We were lucky to catch up with Erica Reid recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erica , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I find that I am constantly trying to think of new ideas to keep my projects fresh and new. I have a signature style that is the most popular amongst my customers but I get bored of things easily so I try to keep my work outside of commissions different than what my most popular designs are. I think of a lot of my ideas in the shower, or by seeing a color scheme somewhere and creating an idea based off of that. I love vintage ads, old cartoons, and old horror movies- all things that keep me inspired and the gears turning for new ideas.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a self-employed freelance artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia. I began my business at the end of 2019 when I dropped out of art school to pursue a full time career in art, starting by selling hand painted custom phone cases across the world. I began promoting my work on TikTok which is where I owe most of my success to. Although phone cases are my largest seller, I also make canvas paintings and I’ve dabbled in sculpture as well. I love lots of color and surrealism incorporated in to my work. My next upcoming project is a Friday night show at the Drake Hotel in Toronto on February 21st.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think my persistence with posting and advertising my work on TikTok was insanely impactful on my exposure and career. Lots of my opportunities have come from people who knew me from there and if you are able to consistently post, you will gain a following quicker than you think. A lot of artists have really good work but don’t know how to market themselves properly- my audience loves seeing the process from start to finish, even just a video packing up orders has done well for me in the past.
How would you describe your ideal client?
I love when people commission me for a piece and have a general idea of what they’d like but give me creative control and trust me to do what I think would look best. I like being given a direction to go in and colors/aspects to work off of, but if I’m able to add my own ideas and tweak it so the piece looks as best as it can I find it makes for the best outcome-for both parties. This also helps me try out new ideas I could use in the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ericareid.ca
- Instagram: Ericaareid
