Ep. 28: What No One Tells You About Licensing: Juliana Tipton on Boundaries, Burnout, and Creative Joy

Summary

Art + Audience: Episode 28 Summary
What No One Tells You About Licensing: Juliana Tipton on Boundaries, Burnout, and Creative Joy
Released on August 12, 2025
Host: Stacie Bloomfield

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1. Introduction to Juliana Tipton

Stacie Bloomfield welcomes Juliana Tipton, a talented surface pattern designer and illustrator based in San Diego, California. Juliana shares her eclectic career journey, highlighting her transition into surface design in her early 40s amidst the tumultuous year of 2020.

“I really started to focus on [surface design] and say, like, I'm gonna give this a try.”
— Juliana Tipton [02:10]

2. Transition from Graphic Design to Surface Design

Juliana discusses her 12-year tenure in graphic design, which served as a foundation for her pivot to surface design. Her passion for illustration and pattern design naturally led her to explore surface design, despite initially feeling like a solo endeavor compared to her collaborative experiences in graphic design.

“What I really love and what I really enjoy most out of working in graphic design is when I get to collaborate with others.”
— Juliana Tipton [03:20]

3. The Pitching Process and Securing Licenses

Juliana attributes her successful transition to surface design partly to the education she received from industry experts like Bonnie Christine and Shannon McNabb. These classes introduced her to the nuances of licensing and effective pitching strategies, enabling her to secure significant licensing deals.

“I started pitching and the first few emails that I sent out, I actually got responses. I wasn't expecting that.”
— Juliana Tipton [07:30]

She recounts her partnership with Fringe Studio, emphasizing the importance of persistence and timely follow-ups in establishing fruitful collaborations.

“I'm so glad I kept that, you know, schedule that follow up so important.”
— Juliana Tipton [07:30]

4. Learning About Contracts and Communication

Juliana delves into the complexities of understanding and negotiating contracts. Her graphic design background provided her with the discipline to meticulously review and question contract terms, a skill that proved invaluable in the surface design industry.

“I always open it in, you know, some sort of software program where I can take notes right along with it.”
— Juliana Tipton [20:22]

She stresses the necessity of asking questions and, when needed, seeking legal advice to ensure clear and fair agreements.

5. Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Fear

A significant portion of the conversation centers around distinguishing between genuine red flags and feelings of fear or imposter syndrome. Juliana shares her insights on recognizing when hesitation stems from legitimate concerns versus internal doubts about her capabilities.

“Imposter syndrome… it's a very good indicator to me of how I'm feeling about something.”
— Juliana Tipton [15:00]

6. Understanding the Realities of Licensing Income

Juliana candidly discusses the often modest financial returns from initial licensing deals, emphasizing the value of experience and exposure over immediate financial gain. She recounts receiving her first quarterly royalty check of just 83 cents, highlighting the gradual nature of building sustainable income through licensing.

“No one prepared me for one of my very first quarterly royalty checks that was 83 cents.”
— Juliana Tipton [25:05]

7. Importance of Multiple Income Streams

Both Stacie and Juliana advocate for diversifying income streams to build a resilient and thriving art business. Juliana maintains her roles in graphic design and illustration alongside surface design, underscoring the necessity of balance and multiple revenue sources.

“I'm still simultaneously doing surface design illustration. I'm still doing graphic design also because it's wonderful and I work with amazing people.”
— Juliana Tipton [25:05]

8. Building Professional Relationships and Integrity

Integrity and open communication are pivotal themes in Juliana's professional ethos. She emphasizes selecting partnerships that align with her values and being willing to walk away from collaborations that feel misaligned or exploitative.

“I know that I want to show up that way, if I want to foster that. And I'm usually met with that.”
— Juliana Tipton [29:36]

9. Future Goals and Aspirations

Looking ahead, Juliana aspires to expand her repertoire into book cover illustration, challenging her self-perception and embracing new creative ventures despite lingering imposter syndrome.

“I would love to do, like, a book cover illustration. … I'm so excited by it that I'm thinking, like, that would be amazing to do some book illustration.”
— Juliana Tipton [31:20]

10. Final Thoughts and Encouragement

The episode concludes with both speakers reinforcing the importance of patience, continuous learning, and maintaining authenticity in one's creative journey. Juliana encourages artists to seek out communities, ask questions, and stay true to their artistic integrity.

“There's room for everyone. And that fit that wasn't right for me, that's going to be a fit for someone else.”
— Juliana Tipton [30:48]

Where to Find Juliana Tipton

Support Juliana's work and follow her creative journey:

• Website: julianatipton.com
• Instagram: @jewelltipdesign
• Email Newsletter: Coming Soon

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This episode provides valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of transitioning into surface design, the intricacies of licensing, and the importance of maintaining professional integrity. Juliana Tipton's candid discussion serves as an encouraging guide for artists navigating similar career paths.

Transcript

[Juliana Tipton]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. So the initial introduction was wonderful and was told very much that we're very artist centric. You know, the creative director and the people kind of working at the upper level were artists themselves. So they understood it was wonderful onboarding with them and getting through the initial process, the design and, and then communication trickled to just almost nothing. And then after a while, having worked with them, I mean, I honestly was ghosted.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Wouldn't it be nice if your art business loved you back? Hi, I'm Stacey Bloomfield. After years of trial and error and late night doodling, I. 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.

[Juliana Tipton]

Hello.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Welcome back to the Art Audience podcast cast. I'm so excited because I am here with a very talented surface pattern designer and creator, Juliana Tipton. Hi, Juliana.

[Juliana Tipton]

Hi.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So happy to have you here. You may not know this, but when I look at my saved Instagram posts of like, some of my favorite little motifs and surface designs, so many of them are yours, just so you know. Yeah. For years I've been saving. It's true. My team could tell you I just like, love your work and I just would love for everyone get to learn a little bit more about you today. So thanks for joining me.

[Juliana Tipton]

Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here and excited to meet you.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So why don't you take off by telling us more about you, where you live, what you do, the whole Juliana shebang. Go for it.

[Juliana Tipton]

Yeah, I live in San Diego, California. Sunny San Diego, doing surface design, illustration, you know, textile design, all the, all the good stuff. It's probably my third career, so. Yeah. So I didn't get started in surface design until my early 40s and I really started to focus on it and say, like, I'm gonna give this a try. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do. This was 2020. And it just so happened that Way, not necessarily because of the pandemic. I mean, you know, a lot of things going on at that time. So it seems like an interesting time to pivot. But I have been a graphic designer also for about 12 years, so that's been my main profession for quite a while. And before that was a completely different career. I worked in higher education. I worked at a university for another 10, 11 years. So wow. My graphic design was a pivot. Then I pivoted into surface design. But the graphic design started because I think at my core I really had a love for, for illustration, for pattern design, for things that were surface design without really knowing that's what it was.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yeah, you know, we have a lot of people that we work with who have the background in graphic design and you mentioned some of the things that it kind of brought to the table that were strengths, you know, like working to deadlines and needing to turn around concepts quickly, obviously and learning to kind of adapt depending on the client's needs. Like those are super great skills and they're hard for a lot of people. So you having that experience is stellar. But what, what were like, the drawbacks, do you feel like when it came to joining like the surface pattern design world and the way you've been working before, like, what were the things that made it harder?

[Juliana Tipton]

Well, I mean, I'll be honest, I mean, going into it I just thought, wow, this is. I am a one woman band, so it is going to be on me. On me. Some of the graphic design experiences that I'd had is a huge mix of working in, you know, larger agencies, smaller agency, boutique agency, freelancing on my own. You know, I kind of done a mix of everything. But what I really love and what I really enjoy most out of working in graphic design is when I get to collaborate with others. So I'm always at least trying to be part of a team. And I've landed in some really fantastic partnerships with a couple agencies that I still work with. And it's nice because it's, you know, remote. I'm a little bit independent, but it's still that team collaboration atmosphere. So that was one thing that was very hard, starting in surface design and then in illustration because I knew it was just all me. I mean, yeah, part of it was a little freeing because when I first started, and I think it was really great advice that I first got was just create art, right? A lot of art, a lot of different kinds of art. Don't worry about trying to find your style, just experiment, see what feels comfortable and then that was really lovely because then when I started making a lot of stuff, I just felt like I like this, but it doesn't feel like me because it feels like I'm reflecting black other styles or other artists that I love and that I really respond to, but how do I make it my own? So that was just that. And then, of course, figuring out all of the business, the pitching and the contracts and the learn as you go. So that. That part of my experience as a graphic designer in learning, constantly learning, constantly being, you know, here's a topic of something I don't know anything about, but I'm designing something for it, so I need to learn that all the way to skills. Now I'm doing motion graphics. I've never done that. Let's learn that. So those sort of underlying soft skills of constantly being okay with that really teed me up for surface design. But that was really hard. Still knowing, like, I'm just doing this, doing this on my own, it is really hard.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Whenever there's no one there to necessarily push you. Even if you are structured and organized and you want it, there are some parts of the job that are less fun than others. I mean, pitching is just, like, very hard for people. It's hard to get started. It's hard to know if it's the right kind of work and what to say. But you've definitely had some success because, like, you've licensed, you have, like a fabric line. You have licenses with Fringe, which is a great manufacturer. On your website, you can find your designs at Barnes and Noble, Target, Indigo, the Container Store. So you definitely segued into it, though, with some success. So, like, tell me about that.

[Juliana Tipton]

Yeah, well, I took some classes. I took some education classes and hopefully it's okay to share. I started with Bonnie Christine. That's how I discovered just even the definition of what surface design was. And then kind of this world of licensing. And I thought, this is fantastic. And my background in graphic design teed me up so well with a skill set also with Adobe Illustrator. And so I just thought, this will be a fairly easy pivot technically.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yeah.

[Juliana Tipton]

And talk about also finding a way to have some community around, you know, feeling really alone and starting this on my own. I'm still friends and connected with people in the small group that I did in her class in 2020 when I started, even online in small ways, being a part of communities that you're creating and that, you know, all these little spaces that I just didn't know were there before being introduced to it have been so wonderful. The pitching happened later and I actually took another class by Shannon McNabb.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Shannon McNabb. I love her. I mean, I, I love Bonnie too, but yeah, she's one of my good friends.

[Juliana Tipton]

Love it, love it. So she and I have had a couple conversations too, because I took her picture portfolio class with sketch design repeat. When I took her class for picture portfolio, that for me really resonated in terms of how I learn, how I absorb information, the steps to really tee you up for success, very specifically. And that's when I actually started pitching also, because in the world of graphic design, when I did school there, we created a full portfolio of all over work, like a big book. And it was a big. And it was fun, it was a huge challenge and stressful, but it was fantastic. So when Bonnie Christine introduced the idea of a full portfolio as well, how to put that all together, cohesive, I was like, this is, I understand this. This is exactly the, you know, place that I was coming from from before. This translates really well. But it was very overwhelming.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Oh yeah.

[Juliana Tipton]

To do that again. So I loved Shannon's approach of, you know, one sheets do something very simple, very curated to the company that you're pitching to try to send things that they can open directly in the email and to just give them a sampling and that's enough. And then it kind of takes that pressure off a little bit. And yeah, so I started pitching and the first few emails that I sent out, I actually got responses. I wasn't expecting that. A lot of them were like, your work. This is really fantastic, just not for us right now. Please stay in touch or, you know, circle back around. And I was like, that's great. At least people are responding to it in a positive way. They're looking at it. And then I pitched to Fringe Studio and that was funny because I didn't hear back from them. And so I thought, okay, time to follow up. Had my calendar date. And then I followed up a little bit later than I had even planned to. But so glad I did because it turns out that the original contact that I had sent it to was not really quite the right contact. But when I circled back around them again, it flagged their, like, internal email system. And the right person emailed me back and said, we're so glad that you followed up because I actually sent you an email a week and a half ago and I didn't get it. And I was like, oh my gosh, okay. Yeah, so thank goodness, right, that I kept that, you know, schedule that follow up so important. So, yeah, so that fell into place and felt like that has been a wonderful partnership.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So Fringe is a great company to work with. I think they also work with a specific type of designer. I guess I could say, like I. I see a through line, even if the mediums are different amongst the artists they work with and you are perfect for it. And your art looks so gorgeous on their. Their journals and everything they have to offer. So congratulations to you and fostering a longer term relationship with a client. Right.

[Juliana Tipton]

Yes. And I was a little not apprehensive, but I. That wasn't my first licensing deal, so my first licensing deal actually was with Cotton Steel.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yes.

[Juliana Tipton]

Fabric company. And that was a very interesting experience for me. It was not, I think, the right partnership for me, but I'm so grateful for that having been the first one. I'm so grateful for the experience and the exposure and the learning that came along through it. And I think it was possible at the time there were some transitions going on with CO Cotton Steel and RJR fabrics. Right, exactly. So the initial introduction was wonderful and was told very much that we're very artist centric. You know, the creative director and the people kind of working at the upper level were artists themselves. So they understood it was wonderful onboarding with them and getting through the initial process, the design and seeing just, you know, firsthand experience, how a collection with them comes together. And then communication trickled to just almost nothing. And then after a while, having worked with them, I mean, I honestly was ghosted.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Oh yeah. You know, Juliana, I'm not going to speak for other people, but I can tell you that your experience is not uncommon. I hope it's better there because I know the thrill it feels of getting a fabric line, like contract and you don't want anyone to ever feel like they should like, be prepared for like. But, you know, like, they definitely were going through some big transitions. If you were in the fabric world at all around that time, you kind of know what we're talking about.

[Juliana Tipton]

I'm well aware of life, you know, in general and you know, not maybe necessarily in the business world, but certainly in the personal world of just like throwing you for a loop. So I always try to at least just say have some grace with them, just try to have a larger view of maybe something that's happening. But I mean, I will say that regardless of what's happening. And I know sometimes it's difficult, like just communication. I. Something I learned early on as well. Also having this be like my third Third career. I think throughout all of it, I've really learned to, at least I hope I communicate well. That's important to me. Because even if something isn't right, even if you're like, it's crazy here and everything's burning down, we're fine. I'll get back to you later. It just takes. It doesn't take much. Like for me, it doesn't take much to just say, hey, I know you're there. Yeah, okay, great, thanks.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Let me just interject real quick. Maybe there's something to be said too for like, I think when you learn about surface pattern design and licensing and you already have kind of like a good eye and like you clearly were already a skilled, I think, designer in many cases and you're building a portfolio, what I've noticed is sometimes people look at that first big name client as being like, that's the one that's going to change everything for me. And very, very rarely is that the case. In fact, usually it's kind of like the ones that I don't even expect that are going to explode that end up being the ones where I'm just like, oh my gosh, this is so incredible. So I don't know, sometimes I feel like the universe is playing games with us a little bit. Like, don't get your hopes up too much, but also don't expect it not to be great. So like, I guess you just have to be present when you're pitching your work and take it one day at a time and take every relationship one day at a time and take the best from it and leave the rest. Right. That sounds so, like, cliche, but yeah, absolutely.

[Juliana Tipton]

And I think I've learned too that pitching is just, you know, obviously it's like knocking at the door. And I really just as long as someone opens the door, like, if there's a way for communication, I've sat down to talk with them. And then as you get into it, you know, sometimes you just get a gut feeling and I'm like, this would be really exciting and I think it would be really great, but I just not sure. And so I've also learned to trust my instincts that if I am not insanely excited about it, like if there's even kind of the remote of a red flag or, oh, I don't know, maybe sometimes it works out. It's good to listen to that. But there's a couple of instances, one kind of major one, where I'm like, I don't think this is right.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yeah.

[Juliana Tipton]

And so I Have to just be okay. Walking away.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

This morning, I was journaling and I was literally asking myself, what's the difference right now between my intuition telling me something's off and when I'm just afraid of something? And it's really hard, I think, because life can get really messy. And sometimes I can be very good at knowing. And there are other times where they feel so similar. So, like, maybe for someone who's in your shoes, where you were at, like, how would you tell someone the difference between that internal, like, red flag and what if? No, you're probably just afraid and overthinking it. What do you think?

[Juliana Tipton]

For me, and I'm still learning this because sometimes it's not always easy for me to decipher this either if I am equal parts or even if it's not equal. But it's a mix of excited and scared. Usually that comes in the form of major imposter syndrome. Like, oh, my God, am I going to be able to do this? That's usually my indication of, okay, that's just me being scared. Right. I am really genuinely excited about it. I was talking with this group of students, actually, and talking about imposter syndrome, and I said, it unfortunately never goes away. But I'm like, I'm grateful for it because I've, over time learned that it's a very good indicator to me of how I'm feeling about something. And it's usually an indicator that it's something that is important to me and that it's something that I should really pay attention to doing. Let that give that subject the focus it needs. If I'm feeling kind of imposter syndrome about it. And so when I know that it's something that's not fear, but it's maybe something that is like, this doesn't feel right. Like, maybe there's a red flag. That's usually not me being afraid of my own capabilities. Usually it's either how I'm responding to another person. It's, what is it going to be like to work with this team? It's usually more about that. That feels like. I don't know. Other thing that I learned to pay attention to very quickly is if I even remotely feel like I'm being taken advantage of, that is where you're just like, this doesn't feel good. Like, I don't feel like I should either agree to this term or this price feels really crappy or really, that just, you know, like, those kinds of things. If those are, like, your initial thoughts about something, that's the red flag that feels like, I don't know if this is right, as opposed to, am I going to be able to do this? That's usually telling me that's. That's fear. And, yes, I can, and I'm excited about it.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So that's incredible wisdom, Juliana. Thank you for sharing that. And, you know, if you ever start to feel like you're being taken advantage of, I have both been the recipient of it and someone who has not understood what I have offered as being, like, low for an industry when collaborating with someone. So I have learned the best thing before you say it's done is to just counter back and be like, hey, I want more. Which is funny because I used to be afraid to ask for more money for myself when I was the one in the position. And then once I was in, like, we'll say, the driver's seat in my little world where I'm running gingerbread and, you know, having people work on projects with me, and I'm like, I have no idea. I'm just throwing a number out there now. I'm like, oh, my gosh. This is why people need to respond back, because, like, ask for more money. Ask for clarification. If you feel like it's not right, ask for it. And then if they still are like, no, this is a you problem. And, gosh, that's the worst feeling in the world. So whenever someone's like, no, you are mistaken, you are asking for too much, then it's, gosh, it's so horrible. I hate people having to experience that. But, like, people need to be able to let them fully show you who they are and then run away.

[Juliana Tipton]

Yes. I had pitched to my very first agency. I don't know if this is something that I'm going to enjoy doing, but let me pitch and have a conversation with someone and just see what is this all about. Is this something that might be a good fit for me? They were large, and I was very happy that they responded to my work. So I had a conversation. I had many questions. They sent me a sample contract to look at just so I could see. Generally, these are the kinds of terms and things you do. Here's the fees and, you know, how everything works. And that was an eye opener because I didn't know that about agencies, that there's certain fees that you pay throughout the year as being represented. As an artist, I've had some experience in technical reading. Not necessarily that that's super prepared me for reading, like, legal contracts, but it's.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Shown you when there's contradictions, yes.

[Juliana Tipton]

And it taught me to read through everything and like, say, like, I have absolutely no idea what this means. Like, write notes on it. Right. And just, if you don't know, ask. So, yes, asking questions is so important. So during this interview, I had highlighted all these areas of the contract, and this is something I also wasn't prepared for. In surface design, I quickly learned all contracts are so different. Whether or not there's areas that are industry standard for certain areas or markets or, you know, verticals of whatever the product is, they are all so individual and so different that you have to go through and ask questions. And most likely every single time I get a contract, I look at something and I'm like, I have no idea what that means. So the questions around that to ask are so important. And in this interview I had with this person at this agency, she said, wow, I've never had someone ask me so many questions for this. And she even said, maybe this isn't right fit because this really shouldn't. This isn't supposed to be that hard.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So often when I've directly worked with people, the good fits are the ones where it's like a conversation like, yeah, I. You should want your artists to ask you these questions so they understand. Like, that's important because you're going to get the best work and best relationship out of that artist. Like, unless you think everyone's disposable and you just don't care if they do well or not. And like, that's really crappy. So read through it slowly. Like, don't you feel like a lot of artists just are. Like, they just won't look at it. They'll just put it aside and they just won't look at it and then they'll just close their eyes and sign it.

[Juliana Tipton]

Yeah, I mean, it's really intimidating, especially when you get this enormous content. You're like, I have no idea what I'm reading. Just. So for me, I always open it in, you know, some sort of software program where I can take notes right along with it. So Adobe's great for that. You know, you just comment all the way through it. I just highlight, you know, asking myself questions. So I like to do an initial read through. Anytime I get hung up on something or stuck and I say, does it mean this or does it mean this? I kind of write questions for myself. Then I let it sit for a little bit. If I can go back and reread through my questions and see if giving it a little time and A little sit. And then rereading it again lets me answer those questions. Because sometimes I'll miss something in the moment. I'm like, what about this? And then two sentences later, I'm like, oh, okay, so I'll do that. But sometimes, even with those, I'll leave them and say, my initial reaction or my initial understanding of this sentence or paragraph was this. Is that right? Or is it, you know, even if I ask in a conversation language about, you know, can you clarify if it's this or this, or am I understanding that correctly? You know, sometimes if I'm going through that with an art director and they are not the right person to go through that information with, whoever the person is, or if they just don't have time, then I think it's really wonderful to get a lawyer, get some legal advice. But for the most part, everything I've had questions on and been able to ask directly because I've formed those questions to myself and then try to answer or figure out. And then if I can't, I'm able to say, you know, sort of, is it A or B or am I close? And then if they can clarify that way, that helps me, too, because then I also know that's how I absorb information. If I'm framing it in a way for them to answer that, I know I'll understand it.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

There's just a lot of different ways it can be super intimidating to get a contract. Something else I just want to touch on is there's a power imbalance, I think, for so many people in these positions where they feel like I shouldn't ask. I'm grateful for them to have even noticed me. And, you know, very rarely have I actually worked with a company that actually embodies that feeling that we have. You know, like, there are a couple of people I've worked with where I'm like, oh, they definitely look at me as a commodity or someone I've talked to and we haven't worked with. They kind of just viewed my art as expendable and my opinions. But usually what I find is that idea in my head that I had early on, like, you know, I'm just so lucky that they're even looking at me. Usually it's just someone else on the other side. And good partnerships, like you said, start with good communication and the ability to ask questions respectfully and receive answers and hopefully meet in the middle, right?

[Juliana Tipton]

Yes, absolutely. What is the worst thing that's going to happen if you ask a question? I mean, the worst thing that I'VE had happen thus far is just, you know, the response was, wow, I've never had someone ask me this many questions before. This feels really, maybe this isn't a good fit because it really shouldn't be that hard. And I didn't take that personally of, oh, no, I'm asking too many questions. I've upset them. It was okay. If you are feeling that and, you know, verbalizing that with me, then maybe this really isn't the right fit. Yeah. Because my initial instinct of that was exactly, why wouldn't you welcome questions? Why wouldn't you welcome working with someone who is paying attention. Right. And wanting to understand how you do business so I can best show up prepared to work in the way that you want to work with artists? I do wish in the beginning it was a little more apparent to me that, you know, within a couple of years and a couple of licensing deals, while that is amazing and wonderful, it is nowhere near what's going to get me to be doing this full, full time, like, fully. So even for me, after doing this five, six years, I am still simultaneously doing surface design illustration. I'm still doing graphic design also because it's wonderful and I work with amazing people, but I'm still doing all those things. So it's, it's doing a lot. It's, it's a lot of balance. And I wish I had known that, yes, most licensing deals, especially early ones, are going to be very small. And so for that, it's not about, yes, I've got the financial gain with that. It is really about. I've got the experience. And sure, some of that is also I'm working with a great company, so there's going to be some good exposure here, understanding if you can glean the value out of that. I just think for me, it would have been a little less jarring at the beginning. So I can appreciate that now because, yeah, I mean, I'll just say no one prepared me for one of my very first quarterly royalty checks that was 83 cents.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

I tell that story in everywhere I can. My first royalty check was like for Magnets and it was like for a buck fifty or something. And it was my first taste of it. And I was like, give me more like, just ridiculous. But, you know, I'm going to touch on two things you said. That's why I think, Speaking of Shannon McNabb again, the surface design industry survey that she's been running for years is so important and I'm a huge champion of it. And every year I partner with her to try to spread the word, because the more we can get people of all different stages of their career to submit their information, like, I've been privy to the data. I can see it. And you're right, like, the amount of money that people are taking home with licensing alone, especially people who've been it for only five years. I've always been transparent. It's multiple income streams to build it up so you can live off of it. I've been saying that from the beginning. That's how my career was built. The second thing I'll say is that's why, like, the book that I have coming out called the Artist side Hustle, what's funny is I'm not trying to make everyone just work themselves to the bone with this, but I'm trying to get permission for the fact that, like, if you're only making side income from your art for a long time, you know what? That's okay. That's actually super normal. And that's what the industry survey that Shannon runs confirms, is that it takes a while to build this up, you know, And I don't think that's something to be embarrassed of or a sign that you're doing something wrong. I think we need to normalize that this is part of the journey. And, like, giddy up. You're signing up for, like, hopefully a lifetime of career growth. But it will take time.

[Juliana Tipton]

I 100 agree, and I also absolutely champion what Shannon has started with the survey. Because we need to start normalizing and talking about generally income in this field, income equality for women, to continue that conversation, and then speaking louder in that, because it's been a conversation for a long time, and we need to keep it going. I think this is a truth in most creative fields.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yes.

[Juliana Tipton]

We just need to start having more of an open, transparent conversation around money and value normalizing, saying, doing more than one thing, even if those things are very, very different in a creative space. Space, I think would be great, because it kind of feels like you should be one thing or the other. It's okay to do. To do both.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Well, I. I think it's like this. You know, I teach courses. You've mentioned other courses. And the purpose of a course is to hopefully give someone a roadmap. Right. But it's. You have to know, and I say it up front, it's a generalized roadmap based off of my experience and what I've seen other students do. But, dude, you're gonna offshoot and go in other different directions. And, like, that is Just a roadmap to give you a pointer. And if you've got to go over here and then go over here and then kind of do both this, and you're doing the splits and coming back, like, that's every entrepreneur's journey, and that's normal, and that's okay. And I think what happens is people are hoping for that magic shortcut. As someone who's on this side of it has gotten to see, like, firsthand impact of what I teach, like, out in the real world and in motion, it's really, really important to be honest. Honest about the journey, honest about the hard parts. I don't think anything's not hard. I think we want that fantasy, and it's just a matter of if it's the right hard for you. Right.

[Juliana Tipton]

Oh, my gosh, I love that. Is this the right hard for you? I love that. Yes, 100%.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

And I'll say for you, thank you for sharing candidly about your experience with your first fabric line. Because, like, no one ever wants to say the thing that might sound a little bit negative. I guess I'll say that, like, the communication part that you said, that means that they're getting to know. They know that you care about this just as much they care about you as the artist. They care about your success. Those are the best partnerships to have. And, you know, it's hard out there if you're not connected to people. And I don't mean connected like, I got an in with so and so, but, like, it's vulnerable to be the person who's the creative, who's used to getting to work in isolation and then, like, building these kind of relationships with people. You never know where they're going to lead. And I think that it just is a testament to how well you've communicated and built up these professional relationships, because, like, fringe is awesome. And if they're opening other doors for you, then that's probably because, like, you've shown up in an excellent work for them, and, you know, they put that trust in you. And so, like, don't we all want to be that artist who, whenever someone's thinking about, like, who to refer for this thing, like, oh, I know it's this artist that I've been working with for a while. You should definitely check them out. So you're that. You're that Juliana.

[Juliana Tipton]

That's great. Thanks. I just know, for me, it's so important to show up that way. I mean, I don't ever want to put myself into something without that integrity there. So that's important to me to show up that way, which is always kind of. I've just always been built that way, so that might not always be reciprocated, but I. It usually is. Right. If I know that I want to show up that way, if I want to foster that. And I'm usually met with that. So it does. It feels really good. And, you know, it's not. Every partnership is going to be right for every person. Right. There's a. There's a lot of us artists out there, and there's. You know, one thing that I do still hold on to that resonates so well with me, that Bonnie Christine had early on said, is that there's room for you. Oh, my gosh. And there absolutely is. Because if you just think about, like, maybe the way that I create or the type of work I create, but also who I am and the way that I like to work, that might not always jive with companies that either like to or need to work in a certain way that works for them.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yeah.

[Juliana Tipton]

And so I think that's just as important to, you know, to find out. And if that's not a fit, that's okay, right?

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Yeah.

[Juliana Tipton]

And so it feels really good knowing that there's so many of us, because that means there's room for everyone. And that fit that wasn't right for me, that's going to be a fit for someone else. And hopefully they'll send that pitch email. Right.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

And it.

[Juliana Tipton]

So as we.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

As we wrap up, Juliana, tell me, like, if you could five years from now, you know, you said you've been doing this for about going on six years. Ish. And imagine that you've doubled your time. What would you want to have seen happen in the next, like, five to six years of your career?

[Juliana Tipton]

Oh, my gosh. I don't know how prepared I am to do this, but I would love to do, like, a book cover illustration. I started this whole career to thinking, like, I can't illustrate. And then I just started and started to draw, and I loved creating patterns, and it's kind of how this all started, just very generally. So even now, I have the imposter in me saying, I don't know if I can illustrate, but I'm so excited by it that I'm thinking, like, that would be amazing to do some book illustration, illustrations.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

All right. Putting it out there. Juliana Tipton would love to do some book illustration, cover art, whatever is available that is a good fit. So we're just gonna put it out there and when it happens, because it probably will happen, please let me know. Thank you so much for being here today. And remind everyone who's listening where they can find you online so they can support you.

[Juliana Tipton]

Oh, sure. So you can find me [e-mail] you can also find me at Jewell Tip Design on Instagram. Awesome. I'm slowly building up an email newsletter. I love doing an email newsletter, but I rarely know exactly what to say. So really it's just me saying, here's what I'm feeling today on this day and what I would like to share with you.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

So, you know, I think showing up as you are and how you feel is probably the best way to go. Because like I said, right now people are not craving the cookie cutter polished version of what they think success is. Someone, like, just showing up and sharing how they're feeling and thinking may be exactly what people need. And so thank you for doing that. That's leadership in this industry to show up that way honestly. And thank you for being one of those leaders. I appreciate it.

[Juliana Tipton]

Oh, thank you.

[Stacey Bloomfield]

Thank you. And everybody, we'll see you back for our next episode of the Art plus audience podcast. All right, talk to you later. Bye. 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 Leverage your art 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.

[Juliana Tipton]

Bye.

[C]

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