And She Looked Up Creative Hour

Subscriber-only episode

Have you ever felt that prickling discomfort when you think about trying something new in your business of your creative practice? You're not alone. We've all been there - the nervous anticipation, the self-doubt, and the fear of the unknown. But, what if you sat with that discomfort? What if, instead of being a barrier, it could be your stepping stone towards personal growth and achievement? That's what the October premium subscriber episode is all about.

This is a Premium Subscriber Episode available to those who financially support the podcast on Buzzsprout and Patreon. If you'd like to listen, you can sign up too! You'll get access to the full catalogue of Premium Subscriber Episodes!

Support on Buzzsprout
Support on Patreon

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Slow September sales and signs of a flagging economy have a lot of Canadian creatives worried about the upcoming holiday selling season. Even Etsy has made efforts to boost sales on behalf of shop owners! And, with no real relief in sight, what does 2024 have in store? Melissa and Heather tackle this head on with lots of practical strategies and tips to help you get focused and make a plan - both for the holiday season and next year!

This is a great episode for creatives who:

• are seeing a dip in sales compared to previous years
• have heard from customers that money is tight
• aren't getting the same level of sales or engagement when launching new work
• are worried about the ballooning costs of raw materials and other business related expenses
• need some ideas jump start sales

We tackle all of these concerns and more! Tune in to find out how!

This episode is brought to you by Fine Lime Designs Illustrations

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode142: Navigate Holiday Selling and Future Planning in a Shaky Economy

You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @mhchipmunk.

You can find Heather at heatherlynnetravis.com or on Instagram @heathertravis.

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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 working creatives, giving our audience, clients and supporters the opportunity to connect with us on a deeper level is so important to building a healthy business. But equally important, as women, we need to get past our fear of taking up space and instead, embrace being seen. Intimate portrait and personal branding photographer Michele Matues joins Melissa in this episode to share her journey as a photographer who empowers women and to show us how much getting out from behind our work and in front of the camera can mean to our business... and to ourselves.

This episode is brought to you by Fine Lime Designs Illustrations

This is a great episodes for creatives who:

• struggle with putting themselves in front of the camera to promote their business
• prefer to take a backseat to the work they create
• need some DIY tips to get more comfortable in front of the camera and take their own photos and videos
• would like to hire a photographer but aren't sure where to start
• would like to have professional photos done but are intimidated by the process

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode 141: Stepping Out From Behind Your Work with Michele Mateus

You can find Michele's intimate portrait photography at www.mateusstudios.com and her personal branding work at www.michelemateusphotography.com. Follow her on Instagram @mateusstudios or @mateuscoaching.

You 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

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Subscriber-only episode

Listening to a podcast a few weeks ago, I got a slap in the face when the guest stated that most small businesses don't have a marketing plan, they have a marketing schedule. (hello, it's me!)

To be fair, I usually start the year off with a plan and it just kind of... dissolves into a social media posting schedule - usually somewehre around June.

So in this week's subscriber soundbite, I'm talking about how to get back on track for selling season with a marketing plan that supports your business goals. Yes, we'll also talk about execution of your plan and yes, that does include social media scheduling! But let's make sure the execution and the scheduled content supports those all important business goals!

PS: I mention lots of additional resources in this episode. Here they are:

• The Product Powerhouse Podcast
• EP 22: Promoting Your Work Outside of Social Media
• EP 33: Why You Need a Media Kit For Your Creative Small Business
• EP 36: How to Work with Influencers and Brand Ambassadors to Grow Your Business
• EP 45: How to Surprise and Delight Your Fans
• EP 92: 20 Email Newsletter Ideas for Creatives (That Aren't Too Sales-y)
• EP 122: An Easier Way to Market Your Creative Business on Social Media

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Have you ever wondered what goes into planning and executing an your own art exhibition? This week Heather Travis joins Melissa to talk about the behind the scenes journey to her upcoming, 3 month solo exhibition at Ontario's Bruce County Museum and Cultural Center. She shares how the opportunity arose, how she developed her very personal exhibit theme, secured grant funding and was able to take 9 months away from active client work to produce 35 large scale canvases! We also get into the very personal aspect of this exhibit as well as using creativity as a way to process events, deal with grief and trauma and as a road to rebirth.

This episode is brought to you by Fine Lime Designs Illustrations

This is a great episodes for creatives who:

• have pondered having an exhibit of their work or creating a large body of work around a theme
• have wondered what would be involved in mounting their own exhibit - from marketing to logistics to finances to actually creating the work!
• are looking for some very fun marketing ideas for their work - exhibit or no exhibit
• need to hear how amazing things can come without social media
• have been listening to Heather on the show for the last 3 seasons and would love to hear a deep dive into her painting and her process and how she creates for a living.
• wants to be inspired

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode 140: Behind the Scenes of a Solo Art Exhibition with Heather Travis

You can find Heather at heatherlynnetravis.com or on Instagram @heathertravis.

You 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

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Toronto based sisters Katrina and Lexie von Hahn have known for years that they wanted to create a business that reflected their Latin American roots and that has resulted in Gallola - a fashion and lifestyle brand they recently launched with their first product: a shoe they designed that's inspired by the timeless Argentine carpincho style and handmade in Mexico.

In this episode we talk about:

• Lexie and Katrina's individual journeys that have taken them around the world
• starting a fashion and lifestyle brand from scratch
• manufacturing your own designs
• how crucial building a network is for a young business
• not being afraid or too shy to reach out and ask other female business owners for help
• the importance of research
• working with family and being a new mom with a new business
• bootstrapping a creative business that manufactures product and much more!

This episode is brought to you by Fine Lime Designs Illustrations

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode120: Katrina and Lexie of Gallola: Starting a Fashion & Lifestyle Brand From Scratch

You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns.

You can find Gallola at gallola.com or on Instagram @gallola.

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Toronto based sisters Katrina and Lexie von Hahn have known for years that they wanted to create a business that reflected their Latin American roots and that has resulted in Gallola - a fashion and lifestyle brand they recently launched with their first product: a shoe they designed that's inspired by the timeless Argentine carpincho style and handmade in Mexico.

In this episode we talk about:

• Lexie and Katrina's individual journeys that have taken them around the world
• starting a fashion and lifestyle brand from scratch
• manufacturing your own designs
• how crucial building a network is for a young business
• not being afraid or too shy to reach out and ask other female business owners for help
• the importance of research
• working with family and being a new mom with a new business
• bootstrapping a creative business that manufactures product and much more!

This episode is brought to you by Fine Lime Designs Illustrations

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode120: Katrina and Lexie of Gallola: Starting a Fashion & Lifestyle Brand From Scratch

You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns.

You can find Gallola at gallola.com or on Instagram @gallola.

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Subscriber-only episode

Earlier this year, in May, I agreed to meet virtually meet up for a co-working session with one of the women in my small business mastermind group. Other members regularly join us now in what has quickly become a turning point in our businesses this year.

Find out how and why this all came about, what we do and how we do it and what I've accomplished in my business in just a few months as a result!

OH and PS: Here the link to Episode 44: Masterminds, Mentors and Coaches, Oh My!

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.

Subscriber-only episode

Earlier this year, in May, I agreed to meet virtually meet up for a co-working session with one of the women in my small business mastermind group. Other members regularly join us now in what has quickly become a turning point in our businesses this year.

Find out how and why this all came about, what we do and how we do it and what I've accomplished in my business in just a few months as a result!

OH and PS: Here the link to Episode 44: Masterminds, Mentors and Coaches, Oh My!

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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 a multi-passionate creative herself, creativity coach and host of the Superfan Attraction Podcast, Diane Foy understands how difficult it is for multi-passionate creative entrepreneurs to present themselves to the world. In this summer replay episode we talk about the power of personal branding and showing the world all the wonderful things you do instead of trying to keep them under wraps!

This episode is brought to you by How to Market Your Ebook - A Complete Checklist to Market Your Ebook or Digital Product

This is a great episode for anyone who:

• creates in multiple genres
• works in a creative field that requires multiple skillsets
• struggles to avoid labels like "flaky" or "jack of all trades" and being known for having a short attention span
• doesn't know how to bring all of their endeavours under one umbrella

You can find Diane at her website www.dianefoy.com, or on social media:

• Facebook
• Facebook Group for Multi-Passionate Creatives
• Instagram @dianefoyarts
• Twitter
• Superfan Attraction Podcast

For a summary of this episode and all the links mentioned please visit:
Episode 91: Creativity Coach Diane Foy

You can connect with the podcast on:

• Instagram at @andshelookedup
• Facebook
• YouTube

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 (@mhchipmunk), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative for 13 years. 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.