The business of becoming an artist

The business of becoming an artist

By Courtney Klumper/Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board

Thérèse Cilia of Strawberry Snail Illustrations. Photo by Sarah Kirby

What is the path to becoming an entrepreneur actually look like? Unsurprisingly, there is no single, definitive answer: it looks different for everyone.

In an era of perfectly-styled photos and curated Instagram feeds, it can look like working out of a pretty home office where nothing is out of place, or a coffee shop each day with the season’s latest flavoured latte.

For artist Thérèse Cilia, in the beginning it looked a lot like panicking through her shifts at Starbucks, her brain simultaneously processing grande-this and frappe-that while planning deadlines for her freelance work. Illustrations business card include: marketer, sales manager, bookkeeper, social media content creator and manager. This is familiar for entrepreneurs of any stripe: outside the hours of doing your craft, you also perform every other aspect of running your business.

“It was, and still is, very daunting and overwhelming because there are so many areas to focus your efforts,” says Cilia. I’ve found that you have to take a step back every once in a while because it can lead to burnout and a feeling like you’ve lost your way; that’s when you need to dive back into creating for a while.”

The jump to full-time self-employment soon followed, but it certainly wasn’t a linear path. “I waited until it became absolutely necessary because I had too much work and it became clear [that] I couldn’t fulfill deadlines if I wasn’t working full days,” says Cilia. “I think young entrepreneurs put a lot of pressure on themselves [to make] their gig full time, but I learned that freelancing is very ebb and flow. Maybe you have to pick up a part-time gig to make ends meet for a year or two until you find your way again, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a failure.”

Photo by Sarah Kirby

Cilia has a deeply ingrained love of creating things by hand, and an appreciation for artists who pour everything into their work “with integrity, love and imagination.” She feels strongly that these three characteristics are pillars of the handmade revolution, a rejection of mass production.

“We live in a world that is constantly telling us to start a side hustle from what we love doing. Couple that with social media trends and you’ve got a lot of businesses out there who are more concerned with making a buck than doing something that comes from a love, and a fascination, and a curiosity with creating,” she says. “Lately I’ve been going to craft shows and I come out with a feeling that out of a hundred, there are a few artists that really stand out. They’re the successful ones because their work is unique— they’re being true to themselves and as humans we are all unique. Those artists draw us in because we find a connection not only with their work, but also with them as a person, because they’ve shown us their soul.”

For more on Thérèse Cilia, head to: bayofquinte.ca/living/young-entrepreneur-therese-cilia

Strawberrysnail.com / Instagram: @strawberrysnail