, and eventually earning a scholarship to Madrid, Spain where I completed my my Master’s degree in Marketing.
It wasn’t until several years later that I was finally able to combine all my passions into one single challenge and began this micro-entrepreneurship that blends my years of study with the devotion to art that had been lying below the surface all along, Now fusing it all together I am able to dedicate myself professionally to my passion.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After moving to Tucson and falling under the spell of its desert, cactuses, sunsets and unique ambient colors, it was only a matter of time for inspiration to strike, pushing me to create my own depictions of this spectacular show of beauty; painting these scenes, adding my own splashes of color and touch of simplicity. My work is not realism, nor is it a true reflection of our surroundings – it’s a parallel reality. Joyful, and enthusiastic yet unsophisticated, flaunting the playfulness of the desert’s shapes and colors.
I know and respect how much this desert and its surroundings are loved and appreciated only by those of us that live here but also by those that come to visit. I also know how difficult it is to keep a plant alive once you remove it from its habitat without its preferred light, soil, and water, or how a Sonoran cactus struggles to survive in a cold and humid climate.
That’s why I came up with the idea of creating hand-painted terracotta pots, overflowing with colors and designs, and decorated with cactus-rocks that will last forever. Along with a complete collection of other products that reflect both the heritage and the natural beauty of our surroundings, combined with the straightforwardness and intense colors that characterize my creations.
The advantage of creating a small business where everything is handpainted is that you can personalize or add specific details for each customer – names, dates, phrases, and even create projects from scratch representing an important milestone or accomplishment for that individual.
As for myself, I enjoy the process from start to finish, be it one of my own designs showcasing the beauty of this area or creating a completely unique, personalized project and seeing the happiness and surprise on my customer’s face when the final work is presented to them.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I believe the hardest thing to understand from an outside point of view is realizing all the hours upon hours involved in the complete creative process; from the spark of a nascent idea to the finalized piece. The amount of work increases exponentially once you factor in time spent managing/updating social media accounts, bookkeeping, evaluating new ideas through trial and error, booth setup and breakdown at events, shopping for supplies, and researching new techniques and equipment. These simple steps can easily add up to dozens of hours weekly before you’ve made your first brush stroke.
For this reason one of the most difficult tasks for an artist can be setting a price for their work.
Usually the sale price covers the cost of materials but doesn’t always reflect the hours of preparation. Undoubtedly, this is a profession that people choose “for the love of the art”. I feel privileged being able to dedicate 10 hours a day, 7 days a week to an activity that truly is comforting for the soul. I would find it impossible to dedicate this level of effort and energy to any other vocation, and I hope to continue doing it for a long while longer.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Starting this home business after years of studying and work in marketing pushed me to analyze patterns and trends in my sales from the beginning. However, while keeping a log of sales and breaking them down by item/type/color is necessary to keep things organized it is absolutely not a way to predict future sales. That may sound extreme, but it’s true! Since the beginning I’ve kept a meticulous accounting of individual item sales from each craft market, online sales and special orders, and there is no pattern that can reliably be applied to future sales!
I’ve had occasions where one of my products is the star of the market, only to go unsold at the next four markets! Trying to estimate sales, be it total sales or quantities of individual items at any one event has proven to be a complete shot in the dark. Although this was difficult for me to accept, I’ve learned that each market is completely different from the others, no matter if it’s the same general crowd, same venue, same day of the week etc. It’s not only that each person is an individual – yes, each customer may have a certain idea of what they like, or may be thinking of purchasing something specific, however in the end they will buy the item that draws them in at the moment. If they like it they’ll buy it, and that’s that!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lila_art_az/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lirilyn/
