Today, I’m speaking with artist, writer, and sewist, Jen Osborn, of The Messy Nest
1. What kind of art or crafts do you make?
I’m a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to creating. I started out in Mixed Media, but my love of making things with my hands quickly spilled over into jewelry, sewing, painting, and knitting. There is something so therapeutic about creating from the soul!
2. When did you get started – and when did you realize this could be a business?
I’m a 3rd generation artist, so creating has been a normal part of my daily life since I was very little. When my youngest started first grade thirteen years ago I needed something for myself, so I started a graphic design, website, and branding business from home. This quickly branched off into custom invitations. One day I ran across a copy of Somerset Studio while looking for wedding invitation paper. This was a GIANT light bulb moment for me; I couldn’t believe you could make a living doing something so amazing. Within a couple months I began publishing and writing tutorials about my creations, and I haven’t looked back since.
3. Where do you get inspiration for your projects?
Nature is a huge inspiration for me, and I pull a lot of my color schemes from things I see out and about.
However, I get the most inspiration from my friends and other crafters. I know some people get really discouraged when they see other artists creating amazing stuff, but if you can let go of your insecurity it can be such incredible creative fuel.
4. What do you like best about selling through more traditional venues (craft fairs)?
For me, the best part about selling directly to the public is getting to interact with people who love arts & crafts face to face. I love getting that instant feedback, and even the criticism can be helpful if you can learn to filter out the rude comments. Every time I do this, I run across someone who has a story about something they’ve bought from me in the past; that is such a great ego boost and really keeps the creative fires burning. The obvious downside is it’s a lot of physical labor, and the older I get the harder it is to get excited about that part of the craft fair process!
5. Now, what do you like best about selling online?
I love how easy it is to sell from home 
these days. When I first started out the only place to really sell online was Ebay which can be both good and bad depending on how many computer screens you are able to reach out to. Then Etsy was born, and a whole new place of opportunity arose for the average crafter. I like having the control over how my wares are presented online, and being able to do it from the comfort of my home is a HUGE bonus.
The downside to this is there is obviously way too many people selling online these days to easily be found without a lot of promotion & a big online presence. It is also really time consuming to take photos, edit them, upload to Etsy or wherever, and create a description for every item you want to sell.
6. How do you price your work?
I have to confess that I am terrible about pricing my own work. It is one of the things I really struggle with even after all these years doing it! I generally look at how my peers are pricing their work, ask my mentors/peers what price they would be willing to pay for my work, and do a lot of finger crossing when it comes to pricing.
I think it’s really difficult for most of us to actually get what our time is worth when it comes down to it, and honestly the economy plays a huge part in what you can actually get for your creations. When families are having trouble putting food on the table they are way less likely to buy art for art’s sake. This is when creating useful items needs to become a priority over creating wall art.
7. What has been your biggest struggle with your business? How did you overcome it?
My biggest struggle next to pricing has been promoting myself. I am a typical right-brained artist, and I find the number side of the business both confusing and extremely boring. I’m still in the thick of overcoming it right now, but two things that have really helped me is hiring an Art Coach to keep me on task with the number/promotion side of my business, and knowing how to ask for help in my weak areas.
I think we want [and even feel we should be able] to do it all, but it’s so important to know your strengths and weaknesses in this business! Time is money and you need to know when it’s more beneficial to hire someone else to do something you are terrible at and give yourself more time for the actual creating side of the business.
8. What has been the most rewarding part of your business?
Being able to share what I love with people all around the world. I’m one of those lucky artists who has way more ideas than I will ever be able to create in my lifetime, and having an outlet to share those ideas has really saved my sanity. I have met many of the most important people in my life through my art, and I cannot even imagine if I’d chosen another path and missed out on those connections!
9. What is something you wish you knew when you were first starting your business?
The most important thing I would share is that it takes a lot of time, patience, and practice to get to a point where you have true confidence in what you create. We all tend to start out wanting to be amazing, and the only way to get to amazing is by creating a lot of garbage. There is a great blurb about this very thing by Ira Glass. I wish I had listened to this when I got started because it would have saved me a lot of frustration. The second thing is that there is room for ALL of us in this world of creating. The more of us create, the more attention it brings to all of us.
Don’t be tricked into thinking that anyone can take that away from you by creating their own stuff {even if it looks exactly like yours}. If your toes get stepped on speak out, but move over and make room for new artists/crafters every chance you get. You never know when they may be the one to come along and lift you up even higher!
10. Do you mind sharing a business goal that you hope to accomplish with your business?
Up until a year ago, my big big dream was to publish my own book. It took lots of time and patience to achieve that goal {almost a decade}, but I totally did it! My next big goal is to start licensing my artwork for home-goods and fabric. I love both of these things, and it would be such a gift to be able to sew with my designs or decorate the homes of complete strangers with my art. Wish me luck!