Ep. 14: The Joy in Art: How Shelly Kim Turned Burnout into Opportunity

Summary

Art + Audience: Ep. 14 - The Joy in Art: How Shelly Kim Turned Burnout into Opportunity

Released on November 12, 2024

In the fourteenth episode of Art + Audience, host Stacie Bloomfield delves deep into the creative journey of Shelly Kim, the visionary behind Letters by Shells. This episode, titled "The Joy in Art: How Shelly Kim Turned Burnout into Opportunity," explores Shelly's path from experiencing creative burnout to harnessing it as a catalyst for growth and opportunity.

1. Introduction to Shelly Kim and Her Artistic Beginnings

Stacie Bloomfield welcomes Shelly Kim, reminiscing about their first meeting at Alt Summit 2019. Shelly shares her initial foray into art, which began as a creative outlet to combat work-related stress. She emphasizes,

"Art really allowed me to create that escape that I was looking for and just to focus on myself and what I was doing in the moment."
[02:35] Shelly Kim

Starting with brush lettering, Shelly expanded her repertoire to include watercolors, embossing, powder, stamping, and foiling. Her experimentation was fueled by passion rather than a set goal, leading her to document her artistic journey on Instagram.

2. Transition from Hobbyist to Entrepreneur

Shelly recounts how her Instagram presence unexpectedly blossomed, attracting a dedicated following intrigued by her diverse art forms. This engagement prompted her to start teaching her craft, creating tutorial videos that resonated with her audience. She reflects,

"I didn’t realize people would be in love with what I was creating, and they were wanting to ask more about it."
[05:30] Shelly Kim

The COVID-19 pandemic further influenced Shelly's artistic direction. With more time at home, she ventured into DIY projects and iPad drawing, striving to create tangible art pieces that she longed to possess herself. This period of exploration led to the creation of unique, hands-on projects that distinguished her brand.

3. Embracing Creative Freedom and Diversification

Stacie commends Shelly for her creative versatility, noting how Shelly’s willingness to branch out has opened numerous doors. Shelly shares her experiences with high-profile collaborations, including a press-on nail partnership and featuring in a Michaels holiday commercial. She remarks,

"Putting yourself out there is hard, but do it because you never know what can come."
[13:31] Shelly Kim

This diversification not only expanded her business opportunities but also enhanced her visibility in different markets, showcasing the benefits of not confining oneself to a single niche.

4. Overcoming Creative Burnout through Outsourcing

A pivotal moment in Shelly's journey was confronting creative burnout. Initially, Shelly attempted to manage every aspect of her business independently, from art creation to video editing. However, this approach led to overwhelming stress and exhaustion. Shelly admits,

"If I do it all myself, I tend to get burned out."
[14:29] Shelly Kim

Recognizing the need for support, Shelly began outsourcing tasks that were detracting from her creative energy. This included hiring a video editor and a virtual assistant, which significantly alleviated her workload and restored her passion for art. She emphasizes the importance of seeking help:

"Don’t forget to celebrate yourself and the small wins… just don’t forget about all the things that we've accomplished."
[21:27] Shelly Kim

5. Lessons Learned and Advice for Fellow Artists

Throughout the conversation, Shelly imparts valuable lessons for artists navigating their creative careers:

• Embrace Versatility: Shelly's journey illustrates the benefits of exploring diverse art forms and not limiting oneself to a singular style or medium.

• Seek Support: Overcoming burnout often requires reaching out for help. Whether it's outsourcing tasks or collaborating with others, external support can reinvigorate your creative process.

• Celebrate Achievements: Shelly stresses the importance of acknowledging and celebrating small victories, which can boost morale and sustain motivation.

• Stay True to Your Vision: Even when delegating tasks, maintaining the integrity of your artistic vision is crucial. Shelly found success by ensuring that her outsourced partners shared her aesthetic values.

6. Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Shelly hints at exciting upcoming freebies for her audience, encouraging listeners to follow her on Instagram @lettersbyshells for updates. She concludes with a heartfelt message:

"Don't forget to celebrate you. Pause and focus on all of your accomplishments."
[21:27] Shelly Kim

Stacie reciprocates the sentiment, highlighting the importance of community and support among artists. The episode ends with both hosts expressing gratitude for each other's journeys and encouraging listeners to embrace their creative paths with resilience and joy.

Key Takeaways

• Diversification Enhances Opportunities: Exploring various art forms can lead to unexpected and lucrative collaborations.

• Outsourcing is Essential: Delegating tasks prevents burnout and allows artists to focus on their core creative processes.

• Celebrate Every Win: Recognizing small achievements fosters a positive mindset and sustains long-term motivation.

• Community Support: Engaging with a community of fellow artists and entrepreneurs can provide invaluable support and inspiration.

Notable Quotes

• "Art really allowed me to create that escape that I was looking for and just to focus on myself and what I was doing in the moment."
  — Shelly Kim [02:35]

• "Putting yourself out there is hard, but do it because you never know what can come."
  — Shelly Kim [13:31]

• "Don’t forget to celebrate yourself and the small wins… just don’t forget about all the things that we've accomplished."
  — Shelly Kim [21:27]

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and actionable insights in future episodes of Art + Audience. Whether you're a budding artist or a seasoned creative entrepreneur, there's always something new to learn and apply to your artistic journey.

Transcript

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Hey friend. Are you ready to pitch your artwork for art licensing? Then I have the thing for you. Presenting my brand new art licensing pitch Playbook. This free email course gives you everything you need to start pitching your artwork for licensing while leveraging your already awesome work into the next level of profitability and possibility. I'm going to teach you the five biggest mistakes that keep artists from crafting irresistible pitch emails, reaching out to their dream partners, pitching their work with confidence, gaining experience with collaborations, and building an art business that they love to run. So if you're ready to kickstart your art licensing business, visit artlicensingplaybook.com and I will send you my free 5 day email mini course. I can't wait for you to try it out. Bye.

[Shelley Kim]

I think for me, I started to drift away from like what I was already doing the minute I found that it was being like too repetitive or I just wasn't as happy as I could be because it's like I started creating art because I was unhappy and I just didn't felt that happiness anymore. So creating all these other art projects brought that joy and happiness again. So I feel like once you find a moment where maybe you're just not as happy with what you're doing, don't just like, stop with what you're doing, like, continue to do like and like run your art business, but find other hobbies that you can find that brings you happiness. Like that spark story.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Wouldn't it be nice if art business loved you back? Hi, I'm Stacy Bloomfield. After years of trial and error and late night doodling, I went from being a coffee shop manager to running a vibrant seven figure art business that I love. And now I'm on a mission to help more artists create an art business that they love too. So I invite you to find a cozy spot, pull out your favorite sketchbook and listen in. It's never too late to chase your creative dreams. Welcome to the Art plus Audience podcast.

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Art plus Audience podcast where I'm trying to help artists learn how to build businesses that they love to run and the business loves them back and helps them to create income. And it's going to be awesome. I'm here with an incredible creator, Shelley Kim from Letters by Shells. Hi, Shelly.

Hi.

[Shelley Kim]

I'm so happy to be here.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

I'm so excited. And you all were both at Altsummit. Gosh, what year was that? 2018.

[Shelley Kim]

2019. I double checked.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Yes, 2019. I spoke on a panel with two other amazing women about Licensing and business and all sorts of things. And I remember afterwards, we all walked and had lunch together with a group of people, and Shelly was there. Shelley, Hello.

[Shelley Kim]

Hi. I'm so excited.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Oh, I'm so excited. You just never know whenever you're having these moments of interaction with people, and then later you'll get to talk with them again. What a beautiful moment. I'm so happy to be here with you.

[Shelley Kim]

Me, too. Oh, I'm so happy.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

If you don't follow letters by shells, you're in for a treat, because, Shelley, I think I've been following you for a while, and then at one point, I just reached out to you because I had this, like, urging inside of me to be, like, when I admire someone genuinely, and I'm like, like, looking at their feed, and I'm like, dude, I like this. I just reached out to you and I was like, shelly, I just want you to know that I'm a huge fan of your work. And then you wrote right back. Do you remember that?

[Shelley Kim]

I do. I was like, no way. No way. I saw you started following me. I was really excited, but I was trying to keep it calm. Yeah.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Well, you're super cool and fresh and do you want to tell everyone a little bit about the business that you run as this, like, creative magician that you are? You do so many cool things.

[Shelley Kim]

Yes. Honestly, it's kind of confusing because, like, I started my whole, like, art journey as just a hobby to release stress from work. I wanted a creative outlet after work, and art just brought me a lot of happiness and joy. I think, for once, I finally stopped thinking about work when I would come home, because I would, like, dream about work, I would think about work, I would just. Too many things. So art really allowed me to create that escape that I was looking for and just to focus on myself and what I was doing in the moment. So that's kind of how I dabbled into, like, art. But when I first started, I started with brush lettering first, and then I dabbled into, like, watercolors, and then I explored other, like, art mediums, like embossing, powder, stamping, foiling, just, like, all sorts of things. Did not realize back then art supplies was really expensive. So I just kept buying so many things because I was just really excited and wanting to, like, learn a lot of it. But honestly, I didn't really have a set, like, goal with what I was doing. As long as it made me happy, that's, like, what I was here for. So what happened was, after I started creating all these, like, different types of artworks. I didn't really know if I was improving as an artist because I didn't study art. I dabbled into art when I was younger, but that was all that was it. I don't think I was, like, I never called myself an artist. So when I was making all these creations and, like, just practicing, exploring this craft, I wanted to document my journey. And that's when I started posting on Instagram. Did not realize people would be in love with what I was creating, and they were wanting to ask more about it. And a lot of people that's following me ask questions like, oh, like, how did you get started? Like, have you always been artists? Like, I just started, and you can, too. And that's kind of where I started teaching my craft as well, because a lot of people were interested in, like, just, how do you get started with, like, this technique? How do I do, like, fresh lettering as well? And I think all those questions allowed me to start making tutorial videos and just posting about my process, which I didn't know people would actually enjoy, but I was really amazed that people were really into that. So that's kind of, like, how my whole, like, business started happening without realizing. And I want to just say, like, right now, the reason why I feel like I do a lot more other things now is because, like, during Pandemic, I was kind of lost within the art that I was creating as well. So that's why I started doing a lot of, like, DIY projects, like doodling on mirrors, creating notebooks, and just creating just, like, different things, like, art that I never created before. I think what happened was also I really got into, like, drawing on my iPad all the time. So I think because, like, drawing on the iPad was so easy, I never got to, like, practice, like, the craft outside of the iPad. So that's kind of what I started exploring. And that's why my whole feed is a lot of, like, DIY projects and craft. And that's kind of like what happened. But I just wanted to create all the things that I wish truly existed at the time, even now as well. Like, I'm creating art that I wish existed. Like, things that I can hold and touch, like, you know, things like this, like, my coaster that I wanted to just, like, have with me.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

So, yeah, see, I love this because it feels like you have embraced this entire creative freedom of not being afraid to branch out and try these new things. Because I know for me, sometimes whenever I'm used to creating, like, one way, because, you know, I'm So often, just illustrating for products that are flat to try to explore in a different medium can be a little bit daunting. And you document everything online in your feed. You do it beautifully. And I know that from hearing other people talk about your feed. Like, you film incredibly well. You tell your story so well with every small video that you do. And I'm just completely and intoxicated whenever I watch your videos because I'm just like, ooh, what else am I gonna learn? Oh, she made decals. Like, it really feels like you get to be a fly on the wall of your life in your feed, but it's the most beautiful, colorful life ever, and I adore it.

[Shelley Kim]

Oh, yay. I'm so happy to hear that. No, honestly, like, making art and just adding as much color, like, just making colorful things really help, like, my mood and just really brighten my day. My office right now. If you saw that video I did in partnership with Qriket, people did enjoy the video, and they really liked it. But I do feel like I maybe, like, added too many things on my wall. Now I'm still debating I like it some days. Some days I'm questioning it, but I.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Think that's probably just the way it is for people who, like, are curious and love to decorate. You know, like, some days I love my office. I have this big felt wall that looks like a quilt board. And then other days, I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm sick of this. You know, I wanted to ask you, because you do lettering, you teach lettering, but you also do these collaborations. And I saw your recent press on nail collaboration, which I was. I've never even thought about, like, licensing and that, but, like, you have all these great collaborations. Can you just tell me about some of your favorites?

[Shelley Kim]

Yeah, I also wanted to just, like, mention. I know, like, a couple years ago, a lot of artists was talking about, like, finding your niche, like, making sure that's all you post about. And I just didn't do that. I went outside of that. And honestly, like, with the art that I was creating before, like, the hand lettering and watercolor paintings, it did bring in a lot of, like, good opportunities, like, a lot of partnerships that I always dreamed about. But also exploring this other craft that I started posting about opened up a lot more other doors as well. So, like, I. I don't think I would have ever gotten noticed to do, like, the press on nail collaboration if it wasn't for, like, my art doodles that I was posting and. And just being, like, really different and Making all these like hands on tutorial videos.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Yeah, I think that's important to mention and I'm glad that you kind of called back to that. So when I'm talking to really new beginner artists, they sometimes like having boxes to be in at first because they need some boundaries to know like totally what I'm going to get started with. But when do you think we kind of can let go of those boundaries and kind of explore more clearly? Is there a confidence part that has to be in play? I know that you talk about being your own biggest fan sometimes. Let's talk about that.

[Shelley Kim]

Yeah, I will take it back because I know as an artist, like when I first started I wanted to just dabble into everything and it is overwhelming. Like it's too much. It doesn't always work out. If I had to do it again, I probably would not have done that because I have just like boxes and boxes of so much art supplies, which I don't hate. But I think for me, I started to drift away from like what I was already doing the minute I found that it was being like too repetitive or I just wasn't as happy as I could because it's like I started creating art because I was unhappy and I just didn't felt that happiness anymore. So creating all these other art projects brought that joy and happiness again. So I feel like once you find a moment where maybe you're just not as happy with what you're doing, don't just like, stop with what you're doing, like, continue to do like, and like run your art business, but find other hobbies that you can find that brings you happiness. Like that sparks joy and things that you can also incorporate into your art business.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

That absolutely makes sense. And now that I'm thinking about it, if we met in 2019 at Alt Summit, that year was a very weird year for me because in 2018 I had experienced that complete, like, I am bored with what I'm doing, I'm not feeling great. I started doing all these different things because in my business and in my creative practice, I was just not feeling like the joy that I used to. And what was so funny is from that birthed what became my first book, which was called Give Yourself Margin. So that year that we met, when I wasn't at ALTS Summit, I was back in my room writing my first book in Palm Springs, which is so funny. So I'm just thinking about like, wow, you never know, like what something that feels like in the moment, like boredom or struggle, if you actually Lean into it, it can give birth to something else entirely different. Just like it did for you in your career, right?

[Shelley Kim]

Yeah. I mean, like, I'm definitely still doing all the things that I've done that started my business, of course, but opening this other opportunities, like, it did open up more opportunities than I can ever imagine. So. So going back to the collaboration, it's, like, interesting. So, like, I've had really cool, like, collaborations with just, like, being an artist and like, creating the art, but also with licensing opportunities as well. So I think today, like, the press on nail collaboration is honestly, like, something I always thought about, dreamed about, but never thought it was possible. So I was really happy. Another opportunity that I got by just posting my art videos and just doing something totally different was also working with Michaels a lot. I was actually featured on their holiday commercial back In, I think 20, 21 or 22, which I never thought was possible. It was amazing to, like, just experience that.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

You look so cute in it too. Is that like, your home studio?

[Shelley Kim]

It was a set and they basically try to, like, mimic my home studio, which it didn't look like that, but they did their best. Yeah, that was a whole different experience that I never thought was possible.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

You're like this superstar lady. You're in commercials, you're nails. It's so fun. And I think for a lot of people who maybe have watched your journey online, to see someone who at one point was like, she's just like me. She's working a different job. She started creating art. She did it because she loved it. A couple years later, now you're in a TV commercial. Hello. Like, could you have ever imagined something like that whenever you started lettering?

[Shelley Kim]

Nope. Nope. And honestly, I think it's just like putting yourself out there because you don't know, like, who's watching, who's following your art as well and your journey. And I feel like I used to be an extrovert and now I'm total introvert now. And honestly, like, putting myself out there, it is hard. And I don't know where I found the confidence, like, back in 2015, to really just be all out there. I used to make, like, daily story videos, like, asking people, like, how their days are. I just was full of energy, and now I'm just trying to balance it all, of course. But, yeah, putting yourself out there is hard, but do it because you never know what can come.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Something we like to talk about, especially with people who have been kind of in the industry for a couple of years, is the biggest, like, oopsie. You've ever made in your career. Because a big point of art plus audience is to embolden other creatives to know that even if their worst fear were to ever happen, they made the biggest boo boo ever. That they would come out at the other side stronger and learning from it and it wouldn't be the end.

[Shelley Kim]

I do have a lot of oopsies moments, but I think one thing I wanted to talk about is like not being afraid to reaching out for help and also outsourcing if you need. For a long time I was all about I can do it myself, I can do all of it myself, which, which I still can be like that. And I think it was also I was just so personal to everything that I was doing that I couldn't just hand it off to people. I know. My husband, he tried working with me for a little bit and it was a mess. Like I wasn't there mentally where I wanted to also be within my business. But then I wanted it to be like a certain way. And I now realize that, yeah, like it just these really small things, details don't matter as much. Like as long as you're getting the thing done, that's all that matters in the end. And you can perfect it later on. Being able to outsource for help or reach out for help, if you do it all yourself, you tend to get burned out. And I know I've experienced that for a long time. There has been many months throughout the years where I just wanted to stop with what I was doing. I started looking for like full time jobs. So I guess like an example would be I do a lot of partnerships now working with like different companies and reading all those emails and contracts. I think that's something that I didn't expect to add on to also creating the art, editing the video and things like that. So I started reaching out to get legal advice for my contracts because then I would read the contracts, 20 pages. I don't know what they were saying. I got really nervous and I honestly, for the longest time, I don't think I could have afforded a lawyer back then. But I was able to find one that was pretty affordable. And basically like how fast I can read the contract, that's like how much they'll bill me for. But I think with not all contracts it's the case, but there were some that I don't think I knew what I was getting myself into. So things like that, really just like reaching out for help. And so for this year, something that I'm still very Personal about. And I didn't want to do this, but editing videos, I liked it at one point, and now it's just too much for me to, like, create all these videos and also edit at the same time. Because then at the end of the day, I'm just super burnt out and I feel like I need the whole week off. So I was able to outsource and find a video editor to match my style. These are very personal things that I never thought I could hand off, but things that I realized, yeah, because I. I want to make sure that I also feel happy with what I'm doing and not feel really overwhelmed, you know.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Shelly, I don't talk about this much, but I do have in my business. It just reminds me, you know, I've run GingerBR since 2009, which is a long time, and I have three kids. And then when I added in teaching into my business in 2020, I went from having kind of a manageable workload where I could touch everything, even though I had, like, a team of people to help me assemble and ship. I was doing all the art, I was doing all the product layout, I was doing all the manufacturing, talking. And then I started teaching. So I'm recording my own courses and editing and doing all these things. And all of a sudden, that feeling that you had where it's like, I don't know if I want to keep doing this. Like, I had this moment where I was so getting burnt out from, like, the best things ever that everyone has always wanted, which is, like, abundance and all these areas that, like, I remember I had this moment where it's like, I either have to find some real help or I'm not going to keep going. And I did something that was kind of unorthodox, and I hired another artist to work on the Gingerbread brand, which a lot of if you're creative, I mean, can you imagine having another artist with you? But I was, like, assessing my life, and I was like, I am so burnt out that I don't even feel like making art. And the art I was making felt so forced and not joyful that it actually made me mad when I would try to make art. So I chose to go the route of, like, okay, the brain is not called Stacy Bloomfield. It's called Gingerbread. What would it look like to give another artist a job to work with me and design for the Gingerbread studio? And I do think that finding help, however it looks, is never a bad thing, in my opinion. So you said it too, Shelly. Right? You found Some help and some outpours.

[Shelley Kim]

Thank you for being open and talking about that. I totally understand, and I know where you're coming from.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

As we kind of are wrapping up this special episode of Art plus Audience, if you can think back to the single most important investment you've ever made in either yourself or your business to help you get to where you're at right now, what do you think that is?

[Shelley Kim]

If I could give the best one, I think that's helped me this year is to, like, outsource for help. I feel like it kind of sounds silly, but I feel like this year, when I finally decided to have that intention in the start of this year. So, yeah, it's my first year, like, actually outsourcing for help. I tried doing it last year and it was not great. I think I just didn't find the right people that saw my vision through. So, like, this year I was able to not just get, like, the video editor, but I also got a virtual assistant for the first time. And I think that has helped me a lot in terms of, like, actually finishing up my to do list. It does sound silly. And for a long time, I felt like I could not afford a virtual assistant. Constant. And that's the reason why I went away from doing that. Being able to reach out and find the best people. And they're not working full time for me. They're basically just working on a weekly basis. I tend to add to my to do list constantly. And I told my virtual assistant, I need help. I need help fixing. I say yes to everything. So help me figure out how I can finish up my timeline and just start accomplishing these tasks. And they were also the reason who helped me find, like, the video editor, like, a person that had a similar editing style to mine. And if that was up to me, I would not have done that this year. It probably would have been, like, a task for next year.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Well, dude, kudos to you because, like, that's not a silly thing at all. That's huge. I can't tell you how many creative entrepreneurs I talk to, who they're. They. They're thinking, like, oh, I could use a virtual assistant, a va. And then they'll try their first time. And if it's not a really great fit or something doesn't work exactly right, then they're like, not for me. I can't do this. It's really hard to find people who are the right working style, to find people who can just take that burden off of us. At the end of the day, when Your business is growing. You want to be able to put your energy into the things that truly give you life and light you up. Is there anything cool coming up that you'd like to share or any resource that you have that you'd like to share with our listening audience?

[Shelley Kim]

There are going to be some really big freebies that we're going to be launching in, like, the next two weeks. It will be announced on my Instagram, so feel free to follow along at lettersbyshells. And yeah, it's going to be really fun. Cool things that you can use. I can't say too many things. So that's it.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

Really cool things. Letters by Shells. Go follow it. Because we love freebies, don't we, guys? We love it and we love you and I'm just so thankful that you are here with us, everybody. You can go follow along and see all the amazing future collaborations I'm sure that are to come as surprises that Shelly has up her sleeve.

[Shelley Kim]

Thank you so much, Stacy, for having me and just for allowing me to be a part of this as well. One thing I wanted to just mention is I want upcoming artists or artists that have been doing this for a long time. Don't forget to celebrate yourself and the small wins because I know how easy it is to get so caught up in your business and just start working on the next big thing. And we just kind of forget about all the things that we've accomplished and worked on. So don't forget to celebrate you. Pause and focus on all of your accomplishments.

[Stacy Bloomfield]

That is the most wonderful ending advice. Pause. Celebrate you. You deserve it. Your hard work matters. And you've got to stop and give yourself, like, a round of applause for how much you're accomplishing. You need to do that. All right, everybody, thanks for tuning in and we will see you next time for Art plus Audience by.

Thanks so much for tuning in. Hey, could you do me a favor? Could you subscribe to this podcast and then share it with one of your best art friends? I'd really appreciate it. And then head on over to Instagram and follow me at the leverageyourart account and you can keep up with all of our future episodes. Thank you so much for your support. It means everything to have you here listening and learning.

[Shelley Kim]

Bye.