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

Sharelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my opinion, what it takes to truly be successful is perseverance and discipline. Determination and hope only goes so far because “faith without works is dead” and I truly believe that. You can’t wake up every morning believing that something is gonna change because you’ve been patient or you think you earned it. Sometimes God already gives us the tools to make our dreams happen, we just have to use them. An example I’d use is myself in the scenario. Back in 2021, when unemployment was ending and I was unable to work due to my condition, I had no idea how I was gonna make ends meet. I had no idea how i was gonna bring finances in my home if I couldn’t physically work. Online jobs were so tricky because they had requirements that I didn’t qualify for so they couldn’t count. Painting was a hobby at the time and I had 5 anime paintings in stock. All I could think in that moment was how these needed to be seen not just for my benefit but to share both my love of art and anime with a community who understood that. The second I posted my “already made” work in my first anime Facebook group, it blew up. I started receiving messages about commissions and custom art and it just took off from there. It made me realize that those 5 lil anime paintings that were catching dust in the corner was the key to my dream. I had the tools despite praying day and night about I was gonna bring finances in. God blessed with a gift that would open doors for me when the time was right. I just had to take the first step and keep moving. Discipline yourself everyday no matter how lazy you are, how tired you feel or how useless it feels. Sometimes you gotta push through and keep going. Persevere and keep your faith strong but don’t give up. That’s what it takes to be successful!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Sharelle Franklin and I am a small business artist. I’ve been a self-taught artist since I was 5 years old. I never had access to training, classes or resources because growing up in a house of 9 kids, we couldn’t afford them. I learned by taking any reference I could use in the house (magazine, book cover, tv and just drew. From that point my skill just grew more and more. Eventually I stepped away from drawing at the age of 19 to focus on my fashion career which also coincide with my art dream. During covid though, I developed health issues that prevented me from being active in the fashion community and it was time for me to take a break. 2021 was the year my hobby for art became a business!

The type of products I offer is a variety of styles. Since I am very versatile in skills, I figure why do I have to stick to only one style? I want to do it all, lol. My main niche is the anime community which is what got me started in the art business but I also do more. I do anime fanart, marvel/dc fanart, video game art, celebrity portraits, regular portraits, black inspirational art, and original art so far. I even developed my own sense of style/signature when it comes to my art and that’s blacklight paint. That’s what makes my art unique from others. It’s not that because everyone is is doing it, it makes it less special. It’s how you implicate it and make it your own that people recognize your touch and style. My goal when it comes to my art business is to touch people’s lives with my art. It doesn’t matter what style I create, it’s the result of seeing my client’s faces or reactions when they receive my art. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.

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

Facebook groups, consistency and reaching out. Sometimes as nerve-wrecking as it is, you have to reach out to people and build relationships with them. Find things in common and make conversation with them about it! I know many people have strategies and ways for you to reach more of a clientele on social media and believe me, I’m still learning even till this day. But sometimes all it takes is building a relationship/friendship with the people you encounter in order to really know them. Those are gonna be the ones that return for another product because you were able to build that trust. Like their posts genuinely, ask about things you see, make it known that you WANT to get to know them.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Mostly my kindness and patience with clients and friends. In this line of business, I have yet to have a bad customer. Even when issues occur, I’ve never ended on a bad note with any clients. I’ve always been patient, always kept them updated on their piece, always stayed on top of my deadlines and always tried to gift them a little extra. I’ve had one time when I didn’t meet a deadline and it was an international order. Unfortunately, I had to refund her even though I created the piece but that was an error on my part. But lesson learned, I gave her back her money and we both departed on good terms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shaysunityart.square.site/
• Instagram: www.instagram,com/shaysunityart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaysunityart
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/shaysunityart
• Other: www.tiktok.com/shaysunityart