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Recording this week's episode felt like a moving target! I recorded it on Feb 8th and the news moves so fast that it was hard to keep up. I'm sure you'll notice a few things in here that have since changed.  Having said that, this week's episode was born out of the launch of a trade war Canadians didn't ask for. The threats of tariffs and, frankly, annexation, have made this a very scary time for all Canadians. But with things in so much flux I decided to make this a more general episode. I share some strategies creative entrepreneurs in the arts can employ to build resilience against global chaos as well as helping you have a clearer understanding of how any kind of tariff can impact your business. We'll go over the three keys you need to focus on in the back end of your business as well as the importance of adapting your  marketing tactics  and creating greater financial stability for yourself. This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️  need to understand the potential impact of tariffs on their creative businesses  ⭐️  need to review their pricing strategies for long term sustainability during a trade war ⭐️  are looking for ways to stabilize their expenses and cost of materials ⭐️  want to lean into values based marketing (and being Canadian) during this time ⭐️  need to think about diversifying revenue and trying to ensure as much financial stability as possible OTHER HELPFUL  EPISODES:  EP154: Makers, Artists & Creatives: Here's How to Find Your CustomersEP110: Navigating Economic Uncertainty While Running a Creative BusinessEP098: Aligning Your Values with Your BusinessEP082: Budget & Hybring Pricing Models for CreativesEP081: Premium Pricing Models for Your Creative BusinessYou can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

Winner of the 2024 Canadian Book Club Awards for fiction, Susan Wadds, author of "What the Living Do", shares her inspiring journey from aspiring poet to published novelist. But we also discuss the power of community and connection in the creative process. Susan fosters safe communities for other creatives through her workshops and retreats while also creating additional revenue streams for herself and she shares with us just how she does that! This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ want to learn more about the value of creating safe spaces for other creatives in their niche ⭐️ want some insights on community-building among creatives ⭐️ are curious about the Amherst Writers and Artists method ⭐️ are looking for practical advice for aspiring writers to pursue their passion ⭐️ are curious about Susan and her novel "What the Living Do" This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  find Susan at writeyourwayin.ca, or on Instagram @deepamwadds, Facebook, YouTube, or SubstackWhat the Living Do on Indigo Amherst Writers and ArtistsCanadian Book Club AwardsYou can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

As we close out 2024, Heather and Melissa reflect on the ups and downs of the past year and look ahead to what's coming in 2025. This episode highlights the core theme of finding joy amid challenges as we close out one year and being another. Here's a quick recap of what we get into! • Recap of 2024 and its unexpected challenges  • Importance of joy in art and creativity  • Personal growth through grief and creativity  • Strategies for nurturing community and connection  • Setting intentions for a vibrant 2025  • Encouragement to embrace personal projects and small victories This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout. You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can find Heather at heatherlynnetravis.com or on Instagram @heathertravis. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

Award winning poet and writer Kim Fahner joins the show this week to share her creative journey and discuss the importance of forming a community of our peers. Forging nurturing and supportive connections with other creatives in a country as vast, and empty, as Canada can feel like a huge challenge - particularly for those in smaller or rural communities. We also discuss the copyright implications of AI for creators and why it's so important to support Canadian creatives and the businesses that support them more than ever. Kim is the author of multiple poetry books as well as her debut novel, The Donoghue Girl, released earlier this year. She is also the first vice-chair of The Writer's Union of Canada, a teacher and an editor for Consilience, an online journal that explores the spaces where the sciences and arts meet. This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ are looking to forge new connections with their peers ⭐️ are considering mentoring or being mentored in the new year ⭐️ have thought about publishing poetry or are curious about the small press community in Canada ⭐️ are concerned about the copyright implications of AI and how it might impact our creativity This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  find Kim at kimfahner.com or on Instagram at @kimfahner or on X at @modernirishThe Donoghue GirlConsilience JournalThe Writer's Union of CanadaLatitude 46 PublishingTurnstone PressYou can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

With Black Friday coming up quickly and market season in full swing, should you discount your creative work? There's a time and a place for discounts. This week we go over the pros and cons of offering or granting discounts and why it is SO crucial to price your work properly in order to have more marketing flexibility in your business This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ don't know how to respond when a customer or potential customer asks for a discount ⭐️ aren't sure if discounting devalues their work ⭐️ don't feel they have the room in their pricing to offer discounts ⭐️ aren't sure how much it costs them to secure a new customer ⭐️ are looking for ways to foster loyalty among their customer base This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  EP172: How to Increase Your Average Order Value and Books Revenue in Your Creative BusinessYou can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. Support the show You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

If you need a good dose of hope and inspiration this week, then Episode 177 is for you. Canadian writer and author Beka Shane Denter joins the show to talk about her latest book, Bloom Across Canada - an inspirational collection of conversations with 50 diverse women and non-binary creatives entrepreneurs from all across Canada.  Beka shares how a pandemic, her nomadic life and a career as a features and content writer helped inform her decision to embark on bringing the "Bloom" series to life and, how this book in particular, is a love letter to Canada. This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ need a little boost of encouragement to take on those big, dream projects ⭐️ want to be a more effective storyteller in their work ⭐️ need some real talk and encouragement about not taking no for an answer ⭐️ are searching for community for themselves and for their work ⭐️ need a good dose of hope right now This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:  bekashanedenter.comBloom Across Canada - where to buyHeritage House Publishing@beka_shane_denter on InstagramFind Beka on LinkedIn You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

In this week's regular season episode, Melissa and Heather explore the transformative power of intentional rituals in our creative practices. Rituals are different from habits. And, there's real science behind them and how they affect our brains. They can help shape our creative mindset, help us achieve a state of flow, quite our inner critic and much more! Do you have a particular ritual or rituals you perform in your creative practice? Share it with us on our Instagram account or our YouTube channel! This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ struggle with settling into creative work ⭐️ need help with focus in their creative practice ⭐️ find it challenging to quiet their inner voice and critic This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit: Episode169: Creating and Recreating Our Own Creative Process You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can find Heather at heatherlynnetravis.com or on Instagram @heathertravis. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

For Week 13 of Prep for the Holidays we're talking about how to accept payments at your holiday events, markets and pop-ups. You're going to need a payment processor! And if you've already got one, you've probably had at least one freakout moment with your payment processor hardware or software.  So, let's talk about what you'll need and a quick checklist of what double (triple, quadruple) check before each market so you can avoid those panic inducing moments of wonky tech and instead, focus on market customers! This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

In this week's regular season episode, classically trained fashion designer Rebecca Rowe joins the show to talk about how she pivoted her business (and how a disaster pushed her to embrace that pivot full force!) from a designer to a stylist who helps other women find confidence in their wardrobe. And then, she took on what, at first glance, appeared to be a surprising collaboration to expand her business even further. Take a listen and it will all make sense! Rebecca shares her top tips for connecting and collaborating with other businesses and for having a successful business pivot. This is a great episode for creatives who... ⭐️ are looking to collaborate but don't know where to start - or who to collaborate with ⭐️ need a little help thinking outside of the box when it comes to collaborations ⭐️ would like to pivot their business but are afraid of starting fresh or upsetting existing clients or customers This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Rebecca on Instagram rebeccarowe.ca  Rebecca on LinkedIn  Finding Your Fit with Rebecca & Jenn EP 48: How to Make $100 in Your Creative Business Today You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

It's Week 12 of the Prep for the Holidays minisode series and it's time for us to prep all our online shop for the holiday rush. Whether you sell on Etsy, eBay, your own website or any other online platform, there a few things you'll want to make sure are in tip top shape before shoppers land! We're going to talk about photography - especially for key products - SEO, titles and descriptions, telling the story of your business and products, emphasizing the "handmade" aspect of your business, shipping info and most importantly, double checking and testing to make sure users have a pleasant, frustration-free shopping experience! This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

In this week's regular season episode we're covering the powerful impact that increasing Average Order Value (AOV) can have on your bottom line with 15 ideas for you to try in your creative business. I share my own experiences as an illustrator who significantly increased my AOV and sales by learning to bundle items and offer bulk discounts - among other tactics . You’ll learn how this simple shift can transform your business, no matter what you sell or what creative services you offer. It also happens to be kinda fun! This is a great episode for creatives who... are looking for strategies to increase their AOV online and and in personare struggling to draw new customers but need to boost revenue This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit: Episode172: Increase Your Average Order Value and Boost Revenue In Your Creative Business You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

For Week 11 of the Prep for the Holidays minisode series, I'm focusing on market booths! Now is the time to start planning this year's booth, buying or making any display items you might need, thinking through your signage, ordering business cards, deciding how to coax people to sign up for your email list so you can build a long term relationship with them and... figuring out strategies to encourage higher average order values! A little advance planning and prep can make a huge difference come market day and help you build long term relationships with customers that last long after the market it over! This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

In Week 10 of our Prep for the Holidays series we're talking about planning and preparing your holiday promotions now, to reduce stress later! There's lots of actionable tips to plan all your holiday promotions - including Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day - well in advance. I'll also share some tips on how to craft deals that not only capture attention but also ensure you remain profitable during the busiest time of the year. And why it's important to value your work - you don't HAVE to run promotions! Whether you're selling products or creating content, this episode is packed with invaluable insights to ensure your holiday season is both smooth and profitable. This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

In the Season 6 opener of the podcast, Melissa and Heather jump into the deep end to talk about creating our creative process. When was the last time you questioned why you create the way you do? Have you mixed things up lately? Moved your desk? Painted outside?  Tried to find a way to make a dreaded task more fun? Sometimes, we get into a rut, or a comfortable groove that doesn't push us forward. Or we procrastinate over parts of bigger projects because the process is... well... gross. So here's your reminder that we, as creatives, get to CREATE - or RECREATE our own creative process! This is a great episode for creatives who... are feeling stuckneed a fresh starthave trouble finishing projectsprocrastinate over certain tasksfeel overwhelm when they walk past their creating spaceThis episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit: Episode169: Creating and Recreating Our Own Creative Process You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can find Heather at heatherlynnetravis.com or on Instagram @heathertravis. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.

It's Week #9 in our Prep for the Holidays series! To make sure you're on top of all your key deadlines and dates this holiday season, start by working backwards from December 31st. I'll walk you through key dates to make note of and how to ensure you've got enough time for making, marketing, selling and shipping! Whether you’re an artist, maker, or creative service provider, this episode is jam-packed with strategies to keep you organized and ahead of the game. Let’s make this holiday season not only manageable but also wildly successful for your creative business! This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love. Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.