November 14, 2024 • 39 mins
Ever wondered how to craft a brand that truly embodies your authentic self?
Valerie and Mak explore this vital question by examining the unique vibes of artists' personal brands, both online and offline. They provide insights on how having a personal brand will help you as an artpreneur, how to maintain authenticity while choosing which facets of your personality to highlight, and discuss how your brand's vibe extends beyond visuals to create meaningful connections with your audience.
By integrating your genuine interests and passions into your brand, you can foster a loyal following and true connection.
- Begin your selling journey here: https://valeriemckeehan.com/sellwithpeace/
Thanks for listening to The UnBound Creative!
If today’s episode resonated with you, share it with a friend or leave us a review, it helps more creatives discover the show.
💌 Connect with us on Instagram:
@valeriemckeehan & @thatmakguy (that’s Mak with a K!)
Keep creating bravely. We’re so glad you’re here.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Valerie (00:01):
Hey, welcome back to the podcast.
I'm so excited to be with youagain for another episode
specifically in this series thatwe've been doing for
artpreneurs about how to sellyour art, but without the stress
.
I'm joined by my husband, Ma,again.
Mak (00:19):
It's good to be back.
Valerie (00:20):
And my name is Valerie McKee.
You are listening to thePeaceful Creative Podcast, so
today's episode is all aboutyour brand and how to build a
brand.
These episodes it's for anybodywho is an entrepreneur.
Maybe you have a dream of that,Maybe you have an art practice
(00:43):
that is just lighting you up andfilling you up and you have
this dream.
Wouldn't it be amazing to sellmy work In my Instagram DMs?
All this week I've been gettingmessages from people saying I
am getting requests about peoplebuying my work, but I don't
know what to do.
Help me.
And I'm like, yes, that'samazing.
Good for you, that is soexciting.
Mak (01:04):
That is exciting.
Valerie (01:05):
These episodes are meant to help you.
We are giving you our best tipsthis week, but also we're very
excited.
We love having theseconversations and it's great
because we're going to be havingthis conversation for six
months, starting in January withour brand new course that is
coming, called the PeacefulArtpreneur.
Mak (01:27):
And we're really excited about it because it's the first
time you and I are teachingsomething together, which is
super exciting.
Valerie (01:34):
Even though we've been entrepreneurs together since
2008.
Mak (01:37):
It's been a while, it's been a minute, but we're really
excited because it will give usa chance to have a two-way
conversation with everybody inthe course.
We didn't just record a bunchof fancy modules and upload them
.
We're actually doing it live,so we will all be interacting
together.
If you're part of this firstgroup and we can actually dig in
and get our hands dirty alongwith you, we don't want to just
(02:00):
preach at you, we want toactually help you through the
process.
Valerie (02:12):
I feel like one of the biggest determining factors of
sticking with something andactually doing it and making the
change that is necessary ishaving the support and the
accountability.
That is why we want to do thislive and it's interactive.
It is real.
Do this live and it'sinteractive.
It is real.
And also in a group, in acommunity who is walking the
same path alongside of you.
It's so important.
We don't just want to sell you acourse that's going to sit
(02:34):
there on your desktop.
We want this to move youforward.
Because the thing is, when wetalk about selling, we talk
about business.
We talk about taking your artand turning it into a business.
There's so much that becomespart of that.
There's fear, there'svulnerability.
Entrepreneurship is often anact in self-worth, so there's a
(02:57):
lot to wade through here.
And then there's also just thenuts and bolts of things.
How does this work?
How do I build a brand likewe're going to talk about today?
Nuts and bolts of things howdoes this work?
How do I build a brand likewe're going to talk about today?
So it's really about being inthis live, connected interactive
container where you are goingto be encouraged and supported
to be able to move through allof this and put the action in
(03:20):
place that you need.
Mak (03:21):
And the first three months January, february and March is
like kind of the meat andpotatoes of the course, where
we'll be walking through all themodules and things that we're
creating and actually honestlykind of morphing along, based on
feedback and everything.
That's the thing we really wantto tailor this to the group.
And then the second threemonths we're going to come
alongside you and offer support.
So April, may and June you willbe able to get on regular calls
(03:46):
with Val and me and we willjust help you through any issues
or blockers or things that comeup.
So we're really excited aboutthat portion of it too.
And if you sign up before thisSaturday, we have a couple of
bonus calls.
Valerie (04:03):
Yeah, there's some great bonus calls.
The first one is going to be atthe end of the month, in
November.
It's going to be a holidaysales bootcamp and we firmly
believe that you could pay forthe course already with some
holiday sales, before the courseeven begins in January.
We're going to teach you sometips, tips to do that.
(04:24):
Then we have a pricing masterclass.
Mak (04:27):
Pricing is by far the biggest question that we get
asked and you were just sayingto me before we went live that
you're like a bulk of thequestions you're getting all
revolve around pricing,especially after the episode two
days ago.
Valerie (04:39):
It's really funny like this is like the number one
topic that's the topic, so goand listen to that episode if
you missed it.
On pricing but we are going tobe doing an entire pricing
masterclass together again, livewith everybody to be able to
get your questions answered andlet's workshop this together.
And then we have a visioncasting workshop that we're
(05:02):
going to talk about the way thatwe like to do goal setting,
setting up a vision board.
It is not your typical way ofdoing it.
It's a way that's going to feelreally, really good and the
whole idea is so that by comeJanuary, when we really kick off
, you're going to hit the groundrunning.
You are already laying thegroundwork now, doing so much of
(05:23):
the mental work and the mindsetwork, to be ready to go in
January.
So we're really, really excitedabout those extra calls and,
like Max said, those are allincluded.
Plus, there is a thousanddollar off discount on the
course right now for the earlybird special.
Mak (05:41):
So in order to get those three extra calls, which we're
valuing at $1,500 plus the$1,000 off the course price, a
total of $2,500 in savings, youdo have to get the early bird
special and you have to sign upbefore this Saturday.
So if you're listening in realtime, you got a couple of days
left to sign up atValerieMcKeoncom slash
(06:05):
sellwithpeace.
All you know, no spaces, alllowercase ValerieMcKeoncom slash
sellwithpeace, and the linkwill also be in the show notes.
Valerie (06:14):
So we're excited to dive into this topic and, again,
if you haven't listened to ourprevious episodes this week, I
recommend going back andcatching those as well.
But today we're going to talkabout brand, and for some maybe
that word is holding like ickyconnotations.
Maybe you're like, oh that's,you know, that's on brand.
(06:35):
Or maybe you've heard thingslike that and it just feels like
a little icky and it's like, oh, is this inauthentic?
Maybe you have a viewpointcoming in about brand that, oh,
I need a logo and I need agraphic designer to be able to
make a website and branding andcolors and a branding board and
all this stuff.
Maybe you're thinking of it inthat way.
(06:57):
But really, what we want toboil this down to, to really
cover what is a brand, replacethe word brand with vibe.
Really, a brand is just what'syour vibe?
What are you all about?
When somebody comes in contactwith you and often via online,
(07:22):
which is what we're going todive into a lot what vibe do
they get?
What are they walking away withand saying, oh, I can
automatically tell that personis about this and this and this
and this.
Mak (07:35):
And so that's a really fancy way for saying how do
people feel when they interactwith you, whether they're in
person, online, visiting awebsite, looking at an Instagram
profile, looking at a Pinterestboard, whatever.
What are they feeling, whatemotions are they feeling and
how are they getting to know youpersonally through those
(07:56):
interactions?
So it's way more about vibethan a pretty logo.
Valerie (07:59):
Yeah, and it all culminates into a vibe ago, yeah
, and it all culminates into avibe.
And if you think about when youmeet somebody else, you are
looking at what they look like,how they're dressed, how they're
carrying themselves, also whatthey're saying, but not just
(08:21):
what they're saying how are theysaying it?
What is that sort of wholepackage of somebody?
And that's what I would call avibe.
Mak (08:26):
And a really good practical example of this, I think, is
when you compare walking into,like Dunkin' Donuts versus
Starbucks.
There's a very big differencein vibe there and the logos have
absolutely nothing to do withit.
In Dunkin' Donuts it's a littlemore transactional, the lights
are brighter and you know, it'sjust you know, and it's like a
(08:46):
typical sort of fast foodestablishment.
Okay, starbucks is also a fastfood establishment.
The lights are a little lower,the chairs are a little more
cushy, they've got the reallyhip jazz or pop music playing,
the baristas have the aprons onand the whole thing, and so the
vibe is definitely differentbetween those two stores.
Neither vibe is wrong, but eachone is representative of how,
(09:10):
of a different feeling, andthat's what we're talking about.
Valerie (09:14):
So here's the thing you already have a vibe.
You are you.
You are a person walking aroundinteracting with other people,
and when Mac and I had ouradvertising agency, that was the
first business that we startedtogether back in 2008.
And we helped a lot ofbusinesses back then be on
(09:38):
social media and build theirbrands new businesses and just
people who wanted to craft thisbrand.
And how do you this brand andhow do you promote that and how
do you talk about it?
We helped a lot of businessesdo that, and what we would say
to every single business is youalready have a brand and even if
you don't know it, you stillhave a brand and in the not
(10:02):
trying to have a brand, that'sstill a brand.
It's true.
It's still a feeling, it's stilla vibe when somebody comes in
contact with you.
But the difference is when youwant to go from just being you
your personal interactions to anentrepreneur.
What can really really be anasset to you is in the direction
(10:27):
and the intentionality of whatthat feeling and what that vibe
is.
So know that you already haveit.
But if you bring a littlethoughtfulness and intention to,
how do I want to show up hereand what is the takeaways that I
want people to feel?
What is my vibe going to be inthis artpreneurial way?
(10:48):
That's all we're doing.
Mak (10:50):
And the key thing here is to remember that you have to do
this authentically, because,especially for artists because
you're you, you're not a bigcompany.
You're yourself.
So you don't want to create afake version of yourself that
you think represents what yourcustomers would want or who you
(11:12):
think other people want to see,because that can only last for
so long and we're all made ofenergy.
We feel energy around us.
People will sense, even if theycan't put their finger on it.
They will sense a level ofinauthenticity.
So what you want to do is makesure that your personal brand is
an authentic extension of whoyou are.
Valerie (11:37):
And having it.
That's a really good point of.
Maybe you see somebody else'svibe and their way of being and
you're like you're drawn to thatand you want to say, well,
that's going to be my vibe, butif it's not authentic to you,
that's a quick way to burn out,it's not a sustainable way of
being because, like Max said,you want this to be an extension
(11:58):
.
Now it is very helpful to lookat other artists and things that
you enjoy and ask yourself whyam I drawn to this?
What is making me feel pulledto this vibe, to this brand,
what this artist is all about,and start getting curious with
the way that you interact withother brands and artists and
(12:22):
what it is that you find to justbe very appealing to you.
The other part of it, with abrand that, yes, you want it to
be authentic 100%, this shouldfeel like a very natural
extension of you in a very, verynatural way for you to be.
But I also want to say yourpersonal brand as you show up to
(12:48):
your business, is not the wholeyou.
Yes, it is authentic.
However, it is impossible thatyou, as this gorgeous, complex
being that's going to be thefullest of expressions of you in
(13:10):
your brand.
So some people, I think, getworried, almost like, oh, this
is my brand and do I have tostart sharing all of these
things that I don't want toshare about, because I want to
come across as relatable andvulnerable and all this?
And it's like no, we'reovercomplicating it way too much
.
You get to share the authenticparts of you that you want to
(13:31):
share.
You don't have to share a lotof the parts that you don't want
to share.
This is part of the directing.
This is part of the bringing anintentionality to this whole
idea.
Bringing an intentionality tothis whole idea and something
else.
That's a real big point to keepin mind.
People get confused very easily, and so if you almost are like,
(13:56):
well, I have to show everyfacet of myself and this is my
brand and this has to be thefullest expression of me, first
of of all, you're going to haveyour identity so tied up in this
and you don't want that.
We can even we can go off on atangent about that how you as
your brand, although it isauthentic, is separate yeah, I
(14:17):
have about 10 tangents based onwhat you just said so it is not
you.
it is you, it's authentic.
It is not you.
It is you, it's authentic, itis not you.
And I just lost my train ofthought.
Mak (14:27):
Yeah, sorry that I was making.
I feel like I made it.
Valerie (14:30):
Because of that one point alone.
Mak (14:32):
I would say, to try to make this a little more real for you
and I use this example in aprevious episode, but it's
because I like it when somebody,if a really close friend is
coming over to dinner the wayyou would set up your house and
there might be a specific candleyou'd light, or there's a
(14:52):
recipe, a go-to recipe that youhave.
You've got that playlist.
I know you do, whether you madeit or you found it on Spotify
that you love to play.
While you're making dinner, youmight have a specific kind of
tea or a bottle of wine that youreally like.
What you're doing is you'rewelcoming dinner.
You might have a specific kindof tea or a bottle of wine that
you really like.
What you're doing is you'rewelcoming people into your space
and you're setting a vibe forthem for the evening, but guess
(15:14):
what that vibe is?
You, you're setting a vibe thatis representative of how you
want people to feel when they'rein your presence, when they're
in your home.
When they're in your home andwhen you're trying to make them
feel loved and comfortable, andthat's essentially, at its basic
level, what you're doing here.
Valerie (15:34):
Yeah, it's your taste, it's your preferences, it's
telling people, hey, this is meand this is what I'm all about,
so that they can connect withyou and connect with that
feeling and what I was going.
This story, essentially, ofwhat you want people to know
(16:02):
that you're all about, it isactually detrimental if it's
trying to be everything, because, let's face it, as human beings
we have paradox at our veryvery nature and there are
certain things that maybe seemcontradictory as part of just
(16:25):
who you are.
Guess what that's called beinghuman, that's being a human
being.
So you don't have to, as partof your brand, say everything
that you're thinking.
You can have a clear plan herethat this is the bucket that
that lives in, and if you haveinterests and things that live
(16:45):
in a different bucket, it's notthat you can't ever talk about
it.
This is not a hard and fast rule, but sometimes just having that
overarching intention of thisis what my brand is, so it's
going to be more forward facingto others, like you said in
setting that table.
These are the things that Italk about.
(17:06):
These are the things that I'mall about.
These are the feelings that Iwant you to walk away with when
you are interacting with me andwhen you can get somewhat narrow
about that or more specific,maybe about that, it's going to
allow the person interactingwith you to understand it more
quickly.
Mak (17:27):
Yeah, and that's that's such a great point is is that we
do want to when, when you'reand I want to talk in a second
don't let me get away from thisbut I want to talk about how to
actually cultivate this, likephysically, um, but but you, it
is very easy for people to getconfused, and so it's really
good to have that singular focus.
And I'm reminded of.
(17:47):
I grew up working in radio andI worked for this little tiny AM
radio station and the theslogan.
This was literally the sloganof this radio station news,
sports music and more.
Now, how do you think thatstation did in the ratings?
It was terrible.
It was an awful station becauseevery hour it was doing
(18:09):
something completely differentand it was confusing to people.
They never knew what they weregoing to get when they turned
the dial on.
So what works in radio?
When you say you know we're thehit music station or your
country leader, and that'sbecause I know what I'm going to
get when I go there, and thenhow they present themselves on
(18:32):
the radio, some might have amore edgier sound if it's like a
rock station.
If it's an adult, contemporarystation, it's more soft.
So this is what I'm saying isthink about those types of vibes
that are created.
You don't want to have a messof all of these things that are
(18:53):
about you, but what you want todo is understand who you are at
your core and begin to presentthat as part of your brand.
Valerie (19:03):
So now I want to.
This is all very nuanced here,right it's?
Mak (19:08):
super nuanced, which is why we need to do the course to
dive in, because there's no waywe're going to even get close to
covering it in this podcast,and here's the thing, though, to
dive in, because there's no waywe're going to even get close
to covering it.
Valerie (19:21):
And here's the thing, though, you can go the other way
and say, all right, I'm goingto narrow this down, I'm about
painting landscapes, and thenyour entire brand can just be
the art alone, without anyinfiltration of you.
So I want to be clear when wesay building your brand, that
isn't just oh, let me post allthe time about my paintings, and
(19:45):
that's it, and that is theintentionality, and that is the
specificity.
And before I was a regularhuman being, posting about my
life and vacations with myfamily and showing up and having
dinners and all of this, butnow I have a brand.
So, now I just have to post mypaintings and I have to be in
(20:06):
this little box.
No, that is going the wrongdirection of what we're talking
about here.
Mak (20:14):
And so I think you know at this point, as I'm hearing the
two of us go through this Ithink if we can offer some
practical advice right now forhelping people to kind of
visualize what their brand is, Ithink that's a really good
first step.
And so having a practice ofactually creating like a brand
(20:34):
board and if you're like me, Ilike to print pictures out and
words and things and likephysically tack them onto a
board or paste them or you cando it on a computer using
Pinterest or Trello or one ofthese other tools, or even
Photoshop or Canva but I thinkthat's a really good place to
start.
Valerie (20:52):
Pay attention, start paying attention to what you are
drawn to.
I like to say that the onlyreason you register any beauty
anywhere is because it's what isinside of you.
If something is speaking to you, and maybe you even have a
little pang of jealousy jealousyis good.
(21:13):
You want that feedback becauseyou're going, ooh, what is it
about this that I have inside ofme that I am maybe not
experiencing?
So start to just dig in, startto ask those questions.
If you see an aesthetic thatreally lights you up, if there's
someone who you you follow,that you're like Ooh, I just
(21:34):
connect with what they say.
Why, what's making you connect?
Is it an openheartedness thatthey have?
Is it that they are real?
Are they showing up withoutmakeup and just like, hey, this
is what it is.
Are they direct?
What is it about that that youare really resonating with?
(21:54):
So start to notice and the samething with collecting the
visual inspiration as well, justto start to understand.
What is this?
That is very me, what feelsreally good.
The other thing that is ahelpful, very practical thing to
do is make a list of the thingsthat you are about that you
(22:16):
feel like you could talk aboutand post about, and I want to
encourage you that this isbeyond painting or creating or
photographing or whatever yourart form is.
Yes, that of course.
That's naturally.
That's going to be part of thebrand, because that is what you
are offering, that is what youare selling.
But this again, is thisholistic idea of your vibe.
(22:40):
So make a list of things thatyou might want to show up and
talk about.
So, for me, flowers that's ahuge one.
I make that a huge part of mybrand If I go to the farmer's
market, the farmer's market isanother one.
I'm constantly sharing aboutthe farmer's market and the
colors and think about whatinspires you.
(23:03):
So gardening for me, that'sanother big one that I share
about.
I share about being a mom.
I share about doing crafts withmy girls.
I share about creativity andthe other creative endeavors
that I have.
That's beyond my art that Isell.
Mak (23:20):
And so if you hear everything Valerie's talking
about right now and make amental note of that and you go
back and look at some of hersocial media, you will start to
see how this all works togethercohesively.
Now I can say this as herhusband she's a super dynamic
and very interesting person andhas a ton of interests outside
of those things, but a lot ofthat doesn't show up in her
(23:41):
brand because it doesn't belongthere.
That's still hers, it's private, it's for her to have and for
her to keep on her own.
And I can say, having gotten toknow and work with a lot of
famous people who are reallygood at having brands, when you
actually get to know them youbegin to understand the other
(24:02):
parts of them that you don'tnecessarily see publicly.
And then there's nothing wrongwith that, because you don't
want to exploit everything aboutyourself in the name of your
brand.
What you want to do is sharewhat you want to share and help
create that vibe, but also keepthings for yourself.
Valerie (24:20):
Well, and this is back to the identity conversation,
the point here is when you aremoving from this is personal to
business.
That doesn't have to be a scarything like, oh you know I'm
moving into business, but it'sjust a thoughtfulness again, and
the intention of this is how Ishow up as business me and it's
(24:41):
very much you and you're sharingpersonal things because people
want to relate to another humanbeing.
It's parts of your life, butit's parts of your life that you
want to share that contributeto that business entrepreneur
side of you, tribute to thatbusiness artpreneur side of you.
It's still very authentic, butit's not you, because identity,
(25:05):
again, is a huge part of it.
We're going to get into so muchof this because selling your
art is an issue in self-worth.
There's vulnerability there.
There's so much there.
So we have to keep thatseparation, at the same time
that this isn't the fullness ofexpression of you.
Mak (25:19):
And I want to give a real life example here and I think
one of our favorite personalbrands that exists is Ina Garten
, and so when you talk about Inaor the Barefoot Contessa, now
we're Food Network fans andeverything.
Valerie (25:33):
We're going to see her in a couple of days.
Yes, I know I'm really excitedabout it.
Mak (25:37):
I'm trying to figure out how to sneak backstage for that
one, but here's the great thingabout Ina.
So whether you're familiar withher or not, I'll assume for a
moment that you are.
She obviously 100% is thisincredible chef and baker, but
it's simple.
Her idea is things are simpleto make.
(26:00):
She takes these complex dishesand she makes them really
delicious, really simple, andshe speaks very plainly about
how to make these things.
It almost feels like your momis talking to you and it's just
a really chill.
That show is very chill andvery vibey.
It's a super vibey show.
But beyond her cooking, we knowthat she loves flowers.
(26:28):
We know that she lovesgardening.
We know that she loves throwingparties.
We know that she loves France.
We know that she lovesCalifornia.
Valerie (26:38):
She lives in the.
Mak (26:39):
Hamptons, right, and so we have all these glimpses into
things that are authenticallyIna but have nothing to do with
her cooking and her cooking.
She's got all these cookbooksand all this stuff and that's
why we tune in, but the rest ofthat plays into the vibe and the
(27:01):
appeal of her show andeverything that she's doing and
what brings a smile to your faceis, while she's this incredible
cook who makes things easy foryou you love and appreciate and
can connect with all the otherthings that are her.
Valerie (27:17):
And that's a great example.
And as you're thinking aboutwhat is my brand, how am I going
to show up, keep in mind thatthis should feel fun.
This should feel good.
Don't let this conversationfeel bogged down.
It should be as natural ofthings to talk about as it is
natural for Ina to talk aboutthe Hamptons.
Mak (27:39):
It should be light.
I think that's a really goodword.
If you're feeling heavythinking about all of this, I
invite you to shift yourperspective, because this is
just you sharing you and theparts about you that you love.
Valerie (27:52):
Right and that's it, so this should feel light and easy
, and what you want people towalk away with saying oh, I get
it.
That's what this person is allabout, those points of
connection and that's reallywhat we're going for here with
brand.
It's all about connection, howyour potential buyer can look at
(28:15):
you as the artist and whatyou're all about and say that's
my person, I'm all about that.
That is what is going to helpthem connect with your art.
Because, as we've established,the art is way, way, way, way
more than pigments on a paper,is way, way, way, way more than
(28:36):
pigments on a paper.
It's way more than thistransactional way of being of oh
, I like that because it's theright color for my space and you
might get some of that, that'sfine.
But to build a sustainable artbusiness where you get repeat
customers and you get thoseloyal fans and that loyal
following who's just like I amall about this because I'm all
(28:58):
about you, you're the magic.
Mak (29:00):
That's the dirty little secret is that people are buying
it because you painted it, notbecause it's a painting.
It really is the story.
And when we say it's the storybehind the painting, don't take
that literally, like, oh, it'sthe story behind the painting.
Don't take that literally Like,oh, here's the story of the
painting.
Now, that helps, but in termsof brand, the story behind the
(29:21):
painting is just someone gettingto know who you are and they
will fall more and more in lovewith the artwork that you create
, based on your brand and howyou share, about what you're
doing.
And again, those thingsshouldn't it shouldn't be this
daunting title.
I got to sit down and createall this content.
No, no, no, no.
It's just you being you andyou're inviting people to take a
little glimpse into that world.
Valerie (29:49):
Yeah.
So again back to the takeawaysthat you can do right now from
this conversation.
When it comes to building abrand for your art business, the
first thing is to start tonotice.
Notice what you love, noticewhat is really speaking to you
in a visual sense, also what isjust speaking to you in a vibe,
in a feeling sense, because wealso want to take this and
(30:12):
visually bring this together aswell, and that's part of a brand
.
We're bringing visual elementstogether.
We're bringing vibe elementsand feeling and words.
How do you think you might wantto show up?
Maybe you're somebody who wantsto craft really long Instagram
captions and you are justsomebody who has a lot on your
(30:34):
heart that you want to share,and that is maybe something that
you've seen that you reallyrelate to.
So just start to noticeeverything and how you might
want to start showing up, andthen the second thing is to make
a list of sort of buckets thatyou might want to share in, to
(30:54):
allow people to get to know you,to have a glimpse into your
life and what you're all aboutand how that really can relate
to an overall story of you asthe artist and what you love to
do.
So I mean, for example, maybeyou love the sea.
I mean, for example, maybe youlove the sea, maybe you are like
(31:14):
an ocean person and that's whatyou are drawn to.
Create artwork all about theocean, so maybe let's spin off
of that.
What else can be part of thatbrand?
That's all about thesepaintings of the ocean, and
maybe it's about this calmingfeeling and maybe it's about
(31:36):
some just All the things thatyou would experience when, if
you're an ocean person, you lovemore than just water.
Mak (31:46):
You love the seagulls, you love the smell of the sand, you
love the feeling of sitting onthe beach and reading a good
book.
You love, love, the feeling ofsitting on the beach and reading
a good book.
All these things that encompassthat would be part of what
you're trying to portray, if theocean, in this example, is your
thing.
Valerie (32:05):
Right.
So just think about yourinterests, think about what you
love, and even in that case, ofthe ocean paintings.
Going back to that, maybe youare just a huge fan of French
fries.
That's okay.
Like, put that as part of yourbrand, be like that's something
that I talk about, because Ilove French fries and I have
(32:27):
this whole thing and I like tomake them in a specific way.
And maybe you're a french frysnob or something.
That's all fair game to putinto this mix that is making you
so wonderful and unique andthese memorable points that
somebody can say, oh, I relateto that, I like that person, I'm
(32:48):
connecting with that person.
Mak (32:50):
And if you're even feeling like, okay, this I feel weird or
vulnerable, sharing thisbecause people might judge me or
whatever, get that out of yourhead.
You know you want to say, youwant to say the weird thing, you
want to say the odd thing.
You want to be, because that'swhat's authentically you.
And when you do that, it'samazing who comes out of the
woodwork.
Because when you, when you havethe courage to be real and
(33:12):
authentic, other people latchonto that and they want to come
along with you and when theystart to make that kind of a
connection, that's when youstart to build that loyal
following and the people whowill go out and actually talk to
other people about you and wantto support you and buy your art
and get into anything thatyou're doing.
Valerie (33:33):
Well, it goes back to thinking about what do you
relate to most?
Are you drawn to the person whois just obviously authentically
themselves and just showing upin this way, quirks and all,
because we all have our quirksor versus the person who is so
perfectly polished, as I saidbefore, maybe there's no
(33:55):
humanity there, you don't get toknow them at all.
It's just this very sterile wayof showing up and I see a lot
of artists doing that, where youmight not even know anything
personal about them at all andall you're getting is just a
feed of paintings.
And I don't think that that isas effective as making that
(34:19):
personal connection being thatauthentic part of you.
Because people want to buy fromother people, especially with
art, when it's meaningful, whenyou want to get the price that
you want to get.
They want to connect withanother human being on an
emotional level.
Mak (34:35):
And again, another real world example of this if you
have a favorite musician or afavorite actor and you're
following them on social medialike I'm a big John Mayer fan,
does he only post videos ofhimself playing guitar?
No, and why did I decide tofollow him on social media?
Because I wanted to know moreabout his life, because I
connected with his art.
(34:56):
The same thing is true Ifyou're like I love Michael
Keaton.
I don't follow him on socialmedia because he's just posting
clips of all the movies he's in.
I want to see what he's up to,I want to see what causes he's
promoting, what restaurants he'sgoing to, things he's reading
or interested in, because I'mgenuinely interested in him as
(35:17):
an artist, as an actor, and so Ithink that piece of advice that
you just gave right now is oneof the most valuable pieces of
advice we can give to artists inthis moment, in this podcast is
that if you just have a streamof paintings, you're not
inviting people.
People might think yourpaintings are beautiful, but
they want to get to know theperson behind the painting, the
(35:38):
person working the brush or thepastel pushing the pigment
around.
They want to get to know you.
Valerie (35:43):
Right.
So obviously there is a lot tosay on this topic.
We have a lot to say about itand I hope that this was helpful
.
Some really key takeaways tobegin thinking about this idea
of a brand in a different way ormaybe in another way that
you've thought about before.
I hope it dispelled just someof those maybe blocks that you
(36:06):
have in thinking about it.
And again, we are going to becovering branding in a big way,
all of these sort ofcornerstones of what it is to be
a successful entrepreneur,whatever success may look like
for you, but crafting it in thisway that is very much aligned
to you, that we want you to feelgood in your brand.
(36:30):
This should feel like anextension.
It should feel good, the samewith the pricing and the other
elements that we talk about ofputting together an art business
, and that is why we've namedthe course the Peaceful
Artpreneur, because this isn'tone size fits all and even in
the course of this conversationwe're saying, well, it's like
this, but then a little bit ofthis and you don't want to go do
(36:51):
for this, and it's because it'sso nuanced.
I find it to be incredibly funto think about and to think
about branding and craftingthose messages, and this is
something we've been doing, likeI said, for a really long time
and it's fun.
So this is a big part of whatthe peaceful artpreneur is all
(37:13):
about, because we want you tofind success as an artpreneur,
but it is not at the expense ofyour life or seeing what I'm
going to have to do some ickystuff, and you hear a lot of
that talk, especially on socialmedia, where it's like oh, you
know, I have to do all of thisfor an art business and the
(37:33):
grind and blah, blah, blah.
No, this gets to be fun.
This gets to be an extension ofyou.
That's what we're all about,because it's your life.
Why are you going to dosomething and be miserable about
it?
That's not a vibe.
Mak (37:47):
So true, it's so true.
Valerie (37:49):
That is what we are about.
That is what we are about.
We are about the practical, thestrategic, but also in a way
that feels very aligned for you.
So we just want to tell youagain about that course so that
you can get all of theinformation, because we want you
to get that early bird discount.
If you are sitting here nowsaying, oh, I got to be in this,
(38:11):
I just you feel it, and if not,that's OK too.
But if you feel it and you'relike, maybe have that little
twinge of feeling afraid orfeeling like can I really do
this?
But in that voice inside of youit's like this is your time,
this is your moment, 2025 isyour time, and if you're hearing
that, we want you to get in andto be able to get that early
(38:34):
bird rate.
Mak (38:35):
So the first three months are the sort of intensive part
of the course January, february,march and then we will follow
up and support you for thefollowing three months.
All the details are availableat ValerieMcKeoncom slash sell
with peace.
And right now that early birdspecial is going on.
It's $1 thousand dollars offthe course price, plus you get
(38:56):
the $1,500 worth of bonus calls.
That all goes away on Saturday.
So if you know, don't, don'tsit on this.
You know, if you're feeling it,go to the website, figure it
out.
We do have payment optionsavailable.
You can pay all at once.
There's there's all kinds ofways.
We've tried to make it as easyas possible for you to do this.
You can get all the detailsthere valeriemckeancom slash
(39:19):
sell with peace.
Valerie (39:21):
We believe in you, we are excited for you, we're
excited to come alongside of youand we're going to be back on
the podcast again tomorrow.
Mak (39:30):
Just one more though, can you believe it.
Valerie (39:32):
I feel like I want to keep going.
Mak (39:34):
I feel like it too, so maybe there'll be some extra
bonus episodes, or maybe aroundtwo of this.
Valerie (39:39):
Yeah, all right, hope you have a good one.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Mak (39:42):
Bye-bye.
Hey, welcome back to the podcast.
I'm so excited to be with youagain for another episode
specifically in this series thatwe've been doing for
artpreneurs about how to sellyour art, but without the stress
.
I'm joined by my husband, Ma,again.
Mak (00:19):
It's good to be back.
Valerie (00:20):
And my name is Valerie McKee.
You are listening to thePeaceful Creative Podcast, so
today's episode is all aboutyour brand and how to build a
brand.
These episodes it's for anybodywho is an entrepreneur.
Maybe you have a dream of that,Maybe you have an art practice
(00:43):
that is just lighting you up andfilling you up and you have
this dream.
Wouldn't it be amazing to sellmy work In my Instagram DMs?
All this week I've been gettingmessages from people saying I
am getting requests about peoplebuying my work, but I don't
know what to do.
Help me.
And I'm like, yes, that'samazing.
Good for you, that is soexciting.
Mak (01:04):
That is exciting.
Valerie (01:05):
These episodes are meant to help you.
We are giving you our best tipsthis week, but also we're very
excited.
We love having theseconversations and it's great
because we're going to be havingthis conversation for six
months, starting in January withour brand new course that is
coming, called the PeacefulArtpreneur.
Mak (01:27):
And we're really excited about it because it's the first
time you and I are teachingsomething together, which is
super exciting.
Valerie (01:34):
Even though we've been entrepreneurs together since
2008.
Mak (01:37):
It's been a while, it's been a minute, but we're really
excited because it will give usa chance to have a two-way
conversation with everybody inthe course.
We didn't just record a bunchof fancy modules and upload them
.
We're actually doing it live,so we will all be interacting
together.
If you're part of this firstgroup and we can actually dig in
and get our hands dirty alongwith you, we don't want to just
(02:00):
preach at you, we want toactually help you through the
process.
Valerie (02:12):
I feel like one of the biggest determining factors of
sticking with something andactually doing it and making the
change that is necessary ishaving the support and the
accountability.
That is why we want to do thislive and it's interactive.
It is real.
Do this live and it'sinteractive.
It is real.
And also in a group, in acommunity who is walking the
same path alongside of you.
It's so important.
We don't just want to sell you acourse that's going to sit
(02:34):
there on your desktop.
We want this to move youforward.
Because the thing is, when wetalk about selling, we talk
about business.
We talk about taking your artand turning it into a business.
There's so much that becomespart of that.
There's fear, there'svulnerability.
Entrepreneurship is often anact in self-worth, so there's a
(02:57):
lot to wade through here.
And then there's also just thenuts and bolts of things.
How does this work?
How do I build a brand likewe're going to talk about today?
Nuts and bolts of things howdoes this work?
How do I build a brand likewe're going to talk about today?
So it's really about being inthis live, connected interactive
container where you are goingto be encouraged and supported
to be able to move through allof this and put the action in
(03:20):
place that you need.
Mak (03:21):
And the first three months January, february and March is
like kind of the meat andpotatoes of the course, where
we'll be walking through all themodules and things that we're
creating and actually honestlykind of morphing along, based on
feedback and everything.
That's the thing we really wantto tailor this to the group.
And then the second threemonths we're going to come
alongside you and offer support.
So April, may and June you willbe able to get on regular calls
(03:46):
with Val and me and we willjust help you through any issues
or blockers or things that comeup.
So we're really excited aboutthat portion of it too.
And if you sign up before thisSaturday, we have a couple of
bonus calls.
Valerie (04:03):
Yeah, there's some great bonus calls.
The first one is going to be atthe end of the month, in
November.
It's going to be a holidaysales bootcamp and we firmly
believe that you could pay forthe course already with some
holiday sales, before the courseeven begins in January.
We're going to teach you sometips, tips to do that.
(04:24):
Then we have a pricing masterclass.
Mak (04:27):
Pricing is by far the biggest question that we get
asked and you were just sayingto me before we went live that
you're like a bulk of thequestions you're getting all
revolve around pricing,especially after the episode two
days ago.
Valerie (04:39):
It's really funny like this is like the number one
topic that's the topic, so goand listen to that episode if
you missed it.
On pricing but we are going tobe doing an entire pricing
masterclass together again, livewith everybody to be able to
get your questions answered andlet's workshop this together.
And then we have a visioncasting workshop that we're
(05:02):
going to talk about the way thatwe like to do goal setting,
setting up a vision board.
It is not your typical way ofdoing it.
It's a way that's going to feelreally, really good and the
whole idea is so that by comeJanuary, when we really kick off
, you're going to hit the groundrunning.
You are already laying thegroundwork now, doing so much of
(05:23):
the mental work and the mindsetwork, to be ready to go in
January.
So we're really, really excitedabout those extra calls and,
like Max said, those are allincluded.
Plus, there is a thousanddollar off discount on the
course right now for the earlybird special.
Mak (05:41):
So in order to get those three extra calls, which we're
valuing at $1,500 plus the$1,000 off the course price, a
total of $2,500 in savings, youdo have to get the early bird
special and you have to sign upbefore this Saturday.
So if you're listening in realtime, you got a couple of days
left to sign up atValerieMcKeoncom slash
(06:05):
sellwithpeace.
All you know, no spaces, alllowercase ValerieMcKeoncom slash
sellwithpeace, and the linkwill also be in the show notes.
Valerie (06:14):
So we're excited to dive into this topic and, again,
if you haven't listened to ourprevious episodes this week, I
recommend going back andcatching those as well.
But today we're going to talkabout brand, and for some maybe
that word is holding like ickyconnotations.
Maybe you're like, oh that's,you know, that's on brand.
(06:35):
Or maybe you've heard thingslike that and it just feels like
a little icky and it's like, oh, is this inauthentic?
Maybe you have a viewpointcoming in about brand that, oh,
I need a logo and I need agraphic designer to be able to
make a website and branding andcolors and a branding board and
all this stuff.
Maybe you're thinking of it inthat way.
(06:57):
But really, what we want toboil this down to, to really
cover what is a brand, replacethe word brand with vibe.
Really, a brand is just what'syour vibe?
What are you all about?
When somebody comes in contactwith you and often via online,
(07:22):
which is what we're going todive into a lot what vibe do
they get?
What are they walking away withand saying, oh, I can
automatically tell that personis about this and this and this
and this.
Mak (07:35):
And so that's a really fancy way for saying how do
people feel when they interactwith you, whether they're in
person, online, visiting awebsite, looking at an Instagram
profile, looking at a Pinterestboard, whatever.
What are they feeling, whatemotions are they feeling and
how are they getting to know youpersonally through those
(07:56):
interactions?
So it's way more about vibethan a pretty logo.
Valerie (07:59):
Yeah, and it all culminates into a vibe ago, yeah
, and it all culminates into avibe.
And if you think about when youmeet somebody else, you are
looking at what they look like,how they're dressed, how they're
carrying themselves, also whatthey're saying, but not just
(08:21):
what they're saying how are theysaying it?
What is that sort of wholepackage of somebody?
And that's what I would call avibe.
Mak (08:26):
And a really good practical example of this, I think, is
when you compare walking into,like Dunkin' Donuts versus
Starbucks.
There's a very big differencein vibe there and the logos have
absolutely nothing to do withit.
In Dunkin' Donuts it's a littlemore transactional, the lights
are brighter and you know, it'sjust you know, and it's like a
(08:46):
typical sort of fast foodestablishment.
Okay, starbucks is also a fastfood establishment.
The lights are a little lower,the chairs are a little more
cushy, they've got the reallyhip jazz or pop music playing,
the baristas have the aprons onand the whole thing, and so the
vibe is definitely differentbetween those two stores.
Neither vibe is wrong, but eachone is representative of how,
(09:10):
of a different feeling, andthat's what we're talking about.
Valerie (09:14):
So here's the thing you already have a vibe.
You are you.
You are a person walking aroundinteracting with other people,
and when Mac and I had ouradvertising agency, that was the
first business that we startedtogether back in 2008.
And we helped a lot ofbusinesses back then be on
(09:38):
social media and build theirbrands new businesses and just
people who wanted to craft thisbrand.
And how do you this brand andhow do you promote that and how
do you talk about it?
We helped a lot of businessesdo that, and what we would say
to every single business is youalready have a brand and even if
you don't know it, you stillhave a brand and in the not
(10:02):
trying to have a brand, that'sstill a brand.
It's true.
It's still a feeling, it's stilla vibe when somebody comes in
contact with you.
But the difference is when youwant to go from just being you
your personal interactions to anentrepreneur.
What can really really be anasset to you is in the direction
(10:27):
and the intentionality of whatthat feeling and what that vibe
is.
So know that you already haveit.
But if you bring a littlethoughtfulness and intention to,
how do I want to show up hereand what is the takeaways that I
want people to feel?
What is my vibe going to be inthis artpreneurial way?
(10:48):
That's all we're doing.
Mak (10:50):
And the key thing here is to remember that you have to do
this authentically, because,especially for artists because
you're you, you're not a bigcompany.
You're yourself.
So you don't want to create afake version of yourself that
you think represents what yourcustomers would want or who you
(11:12):
think other people want to see,because that can only last for
so long and we're all made ofenergy.
We feel energy around us.
People will sense, even if theycan't put their finger on it.
They will sense a level ofinauthenticity.
So what you want to do is makesure that your personal brand is
an authentic extension of whoyou are.
Valerie (11:37):
And having it.
That's a really good point of.
Maybe you see somebody else'svibe and their way of being and
you're like you're drawn to thatand you want to say, well,
that's going to be my vibe, butif it's not authentic to you,
that's a quick way to burn out,it's not a sustainable way of
being because, like Max said,you want this to be an extension
(11:58):
.
Now it is very helpful to lookat other artists and things that
you enjoy and ask yourself whyam I drawn to this?
What is making me feel pulledto this vibe, to this brand,
what this artist is all about,and start getting curious with
the way that you interact withother brands and artists and
(12:22):
what it is that you find to justbe very appealing to you.
The other part of it, with abrand that, yes, you want it to
be authentic 100%, this shouldfeel like a very natural
extension of you in a very, verynatural way for you to be.
But I also want to say yourpersonal brand as you show up to
(12:48):
your business, is not the wholeyou.
Yes, it is authentic.
However, it is impossible thatyou, as this gorgeous, complex
being that's going to be thefullest of expressions of you in
(13:10):
your brand.
So some people, I think, getworried, almost like, oh, this
is my brand and do I have tostart sharing all of these
things that I don't want toshare about, because I want to
come across as relatable andvulnerable and all this?
And it's like no, we'reovercomplicating it way too much
.
You get to share the authenticparts of you that you want to
(13:31):
share.
You don't have to share a lotof the parts that you don't want
to share.
This is part of the directing.
This is part of the bringing anintentionality to this whole
idea.
Bringing an intentionality tothis whole idea and something
else.
That's a real big point to keepin mind.
People get confused very easily, and so if you almost are like,
(13:56):
well, I have to show everyfacet of myself and this is my
brand and this has to be thefullest expression of me, first
of of all, you're going to haveyour identity so tied up in this
and you don't want that.
We can even we can go off on atangent about that how you as
your brand, although it isauthentic, is separate yeah, I
(14:17):
have about 10 tangents based onwhat you just said so it is not
you.
it is you, it's authentic.
It is not you.
It is you, it's authentic, itis not you.
And I just lost my train ofthought.
Mak (14:27):
Yeah, sorry that I was making.
I feel like I made it.
Valerie (14:30):
Because of that one point alone.
Mak (14:32):
I would say, to try to make this a little more real for you
and I use this example in aprevious episode, but it's
because I like it when somebody,if a really close friend is
coming over to dinner the wayyou would set up your house and
there might be a specific candleyou'd light, or there's a
(14:52):
recipe, a go-to recipe that youhave.
You've got that playlist.
I know you do, whether you madeit or you found it on Spotify
that you love to play.
While you're making dinner, youmight have a specific kind of
tea or a bottle of wine that youreally like.
What you're doing is you'rewelcoming dinner.
You might have a specific kindof tea or a bottle of wine that
you really like.
What you're doing is you'rewelcoming people into your space
and you're setting a vibe forthem for the evening, but guess
(15:14):
what that vibe is?
You, you're setting a vibe thatis representative of how you
want people to feel when they'rein your presence, when they're
in your home.
When they're in your home andwhen you're trying to make them
feel loved and comfortable, andthat's essentially, at its basic
level, what you're doing here.
Valerie (15:34):
Yeah, it's your taste, it's your preferences, it's
telling people, hey, this is meand this is what I'm all about,
so that they can connect withyou and connect with that
feeling and what I was going.
This story, essentially, ofwhat you want people to know
(16:02):
that you're all about, it isactually detrimental if it's
trying to be everything, because, let's face it, as human beings
we have paradox at our veryvery nature and there are
certain things that maybe seemcontradictory as part of just
(16:25):
who you are.
Guess what that's called beinghuman, that's being a human
being.
So you don't have to, as partof your brand, say everything
that you're thinking.
You can have a clear plan herethat this is the bucket that
that lives in, and if you haveinterests and things that live
(16:45):
in a different bucket, it's notthat you can't ever talk about
it.
This is not a hard and fast rule, but sometimes just having that
overarching intention of thisis what my brand is, so it's
going to be more forward facingto others, like you said in
setting that table.
These are the things that Italk about.
(17:06):
These are the things that I'mall about.
These are the feelings that Iwant you to walk away with when
you are interacting with me andwhen you can get somewhat narrow
about that or more specific,maybe about that, it's going to
allow the person interactingwith you to understand it more
quickly.
Mak (17:27):
Yeah, and that's that's such a great point is is that we
do want to when, when you'reand I want to talk in a second
don't let me get away from thisbut I want to talk about how to
actually cultivate this, likephysically, um, but but you, it
is very easy for people to getconfused, and so it's really
good to have that singular focus.
And I'm reminded of.
(17:47):
I grew up working in radio andI worked for this little tiny AM
radio station and the theslogan.
This was literally the sloganof this radio station news,
sports music and more.
Now, how do you think thatstation did in the ratings?
It was terrible.
It was an awful station becauseevery hour it was doing
(18:09):
something completely differentand it was confusing to people.
They never knew what they weregoing to get when they turned
the dial on.
So what works in radio?
When you say you know we're thehit music station or your
country leader, and that'sbecause I know what I'm going to
get when I go there, and thenhow they present themselves on
(18:32):
the radio, some might have amore edgier sound if it's like a
rock station.
If it's an adult, contemporarystation, it's more soft.
So this is what I'm saying isthink about those types of vibes
that are created.
You don't want to have a messof all of these things that are
(18:53):
about you, but what you want todo is understand who you are at
your core and begin to presentthat as part of your brand.
Valerie (19:03):
So now I want to.
This is all very nuanced here,right it's?
Mak (19:08):
super nuanced, which is why we need to do the course to
dive in, because there's no waywe're going to even get close to
covering it in this podcast,and here's the thing, though, to
dive in, because there's no waywe're going to even get close
to covering it.
Valerie (19:21):
And here's the thing, though, you can go the other way
and say, all right, I'm goingto narrow this down, I'm about
painting landscapes, and thenyour entire brand can just be
the art alone, without anyinfiltration of you.
So I want to be clear when wesay building your brand, that
isn't just oh, let me post allthe time about my paintings, and
(19:45):
that's it, and that is theintentionality, and that is the
specificity.
And before I was a regularhuman being, posting about my
life and vacations with myfamily and showing up and having
dinners and all of this, butnow I have a brand.
So, now I just have to post mypaintings and I have to be in
(20:06):
this little box.
No, that is going the wrongdirection of what we're talking
about here.
Mak (20:14):
And so I think you know at this point, as I'm hearing the
two of us go through this Ithink if we can offer some
practical advice right now forhelping people to kind of
visualize what their brand is, Ithink that's a really good
first step.
And so having a practice ofactually creating like a brand
(20:34):
board and if you're like me, Ilike to print pictures out and
words and things and likephysically tack them onto a
board or paste them or you cando it on a computer using
Pinterest or Trello or one ofthese other tools, or even
Photoshop or Canva but I thinkthat's a really good place to
start.
Valerie (20:52):
Pay attention, start paying attention to what you are
drawn to.
I like to say that the onlyreason you register any beauty
anywhere is because it's what isinside of you.
If something is speaking to you, and maybe you even have a
little pang of jealousy jealousyis good.
(21:13):
You want that feedback becauseyou're going, ooh, what is it
about this that I have inside ofme that I am maybe not
experiencing?
So start to just dig in, startto ask those questions.
If you see an aesthetic thatreally lights you up, if there's
someone who you you follow,that you're like Ooh, I just
(21:34):
connect with what they say.
Why, what's making you connect?
Is it an openheartedness thatthey have?
Is it that they are real?
Are they showing up withoutmakeup and just like, hey, this
is what it is.
Are they direct?
What is it about that that youare really resonating with?
(21:54):
So start to notice and the samething with collecting the
visual inspiration as well, justto start to understand.
What is this?
That is very me, what feelsreally good.
The other thing that is ahelpful, very practical thing to
do is make a list of the thingsthat you are about that you
(22:16):
feel like you could talk aboutand post about, and I want to
encourage you that this isbeyond painting or creating or
photographing or whatever yourart form is.
Yes, that of course.
That's naturally.
That's going to be part of thebrand, because that is what you
are offering, that is what youare selling.
But this again, is thisholistic idea of your vibe.
(22:40):
So make a list of things thatyou might want to show up and
talk about.
So, for me, flowers that's ahuge one.
I make that a huge part of mybrand If I go to the farmer's
market, the farmer's market isanother one.
I'm constantly sharing aboutthe farmer's market and the
colors and think about whatinspires you.
(23:03):
So gardening for me, that'sanother big one that I share
about.
I share about being a mom.
I share about doing crafts withmy girls.
I share about creativity andthe other creative endeavors
that I have.
That's beyond my art that Isell.
Mak (23:20):
And so if you hear everything Valerie's talking
about right now and make amental note of that and you go
back and look at some of hersocial media, you will start to
see how this all works togethercohesively.
Now I can say this as herhusband she's a super dynamic
and very interesting person andhas a ton of interests outside
of those things, but a lot ofthat doesn't show up in her
(23:41):
brand because it doesn't belongthere.
That's still hers, it's private, it's for her to have and for
her to keep on her own.
And I can say, having gotten toknow and work with a lot of
famous people who are reallygood at having brands, when you
actually get to know them youbegin to understand the other
(24:02):
parts of them that you don'tnecessarily see publicly.
And then there's nothing wrongwith that, because you don't
want to exploit everything aboutyourself in the name of your
brand.
What you want to do is sharewhat you want to share and help
create that vibe, but also keepthings for yourself.
Valerie (24:20):
Well, and this is back to the identity conversation,
the point here is when you aremoving from this is personal to
business.
That doesn't have to be a scarything like, oh you know I'm
moving into business, but it'sjust a thoughtfulness again, and
the intention of this is how Ishow up as business me and it's
(24:41):
very much you and you're sharingpersonal things because people
want to relate to another humanbeing.
It's parts of your life, butit's parts of your life that you
want to share that contributeto that business entrepreneur
side of you, tribute to thatbusiness artpreneur side of you.
It's still very authentic, butit's not you, because identity,
(25:05):
again, is a huge part of it.
We're going to get into so muchof this because selling your
art is an issue in self-worth.
There's vulnerability there.
There's so much there.
So we have to keep thatseparation, at the same time
that this isn't the fullness ofexpression of you.
Mak (25:19):
And I want to give a real life example here and I think
one of our favorite personalbrands that exists is Ina Garten
, and so when you talk about Inaor the Barefoot Contessa, now
we're Food Network fans andeverything.
Valerie (25:33):
We're going to see her in a couple of days.
Yes, I know I'm really excitedabout it.
Mak (25:37):
I'm trying to figure out how to sneak backstage for that
one, but here's the great thingabout Ina.
So whether you're familiar withher or not, I'll assume for a
moment that you are.
She obviously 100% is thisincredible chef and baker, but
it's simple.
Her idea is things are simpleto make.
(26:00):
She takes these complex dishesand she makes them really
delicious, really simple, andshe speaks very plainly about
how to make these things.
It almost feels like your momis talking to you and it's just
a really chill.
That show is very chill andvery vibey.
It's a super vibey show.
But beyond her cooking, we knowthat she loves flowers.
(26:28):
We know that she lovesgardening.
We know that she loves throwingparties.
We know that she loves France.
We know that she lovesCalifornia.
Valerie (26:38):
She lives in the.
Mak (26:39):
Hamptons, right, and so we have all these glimpses into
things that are authenticallyIna but have nothing to do with
her cooking and her cooking.
She's got all these cookbooksand all this stuff and that's
why we tune in, but the rest ofthat plays into the vibe and the
(27:01):
appeal of her show andeverything that she's doing and
what brings a smile to your faceis, while she's this incredible
cook who makes things easy foryou you love and appreciate and
can connect with all the otherthings that are her.
Valerie (27:17):
And that's a great example.
And as you're thinking aboutwhat is my brand, how am I going
to show up, keep in mind thatthis should feel fun.
This should feel good.
Don't let this conversationfeel bogged down.
It should be as natural ofthings to talk about as it is
natural for Ina to talk aboutthe Hamptons.
Mak (27:39):
It should be light.
I think that's a really goodword.
If you're feeling heavythinking about all of this, I
invite you to shift yourperspective, because this is
just you sharing you and theparts about you that you love.
Valerie (27:52):
Right and that's it, so this should feel light and easy
, and what you want people towalk away with saying oh, I get
it.
That's what this person is allabout, those points of
connection and that's reallywhat we're going for here with
brand.
It's all about connection, howyour potential buyer can look at
(28:15):
you as the artist and whatyou're all about and say that's
my person, I'm all about that.
That is what is going to helpthem connect with your art.
Because, as we've established,the art is way, way, way, way
more than pigments on a paper,is way, way, way, way more than
(28:36):
pigments on a paper.
It's way more than thistransactional way of being of oh
, I like that because it's theright color for my space and you
might get some of that, that'sfine.
But to build a sustainable artbusiness where you get repeat
customers and you get thoseloyal fans and that loyal
following who's just like I amall about this because I'm all
(28:58):
about you, you're the magic.
Mak (29:00):
That's the dirty little secret is that people are buying
it because you painted it, notbecause it's a painting.
It really is the story.
And when we say it's the storybehind the painting, don't take
that literally, like, oh, it'sthe story behind the painting.
Don't take that literally Like,oh, here's the story of the
painting.
Now, that helps, but in termsof brand, the story behind the
(29:21):
painting is just someone gettingto know who you are and they
will fall more and more in lovewith the artwork that you create
, based on your brand and howyou share, about what you're
doing.
And again, those thingsshouldn't it shouldn't be this
daunting title.
I got to sit down and createall this content.
No, no, no, no.
It's just you being you andyou're inviting people to take a
little glimpse into that world.
Valerie (29:49):
Yeah.
So again back to the takeawaysthat you can do right now from
this conversation.
When it comes to building abrand for your art business, the
first thing is to start tonotice.
Notice what you love, noticewhat is really speaking to you
in a visual sense, also what isjust speaking to you in a vibe,
in a feeling sense, because wealso want to take this and
(30:12):
visually bring this together aswell, and that's part of a brand
.
We're bringing visual elementstogether.
We're bringing vibe elementsand feeling and words.
How do you think you might wantto show up?
Maybe you're somebody who wantsto craft really long Instagram
captions and you are justsomebody who has a lot on your
(30:34):
heart that you want to share,and that is maybe something that
you've seen that you reallyrelate to.
So just start to noticeeverything and how you might
want to start showing up, andthen the second thing is to make
a list of sort of buckets thatyou might want to share in, to
(30:54):
allow people to get to know you,to have a glimpse into your
life and what you're all aboutand how that really can relate
to an overall story of you asthe artist and what you love to
do.
So I mean, for example, maybeyou love the sea.
I mean, for example, maybe youlove the sea, maybe you are like
(31:14):
an ocean person and that's whatyou are drawn to.
Create artwork all about theocean, so maybe let's spin off
of that.
What else can be part of thatbrand?
That's all about thesepaintings of the ocean, and
maybe it's about this calmingfeeling and maybe it's about
(31:36):
some just All the things thatyou would experience when, if
you're an ocean person, you lovemore than just water.
Mak (31:46):
You love the seagulls, you love the smell of the sand, you
love the feeling of sitting onthe beach and reading a good
book.
You love, love, the feeling ofsitting on the beach and reading
a good book.
All these things that encompassthat would be part of what
you're trying to portray, if theocean, in this example, is your
thing.
Valerie (32:05):
Right.
So just think about yourinterests, think about what you
love, and even in that case, ofthe ocean paintings.
Going back to that, maybe youare just a huge fan of French
fries.
That's okay.
Like, put that as part of yourbrand, be like that's something
that I talk about, because Ilove French fries and I have
(32:27):
this whole thing and I like tomake them in a specific way.
And maybe you're a french frysnob or something.
That's all fair game to putinto this mix that is making you
so wonderful and unique andthese memorable points that
somebody can say, oh, I relateto that, I like that person, I'm
(32:48):
connecting with that person.
Mak (32:50):
And if you're even feeling like, okay, this I feel weird or
vulnerable, sharing thisbecause people might judge me or
whatever, get that out of yourhead.
You know you want to say, youwant to say the weird thing, you
want to say the odd thing.
You want to be, because that'swhat's authentically you.
And when you do that, it'samazing who comes out of the
woodwork.
Because when you, when you havethe courage to be real and
(33:12):
authentic, other people latchonto that and they want to come
along with you and when theystart to make that kind of a
connection, that's when youstart to build that loyal
following and the people whowill go out and actually talk to
other people about you and wantto support you and buy your art
and get into anything thatyou're doing.
Valerie (33:33):
Well, it goes back to thinking about what do you
relate to most?
Are you drawn to the person whois just obviously authentically
themselves and just showing upin this way, quirks and all,
because we all have our quirksor versus the person who is so
perfectly polished, as I saidbefore, maybe there's no
(33:55):
humanity there, you don't get toknow them at all.
It's just this very sterile wayof showing up and I see a lot
of artists doing that, where youmight not even know anything
personal about them at all andall you're getting is just a
feed of paintings.
And I don't think that that isas effective as making that
(34:19):
personal connection being thatauthentic part of you.
Because people want to buy fromother people, especially with
art, when it's meaningful, whenyou want to get the price that
you want to get.
They want to connect withanother human being on an
emotional level.
Mak (34:35):
And again, another real world example of this if you
have a favorite musician or afavorite actor and you're
following them on social medialike I'm a big John Mayer fan,
does he only post videos ofhimself playing guitar?
No, and why did I decide tofollow him on social media?
Because I wanted to know moreabout his life, because I
connected with his art.
(34:56):
The same thing is true Ifyou're like I love Michael
Keaton.
I don't follow him on socialmedia because he's just posting
clips of all the movies he's in.
I want to see what he's up to,I want to see what causes he's
promoting, what restaurants he'sgoing to, things he's reading
or interested in, because I'mgenuinely interested in him as
(35:17):
an artist, as an actor, and so Ithink that piece of advice that
you just gave right now is oneof the most valuable pieces of
advice we can give to artists inthis moment, in this podcast is
that if you just have a streamof paintings, you're not
inviting people.
People might think yourpaintings are beautiful, but
they want to get to know theperson behind the painting, the
(35:38):
person working the brush or thepastel pushing the pigment
around.
They want to get to know you.
Valerie (35:43):
Right.
So obviously there is a lot tosay on this topic.
We have a lot to say about itand I hope that this was helpful
.
Some really key takeaways tobegin thinking about this idea
of a brand in a different way ormaybe in another way that
you've thought about before.
I hope it dispelled just someof those maybe blocks that you
(36:06):
have in thinking about it.
And again, we are going to becovering branding in a big way,
all of these sort ofcornerstones of what it is to be
a successful entrepreneur,whatever success may look like
for you, but crafting it in thisway that is very much aligned
to you, that we want you to feelgood in your brand.
(36:30):
This should feel like anextension.
It should feel good, the samewith the pricing and the other
elements that we talk about ofputting together an art business
, and that is why we've namedthe course the Peaceful
Artpreneur, because this isn'tone size fits all and even in
the course of this conversationwe're saying, well, it's like
this, but then a little bit ofthis and you don't want to go do
(36:51):
for this, and it's because it'sso nuanced.
I find it to be incredibly funto think about and to think
about branding and craftingthose messages, and this is
something we've been doing, likeI said, for a really long time
and it's fun.
So this is a big part of whatthe peaceful artpreneur is all
(37:13):
about, because we want you tofind success as an artpreneur,
but it is not at the expense ofyour life or seeing what I'm
going to have to do some ickystuff, and you hear a lot of
that talk, especially on socialmedia, where it's like oh, you
know, I have to do all of thisfor an art business and the
(37:33):
grind and blah, blah, blah.
No, this gets to be fun.
This gets to be an extension ofyou.
That's what we're all about,because it's your life.
Why are you going to dosomething and be miserable about
it?
That's not a vibe.
Mak (37:47):
So true, it's so true.
Valerie (37:49):
That is what we are about.
That is what we are about.
We are about the practical, thestrategic, but also in a way
that feels very aligned for you.
So we just want to tell youagain about that course so that
you can get all of theinformation, because we want you
to get that early bird discount.
If you are sitting here nowsaying, oh, I got to be in this,
(38:11):
I just you feel it, and if not,that's OK too.
But if you feel it and you'relike, maybe have that little
twinge of feeling afraid orfeeling like can I really do
this?
But in that voice inside of youit's like this is your time,
this is your moment, 2025 isyour time, and if you're hearing
that, we want you to get in andto be able to get that early
(38:34):
bird rate.
Mak (38:35):
So the first three months are the sort of intensive part
of the course January, february,march and then we will follow
up and support you for thefollowing three months.
All the details are availableat ValerieMcKeoncom slash sell
with peace.
And right now that early birdspecial is going on.
It's $1 thousand dollars offthe course price, plus you get
(38:56):
the $1,500 worth of bonus calls.
That all goes away on Saturday.
So if you know, don't, don'tsit on this.
You know, if you're feeling it,go to the website, figure it
out.
We do have payment optionsavailable.
You can pay all at once.
There's there's all kinds ofways.
We've tried to make it as easyas possible for you to do this.
You can get all the detailsthere valeriemckeancom slash
(39:19):
sell with peace.
Valerie (39:21):
We believe in you, we are excited for you, we're
excited to come alongside of youand we're going to be back on
the podcast again tomorrow.
Mak (39:30):
Just one more though, can you believe it.
Valerie (39:32):
I feel like I want to keep going.
Mak (39:34):
I feel like it too, so maybe there'll be some extra
bonus episodes, or maybe aroundtwo of this.
Valerie (39:39):
Yeah, all right, hope you have a good one.
We'll see you tomorrow.
Mak (39:42):
Bye-bye.
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