101010 Project: Valerie Weller on Business Mentors

Valerie Weller

BUSINESS INFO:

www.twig2neststudio.blogspot.com

www.twig2neststudio.etsy.com

www.valerieweller.com (launching soon)

http://pinterest.com/valerie_weller/pins/

https://www.facebook.com/valerie.weller

30 years in the business of art and graphic design

BIO:

Valerie Weller considers herself an art creator, a lover of color, and a seeker…. She has spent most of her life as a graphic designer with a fine art background, yet in the past few years, has been transitioning into developing & creating her own body of work. Her dream is to create, paint, and share her process full time.

Passionate about color, Valerie works in watercolor, acrylic, oil and mixed media. She holds a BA degree in art with a minor in education. After a solid thirty years of running a successful freelance graphic design business, she is now transitioning to create "part two" of her artistic life, in the world of painting. Currently she is developing various works of art in the mixed media category. From small to large paintings in an organic, intuitive style, to art journaling in watercolor, & mixed media, her work continues to express her passion for color and expressive, organic forms.

Valerie shows her work at boutiques, art shows as well as online through her etsy shop, website, and blog. She is working on an e-course/video series in watercolor, based on the wonderful response to her art journaling pages. Valerie loves to connect with people and works to inspire others to believe in their own gifts.  Her hope is to connect through her art, to cultivate and nurture the development of each person's individual "art spirit".

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QUESTION: Do you have a business mentor? What value does it offer to your experiences as a business owner?

Valerie's ANSWER:

There are a quite a few people that I look to as mentors in business. It's hard to think of only one, when you are influenced by so many. Two that come to mind immediately, are Kelly Rae Roberts  & Brian Schnetzer of Aunt Sadies Candles. I admire how both structure their business, work through their soul purpose, and how they connect with the community that brings them their success. I've come to know Kelly Rae through her original art and Flying Lessons e-course that I took two years ago. And I must say that her e-courses have been part of the core foundation in redirecting my business. I learned so much from her, not only from her teachings, but also from watching her business grow tremendously in the past few years. Just by taking a peek at her website www.kellyraeroberts.com would confirm a savvy, down to earth artist and business woman.

My dear friend Brian runs a candle company that started out in Boston, and now is headquartered in Vermont. He started Aunt Sadies Candles back in the mid nineties. His business grew and flourished with a brick and mortar shop, online product and wholesale accounts in high end stores such as Anthropologie, to smaller boutiques like Kitson in Los Angeles. Being a close friend for many years, I watched his business grow and prosper. Created from his soul, to honor the life of his dear grandmother "Aunt Sadie", I've been able to learn much about company culture, as well as starting up and keeping a business through the years. It's great to have a few mentor's willing to share with you, allowing you to learn more about developing your own path. Being a creative in "business" can sometime seems like opposites- I'd rather create than sell, market, or ship goods… but having mentors to share with, brings encouragement, and reassurance in business.

CURRENT PROJECTS:

www.valerieweller.com (projected launch- July)

an online watercolor e-course (in-process-stay tuned to blog posts for launch date)

SHOWS:

June 24  www.topangavintagemarket.com

July 22  www.topangavintagemarket.com

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For more information on the 101010 Project, the complete list of questions and the women hosting them, check out the 101010 Website. 

(Note: Due to life's unexpected twists & turns, this session of the 101010 Project features eight participants instead of the intended 10.)