We recently connected with Christianne Bohannon and have shared our conversation below.
Christianne, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
It found me. I was in a career that didn’t appreciate me, wore me down on the daily, and expected more and more from me for so little. Out of sheer exhaustion, I quit.
That’s when I was able to open my eyes, come up for air, and really see the state of things in my life. Taking stock, I listed which things really matter to me: love, acceptance, animals, friends, art, adventure.
As an artist, I knew that my next steps would have to involve creating in some way. It’s who I am. So the question was, in what way will I create?
A few years prior, my sweet boy Copper, an orange tabby, passed. With time available, at this stage in my life, I was able to paint a fitting memorial portrait of him for my home. Art has always given me the gift of expression and communication beyond words. Painting Copper was a no-brainer subject for me and had actually been on my to-do list for quite awhile.
As my husband and I examined the finished work, he suggested I consider a small business modeled around it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
So that’s what I did. I built a small business, called Artist KC, around the idea of hand-crafting custom acrylic paintings of beloved pets for private homes. In the 5 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve now delivered over 300 pet portraits nationwide! Most of my clients are local, having discovered me at a Kansas City art fair. Some find me with the help of Google. When hiring me, it’s as easy as sending me an email, attaching photos of the pet. With a little consulting, clients and I will land on a size of portrait and composition that best suits their needs. My most adventurous commissions involve developing a completely unique composition, like Marvin and Junior in “Closing Time” pictured here. My client wanted her two feline boys to be laughing it up at her favorite bar while she and her partner occupy a far table. It’s all about the details for me. With my client’s guidance, I painted Marvin and Junior wearing certain items and drinking certain drinks that reflect their personalities. I then filled the bar-top with creative details like their conspiratorial notes on cocktail napkins with plenty of fish-shaped cracker snacks, not peanuts, nearby. Cats will be cats after all.
Although my clients are a diverse bunch, they all have in common a love of animals and a drive to share joy. One of the best parts of my job is conspiring with clients who are keeping the portrait a secret, as it’s meant as a future gift for a loved one. Many of the photos I’m provided are secretly grabbed off social media pages! I’ve become adept at keeping secrets now and my favorite day of the year is December 26th when text messages roll in from my clients, telling me what an amazing gift their portrait was the day before! These experiences for me are incredibly rewarding. I see myself as the overlap in a Venn Diagram where the pet community and the art community meet.
Over the years, I’ve learned and grown as a business owner. I have a great passion for entrepreneurship that I never expected. I truly enjoy knowing that each day is up to me. Sure, that includes bookkeeping, taxes, marketing and other non-art tasks, but I’m finding I thrive on the variety and the adventure of it all. When every decision, every success, and every failure is because of me, just me, I have to own it. But that’s the challenge and invigorating key to it all!
Learning new things every chance I get, I’ve discovered there are many business avenues available to artists. So this year, I’ll be looking to pursue some of these, in addition to my portrait commissions. Top of the list is the industry of Art Licensing. This is the opportunity for artists to license their work to companies and manufacturers for use on products like wallpaper, bedding, journal covers, phone cases, etc. My biggest goal this year is to exhibit at a big trade show in this industry to try and secure licensing clients. I’m so excited for what’s ahead!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
First, know yourself. You have to know what makes you happy and what will enhance your life. Align your goals with this purpose. Second, value yourself. No one in your life will ever work as hard for you and your success as you have the ability to. So stop waiting for circumstances out of your control to change. Change the things you can and move forward.
Third, be kind. Be kind to others, as many of them are helping you on your journey and want you to succeed. Remember to appreciate them. And be kind to yourself. Sure, it’s good to have high expectations, but remember you’re human. You will mess up. Be ready to forgive yourself and find a path forward from it.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
As a solopreneur, I get feelings of overwhelm about every 3 months! With so many things I must do and things I want to do and accomplish, I’m very familiar with feeling there’s never enough time for it all. And I’m pretty sure there never will be! So when I feel this way, I force myself to stop working. After all, when you’re feeling down and burnt out, the things you DO manage to accomplish may suffer in quality or you may make costly mistakes that could hurt your business or reputation. I take a day off.
I force myself to stay out of my studio and to spend time on other things I love, like hanging out with my dog Razzle B. Dazzle pictured here. I reflect and refresh. If I’m burnt out because I’ve been doing, doing, doing, I may research ways to restructure my day to be more effective. Or I may look for strategies on how to narrow my focus day to day. I remind myself that I’m never the only one who’s ever felt this way, so help is available. It never hurts to rely on those close to you. Those folks that want to see you succeed…turns out, they love to help!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artistkc.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artistkcmo/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artist-kc/
