Have you ever thought about licensing your artwork? Well, today I'm talking with Bari J all about how she got started as a surface pattern designer and how she put herself out there to get her first fabric company to license. We chat about how to educate yourself about pattern design, her favorite products she's created, and all about her new book. We also dive into her process and how she finds inspiration for her collections.
About Bari J:
Bari J. is a lifestyle brand that spans many categories including wall art, fabric, home decor, stationery, cards, wall murals, wall paper, stencils and more.
I'm an artist. As a very visual person, I probably always was, but I didn't always create art. I was a fashionista sort in high school, and I was crazy for interior design. But I was busy singing and dancing and being an actress. I never ever thought I could make art. My mom was the artist. I was the actress. That was that.
I came to art in my early thirties as a way to express myself when my children were young. Out of college, I had worked in advertising. And though I started college as a theatre major I graduated college with a degree in Social Sciences and Women's Studies. Not really related to art, I'd say.
But when our now almost grown girls were little, I was always puttering around. I wanted our home to be different. I didn't want it to look like a page from a Pottery Barn catalog. I wanted it to look like us. And I also didn't want to dress from a catalog. At the time, I started making jewelry from found objects and then collage art as well.
Soon I was sewing handbags and created a small business under the name Bari J. selling luscious fabric bags... and the Curated Maximalist Style was born (though I didn't know that quite yet). After several years, I decided I needed my own fabric for the bags, and with a background in graphic design for advertising, I started teaching myself to design fabric. A year later, I licensed my first line of fabric. It was a "painterly" line called Full Bloom that most assumed I had painted by hand. But I hadn't. For years I continued to create art just in the computer... and then I took the leap. Paint. And I was hooked.
Now years later I know what was always true. I am an artist. And I am a painter.
Since then I have created 15 collections of fabric, art for wall paper, home decor, wall art, and much more.
The Curated Maximalist Style has become part of who I am and what I do.
Links:
Episode 45 - Angie Avard Turner, Lawyer of Prepd for Success on Protecting Your Intellectual Property, Contracts for Creatives, & Copyrighting Images
Website: https://barijdesigns.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barij/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/barij/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BariJdesigns/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9pNVddXV5GWCkXHl5ZvbhQ
To get 50% off your first year with Honeybook, go to positivelycreative.net/honeybook!
About The Positively Creative Podcast:
The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields.
To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!
022 - Kristen & Lindsey Archer of Arch'd on Working with Family, Creating Products in Batches & Assembly Lines, & Having Day Jobs That Help Your Creativity Thrive for Your Creative Career
021 - Katherine Corden on Growing her Painting Hobby as a Side Hustle with a Full Time Career, Saying Yes to What She Wants, Painting Commissions, & Batching Work to Prioritize Her Time
020 - Pro Panel Q&A: Maker Booths on applying to craft fairs, how to set up your booth, to selling at festivals with Signet Sealed, Texstyle, Ella Jude, & Falling Into Place
019 - Amanda Torres of The Curious Coconut on Paleo & Auto Immune Protocol Cooking, the Launch of Her First Cookbook, & Marketing Through Pinterest, Facebook, & Instagram, & Monetizing a Blog
018 - Erin Austen Abbott of Amelia on Owning and Curating for Her Gift Shop Amelia, Writing Her New Book, How to Make It, Being a Contributor to Design*Sponge, & More
017 - Abby Phillips of Memphis Fashion Design Network on Creating Memphis Fashion Week, Building a Collaborative Design Studio, & Education Courses for Designers
016 - Amanda Campbell of Amanda Louise Interiors on Targeting her Ideal Client through Email Marketing & Blogging, Creating Styled Spaces for her Customers, & Collaborating with Artists
015 - Stacie Bloomfield of Gingiber on Licensing Illustrations, Growing Wholesale, & Pivoting in Your Business
014 - Meredith Piper Art on Having a Studio Retail Space with High Foot Traffic, Creating a Signature Art Form of Encased Weavings, & Painting Live at Events
013 - Emily Jeffords on Painting Collections, Getting Buyers to Connect with her Art via Instagram, and Only Doing the Creative Work she Enjoys
012 - Mary Claire White of Falling Into Place on Opening a Retail Store, Visioning What You Want for Your Business, Branding a Candle Line, and Etsy Wholesale
011 - Kelly Parker Smith & Caroline Hull of Creative Biz Rebellion Podcast on Starting a Podcast, the Etsy Action Plan, The Mompreneur Hustle, and More
010 - Sarah Baumann of Signet Sealed on Starting a Creative Business in College, Art Shows & Pop Ups, and Encouraging Community as a Rising Tide Society Leader
009 - Mini Episode with Dorothy - Work During an Emergency
008 - Caitlin Horton of Horton Brand Strategy on How to Take a Strategic Approach to Design and Marketing for Your Business
007 - Liana Kangas on Comic & Magazine Illustration and Breaking Into New Creative Communities
006 - Hillary Butler Fine Art on Hosting Art Workshops, How to Balance New Mama Life and Her Art Career & More
005 - Valerie McKeehan of Lily and Val on Licensing Artwork, Working with a Spouse, and Opening a Brick & Mortar Shop
004 - Kat Gordon of Muddy’s Bake Shop on Building Community in Your Business & More
003 - Kristen Ley of Thimblepress on Building a Brand Through Hard Work & Faith, Managing a Team, & How New Products Form In House and Through Collaborations
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