Muse Unseen
By Claire Michelle
Muse UnseenSep 25, 2020
Davey Cadaver: Working as a professional artist, choosing your battles, understanding creative collaboration.
In this inspiring episode Davey Cadaver takes us through his creative process and explains the challenges of working as a professional artist. Find Davey's work at www.daveycadaver.com
Mx. Pucks A'Plenty: Creating a physical performance space, doing what you know, hiring other creatives.
Mx. Pucks A'Plenty takes us through the growing pains of expanding into a new vertical of their event organization. There's a lot of great advice for creatives who are past the startup phase and into the growth part of their business. Find Mx. Pucks A'Plenty at https://www.mxpucksaplenty.com/
Catalina Rodriguez: Understanding the market for creative gain, studying the greats, getting started in film.
In this episode of Muse Unseen we interview, award winning director of photography, Catalina Rodriguez. Catalina is a cinematographer who brings together her many mediums of art to create poetic cinematic imagery to the screen. Her work consistently seeks to implement the beauty of this world while exploring human interaction and their relationships to the world around them. It was a treat to have Catalina on and we hope you enjoy this episode!
William Stanbro: Starting out as a nobody, figuring out what kind of career and life you really want
William Stanbro is an American film composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He shared his journey from music lover in high school to becoming a film composer in LA. Stanbro discussed finding the career you want, shaping it around the kind of life you want and growing along the way. He compared his creative approach pre and post Covid and what challenges lay ahead. Listen to him discuss is exciting work with Little Girl and the Robot and more!
Cameron Lee Price: Becoming a more sought after actor, shooting 1.6 million dollar film locations, and working with multiple agents to find your next role.
Cameron Lee Price is an actor making leaps and bounds! With a recent national commercial spot, Cameron takes us through his experiences juggling multiple agents, self-taped auditions, a few relocations to find the work, and what he worked through as a film producer. Cameron also stared in the latest, Little Grey Cat film, Ignorant Creatures. Zoe and Claire had a bit of fun this episode with someone they've worked with quite extensively in the past! You can hear in their voices how much Cameron brings to the table and it was an absolute treat to have him a part of Muse Unseen.
Braden Duncan: Selling art at conventions, how to grow on Patreon, and working with manufactures or suppliers.
Braden Duncan of Clockwork Art was a wonderful guest and it was a treat to have her on. We talked about all things art business related and really dive into some of the ways you can make painting a full time career. In this episode we discovered that Braden lost 80% of her revenue due to Covid-19! Where did she lose it from and how did she recover? You'll have to listen to find out!
In the episode Braden mentioned that she would share a bunch of resources here so we thought it best to just drop the email below. If you're looking for a supplier or just some advice for Patreon and Merch, check it out below.
QUOTE
Some follow-up that I don't remember if I touched on in the interview:
Patreon:
*Create exclusive content for paying Patrons so that the platform offers them something more than standard social media & invites them to be part of the process (e.g. behind-the-scenes, tutorials, in depth inspiration posts, monthly merch, polls & other interactions, sales, 1st dibs on new pieces & merch)
*Post consistently so Patrons have something to look forward to (e.g. monthly features, weekly updates, sequential projects, new pieces in a series, sneak peeks of new projects)
*Start small & offer rewards you can realistically fulfill & are invested in; you can always add more rewards/tiers later. :)
*Overall an awesome platform for more direct interactions with followers & fans that sidestep complicated social media algorithms
Merch:
*Figure out your budget, order what you can reasonably afford & have the space to store
*Trial & error - some images translate better to different products, quality & consistently can vary widely between suppliers
*Understand your audience & sales platform (popularity of the design & the merch, in person vs online sales)
*Small orders are great for trying out a new supplier, comparing materials & quality, and quicker turnaround time (but cost tends to be more per item)
*Bulk orders are great for popular images when you have an established audience & a trusted supplier (more cost-effective per item, but can take longer)
*Presentation & professionalism (protecting your pieces for display/handling/transport/shipping)
There's so much more, lol! A Q&A session might be a better way to go for specifics, since every creative tends to have slightly different needs.
My suppliers:
Giclee prints - https://www.bellevuefineart.com
Cardstock prints - (Online Bulk) https://www.catprint.com, (Seattle Area) https://topnotchcopyandprint.com
Business Cards, Folded Notecards, Postcards, Convention Display Signage - https://www.vistaprint.com
Enamel Pins, Patches, Washi Tape - https://alchemymerch.com
Magnets - http://www.halfpricebuttons.com, https://www.purebuttons.com
Vinyl Stickers - (Best Quality) https://www.stickermule.com, (Best Options for Holo & Sparkles) https://stickerapp.com
Calendars - https://www.printingcenterusa.com
Display Supplies - (Celo Bags, Backing Boards, Pre-Cut Mats) https://www.clearbags.com
Convention Display Supplies - (Print & Card Racks) https://cleardisplays.com/wooden-counter-racks
Shipping Supplies - (Padded & Rigid Mailers) https://upaknship.com
Print on Demand Services - (Personal Favourites) https://www.teepublic.com, https://society6.com
Hope that helps!
Jack Mozie: Producing annual events, music as a business card, and asking for help from the people you love.
In this episode of Muse Unseen Jack Mozie tells us a bit about the difficulties in producing events, music videos, and albums in the current Covid pandemic. We get into it on creating as musicians and where we are inspirations lie today. Passion is the foothold of our conversation today and we hope you enjoy this episode of Little Grey Cat's Muse Unseen.
Daniel Chang: Creating social access, working with others as opposed to for others, and existing as a minority on-set.
In our 1 year anniversary of Muse Unseen we interview LittleGreyCat's Daniel Chang! Daniel is a photographer videographer who has works in the film industry as a freelancer. His work has taken him to working with Toyota all the way to the Seattle Theater where he has learned the ways in which he stands out as a minority in his industry. Daniel is an intelligent speaker who shares a unique view into this world and the way he continues to build his business is inspiring. Thanks for being with us and we hope you enjoy our 12th episode of Muse Unseen.
Zoe Omega: Producing professional art events, growing up in a cult like church, and having a real FBI file.
In this episode of Muse Unseen we interview Zoe omega! Zoe is the co-host of Muse unseen and we found it best to give you insight into who we, your interviewers, are. Zoe's story is incredible! She talks about being kidnapped as a child, and how the FBI have a full file on her. From there, she grew up in a cult like church where she learned event production in which she now does professionally. Did Zoe ever leave this church? You'll have to find out on this episode of Muse Unseen.
Claire Michelle: Hiring for passive income, standing out during a pandemic, planning the future shapes the here and now.
In this episode we learn a bit about Claire Michelle, one half of the duo behind Muse Unseen. Claire Michelle talks about her teaching studio and how she aims to create a passive income stream to focus on art. We learn about her creative agency and how the artists behind Little Grey Cat are standing out during this pandemic. And we discover the ways in how Claire thinks about the future to affect the here and now. This episode provides valuable insight into the person behind the voice, and we hope you enjoy the episode.
Keep an eye out for new episodes the last Friday of every month!
The Flower Pistils: Getting your song playlisted, hiring an intern, and the difference between home and studio recording.
Emma and Micah of the Flower Pistils have received much acclaim over their recent single, Children of the End Times. In this episode we explore how they made the single, what their publishing strategy was, and how they are continuing to promote their music through the use of Berkley interns. There are a lot of insightful ideas in this episode, give it a listen and learn how to move your music into the mainstream.
Mx. Pucks A'Plenty: Growing from an event to a festival, responsibly asking for help, and how organization can keep you focused!
Mx. Pucks A'Plenty takes us through their journey in growing a festival from an event. We learn all about how asking for help is more than just a question, it's a conversation. Finally, we take a look at how organization can keep you on track and focused even through the apocalypse.
Thank you all so much for listening, please consider sharing!
Meredith Binder: Starting an acting career at 40 and the major differences between acting on the East or West Coast.
We shortened our episode length, at 30 minutes, we get right to it in this episode. Meredith talks about her experience acting in satellite markets as compared to larger more active markets like New York and Los Angeles. Meredith also talks about funding films and how to get started acting later in life.
Ryan "Henry" Ward: Prolific Seattle artist, "Henry" joins us to talk all about finding clients and how his life has affected the art he creates.
Talking to Henry was a blast! He truly lives the life of an artist and when talking to him we learned so very much about how he is able to create so freely. We learned all about the inspiration for his characters and how he managed to move ahead to become one of Seattle's most prolific artists.
Maxx Follis-Goodkind: Some of us Push, others Pull, but together we can bring each other higher.
Today we interviewed Maxx Follis-Goodkind, artist, owner, and curator of the gallery space known as Push/Pull. In this episode, Maxx talks quite a bit on how we as artists can lift one another up. She talks about what it takes to be an visual artist, how others have influenced her, and how she prioritizes the art which goes in the gallery. There are many facets to this episode and we highly suggest giving it a listen if you're a visual artist.
Sky Lewis: Starting out in the music business, and finding sanctuary while on the road.
In this episode Sky Lewis brings to light how to get started in the music business and where to find sanctuary while on the road. Claire and Sky dive deep on performance and the intricacies of performing from venue to venue. This episode has some really down to earth moments with Sky and we were so happy to have him on.
Nikki Marie Barron: Get over the mental block, bring value to customers, and be the most you, you can be.
In this episode we explore how one gets started in the creative business, and then, how we can stay there. Nikki is an incredibly qualified individual, she is head of marketing for Mastin Labs, runs a consulting company called Kittenteeth, and works with creatives to bring them to the level they see themselves at. This is a really insightful episode and you would be wise to give it a listen.
Amy LP: Self Care, Healing, and Boundaries in Self Employment
Our second guest Amy LP just jumped into self employment! Yay Amy! We talk about how that jump has been and what she's learned during the transition phase out of her non-profit job.
Dre Anderson: Maintaining Optimism through The Flames.
Dre Anderson takes the risk as our first guest ever! Dre Anderson has faced a lot in the last year yet pushes through all the way to the end. With houses burning and beats spittin, we take a deep look at how Dre Anderson keeps his head afloat as a full-time creative.