Self-Employed Artist Diaries_ A Very Cozy Q&A + Designing Enamel Pins! ✿ Studio Vlog

I feel like despite my calming presence, underneath it all is still work that has to be done and work that only I can do for myself and no amount of followers and likes can do that work for me. Hi. Welcome to another Uncomfy and Company video. If you don't know me, my name's Tammy. I'm a clay artist, but I also go by Uncomfy because your girl's a little anxious. I'm getting better though. But yeah, I make cozy art to make other people feel comfy. Today's a really gloomy day. I thought, why not sit down and take the time to answer some of your questions? And in the later portion of this video, you'll see me sculpting. You'll see my new hobbies that I've picked up. You'll see me illustrating a ton. You'll see me designing new enamel pins. And yeah, just the week in the life of a self-employed artist. Before I get to the questions, I just want to preface that I do consider myself a full-time artist just because the amount of hours that I put in equates to a full-time job despite being a part-time student. I really love making cozy art, connecting with people from around the world. I feel like my purpose really is making this, making art, and posting it. So with that in mind, this is the context that I'm answering all of these questions with. So Mini Rascal asked, how did you get started with a social media presence? Did you have to do any prep work or did you just jump in? My advice is to just do it. I started with nothing prepared. I started my social media page specifically for my shop, fresh with zero followers. Like it's great to have everything prepared, but the most important thing for me is to start following people that are like you, people who have art accounts, who have a similar following. So I literally typed in polymer clay art, like the hashtag, and then I looked at all the posts and then I followed everyone that I really liked their art and I started reposting them. And then that got them to notice me and my art. So they reposted my art. And then you create this whole community of friends who are trying to build their following the same as you and they become your mutuals, which is like your friends on social media, the ones that you will always comment on and they will always comment on you. And it's not a superficial thing. It's actual genuine support from other artists like you. So that's my biggest advice on jumpstarting your social media. Nicole Zhao asked, have you ever struggled with your appearance? How has showing your face on the internet influenced your self image? I used to be super self-conscious about my ears and it was like one of my biggest insecurities as a kid was like, I have big ears. But now I feel like social media has ironically helped me grow into them. People will always have things to say about you. But I think especially in the art community, like where I reside on the internet, a lot of people will actually be super nice about it. So just realizing that your insecurities are mostly gonna be overlooked by people. And if they do notice it, chances are they won't mind it or they'll think that you're special because of it. But I will say all of that starts from within. I became confident in myself well before I started posting on social media. So if you don't have that confidence and you're just relying on comments, that can be pretty detrimental. I think social media really forces you to have thicker skin about your appearance, but just focusing on how my content affects people as an artist, like if they found my video informational, if they found my video calming and peaceful, I really hold on to that more than anything else. And a question related to that is, are you feeling more comfy with yourself with all the love and likes and views that are pouring in? I feel like the human brain, or at least my brain, isn't meant to process numbers like that. On one hand, wow, all my hard work is really paying off and I'm super proud of myself. And then there are days where I don't feel proud of myself at all. I feel like I'm worthless and that's when the uncomfy part of my brain really kicks in. I feel like despite my calming presence, underneath it all is still work that has to be done and work that only I can do for myself and no amount of followers and likes can do that work for me. How long does it take for you to edit videos? Did you always like editing or does it feel like a chore sometimes? Damn, it takes me so long to edit my YouTube videos. I know a lot of people hire YouTube video editors because it does take forever, but I love editing. I feel like I'm making my own short film. Average video will take me at least eight hours to edit, I would say. Kitty Creations asked, do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of orders you need to sculpt? If so, how do you manage this? And then another question was, how do you not become so stressed while managing a business, school, social life, partner, family, et cetera? I would say especially when you're first becoming self-employed or an artist or starting your own small business, you will want to devote all your time and energy on your small business because it's your baby. But now that I'm two years in, I've gotten the hang of it. The number one thing that I would suggest is to set your priorities straight. My number one priority isn't my art, it's my health. Usually I'll average around seven to eight hours of sleep a night. And trust me, this is a very recent development, but I already noticed how much more productive and happy I am when I get a good night's sleep. I also make sure to work out every other day. I do Pilates and weightlifting. So yeah, just really prioritizing self-care so that you can get more work done, so that you can have more time to spend with your friends and family. And that's how I get everything done. Like it all starts right here. Like if I'm not feeling well, none of this will get done. I won't get any work done. This is weird. I remember my friend, he went to New Orleans. He was at a restaurant and he ended up talking to like a millionaire. And he told my friend, the secret to my success is sleep. And I don't know if my friend remembers that. Think about that guy a lot. And then related to stress management is burnout and how to avoid burnout as an artist. I'm the type of person where my mind is constantly running. I'm always thinking about the next thing that I have to do. So I really like to choose hobbies that help my mind shut down. Like things that you can do without really thinking about it. But I still enjoy hobbies where I'm creating something because that's where I find the most joy is when I'm creating things. And recently it's been diamond painting. It's like the cutest pixel art. Paint gem is the diamond painting kit that I use. And it's basically paint by numbers, except instead of painting, you're sticking gems down and you're left with just the cutest pixel art pictures and you can frame them and hang them on your wall too. So I just think it's so great. I don't like puzzles because puzzles you have to think about but with diamond painting, you don't have to think about it at all. And then the other hobby that I picked up recently is crocheting. I literally just started crocheting like two days ago and this is what I've made so far. I learned the single crochet stitch and then double half crochet stitch because I'm gonna make like 60 of these crochet squares and I'm gonna make a cardigan out of it. So, I hope that all helped you guys. Thank you for sending me all these questions. I think I got to most of the bigger themes. I'll just get to sculpting now. I wanted to show you guys the recent illustration work that I've been doing. I've been designing enamel pins recently and this is basically the work that goes into it. I chose this design as well as this design to send off to the pin manufacturer. And I Googled all the Pantone swatches that I wanted the pin to have. So if you don't know what Pantone swatches are, they're basically like the most standardized set of colors that most designers and manufacturers go by. And then after I sent them my illustrations, they came back to me with this proof and this is what a proof looks like. It just shows you what the pin is gonna look like before they actually manufacture it. I feel so official doing this, it's so fun. But yeah, they show you the actual size. So they're gonna be one inch pins, soft enamel. So that means the metal, like the gold metal is gonna be raised and then the color is gonna be recessed a bit. But this is all the Pantone colors I chose. This is what the rubber stopper is gonna look like. And then this is what the puffer cat pin is gonna look like as well. I'm super excited for these pins. Like this is the first thing that I've like truly designed and had someone else manufactured. Another thing that I did yesterday that I didn't film because I was too stressed about it were these clay puffer cats. These guys are literally just my illustrations but in clay form. By the time you guys see this video, they'll already be available in my shop. So right now I'm doing another commission sketch. She wants to have two cats, one orange and one Siamese with a mushroom sort of incorporated into them where there's like a hat or a backpack. And she wants the two cats to be standing next to each other. So I'm gonna start that. Look at the picture of this cat, so adorable. Okay, so the sketches took way longer than I thought they would, but here they are. Hi again. So I was stamping my packaging and then I thought why not film this because in one of my other studio vlogs, I was complaining about having wrist pain because I don't have like proper handle for my lino cut stamp. Someone suggested that I get a heavy roller and I was like, I don't have that but that's a really good idea. So I'm using this heavy bottle and it works amazing. And my wrists don't hurt anymore. So thank you to the person who said that, you're a lifesaver. I already know what it is but I'm still really, really excited. Hi Tammy, thank you for doing this art as well with me. I was having a rough day and the video of you making the harvest cat cheered me up. Wishing you all the best for everything you do and thank you for inspiring me and many others. It's a little head scarf. I'm so excited to wear this. She let me pick out which design I wanted. So I chose these yellow flowers and she also included these little yellow daisy earrings. And then look at these little illustrations she made on this mailer. I love the cowboy bee, so cute. This is what was in the cardboard mailer. The prettiest art print I've ever seen in my life. If you guys want to support her work, she has an Etsy and her Instagram is plumpomo. I also received this letter in the mail a couple weeks ago. I feel so bad because I kind of ripped it to shreds opening it. It's in the cutest stationery with the little sticker. And first of all, look at these little illustrations that she did. She is so talented, you guys. Like look at the little cow and the little Sakura. This one's my favorite actually. I love how she colored it, so cute. It says, dear Tammy, I'm a huge fan. My name is Addie and I'm 13 years old. You're probably one of my biggest role models. You've inspired me to start doing more art and even start making my own clay friends. I really want to start my own online shop and sell stickers, clay pins, stationery, et cetera, but I'm worried that no one will care and I'll just have wasted a lot of time and money. Do you have any tips for me? Anyway, your channel is amazing. I love your aesthetic and style. Whenever you post a video, I get super excited and watching it always makes my day. Well, thank you so much. I mean, I love your new desk setup and hope you enjoy living with your new roommates and cats. Thank you if you actually read this and I hope your day's extra comfy from a huge fan. She also illustrated me, so cute. Yeah, thank you so much, Addie. This means the world to me. I honestly forget sometimes that I am reaching such a broad audience. I get comments from older people and younger people like yourself and I just want to let you know that anything that you do to pursue your art will not be a waste of time whatsoever. But once again, thank you so much, Addie. This made my whole entire month.