We recently connected with Mercedes Reilly and have shared our conversation below.

Mercedes, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea for my business came up just after my husband and I got married in early April 2020, which was at the beginning of the Covid lockdown. At this point, I had been working full-time as an Administrative Assistant for a college for over 4 years and I loved my job and everyone that I worked with. When my job temporarily transitioned to remote work during the lockdown, I got a taste of what “working from home” would look like and I loved it. I also had been trying to start selling my art but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to sell until my husband and I got our first two dogs.

The time and love that I was able to have with them while working from home was so fulfilling. Through that love, I realized that there are tons of other pet lovers out there and there is also a huge market for pet portraits. I visualized myself as an artist working from home, creating art and surrounded by my dogs and cats and realized it was time to make it happen. Yes, I loved where I worked but I needed to take a chance on myself and invest in me. It was not easy to do but it felt great when I made that leap. I was happy, excited, scared and nervous all at the same time. Something I realized is there is no room for half-measures and I have to go all the way to follow my dream and be who I want to be.

Well, as luck and persistence may have it, at the beginning of this year, I opened my Etsy shop, Portraits by Cedes, where I sell custom digital pet portraits. My goal with these portraits is to spark joy, provide the perfect pet portrait, and provide a piece of art that can be kept for years to come. I’m excited to see how this business evolves and I’m excited to create for others!

Mercedes, 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?

My name is Mercedes Reilly and I am an artist, food enthusiast and dog and cat mom, living in southwest Florida, who works from home freelance and through my small business. I earned my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Management and my Masters in Art Therapy with an Emphasis in Counseling. I also have over nine years professional experience as a Graphic Designer and just launched an Etsy shop, Portraits by Cedes, where I sell custom digital pet portraits. My goal with these portraits is to spark joy, provide the perfect pet portrait, and provide a piece of art that can be kept for years to come. I also will be launching a graphic design company later this year, Cedes Art and Design, LLC. This company will offer professional graphic design services including presentation design, social media graphics, logo design, branding and more.

My brand colors, pink, orange and yellow, reflect the colors you find in a sunset. I find sunsets quite beautiful and want my brand to also reflect beauty, creativity, and positive vibes. Something you should know about me is I am a creative problem solver who is looking to solve a client’s creative needs. Lastly, I work hard to make sure my clients are 100% satisfied and I am looking forward to seeing my businesses grow.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One story that illustrates my resilience would be my journey through my Masters in Art Therapy. While I had a lot of great experiences during those 3.5 years, I also had a lot of challenges. One thing that helped me through it is positive reframing. Looking at challenges as opportunities to grow and to rise up. My resilience was truly tested when I was working full time, going to school full time and was working at my internship full time. There were times I was so tired and stressed that I wanted to give up but I would tell myself that I don’t give up. That’s not who I am. That mantra combined hard work and the support of my husband and rest of my family, got me through to graduation.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

While I have had my Instagram account for over two years, my journey to intentionally building my audience on social media started in January 2023 with 228 followers. After a lot of planning, designing, and implementing and within 4 months, I now have 4,256 followers.

Advice that I would give someone working to build their social media presence is do not buy your followers. It might be tempting to do it but it’s not worth it in the long run. If you want to gain real followers and build your following that will last, you need to put in the work and be consistent. Create a content schedule and stick to it. Another very important thing to remember is to treat your followers as your community, not your followers. Building connections through collaboration and support will help enormously with your social media presence goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PortraitsbyCedes
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.by.cedes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercedes.e.reilly
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-reilly/