← Art + Audience
Art + Audience
Ep. 33: How Georgia Norton Lodge Turned $35 House Sketches Into a Million-Dollar Art Business
00:44:04
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- [00:00]
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- [00:28]
Georgia
And I was like amazing. I got my first freelance job. I was killing it and I didn't read the contract. Stacy oh dear. It clearly stated that it needed to be an illustrated cover, but I thought it was going to be like grids and typography and this my big design moment and I freaked out and I didn't want to do it. I basically ripped up the contract and I told my mum I wasn't going to do the job and she was like no, you have to do it. You've signed a contract. That is not happening. You're doing the job. And so I freaked out, I had a tantrum and I stormed out of my mum's house.
- [00:59]
Stacey Blooms Field
Wouldn't it be nice if your art business loved you back? Hi, I'm Stacey Blooms Field. 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. Georgia, it's so good to have you here with me today on the Art Audience podcast.
- [01:36]
Georgia
Hello Stacey. I am so grateful and excited to be here. I'm obsessed with you. So I feel like in a stars virtual room right now.
- [01:45]
Stacey Blooms Field
That's very sweet of you to say and I will add, I'm kind of obsessed with you too. I forget the first time that you came across my feed, but I remember, I think maybe it was an advertisement or something and I screamed screenshot it. And I sent it to my team and I said who is this? Because we just, you know, whenever someone comes across the feed who's like speaking the same language as you in so many ways, I get very excited. Tell everyone a Little bit about, like, how you serve people, who you are, what you do. We're going to talk about houses, obviously, because you draw a house. Where are you at right now? Tell everyone that and we might peel back the layers. Georgia.
- [02:21]
Georgia
I love that. I love that. A backwards narrative. Okay, so right now, I am actually sitting in my studio in Sydney, Australia. I live in an area called the Inner West. I am an artist. I make murals. I draw some things. I run a design agency. But mainly now I run a program called Secret Artist Business where I teach other creatives how to build businesses that make proper money.
- [02:46]
Stacey Blooms Field
Love it. We like proper money.
- [02:48]
Georgia
We like proper money. Like, pocket money is good. I had a course called Becoming an Artist from Home to teach people how to start side hustles and make pocket money, which is amazing and a great place to start. Very low risk. Love that for people. But then as I evolved and I got more confident in what I could bring to the table, I started teaching people how to make proper money.
- [03:06]
Stacey Blooms Field
I love that. And actually, I have a book coming out this year called the Artist side Hustle. Maybe that's how I found you, because I think you were speaking to side hustles from home, and I was like, this is a smart narrative. I liked it. My book that's coming out with Hay House Publishing is all about those beginnings, which is totally noble and wonderful. And if people want to stay there, like, there's nothing bad about that. And if you want to continue to scale, there's programs to help you with that, such as yours. Tell me more about your murals. Everything.
- [03:35]
Georgia
Okay. So the program is filled with, like, all different people. Like artists, illustrators, copywriters, designers, any sort of creative person. There's been a therapist in there who just wanted to be with creative people. And I think the reason it is filled with such a wide audience is because I do such a wide range of things. You know, I was. I was inspired by you. When you were speaking in my program, when you were saying, like, what else can you sell? Like, what else can you do that you. And I was like, what do I sell? And so I do murals, and they're based on communities. So I develop worlds for people. I draw everything. All my art is black and white. And so I create this big black and white mural. I've done it for, like, Amazon Prime, Visit California, Brand USA, Lassian, all the councils in Australia. 0con Accountants who knew that they wanted murals. And I get other people to color it in because, unlike you, Stacy, I'm terrified of color.
- [04:28]
Stacey Blooms Field
I love color.
- [04:29]
Georgia
I know I can't do it. Like, my studio is obviously very colorful, but my work. All done. Black pen. That's. That's it. And other people color it in. And they're either murals based on, like, an actual location. So when it was Visit California, it was drawing all of California, or when it was prime, it was drawing all the movies. It's been really fun, but it didn't start there. What happened was I started drawing people's houses for them.
- [04:57]
Stacey Blooms Field
Yes.
- [04:58]
Georgia
And basically my sister was writing her first ever book. It was called Almost Sincerely. My sister is a writer. She's amazing. It was based in the neighborhood that I grew up in, and I was a designer. I'm still a designer. And she told her publisher that she would like her baby sister to design a cover for her. And I was like, amazing. I got my first freelance job. I thought I was killing it. And I didn't read the contract. Stacey.
- [05:22]
Stacey Blooms Field
Oh, dear.
- [05:23]
Georgia
Oh, dear. Oh, naughty. Georgia. Yes. I didn't read it, and it clearly stated that it needed to be an illustrated cover. But I thought it was going to be, like, grids and typography and this my big design moment. And I freaked out, and I didn't want to do it. I basically ripped up the contract, and I told my mum I wasn't going to do the job. I was at her house, and she was like, no, you have to do it. You've signed a contract. That is not happening. You're doing the job. And so I freaked out. I had a tantrum, and I stormed out of my mum's house. And the neighborhood that my mom lives in is the neighborhood that the book is based in. And I was walking around the neighborhood, and I was like, what is the easiest thing to draw? Was literally how my business started. What is the easiest thing to draw? And I was like, houses, they're just lines. They go this way, this way, this way, this way. And I started drawing all the buildings in the neighborhood. So I drew, like, the pub. You guys don't have pub. I drew, like, the bar, the cafe, the video shop, the subject, the school. And then eventually I drew my mum's house. I drew this little house, and I gave it to my mum. And she was like, it's amazing. I love it. I'm gonna put it in the hallway. And she got the Greekest, goldest frame you've ever seen, and she put it in the hallway. And I was like, oh, maybe this is a thing. This is 2014. Okay, so now there's lots of house drawers, but at this time there was none. And then my mum's friend came over and was like, donna, where did you get your house drawn? I've been looking for someone to draw my house forever. And mum was like, I know the artist used to live in the front room. And she got me to draw her friend's house. And then I drew my mum's friend's auntie's house, my mom's friend's uncle's house. I started an Instagram, built a squarespace website, and Georgia Draws A House was born. And it existed as a side hustle for about five years. Yeah, just drawing people's houses, that's all I did. I would come home from work every night and draw like 10 houses until midnight. I'd wake up early and I'd draw houses. And then one day. So this is like before the term side hustling existed. I would, I called it moonlighting. Side hustle has this like intensity to it. Moonlighting is like beautiful. I was moonlighting. I was, I was excited to moonlight as an illustrator and I was doing that and I realized at some point I just couldn't go to work every day in my really intense toxic design work environment and then come and draw. And I also realized I hated my boss. Like I just really hated them. And in my delirium I picked up a spray can and I drew this picture of that house on the side of my parents house. So I drew it as this big mural. I'd never done a mural before. I had to ask some really cool graffiti artists to teach me how to do it while I was doing it in the middle of the night. And we projected it, we did it and Annandale, which is a very quaint neighborhood, woke up to this big mural. And about 10 days later, the national paper found a picture of me in front of it and wrote an article that said, meet the 20 something year old saving for a house by drawing yours. Great line.
- [08:18]
Stacey Blooms Field
Woohoo. That is good copy.
- [08:21]
Georgia
Good. That writer is now she runs the Shameless podcast. She is like incredibly famous and incredible and totally changed my life. Zara McDonald, she wrote this article and I got hundreds of orders and quit my job the next day. And that's how Georgia has started.
- [08:36]
Stacey Blooms Field
That's an incredible story. And like you mentioned your boss at your last job because sometimes I find that, you know, the leap from going from side hustling moonlighting to full time typically involves some dissatisfaction with current job. So like, did your boss know you were building this business on the side?
- [08:58]
Georgia
Yeah, he was Actually encouraging of it, I would say, like, I wouldn't say he was a positive, positive person, but he was. He was never like, you can't do this. He knew that I was designing on the side as well. So although he might not have enjoyed that, I think that he kind of knew that I was always going to leave. And so they were encouraging about some aspects of Georgia Draws a House, but they definitely weren't encouraging me to leave. And one thing that all of them didn't do is they didn't let me ever talk about the work that I produced as a designer, designer in my studio. So, yeah, allowed to even put in my bio on LinkedIn. So when I started Soft Launch, which is my design agency, so this is how the story continues. Georgia Draws a House was born. I used the money I made to launch a design agency called Soft Launch, which started as an intention to soft launch new brands into the world. It's for hospitality, so we designed bars and restaurants, websites, brands, food stuff, and also to give young designers a soft launch into the industry. So in my studio, we have four amazing designers. And I asked them, like, what are you doing as a side hustle? Like, why aren't you making more money doing this? And if I find a skill in them, I encourage them. If a job hits our desk and I don't want to do it as a company, I give it to them. Because I don't feel like the world should trap people like your job into being like, you have to be here forever. That doesn't make anyone want to stay. No, that makes everyone hate you.
- [10:31]
Stacey Blooms Field
And that must be why you're such an incredible teacher, too. So you're nurturing people in the design studio that you created, creating an opportunity for people that you wish you'd had. And then you have the Georgia, draw the house now, real quick, before we go too far into the future. When you were selling those house portraits, drawing the houses, what were you selling them for?
- [10:49]
Georgia
So they started. I actually teach this as a principle because I know everyone says, charge your worth, charge your worth, but I'm not sure if I totally agree. Like, don't cancel me. Anyone that's listening to this, but I started at $35 a pop for my house drawings. 35 Australian dollars. So way less than. I don't know what the conversion rate would be, but it would be less than that for you. So 35 Australian dollars. These drawings take me between, like, five and 10 minutes. Okay, so they're not these really long. They look really beautiful and really detailed. I'M quick at drawing but they, yeah, they're not usually colored though, but 5, 10 minutes, $35. They now sell for up to $500 each. I love it. And I started that way and I believe in starting that way because I have drawn thousand, maybe 10. Like I actually don't know. 10,000 might be an exaggeration. I don't think so. I draw 5, 40 every month for about 10 years. Yeah, there is a math there that someone else could do sometimes I'm on top of that. I would be commissioned by real estate to draw like 10 of their things, whatever for the year. So I spread my brand globally like by the, by 2015, one year after I started, I drawn houses all over the world from complete strangers because it was a no brainer. Who wouldn't want to get their beautiful house drawn for $35? Absolutely slowly every month. I like boom, boom, boom, increase the price slightly until I found my ceiling.
- [12:19]
Stacey Blooms Field
I just think it's incredible because something I talk about with my mastermind that I run is when people are starting out something new, you need to get better at it. Better and better and better at it. And also people aren't going to pay you top dollar to learn your craft sometimes. Do you know what I mean? There's something to that where I think it is okay to learn as you go and price it appropriately. And then like whenever you've drawn like a thousand houses like you, I mean there's no way that you can't pull out a portfolio. I mean like, look at how many people love buying these houses. So, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. Why do you think the message gets so mixed with beginners though about charging what you're worth? Do they just think they're worth more? What do you think?
- [12:55]
Georgia
Oh, I don't think it's anything to do with them. I think there's like a toxic positivity issue on the Internet and there's like the starving artists theory feeding it. So it's like there's new artists and I'm not saying don't charge what you think. I'm just saying like if you want to run an art business, maybe reconsider. If you just want to make art, go make art. Who cares what you're pricing it for? Because if you can make a piece and you can sell it for $10,000 and if only one sells, fantastic. But if you want a sustainable business model, which is what I guess you and I are talking about here, that is a different situation. So I think the Messaging gets mixed because first of all, there is so much noise and second of all, I think there's a toxic positivity issue, like know your worth, do this. But I'm not sure if that is the right advice. I would say build your brand. That's the first module in secret artist business. Build your brand, get paid a little bit to do that. Do it on the side, keep a part time job. I'm not saying don't make money. Make money. You need money to live, it's expensive to live. But like figure it out so it's not so stressful. Yes, that's what I would do.
- [14:04]
Stacey Blooms Field
I think that you're saying it so clearly and I agree with you. I agree with you, Georgia. Now let's go a little bit further. So you had this really cool thing happen where this article got written about you, that amazing copy, and then you started your design agency. A lot of what people struggle with right now is building that audience. So you obviously are attracting a certain audience for the agency and then people who are buying from you at Georgia draws a house. How are you building that audience and how did you do it then?
- [14:31]
Georgia
Yeah, I think it's really interesting because my soft launch audience and my design agency audience is almost invisible to the public eye. That is a word of mouth business. And I know that people are like, word of mouth is not enough, but that business makes 600k, it's fine, it's doing okay and I don't have to touch it. It's all run by everybody else and we have the highest level clients in the country. And it's because that audience is found through niching. So it is a. We design websites and brands for food and hospitality. So we become one of. There's not many, one of the food design agencies in the country. And so people come and it is nice to have a business where you don't have to show up online.
- [15:21]
Stacey Blooms Field
Absolutely.
- [15:22]
Georgia
Georgia draws a house. It's so the opposite of that. That's all about building an audience. It has to constantly grow by number. My followers have to become more. My email list has to become more. Yesterday I sat down to have a meeting with someone that I obsessed with. Furry little peach. She's like my complete idol. To be like, do I need to go on YouTube? What do I need to do? Like how that's constantly chasing this number, which is very valuable because you can't sell if you don't have a larger number. So I have two completely different ideas of how to build an audience which is kind of What I teach inside secret artist business as well. There's not only one way to do it. If showing up on socials is not for you, there is another way. But that way takes time and trust. And if you are not a confident communicator and you can't manipulate people, that one's never going to work.
- [16:18]
Stacey Blooms Field
Ooh, manipulate people. Do you think that's what it comes. That's a very pointed way of saying it. You know, I think what's a challenge is you. You talked about the toxic positivity message out there that I think always starts at the root in an honest place and then kind of gets away from itself. Something I find. And if you're listening and you feel like I'm calling you out, please know that I mean this with love. But people don't want to work very hard right now. Not everybody. I have a lot of students and artists who do. But you just brought up two opposing ways to build businesses. One that requires being front facing and building the audience and social. And people say, I don't want that. And then we have this other idea which is like, okay, quietly, slowly building something higher ticket. It's service. It's like one to one or your design team doing one to one. And yeah, it brings in a lot of money now, but I don't know how much you brought in your first year, but it still is going to be work with a delayed gratification. And I think that all business is delayed gratification in a way. So when I tell people all these different ways to build audiences and people like, I don't want to do any of it, then you pretty much have to be okay with being a hobbyist and having a job elsewhere. Is that. What do you think?
- [17:31]
Georgia
I think there's two parts to this. So my businesses made I think 150k in its first year. So that's pretty good. It was just, it was as my salary, you know, it was fine. And that's because I had already been in that industry. So if you want to create a quiet business, because in the one that doesn't require you to show up on socials, you have to think about what you currently do for work and how you can leverage the relationships that you currently have. And also if you're really, really good at that and also really good, and it has to be a traditional business, there has to be a map for you, like a design agency. We've done it, we've seen it. I can see lots of other people. I can learn by osmosis. Through what everyone else is doing. If you have a business where there is no roadmap and you sort of just throw in mud and seeing what sticks, that is where I believe you have to show up online. I have been building my business in public, as probably you have before that was even a term. Since 2014, oh, my gosh, I've been on like, oh, my gosh, I got an order. Oh, my gosh, I got an order. I still do for all of my achievements. I feel like you have to do that because you have to be listening to an audience to figure out where your business is going to go. So if you don't have a social audience or an email audience, you have no one to listen to, and then your business is going to fall flat. So traditional businesses, I think can be quieter. But online, no roadmap businesses, I think you're gonna have to show up online. And also it's free until you're in the Facebook ad world. So what a privilege. Like, how dare we complain about that? That's what I truly think. Like, if you, what, you got to post a reel today to try and make some sales. Sorry, how, oh, how depressing. Like, that is not. That is a privilege. It is a privilege to be a creative. It's not for everyone. If you have even the ability to enroll in someone's program to learn that, that is a privilege.
- [19:31]
Stacey Blooms Field
Yeah.
- [19:32]
Georgia
And don't let your privileges be in vain. That doesn't serve anyone.
- [19:39]
Stacey Blooms Field
I think that it's very hard for people to hear that. Probably people listening to this are probably some of the people are going to feel a little bit sad hearing that, But I think there's truth to it. And the longer I have done this, not just as myself, like building my own business, but trying to coach other people. There's a reason why I tell people it's hard work. That doesn't mean I don't love it. That doesn't mean you cannot love it. Like, I have to decide the kind of, like, hard for me. Does that make sense? And like, if I want it bad enough, I will keep showing up. Because when I was showing up early on, much like you, I was celebrating everything. I looked ridiculous at times. I didn't have hooks. I didn't have a good camera. It just was sharing the process and the journey from such a honest and like, I was not good at manipulating people to buy from me. I will tell you that much. I just showed up as I was. No one taught me how to do it. And I think that there's such an illusion out there that you should just be able to do whatever you love and it should come easy. And I think that there's a lot of hard work that then brings the ease. Do you know what I mean? That comes first is the learning what's right for you.
- [20:42]
Georgia
I feel like showing up as yourself, Stacy. That's what I'm talking about is manipulating people. I'm not talking about like writing clever copy and getting sales. I'm talking about coming as yourself and disarming people and then inviting them into your world. And I don't really do that for secret artists business and Georgia draws a house. That's more a soft launch thing. It's like come in. You expect a creative director to be a certain way and I'm this and that's the beginning and end of my manipulation tactic. I don't have anything further than that. But that's enough. That's what I mean, what I mean by that. But I think, yeah, I think showing up and being, I guess it's. Yeah, it's your more awkward show ups, I think. And when you're starting out and I'm still there, you watch me do that Million dollar year. But people loved it.
- [21:27]
Stacey Blooms Field
Now here's something I have experienced. So I reached a certain threshold in my business. I remember my first million dollar year, it was 2021. And then once I reached a certain point, people stopped cheering for me. Not everybody, but some people. Because there's something about everyone rallying around me when I was able to be like, I did it. I had my first million dollar year. Or we had the best year we've ever had. All of a sudden I saw all these people who had been my champions for all these years. People stopped being like running alongside me and started judging, I suppose thinking that I'm no longer who I always was. Because one, I started hiring more people to help me do things, which people often mistake. Like that makes me a smart business person, right? Being able to hire the things that I don't want to do anymore. If you're doing it right, that's an awesome thing. That doesn't mean you're a sellout. It means that you are literally buying back your time. But have you ever experienced like the negative side of showing up and celebrating your wins? Like what have you felt?
- [22:25]
Georgia
I, to be honest, I feel like the luckiest person on planet Earth. And I think it's to do with the size of my audience. It's nowhere near the size of your audience. I think it's to Do a little bit with the location of my audience. I am so privileged to be purely, basically supported to this point online. And I think it's because I've been building it online since 2014. So people following that were like, people were in my DMs sending me crying videos, being like, I have watched you. You drew my house in 2014. I can't believe this is happening. And I share a lot of things. Even I did my million dollar year and then I've done a big fundraiser for UNICEF's Emergency Fund Children in Gaza. And that could. I'm not scared. Come. Like, that's fine, I'm not scared. But not one negative comment. And that to me is not even a combative comment, just pure support. And I think it's when you build a strong personal brand, which you have, and I think you probably made it to a further level where people started being mean. And I know it's coming for me, but I just haven't. I haven't received it yet. And I think because I share maybe more pointed opinions, it's like people won't maybe be there if they don't want to. I'm not sure. Maybe I just haven't made it yet.
- [23:48]
Stacey Blooms Field
No, I think you've made it. And I think that. I know, I know whenever things sort of shifting, my audience is primarily in the U.S. you know, and things are always a little bit rowdy here, seems like lately. And so I just think it's incredible that you are still showing up and showing people what it's like to build it in real time. Now what's interesting is people are afraid to do that because then they're afraid people won't pay them to then like share the secrets. But people are not only watching you build it in real time, I think it builds more trust in you as an educator. And then they want to invest in your secret society. Right?
- [24:20]
Georgia
Is that what it's called?
- [24:20]
Stacey Blooms Field
Secret society?
- [24:21]
Georgia
Secret artist business. But thanks for the free rebrand.
- [24:24]
Stacey Blooms Field
That one. Yes.
- [24:25]
Georgia
Yeah, I think it's really interesting. I think maybe because I've shared from drawing a single house, to drawing murals, to doing things overseas, to building products, I've just shared the whole journey the whole time. And I celebrate my students a lot on there as well. I use my email list to promote them. I think I've just got a really good community. I think it's got nothing to do with me. And to the people that have become part of the secret artist business, where we've like welcomed over 900 students who which is amazing. I'm so proud of that. And we're all on the same team. I say this phrase because I teach a lot of house drawers how to draw houses. And I have this phrase which is, there's enough houses for everyone. Where, like, super community over competition. I don't allow it. If someone says, I think someone's copying me, I'm like, your idea wasn't the first version of this. So I don't. Maybe that's got something to do with the kindness of the community. I have no idea. When I know the answer, Stacy, I'll come back and tell you.
- [25:30]
Stacey Blooms Field
No, I thank you for just talking honestly about it because I love seeing an example like you. Because I've been telling my students, look at how George is doing it right now. Because it reminds me of how I used to show up. I've been a little chicken the past two years. Truth is. And I so admire that you are just showing up fully. And I've seen it. Your audience is like, bananas for you. And so I want my students to see what it's looking like in real time for someone to have done it in real time with their audience and see that it's not as scary on the other side. Because I have this theory, and someone tried to read my chart once, and I don't know anything about this, but they said it's in the stars, that if it's going to be hard, I will experience it first so that other people can learn from me. And I'm like, that sucks. So I think that part of my part of this life is that I experience the hard stuff, and then I get to teach people, like, through that, which in many ways is a great position to be in. Right? Like overcome, overcome, overcome. But, you know, that also sounds kind of scary when the person you're trying to learn from is like, and now this crazy thing happened. This crazy thing happened, right?
- [26:38]
Georgia
Yes. And. Well, I think I would be where you. I would be scared to share if I've got this hard, like, Greek exterior. But I'm Welsh on the inside. My father is Welsh. I'm soft. And so if I get. If I get one main comment, I will probably cry in the corner, But I just tell people how to sort of deal with that. And, like, I think that the truth is you have to just. Once upon a time, we didn't use socials to market ourselves. So the truth is, you just have to not take. It's just one tiny part of your business. You just have to not take everything so seriously.
- [27:08]
Stacey Blooms Field
In fact, today, when someone was asking me to upload my tax return to prove that I've made the money I have, I just kind of giggled. I was like, and my team helped take care of it. So you do you get. I never thought I'd be to this point to where it actually makes you. You don't feel the pain. And the worst is not the worst thing that you can imagine. So now talking about your million dollar business, I think everyone would love to hear, like, what did it take to build that million dollar business for Georgia draws a house.
- [27:36]
Georgia
Yeah. Cool. So the million dollars is both my businesses. We run so soft launch in Georgia. Doors of house appears as two different brands, but it is one brand, one team inside the team. Right now, two people are doing murals, two people are doing brands. We all switch and swap. So that million dollars, to be very clear, is across both those. Those businesses. What it took to build is obviously grit, determination, and just never giving up. Just like continuing through. Through the hard times Covid happened. All the restaurants in the world closed down. And I still made money from that business because I was like, how am I going to make money? I need one retainer from one client to keep one staff. And I will build all their things for when Covid opens. We'll figure it out. People didn't really feel like buying art during COVID but they did want to do lessons. So I started a workshop called George draws a house and you can too. And I taught thousands of people, Google, like big companies, little people all around the world, people in their, like, lockdown hotels. So first pivoting. That's number one.
- [28:38]
Stacey Blooms Field
Oh, pivot your butt off.
- [28:40]
Georgia
Yes, your butt off. Don't be afraid. Don't hold on to stuff. So seriously. Well, I'm an artist. I can't use color. I'm an artist. I don't want to sell stuff. I just want to. That's not going to help, like, try, because then maybe you get to create art for 10 years straight and get paid for it. So pivot. Second is hiring a team.
- [28:58]
Stacey Blooms Field
Yep.
- [28:59]
Georgia
I feel like hiring my team was everything. Hiring my team is my favorite part of my business. I love culture. I love working with people. Building a team allowed me to take off the things I shouldn't be doing. I didn't necessarily not want to do them. I just shouldn't be doing them. So I could go into my special place of genius, which is talking to people and manipulating them by disarming them and so always having clients, basically. So pivot team, automate, Automate what you can, automate what you can. And not like in some crazy robot way, but if you want to scale and you want to use programs that help help your socials grow because you want to spend less time on socials, you should invest in ManyChat. It's great. ManyChat makes up for 77% of my interactions on Instagram. And it's not false. It's not me being like, hi darling. It's like just sending stuff that I don't need to send anymore. And the final one for me was building my program, building a course. So two years ago I decided that I couldn't draw any more houses. I couldn't sell. Spend my life, I had a baby and drawing 40 houses a month suddenly was not interesting at all. I don't mean to say that it's no money. It's probably like, I understand $12,000 a month, but 40 drawings, it's just a big to do list. Like it's just, it's more the to do list issue. So I was like, I need to switch that, ditch it and build something else. And I gave myself one year. I said I need to leverage the audience. I have to give them something they've been asking for forever. And if I can't replace the income from my program with the income that I made from drawing houses, I'm going to shut Georgia Draws a house down and just build self launch. So I gave myself this crazy risk that I did not want to do. And then I started, I hired more teams so that I could just focus on building the best course in the world. Listening to people. I think the first year I launched like five times. I just did everything I could to build this program. It was life changing. And at first I had those feelings like, is this a sellout thing? Am I not a artist anymore? And I was worried about the impact. The impact of drawing someone's house and giving it to them is so beautiful. They love it, you contributing to their family, all these beautiful things. And I was worried about my impact more than anything disappearing from that shift. And my impact is far greater. My students lives are changed. My house drawing didn't change anyone's life. It made someone's life better for a moment. But this is people quitting their jobs, people building courses and making. You know, we have this system called the Sab5 system of launching. I think about 10 people have followed it correctly. All of them made between 10 and $20,000 in their first launch. So being able to digest information and pass it to them that is helpful. That is amazing. That is impact. But they are the things that really scaled my business. And the final one, so there's pivot, team, automate, online education, if that's something you can do. But the other one is. Is truly niching. I don't draw houses all the time. It's not that clear. It's not thing, but soft Launch the design agency. No one questions what they come for me for. And there is a very clear package that they get. It's called the secret menu. It's packaged up all my services. They get it, and they order from it. And it's the simplest process. I think simplifying processes is a good one.
- [32:27]
Stacey Blooms Field
And, well, talk about niching for a second. That terrifies a lot of creatives because they don't want to be limited. They feel like their creativity is being, like, cut off from them, but you can still be as creative as you want to be. But for the business part, niching is important because. Okay, there's two rules of thought here. I've been really. I've been really thinking about this, Georgia. Okay, so we got people who are wanting to show up online, and they just want to show up as artists. They want a personal art brand, and they want to create whatever they want. And they might build an audience from. From that organically, which is wonderful. And then maybe they can ask them what the audience wants from them, and they can create it. Yay. That's. That's great. That's where I think most people want to be. I feel like what I did was actually way harder, in a sense, because I niche with nursery art, because that's what I wanted. But then, like, I was so niche that as I wanted to change and grow Gingerbread, I didn't know how to change it at first, right. And so I thought, I'm in a. I'm in a, like, prison of my own making. But then I realized I could just change my niche again. And so I just pivoted to a different niche because I could never serve everybody. Right now it's like, well, where's the audience live that wants the things that gingerbread is creating? I have this organic audience, but now I have to go find the people who want tea towels. Georgia. So not all of that is organic, and that's whenever ad spend comes into play. So I think my whole point in this soliloquy is that there's, like, two different ways to build audiences from this. You know, there's the organic. Let them see what you're doing and grow and shift with you and then ask them what they want. And then that's kind of like what you did. And then there's creating a brand from nothing, like a product with no audience in place. And that is hard to build organically. That, that has to have some kind of ad spend. I think in today's day and age, unless you get like a crazy awesome press feature that blows, blows your mind. What do you think?
- [34:19]
Georgia
I 100 agree. And I think that there's those two ways and they're sort of similar to like the two ways I built my two businesses. I think what I say to my students when they're like, oh, no, but I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to do all these things. I say niche for now, not forever.
- [34:36]
Stacey Blooms Field
Yeah.
- [34:36]
Georgia
And it's. There's a thousand reasons why I could convince everyone listening to this why it's the best way to start a business. If you're only trying to sell one thing, you only have to talk about one thing. So your socials just become way easier. Trying to talk about 10 things, very difficult. If you're only trying to sell one thing, you only have to find one audience, not suddenly 10 audiences, your workload becomes easier, it becomes calmer. And calm is like what we need when we're trying to build a business because it's terrifying and everything can go wrong and everything will go wrong at different points. So if you can niche for now, not forever, you'll have a clearer head. You probably can look at my website, see all the thousand things I do. It didn't start like that, but when I've got here, I'm still called Georgia Draws a House. Because that's, that's what it started as people found my brand and as I share and as I grow, people understand where I'm going. So by the students that succeed when they come to secret artist business are the students that have come. There's four portals. Build a team, build a brand, build a course, build automations. And they're like, I'm going to build a course and that's all I'm going to focus on for 12 weeks. Yeah, they're the people that make $20,000 the first time they launch. The people that come into the program and are like, okay, I'm going to build a course, but I'm also going to try hire a team member and then I'm going to do some many chat automations. Even though I don't have the people that get a bit excited, do everything, everything until we Untangle that together in an ugly truth session, that, that is a way harder place to be. So niche for now, not forever, give yourself permission to say you don't have to be in that prison forever. You got out of it. It's not a jail sentence. It's just like a temporary thing. The worst thing you can do is try launch these businesses in a place of financial stress.
- [36:31]
Stacey Blooms Field
I tell my students, so when we launch Leverage, we get questions from people that they want to take the program so badly and we have a lot of scholarships. I just give a lot of scholarships because I, I don't like that. But when once I had someone message us saying I'm taking on a personal loan to take this program and I told my team, I was like, you stop. You tell her no. And we, no, we can't do that because people don't succeed if this is like their last penny that they're throwing in at us. And I don't want someone to come at this from a place first of all of that desperation. But also I, if I've sold it so well that I have people like selling their car to take my program, that's not good either. And so it was a huge wake up call for me. That happened about a year and a half ago. And since then I've been beating the hammer about being more and more honest about like it's, it's the worst marketing ever. It's hard, but I love it. It's hard and you can love it too. It's going to take time. That's not so bad. I have my success stories of people who come in and do it quickly and I have other people who are still working their full time jobs building their businesses and there's not a bad way. But I, I can't live with myself and put people in that position to where like they're going to come in already afraid of their investment. Right.
- [37:44]
Georgia
Why? You know that propaganda I'm not falling for. Why are people so ashamed to have a full time job doing something that it's so crazy like that is a great way to live, Find a job, go to work, come home, the end holiday. It's very different where you are. We get four weeks leave paid for every, you can take a whole month trip to Europe every year. In Australia you have things like flex leave where you can take your holidays and divide it in half so you can do two years. You have sick leave. There is so much to love about a full time job and I think that there's a lot of Great Full time jobs as well, where you can make impact on the world or you can do art or you know, you can. There's so many things you can do. And I just don't know where we went wrong convincing everyone that they should be an entrepreneur in teaching leverage, which.
- [38:47]
Stacey Blooms Field
Definitely teaches how to build a full time business. Yeah, I saw so many people who were like, I'm not getting to full time. I'm still part time. I'm failing. And so the very first thing my book addresses, because obviously side hustle is a controversial phrase too because it's like hustle culture. So the very first thing my book addresses is like, what we're actually saying here is like there's no shame. This is actually a wonderful place to be, is to live here and have something that supports you elsewhere. And then this can be the thing that fulfills you. It can be the thing that brings in other income if that's what you want. Not everyone should be an entrepreneur. I have relatives who should not have been entrepreneurs. Like, I have learned so many lessons by watching people who probably shouldn't have tried this do it. Does that mean I'm the worst person ever selling my course? Because I'm saying not everyone should do it? Maybe. Well, ask my Facebook ad manager. But I do think that we need to learn to be okay with what we're all striving for. Needs to be in alignment with like what's actually realistic for where we're at right now and what's best for you. Like what's the best thing for you right now? And again, like you said, it's not a prison. It's not forever. Right.
- [39:51]
Georgia
And what is that best thing for you right now in terms of your life? Like if you want to, if you're a creative and you want to draw more and you want to spend more time with your family, do you quit and start a business or do you have a part time job that makes enough money to pay the bills? Etc. You have your beautiful child in daycare one day and you draw that day and you don't have to sell it. I feel like this is a thing that lots of women want to do and I, I want to do it. That's why I'm here. But I'm just saying not everyone has to do anything. Everyone, you know, not everything has to become a business idea. Like things can just be fabulous because you enjoy them.
- [40:33]
Stacey Blooms Field
As the person who likes to start a million businesses. I hear you. I see you, Georgia. I received this message for myself at this point. In my life because I hired a brand agency who's helping me build this brand for this building I'm renovating because I bought a building last year too, to renovate a church. It's an old church building, and I'm renovating it. And she's like, you, you have one too many businesses right now. And I said, it's only right now I have one too many businesses. Businesses just wait. So like I said, I kind of do the wrong thing sometimes first so that people can learn from me. And I think that that's not so bad. I'm just a very curious person. And I think curiosity is not a bad thing. If you're curious about starting an art business, there's lots of amazing free programs out there. Georgia has them, I have them. If you really, really, really just want to create art, there's nothing wrong with that. And if you just want to start selling portraits, there's nothing wrong with that. There's a. There's no wrong way. The only wrong way, I think, is being so afraid to do anything that.
- [41:28]
Georgia
You do nothing 100% that you're so afraid you don't try change your life in the way that you want to change it. My favorite type of student at the moment is someone that is already freelancing and they want to turn it into more. They believe in themselves more. So it's someone that has. They're a designer, they're an illustrator. They've reached that 100k ceiling in their business, which is great. They're like, I've got this money. This is amazing. But they don't know how to go to the next step. They're the people that are in secret artist business at the moment. But I think it's. Yeah, you don't. I guess, like, you just don't have to be a business person. But if you want to be. Yes. It is so exciting. It is so fun. My life is everything that I've ever dreamed of.
- [42:14]
Stacey Blooms Field
Yeah.
- [42:15]
Georgia
And. And it is because I have that passion and you have that passion to learn new things. The curiosity. The other day I was like, should I get the shop next door and like rent it out and have a co working space so that all my students can go somewhere, I think of an idea and then I action it. Like within 10 minutes, I'm like, okay, here, let's do this. And I think that curiosity, if you have that curiosity, if you have grit and determination and you have a good idea, do give it a go. I think you should give it a go. I don't want this to sound so, like, negative, but if you don't have that curiosity as well, that's okay. I just don't want people to feel shame, which I think that's what that this is that toxic positivity thing. People shame. I get students that are like, oh, Georgia, I'm so upset. I've had to go back to my part time job as an art teacher at the primary school. I'm like, is that the worst thing in the world? Like, no, I really love it. I'm like, so where's the shame coming from? And the shame is coming from the bloody Internet. Stop shaming women because they want to do different things and live in their own way. It's not fair.
- [43:22]
Stacey Blooms Field
And nothing has to stay forever. And you can try something because it felt good and then you can. You're allowed to change your mind. Well, thank you so much for being here. And where can everyone find you online?
- [43:31]
Georgia
Everyone can find me on Instagram. Orgadrawsahouse. That's the best place to be. That's where I live all the time. That's my house. Find me there.
- [43:40]
Stacey Blooms Field
So I'm grateful I got to chat with you today. Thanks everyone for listening. Thank you, thank you. And go check out Georgia. Follow her online and see what it looks like to be like living a business in real time. Beautifully with Georgia.
- [43:54]
Georgia
You guys are the best. You're the best. Stacy. Say hi when you find me on Instagram. Come into my DMs. I love talking to people.
- [44:00]
Stacey Blooms Field
She does. It's true. Bye. Bye. 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.
- [44:27]
Georgia
Bye.
- [44:32]
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