Design Tribe Podcast

Originally aired on Harmony Hardin's YouTube Channel. Check out the video version here. From Harmony: Ah, art style. The elusive "thing" we want to be known for as artists. Have you been stuck on that big topic, wondering what to do to find your art style, what all goes into developing an art style, not knowing if you've found yours? Or even where to start? Do you struggle with thinking you need to actively develop a style, or that it should come naturally, but it just isn't happening for you? Are you still copying other artists for practice, but stuck in art block as soon as you try to come up with a style and concept of your own? Uff, it can feel frustrating and confusing, for sure. On the 15th episode of art business podcast "Harmony & Friends", Terry Runyan, Nina Cvijovic and Lauren Lesley share their personal path to finding their current style, and their insights into how you can get there, too. Join us live if you can! It's lots of fun to hang out with the community in the live chat, and by joining, you have the chance of getting your question displayed during the livestream and answered by the panel. Share the link with a friend too, the more, the merrier! If you enjoyed this conversation, consider subscribing to the channel, where we have a conversation just like this one approximately every 2 weeks. Though we do not give you step by step art business advice or tutorials, the conversations shed light on 3 different examples, 3 different lives experiences. You will hear directly from successful artists about a specific income stream or art business topic, and how it works specifically in the businesses they have built. Enjoyed this video? So many more fun & insightful artist chats this-a-way: https://www.youtube.com/@HarmonyHardi... // ARTISTS: Terry Runyan Visual Artist & Creative Encourager Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terryrunyan Website: https://terryrunyan.com YouTube: @terryrunyan Nina Cvijovic Illustrator & Pattern Designer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diujdi Website: https://diujdi.com Lauren Lesley Textile Designer YouTube: @laurenlesley Website: https://laurenlesley.com/sketchbookin... Harmony Hardin Host & Watercolor Artist NEW Etsy Shop: https://harmonyhardin.etsy.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmony.har... YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HarmonyHardi...

ART STYLE ACADEMY: https://www.laurenlesley.com/asa-sales-page-35-spots DM me on Instagram: @LaurenLesleyStudio Do These 6 Things BEFORE Going Full-Time as an Artist Hey! How are you? If we haven’t met before, I’m Lauren.. I’m your host of the Design Tribe podcast, and I’m an artist and textile designer. In the last episode, I went into pretty great detail about what it was like working as a full-time artist and licensing surface pattern designs. So if you missed that episode, be sure to check it out. I know a lot of you are either trying to make it as a surface pattern designer OR you dream of one day being able to leave your day job to license your artwork to companies. I spent 2 years as an independent artist, and although there were many things I loved about working independently, I ultimately went back to an in-house job as a Senior Textile Designer. A lot of these tips I’m about to share with you are things I WISH I did before making the leap to being a full-time artist. We’ll talk about all the money stuff in the very last tip so be sure to stick around for that juicy topic. Okay, so my first tip is to… Okay, so to recap the 6 things you should do BEFORE going full-time as an artist… we talked about: There’s honestly so much more I could say on this topic, but that’s a really good place to start! Feel free to DM me over on Instagram @LaurenLesleyStudio if you want to chat more. I always love hearing from you all! Have a wonderful day and good luck on all of your amazing art businesses! Talk soon.

Art Style Academy: https://www.laurenlesley.com/asa-sales-page-35-spots Guest Episode Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIGrg1q59yw4c47VniYirOBpp2aoEYjA33N9o9a4eWgYR_tw/viewform?usp=pp_url Transcript: Hey, how are you? I basically disappeared from this podcast for the past 2 years and I owe you an explanation! If this is your first time listening, hey, I’m Lauren of Lauren Lesley Studio. I’m an artist and textile designer, and I started The Design Tribe podcast back in 2019 as a way to add some transparency to someone who was just getting started in surface pattern design and the whole licensing world. In this episode, I’m going to spill the tea on what it’s REALLY like being a full-time artist…. Full disclosure: it’s not exactly how I thought it would be. But first, let me explain where I’ve been and what the plan is for the Design Tribe podcast moving forward! Back in the Fall of 2021, I decided to go back to an in-house job and I found out I was pregnant all in the same month! On top of that, my husband and I decided to move houses to have a more suitable neighborhood for our baby to grow up in. The idea of moving after our daughter was born really stressed me out so we were on an intense timeline trying to find the right place. The housing market was incredibly competitive when we were moving and it basically took up 150% of my time. We literally closed on our old house one week before my daughter was born! Then, she came into the world and my full attention was on her. So, I’m very sorry that I’ve been gone for so long. That was never exactly the plan, but you know, sometimes life gets in the way of creative pursuits. So, what is the plan for the Design Tribe podcast moving forward? During this season of life, I have to be realistic about the fact that I just don’t really have time to conduct a lot of interviews myself. But, that doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. I personally hate the idea of letting this podcast die just because of my own time constraints. So, I started thinking outside the box and was wondering what WOULD be feasible for the podcast moving forward. Sometimes, as artists and designers, we simply don’t have time to create ALLLL of the content all by ourselves. It’s probably been a year since I’ve even created an Instagram post for my actual feed.. I am way more active in my Stories though! But, the point is…. I started thinking what if The Design Tribe lived up to its name and became more of a collective effort? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to hear from different voices and different artists who have different experiences? SO! I’m opening up the podcast to publish more guest episodes. That means, if you are an artist or designer who has conducted your own interviews… either in podcast format or on YouTube… and you’d like to repurpose your episodes for further reach, please get in touch with me! Especially, if you find yourself unable to keep up with a demanding weekly interview schedule on your own podcast… I’d love to collaborate with you! Wouldn’t it be great to slow down and put our content efforts together… and get a bigger bang for your buck? Imagine if you could relax the pace and schedule out one interview per month. The Design Tribe is the perfect place to contribute those podcast episodes and reach more people. If this sounds interesting to you, please look in the show notes for an application. OKAY, so now let’s get into the good stuff. Why the heck did I return to an In-House job and what was it REALLY like being a Full-Time Artist? So, I dreamed about being a full-time artist for as long as I can remember. Back in college, I was an oil painter so back then I envisioned doing something more along the lines of Fine Art. But upon graduating, I realized I needed a JOB and a stable income to pay the bills. So, I got my first job in Graphic Design at a T-shirt company. While I loved some of...

In this episode of the Design Tribe podcast, I'm chatting with Jenna Rainey and Julie Turkel about how to get your art in retail stores + so much more! Jenna Rainey is a successful licensed artist with an incredible YouTube channel with over 120K subscribers. She provides tutorials for illustrators, calligraphers, and watercolor artists. Jenna has collaborated with brands like Papyrus, Anchor Brewing Company, and Target! Website: https://jennarainey.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqWj... Julie Turkel is a licensing agent who started at Nickelodeon, building the brand collab business from the inside out. Julie left Nickelodeon to then go on to represent Jonathan Adler, Nate Berkus, Dabney Lee and Jenna (among a few others). After 25 years in the business, her expertise is in brand licensing and she and Jenna have a unique experience working together on fun projects like a calendar line in Staples, a collection with Toki Mats for baby mats and more! During the livestream, we discussed: ➡️ Take my FREE MINI COURSE, Art Style Secrets: 1.) Subscribe to my Channel 2.) Like this Video 3.) Click the link below 👇 https://bit.ly/2UitNqB . ➡️ Get my 2022 Trend Guide: https://www.laurenlesley.com/trend-2022 🤓RESOURCES: https://www.laurenlesley.com/resources ART SUPPLIES http://bit.ly/2H4z8uc BOOKS http://bit.ly/2J2DeGF DESIGN TOOLS http://bit.ly/2DS7PTo SKILLSHARE CLASSES **Get 2 weeks free!!** https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/lau... YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT http://bit.ly/2V4nnsI 🔴 Be sure to SUBSCRIBE + click the bell 🔔 for more design tutorials, business tips + creative strategies: http://bit.ly/2LGqRNE

➡️ Join my free mini course, Art Style Secrets: https://www.laurenlesley.com/sign-ups-art-style-secrets 🎧 LISTEN TO THE DESIGN TRIBE PODCAST: ⭐️ Be sure to leave a rating + a review! https://apple.co/2xZIPsyhttps://spoti.fi/2LHe2TB 📲🤳🏻 SHARE IN YOUR IG STORIES + TAG ME: http://instagram.com/laurenlesleystudio#laurenlesleystudio

➡️ Get your copy of Price With Purpose: Click here to get your copy.* 🎧 LISTEN TO THE DESIGN TRIBE PODCAST: ⭐️ Be sure to leave a rating + a review! https://apple.co/2xZIPsyhttps://spoti.fi/2LHe2TB 📲🤳🏻 SHARE IN YOUR IG STORIES + TAG ME: http://instagram.com/laurenlesleystudio #laurenlesleystudio *Affiliate links.

➡️ Get your copy of my 2022 Trend Guide: https://www.laurenlesley.com/trend-2022 🎧 LISTEN TO THE DESIGN TRIBE PODCAST: ⭐️ Be sure to leave a rating + a review! https://apple.co/2xZIPsyhttps://spoti.fi/2LHe2TB 📲🤳🏻 SHARE IN YOUR IG STORIES + TAG ME: http://instagram.com/laurenlesleystudio #laurenlesleystudio TRANSCRIPT: Speaker 2 (00:06): Hey, what's up. Y'all I'm here in beautiful Atlanta. And today I wanted to talk to you about trends. I'm currently in a deep dive of trend research for 2022 and wanted to let you know that I've got several pre-order discounts going on for my 2022 trend guide, plus a live workshop for those of you who sign up early, just head over to my website@laurenleslie.com and click on trend. Leslie is spelled with an E Y and join my email list to get the next discount. All right, thanks for listening to the design drive. Let's start the episode. Speaker 3 (00:44): Okay. So why are trans important? I think this is the first question we should start out with because there are designers out there who really hate trends and they don't think trends are important. They have no interest in following them. They maybe see trends as being cheap and too commercial or, you know, kind of like it kind of like you lose yourself as a designer. If you're chasing trends all the time, you don't really have sort of this aesthetic that defines your own brand. But to me, I really see trends as art. Especially when you are looking at runway shows and some of the, you know, beginning stages of where these trends are developing. And I mean, it really is art. And I know that these things have a commercial use and that the trends are going to kind of push sales for a lot of products. Speaker 3 (01:41): Right. And, you know, I understand why people will see that as you know, oh, it's a gimmick or it's a sales tactic, but the thing is of that transit sell for a reason. And it's because they're inspiring. And I don't think that these two concepts are mutually exclusive, right? Like I don't think that just because something sells well, it's automatically not art or it's automatically cheap, right. Just because it's commercial, it doesn't mean that it's not a really amazing and deep and valuable. And so I think that, you know, when you really start to dive into the beginning stages of how these concepts come about from the designer's imagination, right. And the experimentation, and, you know, putting together kind of insane materials. And in ways that, you know, to the current mainstream would seem crazy. Like if you look at a lot of runway trends, they seem kind of nuts and it's because they are exaggerated it's because it is a place where, you know, clothes and apparel and design ideas can be whatever they want because they aren't actually going to be selling in this form. Speaker 3 (02:52): Right. The life cycle of a trend is that it starts out on something like their runway and it's really wild and really crazy. And then retailers kind of tend to the Trinity retailers tend to be the first ones to jump on that trend, but they water it down a bit. Right. It's not like you're going into a trendy store and seeing the exact same thing that you would have seen in runway fashion. So it's watered down a little bit and it's made more digestible for the average consumer. And then you have, you know, stores and retail brands that are, you know, kinda in the middle there, they're not super Trinity, but you know, they, they see these Trinity stores and they see that, oh you know, proof of concept, right. That people are actually buying these things. So, all right, maybe we'll dabble. Speaker 3 (03:42): Maybe we'll stick our toe in the water and we'll try this trend. It's a little scary, but we'll try it. And then, you know, those stores, they start selling and, you know, people love it and more and more people jump on the trend. And when more people see that other people are wearing X, Y, Z, or have this kind of trend...

How do you sell on Patternbank successfully? What do successful pattern designers do differently? Neil Elliott from Patternbank gives us tons of tips for Patternbank success! ➡️ FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️ FREE Art Style Secrets mini course: https://bit.ly/2UitNqB Questions asked:

How do you sell on Patternbank successfully? What do successful pattern designers do differently? Neil Elliott from Patternbank gives us tons of tips for Patternbank success! ➡️ FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️ FREE Art Style Secrets mini course: https://bit.ly/2UitNqB Questions asked:

Skillshare vs Teachable (or Thinkific): which online platform is better to host your online courses and classes? If you're thinking of teaching online courses, especially as an artist or designer, this video is for you! There are certainly pro's and con's to which platform is best! Skillshare is an awesome platform to get started on especially if you don't have a large social media following, Instagram presence, or email list. But it has it's downsides such as only sharing 30% - 50% of the revenue. Hosting your own masterclass can potentially earn much more revenue, but sites like Teachable and Thinkific can be expensive. Listen in as Jen Lezan and I discuss workarounds and how to host your own online course on your own website like Squarespace or Wix. ⭐️ TEXTILE STAR ⭐️ https://www.laurenlesley.com/masterclass 🌊 PORTFOLIO SURGE 💦 https://www.laurenlesley.com/portfoli... 💙 SKILLSHARE CLASSES 💙 **Get 2 months free!!** https://www.skillshare.com/r/user/lau... Follow Jen Lezan: 🔴 YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZw1... 🟣 INSTAGRAM: @jennifermveguilla ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/35bPbAW 🤓RESOURCES: https://www.laurenlesley.com/resources http://bit.ly/2H4z8uchttp://bit.ly/2J2DeGFhttp://bit.ly/2DS7PTohttps://www.skillshare.com/r/user/lau...http://bit.ly/2V4nnsI 🔴Be sure to SUBSCRIBE + click the bell 🔔 for more design tutorials, business tips + creative strategies: http://bit.ly/2LGqRNE 🛍SHOP: Clip Art: https://www.laurenlesley.com/clip-art Custom: https://www.laurenlesley.com/custom Pattern (Buyers only): https://www.laurenlesley.com/pattern Creative Market: https://creativemarket.com/LaurenLPoole 👯‍♀️📺YOUTUBE COLLABS: I'd love to collab with fellow YouTubers on a video topics including: -Textiles -Art Tutorial -Surface Pattern Design -Character/Portrait Design -Growing Online as an Artist/Designer APPLY HERE: http://bit.ly/2Vu4V21 💡READ MY BLOG: http://www.laurenlesley.com/blog #laurenlesleystudio 🎧LISTEN TO THE DESIGN TRIBE PODCAST: iTunes: https://apple.co/2xZIPsy Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LHe2TB 👥JOIN MY FREE FB GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Desig... 🤳🏻GO LIVE WITH ME: Apply to Go Live with me below! Let's discuss: http://bit.ly/2UA0dKv 👋Wave at me on social: http://instagram.com/laurenlesleystudio#laurenlesleystudiohttp://pinterest.com/laurenlesleystudiohttp://facebook.com/laurenlesleystudio .................................... Tags: .................................... lauren lesley studio skillshare vs teachable teachable vs skillshare skillshare vs masterclass skillshare vs signature course best online learning platforms 2020 skillshare vs youtube skillshare vs squarespace teaching online art teacher artist teaching online classes teaching online classes from home teaching online courses skillshare review 2020 skillshare free skillshare courses skillshare classes

Soo excited for this next podcast episode with special guests from Art of Floors, Tom Ethridge and Katie Stewart, we'll be discussing what it means to design for the Hospitality industry and how creativity plays a role. In this episode, we discuss the following questions: 1.) [Tom & Katie] From a design standpoint, how is Hospitality different from other industries? 2.) [Tom] How did the idea for Art of Floors get started? What role does creativity play at Art of Floors? 3.) [Katie] What are some design styles that Hospitality clients are drawn towards and why? 4.) [Tom & Katie] If a designer would like to work in the Hospitality industry, what are some essential things you’d look for in a portfolio? 5.) [Tom] How do you see the Hospitality industry changing in the next 5-10 years? How does Art of Floors plan to evolve and “future-proof” its business? 6.) [Katie] What are some up & coming trends you see coming specifically into the Hospitality segment? How do you do your trend research? 7.) [Katie] What types of software do designers need to know to work in Hospitality? Or is it different for every company? 8.) [Tom] How do handmade goods play a role in Hospitality? Do you see a rise in demand for handmade products or only in certain niches? 9.) [Tom] Do you see Art of Floors expanding into other categories? Would you ever offer pillows, upholstery fabrics, or other types of products? 10.) [Katie] Walk us through your career as a designer. You have an interesting story and made some major sacrifices being long distance with your (now) husband. What advice would you give entry level designers who are looking for a new opportunity? ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/35bPbAW 🤓RESOURCES: https://www.laurenlesley.com/resources http://bit.ly/2H4z8uchttp://bit.ly/2J2DeGFhttp://bit.ly/2DS7PTohttps://www.skillshare.com/r/user/lau...http://bit.ly/2V4nnsI 🔴Be sure to SUBSCRIBE + click the bell 🔔 for more design tutorials, business tips + creative strategies: http://bit.ly/2LGqRNE 🛍SHOP: Clip Art: https://www.laurenlesley.com/clip-art Custom: https://www.laurenlesley.com/custom Pattern (Buyers only): https://www.laurenlesley.com/pattern Creative Market: https://creativemarket.com/LaurenLPoole 👯‍♀️📺YOUTUBE COLLABS: I'd love to collab with fellow YouTubers on a video topics including: -Textiles -Art Tutorial -Surface Pattern Design -Character/Portrait Design -Growing Online as an Artist/Designer APPLY HERE: http://bit.ly/2Vu4V21 💡READ MY BLOG: http://www.laurenlesley.com/blog #laurenlesleystudio 🎧LISTEN TO THE DESIGN TRIBE PODCAST: iTunes: https://apple.co/2xZIPsy Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LHe2TB 👥JOIN MY FREE FB GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Desig... 🤳🏻GO LIVE WITH ME: Apply to Go Live with me below! Let's discuss: http://bit.ly/2UA0dKv 👋Wave at me on social: http://instagram.com/laurenlesleystudio#laurenlesleystudiohttp://pinterest.com/laurenlesleystudiohttp://facebook.com/laurenlesleystudio

Kim is an author who works with designers on creating better business strategies on an emotional and strategic level. Buy her book: https://www.mebydesign.com/shop-2/branding-interior-design-visibility-and-business-strategy-for-interior-designers QUESTIONS: 1.) What are some of the biggest problems you see designers facing? 2.) What is the best piece of advice you can provide designers when it comes to networking and getting their designs in front of the right people? 3.) How much does mindset play a role in designers feeling ‘stuck’? 4.) Do you believe that designers are lacking the right marketing or PR strategies? Is there something deeper going on or is it a little of both? 5.) How would you advise designers to become more ‘available’ for the life they truly want? What are some action steps they can take to become more available? 6.) How does gender play a role? 7.) So, explain to us your Visibility Strategy. What are some step-by-step things designers can do to be more visible online and in the real world? 8.) A lot of artists and designers are introverted, myself included. We’re not necessarily shy, but we don’t enjoy being ‘on’ and being in front of people all of the time. Do you have any tips for introverts? Would it be better for them to hire a PR manager or to outsource some of the extroverted tasks involved in becoming more visible? 9.) Do you have any suggestions for ways designers can earn more money in 2020? 10.) What are some of the biggest emotional hurdles designers face surrounding money and what are your tips to help them overcome these hurdles? TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1 (00:04): What's up design tribe, but welcome back for a another episode. Now if you want to tune in to the live streams, then be sure to join in my design tribe Facebook group will where I go live with guests and do new episodes of the design tribe. To watch past episodes. Be sure to check out my playlist on YouTube for the video version and of course check out the design tribe on iTunes and Spotify for the podcast of version if you are wanting to listen while doing something else or getting crap done. All right, let's jump in. Speaker 1 (00:40): Hello. Hi everyone and welcome to today's episode with Kim Kuhteubl where we're going to discuss the her visibility strategy and also go through all kinds of questions. So Kim is an author who works with designers on better business strategies and some kind of like emotional blocks that designers sometimes have. So Kim, if you want to introduce yourself and kind of give a little bit of your backstory to everyone in the design tribe, I'm sure. Thank you so much first of all morning for having me on the show. I really appreciate it. I work with interior designers on their branding and visibility. As you said. I actually am a producer by trade and I spent a lot of time in television and contributing articles to different publications and then when I was sort of looking to transition out, I started working with a success coach and put together a package of services for interior designers and then realized, Oh wait a second, they like what I'm offering here. Speaker 1 (01:39): And it was initially video and it was blog production and blog content sort of things that I had done inside of my job as a producer is a content creator. But then I started to put together trends that were happening in terms of visibility and leadership and things that were getting in the way of designers actually getting the press or putting out the book in the world or getting the next level of client. And what it's, what I started to understand was that I was learning about women in leadership because 80% of interior designers are women. And so as I was working with them, I was learning about how women lead and also what gets in the way of them leading at their full capacity when they're creative. Right. So then what are some of the biggest problems you see designers facing? Like you said, 80% of interior designers are...

How do you build an email list in 2020 as a designer? I love our questions for me in the Design Tribe FB Group. ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/35bPbAW

Have you set goals for 2020? This episode is all about planning for 2020 with intentional goals.

How do you work in the U.S. as a Textile Designer? Listen LIVE in the Design Tribe FB Group. ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/35bPbAW

How do you work in the U.S. as a Textile Designer? ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF: http://bit.ly/35bPbAW

Why on earth did Pantone choose Classic Blue 19-4052 as the 2020 Color of the Year? Listen up to hear Classic Blue explained for 2020. ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: http://bit.ly/2JkxdnE​ ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF:

How do you get your artwork licensed? And how do I find an art agent? Should I even work with an agent at all? These are all great questions I was getting in the Design Tribe FB Group. ➡️FREE TRAINING in Textile Design: ➡️FREE 2020 Trend Guide PDF:

Apply to 'Go Live' with me here: https://www.laurenlesley.com/webinar-series/#anchor-link-collaboration TRANSCRIPT: Hey, what up fool's Lauren here with Lauren Lesley studio. And today I want to invite you to go live with me on Instagram or in my Facebook group. Now, if you've never gone live before, you may be thinking, what's the point? Or I'm scared to go live. Is it really that great or what's the point of it? And I want to let you know that after researching, I'm doing some market research on sprouts social. The era of live video is it's really here to stay, guys. You really don't want to miss the boat on this piece of content or this type of content marketing. So audiences, they just are, they're really looking for more intimacy. As more accounts look so perfect on Instagram. Live video just gives you this authenticity that just can't be duplicated by photos or, or a descriptions or anything like that. And that's part of the reason why 80% of customers say they'd rather watch a live video from a company rather than read their blog. So that's pretty crazy. 80% is a big, big number. Um, and at that same time, the ephemeral nature of live video kind of prompts, um, you know, people to feel that FOMO sensation where they're scared of missing out because your live video is only going to be up for 24 hours on Instagram, on Facebook. It'll stay around a little bit longer, but things kind of seem to disappear if you're just looking at the news feed anyway. So, um, Instagram live is normally where I go live, but also I'm open to doing Facebook lives in my Facebook group. Um, and to let you guys know, Instagram, uh, in June of 2018 reached 1 billion monthly active users, which is insane. So if you're trying to grow your design business or your art account on Instagram, there are so, so, so many people that you could be reaching. And a lot of, um, Instagram lives features include, um, giving priority to live video. So thanks to Instagram's algorithm, which you know, we can all hate the algorithm from time to time, but if you want to kind of play up your strengths of the algorithm than posting live video, we'll place you at the head of your followers feeds. If you're looking for a way to stay top of mind, then when you, you know, when any of your audience opens the Instagram app, they're gonna see your live video first. Um, and live video really promotes increased engagement. So with Instagram, I have a lot of companies respond immediately to client. It's use issues. You can answer questions, um, and just engage with your followers in a more real and authentic way. Live videos also such an amazing way to build relationships. You know, if you're really trying to grow your Instagram account, not just get, you know, as many followers as you can, cause that can be kind of, um, superficial. But if you really want to build relationships with people on Instagram and build that trust and um, kind of that fan following for your design and artwork, then those face to face interactions are going to be J they're just going to promote so much more trust and people will get to know your personality and it's just way more intimate and it also helps, you know, kind of promote your brand identity. I mean that kind of sounds a little corporate-y but you know, your Instagram account is a good face of your brand. So Instagram live is just such a great way for brands to kind of show their individuality and their personality and it really just brings, you know, the, the person behind the brand or the, the artist behind your artwork or the designer behind your designs. It just really brings all of that to life. So you should definitely be going live if you're not already. And I know it can be kind of scary, but it's really not that bad once you do it and it's way easier to do it with another person and just have kind of a normal conversation. It's almost just like a phone call. And now that I'm working at home, I I get a little bit lonely. So I...

Surtex vs Blueprint: Which Trade Show is Better? In this episode of the Design Tribe, I interview illustrator and surface pattern design, Lisa Clow, on how the trade shows compared. She exhibited at both Surtex and Blueprint in 2019 and has great feedback! She also gets real honest about which trade show she will be returning to in 2020.