The Creative Hustler: Increasing income streams through your art

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Axolotl

A Painting Workshop

Recently, I was interviewed on the BiggerPockets Money podcast with Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench (check out episode 190).

I had heard they were looking to interview more women for their podcast to review their finances. I figured, sure…I could use some help.

I’ve been trying to get my financial house in order for quite sometime. As an early middle-aged single mother of two sons (ages preteen and teen), I realize I have a long way to go.

But, there’s hope.

Mindy and Scott gave me a lot of great advice. Regarding my multiple side hustle ideas, Scott in particular suggested that I focus on one at a time for 90 days at a time to really give one a chance to grow. Mindy suggested that I continue to submit my artwork to Redbubble on the side because it’s so automated after that I don’t need to really do anything except wait for the money to come in.

You see…side hustles have always been my “thing”.

I started making handmade greeting cards and papercrafts to sell at local craft and vendor shows. Then, I branched out to selling wedding invitations as a dealer for the Birchcraft brand. During those times, I attended a wedding vendor show in the Pittsburgh area as a wedding invitations vendor. And, I even attended the National Stationery Show at the Javits Center in New York City. I have friends who live in Brooklyn who allowed me to stay with them while attended the show.

So, what have I done so far since the interview?

I’ve painted two new paintings and posted both designs onto products in my Redbubble shop. You can check it out here:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/papercrfternook/shop?asc=u&ref=account-nav-dropdown
Redbubble Shop

As for my “main” side hustle, I’m focusing on teaching step-by-step painting workshops. My first step was researching how to market. I went to YouTube to see how other people are doing it. Now, I’m ready to move onto the next step, which is outreach to local organizations. I’m keeping my outreach short and sweet. Telling them what I do, giving an example of one I’ve done before and seeing how I can help them. Below are some photos from my last painting party. It was for a college friend’s daughter’s 11th birthday. I taught the daughter and her friend how to paint the axolotl, the daughter’s favorite amphibian.

The birthday girl painting her favorite amphibian, the axolotl

I’ll keep you updated on my side hustle progress.

Happy Hustling!

~ Rachael Caskey

The Creative Hustler

10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me

1. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh. But, despite this, country music never appealed to me even when most of my childhood friends tried to get me into it. My step-Mom was from the Southside of Pittsburgh and introduced me and my siblings more to the city life. I’m grateful for that.

2. I was born in Sacramento, California. My parents divorced when I was a baby. My Dad moved me and my older sister to southwestern Pennsylvania to live with him, his parents and sister until he remarried.

3. Creativity is in my blood. My Uncle is a photorealistic painter. Look him up: Jack Foflygen. His art will astound you. I’ll post a couple pieces of his below. My paternal Grandma loved drawing fashion and wanted to be a fashion designer (she was a homemaker her entire life). She was also a great poet.

4. Christina Aguilera is my second cousin. My Dad and her Mom are first cousins and were close growing up. I played with her when we were really young, but that’s the extent of my connection. Just a little cool to say it. Did I mention the creativity in my family? 😂

5. I was a tomboy. I used to play war with the boys in the trailer park I grew up in to the age of 11 before my parents bought their land and moved my family to rural Pennsylvania. I remember “raiding” a clubhouse made of logs leftover from trees cut down above the trailer park. The boys started chasing me and my older sister away. I wouldn’t back down and one of the boys punched me in the stomach. Ah…who says chivalry is dead, eh? Gee…I wonder why I couldn’t wait to break away from that area?

6. If you couldn’t tell from my previous paragraph, I grew up in a lower-to-lower-middle income household. My parents did the best they could. My Dad worked in appliance repair and my Mom in a call center to support 5 children.

7. I graduated summa cum laude with two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Communication and the other in French, from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 5 years. And, I’m STILL paying off my student loans at age 42. Why did I not major in art? Well, my hard-working parents came from the belief that one cannot make a living in art. My Dad actually saw this firsthand with his older brother, Jack. So, I took their advice and majored in something that still interested me, but had a possibility of a “normal” career (public relations and/or French teacher/translator). Guess who went back to art? 😉

8. I am not a full-time artist. I used to paint in high school advanced art classes and even sold a couple of my paintings back then. Then, I went the “practical” route with office jobs. Life took over with getting married and starting a family. My progression back to my art started slowly with scrapbooking with female friends and family, then card and craft making. Then, I started painting again just before my Bipolar diagnosis at age 39.

9. I live with a mental illness. It is most certainly hereditary. I had a full-blown manic episode with psychosis out of the blue (most likely triggered by extreme stress) at age 39. During hospitalization, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 with psychosis. I am on medication for the rest of my life. Luckily, the doctors found a medication that works perfectly for me. Sometimes you will see me reference Bipolar in my art. I’m not afraid to tell people I have this sickness. It is a sickness like anything else. I believe normalizing mental illness takes a bit of the stigma away.

10. I studied abroad in France my last semester of college. I stayed in an apartment in Amiens, France. Amiens actually has a Notre-Dame Cathedral, as well. This was one of the happiest times in my life (besides having my children). I ate well and lived well. I would like to say that I retained the friendships during that time. However, unfortunately, that was in 2002, before social media took off. I kept a journal from that time and enjoy reading it to take me back to those times I roamed the streets of Paris with not a care in the world with my other care-free student friends.

Cat Portrait Art Commission

A coworker recently commissioned me to paint a portrait of her cat, Myrtle. It’s the first painting I worked on since I moved into my new house. It was so satisfying. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated to take on this type of commission because my style is not anywhere near “realistic”. However, my coworker already knows my style and was aware that this pet portrait would be in my particular style.

Myrtle the cat

For some reason, I cannot resist painting with a broad range of colors (basically the rainbow). So, I did not restrain myself to the colors present in the photo provided. My client had very specific requests. She wanted me to capture Myrtle’s likeness in the face, especially that white strip of hair above her nose. And, she wanted me to incorporate her favorite color blue in the painting much like I use in my other paintings.

You see, she had seen my previous “Cat King” painting and that’s what inspired her to ask me for this commission. I painted “Cat King” in 2019. It was a mixed media piece incorporating fine art papers with acrylics. This painting hung in my apartment prior to my move into my new house. Just before I was about to move my next door apartment neighbor and I had a conversation about my art. I let him look at the pieces in my apartment. He immediately wanted to purchase “Cat King” for his friend who loves cats and my type of art style. So, that’s the story of how “Cat King” found a new home.

Cat King

As for Myrtle’s commission, I used acrylics, fine art papers with cats and acrylic paste over a stencil. The result came out with a multi-color mixed media piece which my coworker absolutely loves. She has it perched on one of her wooden shelves in her office at work. She’s already gotten numerous compliments on it which makes me smile. And, she plans to commission me for at least another piece. This was my first real commission piece. And, I’m so pleased with how it turned out not only with the piece itself, but also the overall communication with the client. I definitely plan on taking on more commissions in the future. But, I will make sure to provide them with the disclaimer that they are getting the commission in my art style. If someone is expecting a photorealistic painting, I’m not your gal. But, if you want multi-colored, dynamic mixed media you’re in the right place! Take a look at the completed commission below!

If you want to follow my art on social media, check out my Instagram page Rachael Caskey Art or my Facebook business page Rachael Caskey Studio.

Myrtle

7 Lessons from the Home Buying Process

I’m in the process of buying my second home. My first home from my previous marriage recently sold to an out-of-area real estate investor who is converting it to a rental property. Zillow informed me that my previous home is on the market for rent at $1,425. It seems a bit high for a small ranch house in that area. But, that’s just me.

My new home

Here are some things I’ve learned through this home buying process:

  1. Identify what type of property you want.
    • In the beginning, I wanted to buy a duplex to house hack. I’ve been interested in being a real estate investor for YEARS now. I’m talking since my 20s. I’m now 42. I’ve heard about house hacking for quite sometime from listening to the BiggerPockets podcast, reading real estate investing books (again, mostly by BiggerPockets) and attending real estate clubs in the Pittsburgh area.
    • The duplex I wanted was at the high end of my purchasing power. So, I switched gears to buy a single family property first. We could always buy rental property later after we’ve saved more money and/or built up equity in the house to refinance.
  2. Find your team. Don’t be afraid to change it if it’s not working for you!
    • Ask around for referrals for a realtor and lender. I found my realtor and first lender through my ex, believe it or not. (My ex and I are civil, especially for our sons’ sakes.) The realtor and lender came as a package deal as they worked together regularly.
    • That first lender denied me (and my ex who was also purchasing a second house after the sale of our first house). We both felt he treated us unfairly. My ex found a new realtor and lender. And, I too found a new lender; however I kept the same realtor. I’m closing on my house this coming Tuesday!
    • This brings me to my next point…
  3. Don’t give up!
    • If you come up against roadblocks in the home buying process, don’t give up on yourself too soon. Think about how you can get yourself to where you can be approved.
    • If you have poor credit, work on making it better. Use the Credit Karma app to monitor your credit. To get an accurate picture of your FICO score, go on Experian.com. Pay off or settle collections on your credit report, if you can. Use a reputable credit repair company, like Ovation Services (part of LendingTree), to help you with removing negative marks and disputing items on your credit report.
    • Once you’re ready to apply for a home loan, be sure to stop any credit repair activity by your credit repair company as lenders don’t want to see anyone messing with your credit during the home loan approval process.
  4. Be flexible!
    • The home buying process takes longer than you expect. Be prepared to give as many financial documents as possible for underwriting your home loan, including but not limited to:
      • bank statements
      • retirement statements
      • Any other accounts (Robinhood investing, credit union, etc.)
      • paperwork from the sale of your previous home or property
      • Any bankruptcies, foreclosures, etc
      • W2s from your job or other proof of income
  5. Plan ahead.
    • When you know what your closing date will be, order your rental truck ahead of time. Gather up packing boxes for your move. You can find free boxes on Facebook marketplace. Or, you can buy some for relatively cheap at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
    • Transfer your utilities into your name beginning on the closing date.
    • Change your mailing address with the post office. Be sure mail is forwarded from your old address to your new one.
  6. Think of furnishings.
    • Do you have the money to spend on new furniture if you need it? If not, check out Facebook marketplace and Craigslist for deals. Try to avoid financing consumer purchases like furniture. That is bad debt because furniture is a liability, not an asset.
  7. Invite your family and friends!
    • You’re in your new house. You’ve decorated and furnished it. Now, it’s time to celebrate your new home with friends and family. Throw that housewarming party you’ve been dreaming of since you laid eyes on that property.

Mixed Media Play: Drawing & Painting Faces

“Beauty is colorblind“
Mixed Media on Strathmore paper

I’m experimenting with my mixed media these days. My newest addition to my art supplies include Tombow mono fineliner pens and Windsor & Newton Brushmarkers in portrait tones. And, of course, I replenished my white gel pens.

I used all of these supplies in the illustration shown above. I’m practicing drawing female faces using the book “Drawing and Painting beautiful Faces” by Jane Davenport. I feel like I’ve gotten better at drawing using this book as a reference. Basically, my Strathmore mixed media art journal consists of female face drawings and a random drawing of the house I’m buying right now.

I’m used to using Micron pens for fineliners, but heard someone recommended tombow. So, I figured I would try them out. So far, I’m impressed. They don’t smudge when you use other products over them. The true test will be when I try them out with watercolor paints, crayons and watersoluble wax pastels.

Oh yeah…I bought those recently, too. I’ve been watching YouTube tutorials on them. They seem pretty versatile.

Here’s a recent mixed media piece I made using these wax pastels.

Self publishing on Amazon KDP

www.amazon.com/dp/B08F6TVTYX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_cT9kFbXYCY2QC

I’ve published my first book on Amazon KDP. It’s a POD (print on demand) art sketchbook with one of my abstract paintings on the cover and my picture and bio on the back cover.

Click on the link to check it out!

I plan to publish more. And not just blank journals. I would love to write an actual book. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that are just itching to emerge (just like my art).

Amazon KDP recently caught my eye when I came across some YouTube videos about low content and no content publishing. I figured creating a blank art sketchbook would be an easy way to dip my toes in the self publishing world. Plus, it also acts as a great marketing vehicle for my art.

After getting up to speed on some tools I needed to begin, I was off to the races! If you’re interested in self publishing, you want to check out Canva online for free design. I used that to design my book cover. Also, KDP won’t allow you to just publish blank pages, so you at least need page numbers or headings on each page. One easy way to do that for your journals or sketchbooks is by searching up templates to purchase and use for commercial use from Etsy. Believe it or not, mine only cost me $1.37! Now, that’s an investment I’m comfortable with! 😉

After you have your cover and interior pages in PDF files to upload to KDP, create a free Amazon KDP account. Follow the links and steps to upload those PDFs. It typically takes Amazon up to 72 hours to review and approve your book.

Amazon tells you how much its fee will be at the beginning. This way you can determine your pricing accordingly for your royalty. Make sure you have done your research on Amazon already to know where the best price range falls. There is no up front fee to list your book on Amazon. Amazon charges its fee once a customer orders. Then, they take care of all of the printing and fulfillment.

Once your listing is published, you can share it via social media, text and link like I am here in my blog!

Are you interested in self publishing? Are you already published? Let me know in the comments!

Walking 10,000 Steps

I’m starting that goal of walking 10000 steps a day. So far I’ve usually walked around 6000, until today.

I did it!

Walking may seem easy for some. But, for me it involves pain. My lower back hurts and is stiff when I begin my walks, but eventually eases up as I continue on. That’s the difficult part…continuing on through the pain. So, I guess it can be true in my case “no pain, no gain”.

Of course, I’m looking forward to the weight loss that will come with a consistent walking routine. I’m currently using MyFitnessPal linked up to my phone to track my steps. I plan to buy a FitBit or it’s generic equivalent sometime soon to replace that method.

I’m also tracking food and diet in MyFitnessPal. I feel like it keeps me honest by choosing better food.

What type of workout routine is your go to? How do you track your diet? Please introduce yourself and share in the comments!