Notes from Chris

Episode 1681

When Christine Chen and Emily Liu graduated from university, the two friends both landed jobs in management consulting. The jobs required them to work in a structured and logical manner. However, their shared passion for art left them wanting an outlet where their creative side could flourish, and they spent time talking about what it could be.

They experimented with freelance graphic design and selling acrylic paintings and stickers, but nothing stuck. This went on for a while until COVID lockdowns began, and the duo finally found an idea that they were excited about.

Because of the restrictions, travel was impossible, and they soon started seeing their friends post throwback photos of student exchange on Instagram. This made them look back at their own photos. The digital albums brought back great memories, especially since they’d spent four months together in France on their semester abroad.

As they laughed and reminisced (on FaceTime?), they realized that a lot of people were missing travel. It hit them that there could potentially be others who wanted digital paintings of inspiring places, perhaps ones that they hoped to visit when they could.

Of course, many people decorate their house with landscapes. Emily and Christine, however, thought that these paintings would hold a lot more meaning if they were memories of actual experiences. This belief formed the basis of what would become a travel-themed digital art business called Wandercolors.

They were then discovered by HGTV, a media channel focused on home improvement, and had their artwork showcased on some of their shows. These moments of publicity drove a significant number of sales, and they eventually began experimenting with paid Instagram and Facebook ads as well. Lastly, they were featured by BuzzFeed as a top Asian-owned brand to support.

Naturally, Emily and Christine achieved all this without quitting their day jobs. Startup costs were under $2,000, with much of that cost going towards two iPads. Today, they’re averaging $750 a month through the sales of artwork on their site as well as commissioned paintings from customers who want something more customised.

The real joy comes not only from the additional income, but from knowing that their creations live in the spaces of customers all over the world—whether it’s an album cover for a New York based singer on Spotify or icon designs for a Montreal-based storage startup.

Next, they’re looking at partnering with nonprofits to support causes such as stopping racial hate and encouraging sustainability.

 

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  MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Check out Emily and Christine's beautiful travel inspired artwork at their website, Wandercolors.

SEE ALSO:

• Successful Artist Adds $1,000/Month to His Income: An artist uses his love of whimsical drawing to create a side hustle selling everything from autographed prints to coffee mugs with his designs on them.
• Tuscan Vacation Inspires Leatherworking Hustle: When an engineering company manager books a vacation to Italy, he figures he’ll return with limoncello and olive oil—but he also ends up bringing back a profitable love for leatherworking.
• Artist Turns Daily Commute Into $5,000/Month Side Hustle: A painter uses her love for her hometown and her last $100 to start a side hustle creating art that pays real money.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work! Yours in the revolution,

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