Starting A Successful Greeting Card Line

(Transcription)

Ann Rea: (00:02)
All right. Hello. This is another artists who thrive, thriving artists profile, Colleen Attara, who I worked with a while back. And, I’m just going to introduce you Coleen by way of explaining what your mission is, your unique value proposition, the pain that it alleviates and your target market. And then I’m just going to ask you, um, just tell me off the top of your head, what you consider your three top successes as a thriving artist, your three fattest failures, three resulting lessons, and then just one piece of parting advice for other artists who are also eager to thrive creatively and entrepreneurially. So, um, Colleen has got a fantastic business model and, um, you can, uh, we’re going to put a link to your website so people can check it out. Um, Colleen’s mission. I’m just gonna read this is to have a sustainable creative brief business charity has it.

Ann Rea: (01:03)
Doesn’t have, she’s not gonna have it. She has it, the sustainable creative business that supports her by creatively reusing what others see no value in. So the discarded discarded is what gives you inspiration. So that’s pretty specific mission, and there’s a lot of emotion that will resonate around that. So listen closely to what Colleen is up to. Um, her unique value proposition. Also people refer to this as a unique selling proposition, but pretty much one in the same is that Colleen creates joyful art from this, this discarded discarded materials from a reclaimed materials. And she, she does this by saying yes to where others see C or saying no and partnering with like-minded businesses who saved materials for her to create with. So, so one of the things that Coleen’s employed here, our strategic partnerships, um, so that’s a beautiful thing. And I always ask, you know, in business, um, and a lot of artists, uh, recoil it this, or they don’t know how to plug into this concept, but it’s very important to get clear on what pain your offering alleviates and art does alleviate pain.

Ann Rea: (02:19)
So you gotta know what it is, but a lot of artists will say, no, no, no. I only create beauty or, um, no, that’s you the artist as a technician, maybe, but as a entrepreneur, you have to alleviate some specific pain, uh, within a target market. So obviously I would say, um, let’s say, well, obviously, obviously not everyone is Coleen’s target market. So it’s those, those individuals who share her values. And, um, she creates specifically hand scripted words that are salvage from plastics and people feel very good about something that’s been transformed. So again, she’s, so she’s plugging into similar values and then people also resonate with a word, the word that she’s crafted that is hopeful. And they’re trying to bring that word or they’re trying to bring that emotion or affirmation into their life. So, um, it’s serving, it sounds like you’re serving two purposes. Colleen you’re affirming people’s values around the environment and caring for the environment and also caring for themselves, their internal environment. So it’s an interesting combination. Um, and her target audience or target market is hopeful, environmentally minded and also artistics. They’re also aesthetically minded and probably really dig I progra fee and all that good stuff. So enough of my intro now it’s, Coleen’s turn to talk. So Colleen off the top of your head, no right or wrong here, what would you consider your number, your top, your top three successes so far. Okay.

Colleen Attara: (04:02)
And my successes usually lead to other successes. So that’s kind of how I’m gauging these. Um, and in, in speaking with you and putting together some of these answers, there’s a lot of different things I do. So words are something I do. I do installation installations and healing spaces. Um, I teach altered book workshops. I create art that’s on its way to becoming a card line. So I do a lot of different things and they all kind of feed each other. Um, one of my biggest successes was when I was working with you. And I’m trying to think, I guess it was about six years ago and I never had the pleasure to talk with you like this back then, you know,

Ann Rea: (04:41)
We never talked on the phone. We never even go there until now.

Colleen Attara: (04:46)
This is fun. This

Ann Rea: (04:47)
Is cool. Well, thank, thank you. Google Google’s technology has come a long way since you and I started to talk to one another. Yes. I coached Colleen a number of years back to put this all in context. Yeah. So

Colleen Attara: (05:00)
Around that time that I had, um, you know, raised my hand, put my handout, um, or put my hand up and, um, had, uh, put my work out there. Uh, it was part of, uh, uh, I, I’m gonna start again. I live in an area with a lot of artists. I I’m from the Philadelphia area and there’s New York and there’s New Jersey and there’s Pennsylvania. So I’m in an area that’s very, very artistic. So there’s a new regional hospital and they have call for artists. And, um, you know, I just put my hand up and I was one of 70 artists chosen at a 700. And then I became one of the five top installations in the hospital. So my art was actually is, is actually owned by the hospital. Um, it was that big that they wanted, you know, in case there was any changes on walls or whatever that it was part of the hospital.

Colleen Attara: (05:53)
Um, and through that came, a lot of other opportunities took me almost two years to create that installation. I made, you know, so many connections. Um, and once I did that, like once I worked on something for two years straight and I showed up the day that it was due and I showed up on time and I took me 11 days to install, um, it was just a crazy, crazy time period. Um, once I did that, I had that behind my belt of something I had accomplished. So from there on, I could go and I was able to get other grants. So, you know, right now I’m, I’m working on, um, installation in Penn state Hershey hospital. And then I was able to do, um, grants and cities and I have grants in schools. So by that one, success, it kind of, you know, it kind of expanded successes. Yeah. It’s, you know, it’s was really pretty amazing. Um, what

Ann Rea: (06:46)
Would you consider a number to talk to number two?

Colleen Attara: (06:50)
Um, I think the partnerships that I’ve created, I basically work with a company they’re plastic. They’re a plastic fabricating company and we work really closely together. And, um, what’s great about them is they’re very environmentally minded, but they saved material. They put it aside to where I could use with use it, but they had this scrap material hand and it had absolutely no value. It was sitting in a warehouse and I wanted to script these words. So I was scripting it from signage and it was kind of a course in brutal and hard to work with. And they said, what about this material? And, um, so it’s, it’s, it’s a great partnership. I do not pay for any of the material, but I pay for every single cut. So this material that was in a warehouse had absolutely no value to them now has a lot of value to both of them.

Ann Rea: (07:35)
That’s pretty awesome. That’s very so that, so that I think speaks to your values and your overall mission. Oh yeah. Transforming things, transform the dis you know, the discarded things that are just really going to otherwise lay waste in a landfill and you have reached you just, you just go, you just grab it and save it from the fire and make it into art that inspires people on a few different levels. So strategic partnerships and the ability to form them is really, really important because relationships equal revenue. So you understand that. I know. And to really put that into practice. So what would be number three top there, your third biggest success now they don’t have to be in any rank order.

Colleen Attara: (08:21)
Yeah. And he literally, um, th this is something I’m kind of in the middle of, um, you know, working with these words and these hands scripted words, seeing how they sell, um, setting up wholesale accounts, setting up, you know, just selling directly from my website. Um, I just realized how powerful words were and, and, um, I’ve been writing for years and it kind of just, you know, like one little thing just kind of sits in your mind and you sleep on it. And, um, and I started just really writing and, um, using the photography that I use and basically what I, what I was doing. I was taking photographs, um, printing them, ripping them up, changing the composition, using my words behind them, again, reusing taking, you know, what’s leftover on my studio desk, what’s leftover, you know, um, I pick up things all the time, salvage materials, um, vintage stamps postcards, and putting them into these pieces.

Colleen Attara: (09:18)
And then this, a few months ago, I applied to the national stationery show. I decided it was really time to kind of, you know, just see if this was really what I think it is. And, um, I decided that I didn’t want to go in it’s, it’s a very big show. I didn’t want to go in, unless I went in juried under a category called fresh, which is for emerging new designers. So, um, you know, again, raise my hand, just gave it a try and decided that, you know, this was how I was going to go in. And if I wasn’t accepted, that was okay too. It just wasn’t the right time. And, um, I got accepted. So I’m there in may and I’m really,

Ann Rea: (09:52)
Um, congratulations. So what’s wonderful is that you’re not afraid to just raise your hand up and to throw your hat in the ring. And you’re also any, you’re willing to take the action to participate, but you’re also willing to let go of it if it doesn’t happen and not counted as some big fat failure, or, um, also do it on your terms, according to your values. So I think that speaks very well of you, and I think that’s why you’ve been successful. So let’s step that, uh, moves us right into the next one, because a lot of artists will look at, they look at people like you, they look at people like me and they say, oh my gosh, you know, either they look at us as well, they’ve got a long way to go. Um, or they may say, you know, I’m not there yet, but what you have to understand is, um, you, you fail forward and you learn either the failures can take you out, you can give up, or you can learn your biggest lessons from them. So just tell me, what was your, what are your three baddest failures so far? Okay.

Colleen Attara: (10:58)
Like specifics failures, and like maybe talking about

Ann Rea: (11:03)
Tonight, whatever you consider,

Colleen Attara: (11:06)
You know, one of them is I would say that, um, and I think around the time with you, I was trying to get my work into a catalog. And, um, you know, I, I eventually, um, went and gave a presentation and the catalog then came to me and said, we’d love to have your work. And, um, I, there was so much paperwork and so much stuff to jump through and I probably could have filled out the paperwork a little faster. I really hate paperwork. I hate all that kind of stuff. I just want to make, I just want to do that. So, you know, in the time a new buyer came in and then the buyer that I was working with that said, this is exactly what, what we need. Another buyer came in and she said that we’ve changed the entire direction. So, um, that happens.

Colleen Attara: (11:57)
Yeah. I mean, you know, I, I basically looking back, I think to myself, well, had I acted a little quicker on the paperwork. It would’ve already been in there and we could have seen what happened. But, um, also what I learned all the time is that I’m really great full for the things that don’t happen, because it leaves me more time for what’s supposed to happen. And right now I can’t imagine being busier than I am. I mean, I’m really, I’m getting to a point where I need help and I need to hire people. And, um, so, but even more importantly, I want to focus on what I want to focus on. I think one of my failures would be, you know, I plant so many seeds and when you plant a garden and you’re just, you’re planning seeds, sometimes you don’t know what’s gonna come up or when it’s going to come up. And sometimes I have these experiences where the whole flat, like the whole garden blooms at once. Um, so that is a real, um, you know, it’s a real strength, strength of mine, but it can also be a weakness because then I’m overextended,

Ann Rea: (12:58)
Right? It’s a good problem. But there’s, I heard, I heard this author, I CA can’t remember his name, but he was talking about lilies and leeches. So when you have leeches in your life, you need to remove them. And so that they can make room for the lilies. However, if you’ve got too many lilies in your garden, they all might be beautiful lilies, but if there are too many lilies in a garden, they will choke each other out for air and food and water. So you have to be something you’ve got a good problem there. So one failure, it sounds like, uh, getting, getting overwhelmed by, um, the administrative somebody else’s administrative process and letting that put you behind a timeline and an awful pinch of potential opportunity. That sounds like the other one was, is, is just, um, getting overwhelmed with opportunities because you, you are deliberate about planting seeds. You’ve used that term before, and I think it’s a very, it’s very instructive. When you think of, when you think of planting seeds, then you don’t have to feel as if all your eggs are one basket in one basket. You just continue to cultivate opportunities by growing relationships and eventually something will sprout, or it won’t. So that’s great. What would be your third fail? Fast failure?

Colleen Attara: (14:15)
My third would be, um, recently I had an opportunity to do a really large project and it was with someone that I had worked previously with and I had worked with them for so long. Um, and it felt so close with them. I was working with, um, one of the partners and it was just very easy for me to work with them. It was very natural. And then I was working with another partner and, uh, I didn’t really switch gears. I kept it the way it was. It’s kind of like one of your, um, you know, a very big taboo with you. I was loose with that. And, um, your notes, your terms. Yeah. I mean, you know, I, I, I didn’t put everything in writing. Um, I treated it like

Ann Rea: (14:59)
By what noodle, 15 lashes with a wet noodle, I know all that, put it in, right. Get your agreements defined verbally clearly, and then put it in writing. You can just make a memorandum of understanding, you know, and, and that will, that will preserve a lot of relationships.

Colleen Attara: (15:20)
Well, I mean, the relationship is still intact, but I think, and I didn’t let it go that far, but what I, what, and then I also learned that I did not care to do that. So I made a choice that that project was not for me. Um, and that was, again a really, I mean, it was a good choice in that it made room for things that I didn’t even know were coming. Um, it was a hard decision at the time because, you know, you can, you know, you want to go after that business, you want to work with these people, but I could just tell that the way it was going, it wasn’t, it wasn’t going to be good for me. And I was willing to just kind of step away and say, this is not, this is not going to work. So I’m not your person right now.

Ann Rea: (16:04)
Yeah. Good. Okay. So you trusted your gut. It’s so interesting. What, so I hope, you know, the way that the reason I make these interviews, um, in this specific format is because, you know, a lot of artists, uh, struggled to understand what their mission is, what their unique value proposition is and how that could serve a target market. They also, you know, they want to be inspired by other artists being successful, and they want to hear that other artists are being successful, who are also entrepreneurial and are thriving. But, um, they also want to know, you know, where, you know, what are the keys to the kingdom, which are, what are the lessons that you learn as a result of the failures and every one of these interviews? No one says, I learned this giant lesson for my success. They all, everyone so far says, I learned this giant important lesson from my big fat failure.

Ann Rea: (16:58)
So same here. I’m waiting for that. That may change. But so far it’s, that’s how the, that’s the score. So in, in partying, I would just like you Coleen to offer either I’m going to, you can frame it in one of two ways. I’d like you to offer a part piece of parting advice to other artists who are striving. Or if you could look back to Colleen, maybe that Colleen, who I met maybe six years ago, right. And who I was in and who was coaching, what would you say to her? What would you be? You know, she you’re, she knows she’s destined to thrive, you know, but you’re, if she’s just starting out and she doesn’t know yet what she doesn’t know, what would you tell her?

Colleen Attara: (17:50)
I would tell her to really treat her ideas as if they’re a real business and to take it very, very seriously. Um, and I believe that everything that you wish for you, you will get, you will find a way to get, um, one of the first things you had me do was a dream board, and it’s kind of crazy how many things came true on that, on that little dream board. Yeah. So, um, yeah, I mean, I even had like, you know, studio on a farm and then I had that And it’s, yeah, it’s crazy. And, um, so I,

Ann Rea: (18:34)
I just want to stop, this is a true story. So I have all of my, all the artists that I coach, um, that’s their, one of them that’s their first assignment is to make a dream board. And so Colleen came up with hers and that’s basically, you pretend you have a magic wand, you can have anything you want, you really engage the power of your imagination. You can have anything you want. You’re not supposed to edit or limit yourself in any way. What do you really look for images and words that express your true desire and Colleen chose this beautiful picture of a farm with this big grassy area in front. I still remember it. And now she actually has it. That’s for your studio.

Colleen Attara: (19:16)
Yeah. And it’s, you know, a lot, it was just, um, I just, I feel really lucky for that, but I also feel like I kind of, you know, there’s some will in there. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, I would also say to be really gentle with yourself and to realize that just because you’re going along, like you change. I mean, like, I can’t, like, I, you know, something seems like a fit and then you follow your instinct and you say, maybe not so much. And you shift and you, um, surround yourself with people that build you up, I think is huge. Uh, I have one friend, who’s an artist she’s very different from me. Um, she’s just has a totally different style. We do not compete in any way with each other, except that we’re joyful in our work, but we both get the other and we’ve both nudge the other along. Um, and it’s really been amazing that I feel like in a way, like, we both hit some goals that are just really crazy. Like maybe it wouldn’t have happened, but by saying them out loud, I saying them to someone else makes them very, very real and someone is holding you accountable. Right.

Ann Rea: (20:29)
Yeah. So, yeah. So that’s a great piece of parting advice and you’ve given a few things. So thank you because they’re all very wise nuggets, I will say, just to end on that note that if you can form a mastermind, whether it’s just a mastermind, a group of people or one person it’s huge advantage to both of you. And that’s actually one of the things that I baked into the eight week making art, making money course is designed so that artists can connect with one another and begin to develop or further their professional network and act in a way that’s mutually supportive. And, um, so this is, this is key and it actually doesn’t have to be another artist. You know, I have people who are on my advisory board who, um, I have a filmmaker. Um, I have, uh, I have a mergers and acquisitions guy.

Ann Rea: (21:22)
I’ve got a CEO of a branding firm. So they’re very, it’s a very diverse board. And, um, it’s just, whoever will support you and that you can be of support to them is it is a fantastic starting place or a mastermind. So thank you very much. That’s a great piece of parting advice. So that’s it. I want to thank you so very much. I’m very proud of you calling. You have come such a long way, and I have witnessed this woman’s ability to dream big and to act on it. And she’s a shining example, and I recommend that you visit her website, shout out your website, uh, www Colleen Tara. That’s it.com. My great, thank you. Thank you.