I started drawing digitally in 2016 so it's been eight years of this lifestyle. Over the years, I have learned that I cannot finish an art piece and expect it to sell. Customers tend to buy art from their favorite artists or art that resonates with them. So then I needed to think "Who am I? Why do I do this? Is this piece relatable?" And because I have taken the time to truly identify these answers, I am always prepared to share my elevator pitch and display my professionalism. "Hi, my name is Emily Cardiel. I have been working as a surface designer and digital artist since 2016. My business is Emmyteddy Designs: Hand-drawn everything, where artistry meets community. My dream is to create art and welcome others to witness the creative process, ask questions, and offer suggestions for future designs, nurturing a spirit of collaboration and community. It's your imagination and my canvas." In five sentences, I gave my name, years of experience, business name, services, and passion. I am already ahead of any other artist who cannot do that. This is not optional, your art needs a story.
My love language is gifts and that's why I create art. In elementary school, my teachers would keep track of holidays and plan related arts and crafts activities so every year, I had custom gifts for Mother's and Father's Day. As an adult, I'm thankful to my teachers for investing their money in supplies and for encouraging me to make gifts. As a kid, I didn't have money and as an adult, I still don't have much, but I can pay attention to my loved ones for free. I can notice their favorite color, animals, characters, and quotes, and put that all together to make a unique gift. So if you were to ask, "How did you decide that art would be the skill to work on?" Maybe I didn't decide that. I was encouraged to draw, create, and gift to others. I did, however, decide to continue.
You know, I can spend a whole week cooking, cleaning, exercising, and typing up paperwork and not feel productive. I get this itch to draw, like it's overdue so I sit down and I start drawing. When the session is done, I feel accomplished, satisfied, productive, and whole. I feel like sharing my craft. "Look at this. I just made it." I can spend a whole week doing chores and work, but I never feel like going around to share that. It will inevitably get dirty again and more paperwork will be due. That type of work never feels like enough. But with art, art always makes me feel like I'm enough.
It's strange, but I never thought to sell my art until 2016 when I bought my first digital art tablet. Right away, I was awful at drawing in Photoshop, but I still had this idea that eventually I would improve and sell my digital art. I think I was open to the idea because digital art can be reprinted so even if I'm attached to the art, I can still keep one copy and sell a copy.
Some challenges I have faced include imposter syndrome, loneliness, self-doubt, and despair. For all of my adulthood, I never knew how to introduce myself. When people would ask me what it is that I do, I would mentally pause and think "What exactly do I do?" I would eventually answer "Well, I'm a college student majoring in psychology with a minor in art." That was it, that was everything. It wasn't until 2022 that I started to gain confidence. It only took several years of drawing, selling my art, making content, and an art gallery feature. Then I started saying "I'm a surface designer. I make digital art that gets reprinted onto stickers, blankets, and all kinds of things." It was a sorry attempt at an elevator pitch, but it was the best I could muster.
It was time for me to get well-rounded. In the spring of 2022, I registered for a math course and I told myself "This is a clean slate. I can learn to be good at math." With this growth mindset, I was able to thrive. My professor did in-person weekly check-ins and every week, I studied so that my check-ins would just be small talk. Having my homework completed, my professor encouraged me to go around the room and help my peers which in turn, helped me to retain the knowledge better. With this experience, I practiced perseverance, resourcefulness, and leaning on my peers. By the end of the semester, I was offered a tutoring job.
From the summer of 2022 to the summer of 2023, I was a valuable asset to my peers. To keep employees connected, we attended frequent work meetings covering various topics like ethics, equity, customer service skills, personal growth, leadership, and service advertising. One meeting required that I work with a mentor and a small group of my peers to give a live presentation on the history of tutoring. To get better at art, I had to get better at math. I needed to practice problem-solving, public speaking, and accept challenges. I was rewarded for being a proactive student and helping uplift my peers. This led to a job, mentorship, and leadership opportunities.
Fast forward to the next math class. It was with a different professor, but I kept the same mindset. Everyone in the room is my peer. We are all here to pass this class so at least we have that in common. Right away, I was open with this professor about my history with math and how I learn better in a collaborative setting. Luckily, he was open with class communication and that set the tone for the rest of the semester. He encouraged students to collaborate and participate in group discussions and students looked forward to this class. It was in this class that I transitioned from student to peer to leader. This math class also overlaps with my public communications course where I had an assignment to interview someone who is established in their field. I wanted to get the most personal growth out of this assignment so I used the opportunity to interview both my previous and current math professor. How strange is that? I felt more connected, nurtured, and seen by my math professors despite majoring in psychology and art. I am thankful to these professors for never shutting me down. They treated me as their peer, encouraged my ideas, and allowed me to practice my leadership skills. So yes, I had two fantastic mentors and if you don't have any, I strongly recommend getting one. My email is open to you, just contact us.
If given the opportunity, I would not do anything differently. Everything had to come together this way. I needed to improve my art skills to make art worthy of money. Part of selling art includes selling a story and I had none. Personal narratives come from living life and at the start of Emmyteddy, I had not worked a single job. How could I make art that resonates with others when I had not yet connected to others? I had not yet connected with life. To improve my art, I needed to seek personal growth opportunities, take action, and allow myself to connect with people, serve people, and seek mentorship. Now my art has a story. Can you tell me yours?
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