Mom, I want to be an artist. Or a small business owner. Or both!

This our first blog post. It's about our lives and a few (un)important things, which has changed within last few months. And as we know, that Mr. Ego is not the best buddy, we decided to share this unique space with our favourite artists from Revelstoke!

Are you curious, how local creative businesses are doing? What are they working on? Everyone tries his best to deal with current situation. It is great to watch how people are thinking out of a box. They are using their creativity in presenting themselves and finding new ways in connecting with their audience. We asked a few artists behind well known local brands, what are their nowadays strategies and feelings. Their answers will lead you into their studios, gardens and lives.

Here's what we asked.
1. How does it feel to run a small creative business? Are you affected by current situation?
2. What are you working on at this moment? Any special projects / new collection / etc.?
3. What is the best way for people to get in touch with you these days? Web page / soc. media / in person..? 
4. Do you like springtime? Would you like to share your secret tips what to do with this special amount of free time most of us got?


VANESSA ST-YVES ART
Paintings and Photography by Vanessa

1. Running a small creative business is never easy.  With the current situation, I lost my part time job.  It opened up a lot of time to focus on my business. Of course, the sales of my art are slowed down a lot, but I'm trying to work as hard as I can on other things so when everything comes back to normal I will already have a lot of work done.
2.
I'm working very hard to get my online store going. It is a great time right now to sell online. I am very excited about that! I also have a bunch of new collections coming, I've been working on many different types of canvases and pieces. A lot is going to happen in the coming months!
3.
insta and facebook : @vsartshop
website : www.vsartshop.com
email : [email protected]
4.
I absolutely love springtime! As much as I love winter and the snow (probably my favorite season) when springtime comes and the sun is out, weather is nice, we get to go outside and do so many different things! It is inspiring! I am feeling very creative, have a lot of ideas right now and I happen to have a lot of time with the current situation.
I would recommend everyone that has been affected by the situation to make the most of their time. We are always running out of time in life. Take these few weeks to spend some time doing things you want to do but never, catch up on stuff that you were supposed to do… So cheesy but very true.  I am still having a thought for the people that are alone in these times too.


OVER THE MOON
Mindful Jewelry by Layla 

1.
Running a small creative business feels empowering and... Challenging ! Being self employed in the current situation has its perks, like never getting bored and always having something to work on. But financially it makes it a bit harder as all of the craft shows have been cancelled and they are my main income. I've applied for CERB and still waiting for a response from them, which will help a lot as my last source of income was before Christmas for Holiday craft shows! 
2.
Definitely working on my website right now and building my dream inventory! I see this unlimited quarantine time as an opportunity to be working on these things I've been pushing back because of a lack of time (and discipline?). I'm currently working on a new collection using precious metals (14k gold/rose gold and sterling silver) and high quality gemstones. 
3.
I can be contacted on my social media pages, on my website or by email :
www.facebook.com/otm.jewelry 
www.instagram.com/overthemoon.jewelry 
www.overthemoonjewelry.ca 
[email protected] 
4.
I love spring time! I think my best advice is to choose your activities depending on the weather (especially here in Revelstoke haha!). If it's sunny get some work done on your backyard/veggie garden (check out the tips from LFI @revelstokelocalfood), go for a walk, or get an early tan on a desert beach. If we're getting a classic Rainelstoke day... Cook that super complicated recipe and share that feast with your roommates. Do online yoga classes (I think The Alchemy offers a pretty sweet deal). Clean your bathtub :-D If you're brave enough go for a run. Drink a thousand cups of Hello Little Hippie tea. Get crafty! I find making jewelry soothes my mind and feels like an "active meditation". Also it is so rewarding to make something beautiful that you can wear everyday. I recently put together DIY kits (for you and/or your little ones) with supplies that I don't use anymore and I priced them very reasonably. You can have a sneak peek at my Instagram story highlights "DIY kits". 


TURBO BAMBI DESIGN
Graphic Design and Illustrations by Claudia Bambi
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1.
Running my own creative business i.e. being a freelance graphic designer in my case, feels like the challenge that keeps on giving, in the best way possible. Running all aspects of a business when creating art is your forte, can be overwhelming at times, but it allows me to work with incredible people and on amazing projects. The best feeling is the sense of satisfaction when I get to create something both the client and I love. 
2.
The Pandemic definitely put my projects on pause, but I'm using this time to catch up on personal projects which is always a treat. I've been drawing up a storm for my own pleasure, but with the current uncertainty in the air, I don't have any solid plans/projects at the moment.
3.
You can always find me at www.turbobambi.com, instagram & facebook: @turbobambi_design 
4.
I LOVE springtime! Right now, I do the things I always wish I did more of: cooking new recipes, working out, gardening, drawing, enjoying the sun!
 
PS: Just wanted to thank Sick Chicks for connecting artists with this post! The art world has been so supportive since COVID-19 took over and it makes me proud to be part of such a positive community.
Stay safe! xo, Bam


SICK CHICK
Design Jewelry by Marie & Zuzana
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1.
It’s great! :-D The whole idea of running your own business gives you freedom. You are your own boss. You can take a day off every powder day. You can move your office to Lake Revelstoke any sunny day. It is the two of us in our business. It means we can share all the great moments as well as the less entertaining ones. But you know - Secret Santa is more fun in a bigger collective, what is the reason we keep our other jobs too. 
Of course, we are affected by the current situation with coronavirus, along with other small business owners all around the world. But this circus also brought good things into our days. It requires people to start thinking out of the box. We enjoy maintaining relationships with other artists, business owners, community members and we try our best to find new ways of supporting each other.
2.
Once you are in, you can never stop the creative process. For us it means we keep working on new jewelry designs. Colours we are using are influenced by spring sunny days and awaking nature. 
Recently we created a set of wooden hearts, which we hung around town. They should remind people of Revelstoke that they are loved. Can you find them all? ;-) 
We want to give our customers a luxury of wearing an unique piece of jewelry - that’s why we start with publishing “Collections” on our web page. This project is bringing a new set of earrings, necklaces, brooches or even hair pins, connected by theme or colour tones. The first release has a title “Spring rainbows”. 
3.
You can find the (previously mentioned) fresh collection on our website www.besickchick.com, where we run eshop as well.
News from our lives are usually published on Instagram @be_sick_chick and FB @besickchick.
Revelstoke Farmers Markets prepared an “online version” of themselves with virtual vendors and their shops. This is interesting way how to deal with this situation and we are just stoked! Check out "Local Line".
4.
We sure love spring. Especially here in the mountains and valleys of BC. Zuzi got a puppy (!!) and he is the best addition to our team and also the best excuse for being outside every day. As days are getting warmer and longer, our paddle boards are starting inflate themselves so we have to take them for sail or two on the Revelstoke dam. Marie is checking the App Trail Forks two times a day since March with a hope that more bike trails are opened already. She's stoked! Spring camping with that special fresh smell and white peaks around us is the best finish of our busy days….and sausages, of course;)

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Thanks everyone for reading! And sharing. And supporting the local businesses. We are here for you :-*

Big thank you belongs to Aaron Orlando from Revelstoke Mountaineer, who kindly published this mini-series.