Artsy Friends Podcast
by Carolyn Tantanella
We talk about the adventures of a full-time artist, ups and downs of owning a small business, mindset and illustration. Our host, Carolyn Tantanella, owns A Cup of Cloudy where she sells art products (like prints, woven tapestries, pillows, mugs, calendars and more) in her online shop and at art shows. All curious and creative ears are welcome. Let's become artsy friends :)
Episodes
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70: Copycats
Like the podcast? You’ll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. The more people know about your artwork, the more people will copy it. Artists have dealt with copycats since the beginning of time. Pre-internet and post-internet, the spread of ideas ripples...
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69: Handling collector hesitations
Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. Why don't customers buy your art? In this episode you'll hear the most common objections I hear when selling art and how I handle them. When art collectors want a piece, but something is stopping...
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68: Stop wasting time
Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. How do you stop procrastinating and wasting time? In this episode of Artsy Friends, we're discussing what procrastination looks like for creatives and how to snap yourself out of it. Action can...
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67: How to treat your collectors
☁️Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos.The folks who buy your art put food on your table. Treat them that way! Besides for basic customer service, there are a few tips you'll want for making sure your delivery is perfectly executed....
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66: Intentionally being influenced
☁️Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos.No one lives a totally closed-off life. Your culture, your relationships, your visual surroundings will all have an influence on you AND your art (if you let it). This episode of the Artsy…
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65: Why you're not selling
☁️ Like the podcast? You’ll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. Selling art online, in person, or anywhere in between is a task you actively do. You’re not selling art because you’re not SELLING it to people. You’re not marketing. Making the value clear....
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64: What's your visual diet?
☁️Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. A visual diet is what you consume with your eyes. All day, every second your eyes are open, you're consuming a visual diet. In this episode we're discussing how your environment affects your...
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63: Previous jobs
☁️ Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. Let's rewind and unpack all the lessons I learned from previous jobs that I now apply to my art profession. Having a day job can be useful for more than a paycheck. Are you getting the full…
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62: Mood over message
☁️Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. The mood of a piece of art is what hits you first and affects you most strongly. What mood does your artwork put the viewer in? Let's discuss what the power of emotion is in a piece of art…
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61: Priorities during a time crunch
☁️Like the podcast? You'll love the Patreon. Join our Artsy Friends Patreon group for exclusive videos. Not everything gets to be a priority. One thing has to come first. As artists, our flexible(ish) gig-economy work life makes this complicated. Let's talk about the strategy behind how I choose...
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60: Embracing the night shift
☁️ Like the podcast? You'll love the Artsy Friends Patreon group. Join for exclusive artist videos. Let's talk about that second wind, or the weird wave of inspiration you get at 1am when everyone else has gone to sleep. I call this the night shift. As creatives, we have to take advantage of...
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59: Big dreams
☁️ Like the podcast? You'll love the Artsy Friends Patreon group. Join for exclusive artist videos. You likely have big goals, bigger dreams, and an unclear way to get there. Welcome to the club. In today's episode we're discussing some of my past dreams, current dreams, and failures. We also…
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58: Commissions vs. prints
☁️ Like the podcast? You'll love the Artsy Friends Patreon group. Join it today. One-off custom artwork or unlimited print runs: which makes more money? In this episode of the Artsy Friends Podcast, we're comparing the two income streams. Personally, I have done both and I know that BOTH can make...
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57: Attention to detail
Being detail-oriented will make you a better artist, small business owner, and friend. Giving attention to the small stuff shows you care. It shows you take pride in your work. Details are what separate a knock off from an original piece. In this episode of the Artsy Friends Podcast, we discuss…
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56: Document your progress
Small beginnings and messy middles are more than stepping stones on the way to the top. This period likely takes up the majority of your art journey. Which is why you shouldn't wait until you've "made it" to start photographing, writing about, and documenting your progress. There are tangible...
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55: Navigating art studios
Where you work can drastically change how you work and what kind of art you can produce. So let's talk about art studios. Whether you're carving out space in the nooks and crannies at home or you have a beautiful 1000 sq ft loft, this episode will provide insights for your creative process. ☁️…
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54: You won't make it if... (part 2)
Here's more tough love for any aspiring artists out there: this episode is all about what mindset pitfalls to avoid. I'm only giving to you straight because I love you. I trust that you can handle it! The episode got a little long, so look for part 1 before this one if you missed it. ☁️ Like the...
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53: You won't make it if... (part 1)
Avoid these mistakes if you want to make it as a full time artist, a creative freelancer, or a crafty business owner. This episode is chock full of mindset tips and tough love. I'm only giving it to you straight because I love you. I trust that you can handle it! The episode got a little long, so…
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52: Three focus areas of successful artists (in order)
The order you do things in matters. Hindsight is a clear 20/20 vision and looking back, my art journey moved a lot slower because I focused on marketing before focusing on my product. In this episode of the Artsy Friends Podcast, we're reviewing the three focus areas of any artist in business:...
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51: Make art worth talking about
There's no such thing as bad press. But the best press is free. And for artists, word of mouth is the most top-tier advertising you could ever hope for. Getting people talking about your artwork, sharing it with each other, and making commentary about it is the fastest way to get "press."...
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50: Year in review and 2025 goals
As artists and business owners, it's time to review the progress (and pitfalls) of the previous year. 2024 was a year of refinement at A Cup of Cloudy: a lot less batshit crazy action and a lot more elbow grease. Take a look behind the scenes and enjoy. ☁️Plan your year Artsy Friends Patreon…
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49: Decide to cut off your options
In 2018 there was a moment where I decided I would make being an artist my career. This wasn't the same day I realized I could make money with art; it wasn't the same day I quit my job. It was it's own moment, filled with bitterness and jealousy. But without that experience, I would never have...
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48: Find an audience you love and that loves you back
Relationships are about attracting AND chasing. The same is true for your relationships with your collectors. In this episode of Artsy Friends, we're going over how to know who would be interested in your type of artwork, where to find them, and how to truly connect with those people. Remember…
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47: My artist timeline so far
Your art journey can be slow-going or lightning speed. In this episode of the Artsy Friends Podcast, I'm giving the details of my artist timeline: when I started creating art, when I decided it would be more than a hobby, when I went full-time -- all of it. Plus we get into some serious tips on…
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46: Saving money in your art business
When the budget gets tight you have two options: make more money or cut expenses. In this episode of the Artsy Friends Podcast, we're talking about reducing costs and spending less. Not sure what to eliminate from the budget of your art business? This episode is for you. ☁️Artsy Friends Patreon:...
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45: Artsy Friends Patreon
Surprise! I've changed the name of the podcast AND started a Patreon group under the same name: Artsy Friends. Let's spill the tea on the motivation behind the podcast change, and what this new group will be about. Hint: learning art business and making artist friends. ☁️ ARTSY FRIENDS PATREON…
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44: Be known as the artsy friend
Reputation plays a large role in your art journey whether you like it or not. You also are building that repair every day (whether you know it or not). In this episode we discuss HOW to intentionally craft your image as the artsy friend in order to attract opportunities, not chase them…
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43: Feeling misunderstood as an artist
You might not be surrounded by people who uplift you or encourage you to go down the artist's path. In this episode we discuss why people express negativity towards your art goals, mindset shifts around art as a career, and finding advice that actually moves you forward. If you're feeling…
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42: Mural prep + setup tips
Painting a mural soon? Keep these tips in mind as you prepare to paint your large scale artwork. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast, we discuss how to plan your artwork, transferring the image to large scale, protecting your client's environment, longevity or durability of the art, and...
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41: My favorite art products to sell (and ones I quit offering)
Surface design is simply putting your designs on surfaces. As artists, we can put our artwork on many different art products to sell online or anywhere else. In this episode I detail my favorite art products from a business perspective and a few that I no longer offer --and why. See the products...
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40: How to know if you have an art style WITHOUT looking
There are tell tale signs of an artist who has a well-defined signature style -- do any of these sound like you? If you experience repeat customers, full-on collectors, a satisfying feeling when you look at your portfolio or any of the other signs discussed in this episode of The Artsy Friends...
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39: Financial basics of a creative side hustle
The back-end of your creative side hustle is the foundation of your business. We all love the front-facing art style, marketing, social media branding aspects of an art business but finances and legality are the foundations which all of that stand on. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast…
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38: Top 4 lessons learned in 2023
Art, business, and travel meet as we discuss four big things learned this past year. 2023 was a huge learning curve for A Cup of Cloudy as I took on a new premium art product line and went from full time traveler to full on homeowner. I even discovered a little something about you :) Of all the...
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37: Exactly how to make time for your art
Today you're actively making choices throughout your day that will give you MORE TIME to spend making the art you're ~obsessing~ over in your mind. This episode details exactly what choices, swaps, audits, and mindsets you can adopt to give you your time back. Artsy friends, buckle up for 7 tough...
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36: Tips for displaying art for sale online
There are the basics you always hear: good lighting and flatlays -- but what about listing art for sale? Displaying art online requires special attention to details when you want someone to BUY it, not simply look at it once and scroll on. This episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast covers 6 tips...
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35: Presales for beginners
What does it mean to presell something, how are the different ways to do it, and what can you gain from a strategy like this? Listen in and learn from my real life artist examples in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast. At the end you'll get a prep list you can use as a journal prompt to…
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34: Following trends vs your personal brand
Popular subject matter sells. But what's popular now won't be popular forever. And what's popular within your audience may not be popular within a different group of people. So how can you stay true to your interests and build a personal brand, yet achieve those goals of awards and sales? In this...
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33: Should you go to art school?
Formal art education comes with huge benefits and huge downfalls. Truthfully, no creative NEEDS to go to art school to be fulfilled, successful, or happy with their art practice. But there are many factors to consider when making this big life choice in your creative career. Listen in to my...
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32: Keeping track of art inventory
I knew it was a good decision to invest in clear protective print sleeves after keeping track of my inventory for a short time. After a year, I knew what my best selling prints were. After two years, I learned which month was my busiest month. Inventory recording and tracking is one of those…
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31: Pricing artwork: top things to consider
Forget the confusing formulas. Let's go over what factors actually matter in pricing art and which ones you can ignore (and when). I recount times I messed it up and what I think about when setting prices now. We discuss materials, time, undercharging, reputation, rarity, and signs it's time to...
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30: Putting your art on everyday products
What's the first thing to do after you decide to put your artwork on products? Decide on the item specifics, find a supplier and finalize the artwork. Surface design is a lovely avenue many artists take, including myself, and it's a large topic. In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we...
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29: Practical is a prison and you don't have to be there
Aspirational action gets you better results than practical action!! This mindset shift will make you a risk-taker, change-maker and ultimately reach your goals faster. We also discuss part two of the story of how I acquired a second art business -- a highly aspirational, not very practical move...
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28: Networking: how it led me to buy a second art business
Be the one people think of when they need an artsy friend!!! In this episode of The Arty Friends Podcast we discuss how being known as an artist and making friends helped me to score a huge deal for A Cup of Cloudy. Networking put me in a position to buy another artist's business at the Michigan...
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27: Types of artist events to sell your art at
Want to do art pop ups, shows and exhibitions? The best place to start is getting a feel for what types of events there are to choose from so that you can apply to those that are the best fit for you. There are many different artist events. In this discussion we go over the most common categories...
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26: Top 5 reasons to sell at art shows
Artist side-hustlers, full-time creatives and hobbyists: I'm talking to ALL of you in this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast where I outline the benefits of doing art shows. Art shows are any in-person event where people gather to look at and buy artwork. This could mean gallery exhibitions,...
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25: New perspectives on AI art
Hot takes abound in this episode where I discuss AI artwork, ethics, a new generation of low-barrier-to-entry artists and more. Using artificial intelligence to create images is the latest trend in the art world. It brings up the age old question: what is art? We don't get too philosophical, but…
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24: Make art that connects people
All art serves as a means for connection. People relate to you as a person when they relate to your images. People use artwork as something to talk about and bond over. So how do you create work worth connecting over? In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast we discuss messaging, appearance…
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23: How to critique your own work
Learn how to judge yourself! Jk I bet you're already a pro 😂 BUT for real: are you analyzing your art in a useful way? In this episode of The Artsy Friends Podcast I give you 3 big tips for becoming your own best critic. We go over how to make the critique ~actually~ constructive and what...
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22: Telling a story with art
Storytelling is a skill all on its own. What to emphasize, what to leave out -- knowing which events are worth sharing in the first place. Visual art can be an accompanying tool to any story. And stories make artwork more meaningful, memorable and strong. In this episode of The Artsy Friends...
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21: Top 3 tips for choosing an online platform to sell your art on
Artists are promoting everywhere online -- but where are we actually making the sale? Taking payments online is not a heavily discussed topic, even though it's vital for any art business. You've got to have a home base for making the transaction. Are you using a self-designed website? A…
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About this show
We talk about the adventures of a full-time artist, ups and downs of owning a small business, mindset and illustration. Our host, Carolyn Tantanella, owns A Cup of Cloudy where she sells art products (like prints, woven tapestries, pillows, mugs, calendars and more) in her online shop and at art shows. All curious and creative ears are welcome. Let's become artsy friends :)
Hosted by
Carolyn Tantanella