Well, friends, it is that time of year again. Stacie Bloomfield is running another session of Leverage Your Art, and I’m here to share how much I love the program. I also want to talk about the obvious – I don’t create much digital art. Why do I think Leverage was a good investment for me? Well, let me tell you how I have been leveraging my art.
I’ll start with the digital art question first. I don’t share a lot of my digital artwork in that format. As a quilt designer, I actually do a lot of work in the digital realm. Whenever I submit a project to a client I present them with digital mock-ups. Sometimes I use EQ8, but more often I use Adobe Illustrator. These software packages allow me to quickly sketch out a project, so my clients can see what I’m proposing. They can also ask for different color options, and I can make those changes very quickly and send them back for approval. I currently do most of this work with AccuQuilt, but I also work with my partners at Gotham Quilts, Threadsome (same people, different projects), magazines, and fabric companies.
While Illustrator isn’t a major component of Leverage, there are units on things like generating pattern repeats which I have found very helpful. Basically anything that gets me in the software trying stuff helps me learn. The design prompts have been really helpful, too. They get me tinkering with ideas in the software and learning how to stretch my limits. One of these days I will actually do them all and come up with a planner or journal to sell. I do have some stickers I’ve created that I find amusing, and they are listed in my Etsy shop.
Leverage did help me examine my career and discover what I really love. Other than designing and making quilts, I enjoy teaching people the most. Spending the day with other quilters and showing them how I do my stuff makes me glow. Leverage gave me the courage to really lean into that, and because of it I’ve been teaching more this year than I ever have. In fact, I’ve been the one to place limits on how much I do – I need to be sure I maintain a good work/life balance.
There are six modules in Leverage Your Art.
- Your Style, Your Story – This is great for me. Making my quilts look uniquely my own has been a struggle, since I explore different techniques.
- Building Your Brand – Working on my brand identity and story has been very helpful. This is where I discovered that I’m a teacher, and have made changes to emphasize that aspect of my work.
- Present for Profit – This is mostly about portfolios, and honestly is an area I need to focus on this time through.
- Licensing Foundations and Workflows – At first I thought this didn’t apply to me at all. But, did you know that quilters sometimes license their patterns to shops and others? In fact, magazine patterns are licensing deals!
- Leverage Your Art on Products – This unit has been eye opening to me, but so far I’ve only dabbled in stickers and puzzles, which haven’t sold. I’m happy to understand this part of the market, though, and have some ideas for future products. Oh, and I did that needle minder!
- Leverage Your Art with Multiple Revenue Streams – THIS! This is my favorite part. I want to build a business with multiple revenue streams, many of them passive.
The multiple revenue stream angle really speaks to me. Right now I have quilt patterns, some physical products, and teaching, both in-person, virtual, and I have an on-demand course set to launch in October. I have a year-long membership class where I teach hand embroidery. I also sell physical products wholesale. Plus, I license designs to AccuQuilt.
If you are curious about the Leverage Your Art course, check it out now. Enrollment closes on Tuesday, with the course starting on September 4! I am a Leverage Your Art Affiliate again this year, so if you use my link, I will earn a commission. I can offer a bonus coaching call to anyone who signs up through my link. If you want advice on how to get started teaching quilting, I’m happy to give you all the help I can.
If you worry that you aren’t ready yet, I get it. I’m still not ready, but I’m out here doing it. Sometimes you just need to take the leap and get started. Otherwise all of your fantastic ideas just lay in corners, getting dusty and making you sad.
Okay. That’s it. End of my sales pitch for Leverage Your Art. I hope to see you in the classes this session. I’m looking forward to spending time with Stacie and focusing on leveraging MY art for a few weeks. Oh, and because I’m in empowerment mode, if you know a guild or shop that you think might enjoy my lectures or workshops, send them my info, or send me theirs. I really appreciate the assistance.