Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Tippetts.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I honestly only recently started my endeavors into becoming a full-time artist. However, my starting point began before that in a small little booth doing caricatures in a farmers market. It made enough but I would soon leave the market to focus on my day job.
Time passed by and I switched jobs a couple of times. I tried doing a booth again with less success in a mall yet I wasn’t discouraged despite my lows. It was in early August that I decided to make it official. I was tired of all the unknowns from my day jobs.
The worry that I might lose it all in one day with two words “You’re Fired”. However, there was also the desire to make something. To create a place where I was able to make the rules. To make the job I wanted for myself and hopefully in the future. At this current moment. Lil’ Artist Studios is still growing. Building a foundation that will grow as the years come though right now it’s just me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road in all honesty up to this point has been anything but smooth. I had and still do have a lot of frustrations while building my business. A lot of it is that part of me thinks it’s instantaneous. Somewhat like cup ramen in a sense. I think I put in enough time for things to be making a lot of progress, but in fairness, I am nowhere even close to that point. I’ve started thinking of my business as a tree. I’m starting with a seed that I planted into the ground. Trees do not grow fast they are slow and take years to become big enough to harvest.
I will also say that I’ve had lots of people say their piece. Some good and plenty negative. I try hard not to let other people’s words dig too deep. But there are those days when I get a negative comment from someone at the right time. Those ones hurt. Especially when it’s people I care about. It makes me have days where I consider “Is this really all worth it?”. Those days I try to give myself time to clear my head. Sometimes I’ll get myself something tasty to eat.
The bad days, the comments, and then there’s the finances. I’ve never thought of myself as a very numbers person. I hated math as a kid. Frankly speaking, I still do. However, I still have to do what I don’t like because I am by myself for now. It’s forcing me to learn all those disliked pieces that are required to run a business which makes it extra challenging to keep myself motivated. I keep my motivation going by giving myself small goals and little rewards to follow in the accomplishment of the goals.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in Fantasy Illustration. My reputation is mainly created from making art for Characters, DnD campaigns, and even streamers! However what I do overall for my business is Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, and Photography. What makes me stand out from the crowd is that I work closely with clients to help capture their desired projects. My motto is that “Small things make Big Impacts”.
Every detail is a piece of a larger puzzle. Even the smallest things while we may not think that they are important can often have some of the largest effects on the outcome of any project. My business is to make sure that those small details are attended to just as much as the overall product. So that when my client gets their finished product they can be confident in using it without worry.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
Luck is honestly hit or miss for business. I won’t say that it hasn’t played a part though. As currently the situation I’m in I would consider myself very lucky. I am able to do a lot of things on top of owning a business that in honesty if things had been any different I do not think I would be standing where I am. Where I would be I honestly will never know.
However, I do not try to linger on the idea of the what-ifs. I try my best to play my cards well enough so that I am able to make the best of what I have. Luck can push those efforts a lot further or make them fall short. It’s reducing the need for luck that helps in a good portion of ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: lilartiststudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilartiststudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilartiststudios
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNL2erYCqdA0CTXEq2_6jZg
