Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalie Dohman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Natalie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you 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?

I ultimately started my creative journey when I was very young. I was born not with talent but with a thirst for learning and a passion for creating.

I didn’t go to school and get an arts business degree and then decide to open my doors.

I started at a young age, learning that if you want to get good at something, you need to immerse yourself in it, no questions asked. You need to live this life morning, noon and night.

From developing technique I did go back to school after having received a degree in Human Services for Graphic and Interactive Design.

It was while I was in college for a 3rd time studying that the business itself began. I started out as a freelancer with people asking me to build their website for them or take their photos and then it dawned on me that I could make my living doing this full time.

I started saving money and working multiple jobs so I could make a living off of my passion.

From there I began to be able to hire contractors and then get the community involved. This was not an overnight process but was something that built slowly and it was serious dedication and persistence that allowed me to be in the space that I am now.

People ask me all the time how I did it or what I did and I tell then that there is no simple answer for that. I do tell them that what I did was focus on what was burning deep in me and I listened to that and planned my life around it. Living this way for me, is the answer to personal fulfillment and is also the way I keep my cool in trying situations.

Natalie, 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?

I own nDesign Art Haus which is located at 15 N Hanover St, in Carlisle Pennsylvania.

We offer art classes, graphic and web design services and we also offer photography as well as a gallery that showcases various artists from the area.

We solve most creative problems- if clients are struggling to reach their target market we can help them with their web design branding and even their brand photography.

I think what sets nDesign Art Haus apart is that we straddle both the analog and digital sector.

One important aspect of who we represent in the gallery are mainly artists that have dealt with some form of PTSD.

We represent a lot of veteran artists [mostly female] as I also have had cPTSD since I was a child.

The veteran artists represented are from a mobile gallery called Wounded Not Worthless and these women have all used art to help deal with combat PTSD.

There are also artists that are from the community, some even own businesses, and use art as a means to express themselves.

Art has helped me develop my intellectual and emotional sides and my hopes with the space is that others might find it healing as well as learning techniques that are traditional and digital in nature.

The gallery is literally a place to explore your creative side and I believe that you can feel that when you walk in.

We have a lot of classes that are geared towards children and my view is if children are started at a young age to learn empathy/creativity then it will ultimately make them better humans.

While branding is important, it is the uniqueness and creativity that is the base foundation of having a creative brand.

We teach you how to be creative here while also helping you and your brand look the best. And if you don’t have a brand then we teach YOU how to express yourself the best.

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

There was a question that was asked that directly ties into this one. The question was “Whats a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory.”

I had to learn some serious boundaries. When I first started my business, my aim was to try to help as many people get noticed as possible instead of focusing on what got me and the business noticed in the first place and what made the business successful.

There were a lot of people that solely wanted to gain from my position and it ended up being a compromising venture. I took it upon myself to try to sell their objects and really wasn’t getting much revenue from that venture.

The businesses main source of capital is from the classes we offer and the web design.

I had to learn to first, ask for what something is worth- in this case, being in a storefront/gallery that is giving visibility is something that has value. Also, learning to say no and speak up if something didn’t fit the brand or the voice of the gallery.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

Every business goes through their ebbs and flows. There is a good network of businesses in the area and we all offer support to each other.

There have been days when neighboring businesses came to me, worried about what the future would hold and vice versa.

There were some days, times even weeks where I was scared if I’d be able to keep going. I have a mentor, a few of them, that reminded me to continue going and urged me to work harder. I surround myself with a lot of people that are “solutions based ” individuals and the view was simple-

If I’m able to pay my bills, then I’m doing OK.

Most businesses and business models end up not working in the long run because there is no room for creativity or pivoting. This entire business is based on creativity-

If you need photos, we do that!
If you need a website, we do that also!
Do you want to learn oil painting- there’s a class for that!

Even though it’s one entity, we offer various services that cross a multitude of barriers and allows the funds to come in a few different areas.

On top of that, at the end of the day, I’m an artist and the gallery has a lot of my art in it, which sells thankfully!

Businesses don’t end up making money for at least the first 3 years. Thankfully, I’m a single member LLC so this gives me grace and the main product are services that we offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.ndesignarthaus.com/www.nataliedohman.com
• Instagram: Isculptpaint/ndesignarthaus
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/ndesignarthaus and isculptpaint
• Linkedin: Natalie Dohman
• Twitter: Itsnatalie

Image Credits
Natalie Dohman from nDesign Art Haus Tiffany Scalavino from nDesign Art Haus