No this is not a real estate episode! Today we're talking about the dangers of building your business on the backs of other businesses - namely social media platforms and marketplaces - like Etsy.  These are platforms where the customers and users are not yours, where you can be removed at any time and where algorithms are created to support the platform's goals - not yours. So what can you do to build your business on solid footing. It's time to take ownership of your business and build assets that are yours.  Here's how! This is a great episode for anyone who: is struggling with ..read more

Subscriber-only episode Play is an important part of a creative practice and creating for a living. It's also hard work (that doesn't sound right, does it? But it is!). Collaboration can be a form of play for creatives and has it's own set of benefits aside from play. Collaboration and play (together or separately) can have a huge influence on keeping our creative well filled and burn out at bay. And that's what I'm talking about this month! Episodes mentioned in this episode: The Creative Penn: The Hard Joy of Writing EP 65: The Jealous Creative - Confronting the Ugly Emotion You can connect ..read more

Alexandra Newbould is an artist whose work you know. As a Toronto based freelance courtroom sketch artist and fashion and architecture illustrator, her work has appeared all across North America on newscasts, in newspapers and print, online and in brand marketing campaigns. She joins the show this week to talk about the challenges and rewards of being a freelance illustrator, tattoo artist and, her newest venture,  working as an event artist who captures special moments in people's lives.   We talk about about the pressure of working in the courtroom and its impact on her work, how ..read more

You’re an artist or a creative or a maker.  You’ve made or created the thing, you’re selling the creative services. You’ve put it on social media and your website or Etsy.  But nobody has bought it.  So how the heck are you supposed to find your customers??  Melissa and Heather do a deep dive into how to find your people - and how to sell to them without it being weird or uncomfortable - even if you’re an introvert or shy (or both)!  This is an episode full of practical tips but be warned - there's no quick fix! This is a great episode for creatives who... are strugg ..read more

Subscriber-only episode I have a great podcast recommendation for you this week that also tied into three big things I've had on my "to talk about" list: marketing goals, the line between positivity and negativity and gatekeeping creativity. Hope you all enjoy! You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup Facebook YouTube Tik Tok at @AndSheLookedUp For a list of all available episodes, please visit: And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative ..read more

Best selling Canadian independent fantasy romance novelist Demi Winters joins us in this episode of the show to talk about all things relating to being a self-published fiction author - including the release of her new book, her writing process,  world building, Book Tok and building community around her work, seeking help to take her work to the next level, balancing a private life with a public author persona and how she's running her independent author business.... as a business! (she even has an Etsy shop centered around her work!).  And, as has been a bit of an accidental theme ..read more

Subscriber-only episode This was such a tough episode to record! I've had it swirling in my head for months and I did multiple takes at recording it (it's why I'm so late with it!). It's still a bit rambly but I think I got there in the end. AI does freak me out but it piques my curiosity at the same time. And I've learned that it doesn't make me replaceable - but I have had to adjust how I serve my customers and clients and that's what I talk about in this episode - how to double down on being a human creative with a business. You can connect with the podcast on: Instagram at @andshelookedup ..read more

Gail Taylor left behind a successful career as an investment advisor to go all in with music - in her 50s! Now, as a Canadian songwriter, author, keynote speaker and entrepreneur, she's a passionate advocate for the power of music to inspire change.  Her new book, Curve Balls, is coming to shelves soon thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $10K. In this episode, Gail shares her remarkable story and her tips for using Kickstarter. We talk about her journey from her early years using drugs as a form of escape, to becoming a successful investment advisor and then her pivot ..read more

This week, Melissa and Heather do a brief recap of what they did in their creative businesses in 2023 and what they are focusing on for 2024. But at the heart of the episode we get into the trends we're paying attention to in our creative businesses - including a very frank (and possibly surprising?) discussion about generative AI and how we feel about it. 2024 has the potential to be a huge year of change for a lot of working creatives - whether we like it or not! This is a great episode for creatives who... like to hear about what others are working on in their creative businesses (because ..read more

Transformational Coach Geneviève Retzlaff joins the show this week as part of our short January series on staying optimistic and energized in a month that can be dull, cold and dreary.  In this episode, Gen is here to help us lean into change in order to have fulfilling creative careers and lives. Whether you're thinking of leaving a traditional career to start a creative business or, you want to ramp up a side business or, you've already got a creative business but it's just not lighting your fire anymore, Gen helps us through the roadblocks we tend to put in place for ourselves! This ..read more