The Alchemy of Art: Luisa Padro AKA Artysta LuLu

In this episode, we have a captivating guest whose art brings vibrant colors and cosmic wonder to life. Join us as we welcome Luisa Padró, better known as Artysta LuLu, a professional visual artist and expressionist painter. LuLu’s paintings offer a unique perspective, unveiling a childlike simplicity in the face of complex and otherworldly ideas. Luisa promotes peace, love, self-empowerment, and an unyielding curiosity with every brush stroke. Don’t miss Artysta LuLu’s most profound lessons learned as an artist, sharing wisdom and experiences that will resonate with creatives and entrepreneurs alike.

About Our Guest
Luisa Padro, who also goes by Artysta LuLu, is a visual artist/expressionist painter whose style mixes vivid, energetic, happy colors with cartoons and images of the cosmos. Her paintings bring a simplistic, childlike view to complex and out-of-this-world ideas, promoting peace, love, self-empowerment, and curiosity.

Connect with Artysta LuLu

https://www.instagram.com/artystalulu

https://www.facebook.com/ArtystaLuLu/

https://www.tiktok.com/@artystalulu

https://twitter.com/ArtystaLuLu

Full show notes here.

Chapters

• 3:25 How LuLu decided to pursue art professionally
• 8:13 What is sellable art?
• 15:15 How artists are alchemists
• 17:14 When Artysta LuLu knew she made it
• 19:50 Law of Attraction
• 21:18 Beginner’s Luck
• 25:37 Standing up for the value of your art
• 31:13 How Artysta LuLu balances her time creating versus marketing
• 34:00 Creating art with her artist husband
• 37:20 Gatekeeping and other challenges within the artist community
• 42:24 Artysta LuLu’s biggest lessons learned as an artist

Transcript

Ashley Mejia: 0:08

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the top freelance me podcast. I'm your host, Ashley Santos mahiya. And you are in for a treat today freelance spam because we have our very first artist on the show. Welcome everyone. Please introduce yourselves and welcome to the space out of the star Lulu. Hey, everybody. Hi, Lulu. How's it going today? How are you over there in Tampa.

Artysta LuLu: 0:36

Phenomenal, phenomenal. Honestly, I couldn't be better. It's wonderful. Just like super in the middle of a transition with like movie, got my new art studio, which is where I am at the moment. So working already on many projects, like right at the end of some big projects right at the beginning of a new project. So just excited, ecstatic.

Ashley Mejia: 0:55

That's so cool. Guys. I've known artista Lulu for many years now. And she actually made a beautiful painting to me. I'm gonna have a picture of this. If you're listening on audio, I'll have it on my social media. So you can see this is a Phoenix painting. If anybody's familiar with the concept of the Phoenix, the mythical bird, that is a stands for rebirth in recreation, so meaningful to me and I always have it in my office. I see it every day. And it just brings me such inspiration. So I'm so excited today to get to talk about your career Lou and your artwork, freelance Pam, I'm going to read you a little bit about her bio so you can get to know Lisa more. Louisa Pedro, who also goes by Artesia Lulu is a visual artist expressionist painter whose style mixes vivid, energetic, happy colors with cartoons and images of the cosmos. Her paintings bring a simplistic childlike view to complex and out of this world ideas, promoting peace, love, self empowerment and curiosity. That is amazing. So that's your formal bio, but why don't you introduce yourself to the audience and tell us more about you?

Artysta LuLu: 2:07

Absolutely. So I am a professional fine artist, painter, muralist, Illustrator, I have illustrated a couple of children's books now, two children's books. The third one in the works. Also, I have a parallel, I sell my own apparel, I had an apparel line that I do all of the designs for, it's like an art, you have to have a particular style you like bold colors, and artistic patterns and things like that. But I'm able to incorporate my art into multiple mediums. And the reason that that is, is because I want everyone to be able to have access to it. So obviously, I need to be able to make a living off of it. So not just like here are free art for everyone. But I love you know, doing public art because that's free to the public, the public gets to enjoy the art in that way. Apparel, it's at that price point where people they're like, I'm willing to spend this much on fashion because fashion makes people feel a certain way. But I also do stickers and little pins and greeting cards, because I want to be available at every price point. So not just paintings like yourself, if you have a collection and original one of one, that whatever you pay for it, it's already worth multiple that today. So imagine 1020 years, so I don't know. I just did a picture. I'm like, why should investment? Like yeah, I started going to like where I started in? Absolutely, yeah.

Ashley Mejia: 3:24

Tell us about that decision.

Artysta LuLu: 3:25

Sure. So you know, I've been an artist ever since as a child, but not really self titled artists. I just love drawing and doing anything that was related to artistic expression, dance, poetry, music, musical insurance, etc. I grew up always being this way. Like literally in the fifth grade. I used to steal art supplies. I'm not really that proud of that. But like I feel like we're past the, the period of time where you could get like, you know, a recipe or something like that. But yeah, I used to actually after art class, I would be like looking for the teacher so that I could stick a couple of extra art supplies because I was like, addicted to making art but never really understanding that that would be an option as a career growing up, because my mind was always set on like, professional like in terms of doctor, lawyer pharmacist, something along those lines. So I did go to a four year college and Tennessee State University, where I am a founding sister of my chapter. Yes, bring us this listo but yeah, so I went I got my degree in mass communications, public relations specifically. And in 2008, I moved to Tampa, Florida, where I was like, I'm going to be this businesswoman is going to be bossing everything like I'm going to be on top of the corporate ladder. Well, she doesn't they also happen to be the recession. So Little did I know that I was coming to Tampa thinking I'm going to be buying my own house like in a couple of years. No, I was literally in line applying for waitressing jobs because there was no jobs. We had to take like standardized tests. Just to try to get a waitressing job, I was like, Is this real. But to make a long story short, you know, I did get a couple of jobs within like customer service, I ended up working for a university. So I've started doing student services, but basically advising students on their career beyond, you know, their bachelor's degree or their master's degree. And I was actually pursuing my MBA during that time. And I kind of hit a crossroad in 2009, to 2010, where I was really trying to decide what do I want to do professionally, I'm gonna go for the MBA continuing with the MBA, or do I have this opportunity to become a lawyer and that whole thing, oh, I might become a lawyer. And when I tell you that the universe conspired to make that not happen, like, I can't tell you how many times I showed up to the LSAT prep test class, and they were like, you're not registered for this class. And my email says and register for this class. Oh, yeah, that class got canceled. It's in a month, one month later, oh, yeah, we had to cancel that class. There wasn't enough people to sign up for it. So like, that just continually kept happening. So then I started thinking, What do I do I really want to become an artist. And I had this epiphany moment in 2010. When all of that was happening, I was at this crossroad. And I was like, Who am I really living my life for? Right? Let's be honest, you know, let's see not here. Very traditional upbringing. I wanted nothing more than to please my parents and my family. And I wanted to make everybody proud of me. That's it. That was really my main motivation forever, was I just want everyone to be proud of me. But then there was this epiphany I had, which was like, Are you going to be proud of yourself, you know, like, I'm the one that has to put in all of the work, and all the time for the classes. And then let's say, hypothetically, I become a lawyer. You know, that's a lot of work. And for what just for people to be proud of me. When I'm spending every extra dollar, I have our art supplies, and making art, you know, and if it's your birthday, you're getting a painting, you get a painting, you get a green, a unit of painting, like it gave me a reason to create. So I was like, I'm going to do this for myself. And I did. And every step after that was art focus, I did not quit my job to become an artist, I just want to put that out there. Because some people think that that's our message. And that's not my message. definitely focus on going for whatever that dream is, and putting in all of your extra time and effort into it. But you want to keep your things in order first, right? Before you do that. So here we are. Yeah. What is it? 13? Usually,

Ashley Mejia: 7:24

that is an incredible story. I love that so much. And I could totally see, you know, how you're using your public relations, expertise, your business expertise, you know, just knowing about those things, and leveraging them now in showcasing your paintings and your creative work. So the world that is so cool. That's really, really courageous.

Artysta LuLu: 7:49

Thank you so much. Thanks. I appreciate that.

Ashley Mejia: 7:52

I love that. I love love, love that. Can you explain to us because there might be a lot of people who are interested, who also enjoy art, maybe they view it as a hobby. They're doing this nine to five, but maybe they would like to learn more about selling it? Can you explain what's considered like sellable art versus art that you just make for your own

Artysta LuLu: 8:12

fulfillment? Absolutely. Wow. Okay, now this is going to be a bit of a rabbit hole. So I'll try to keep quite condensed. Now, I think for most artists, one of the biggest struggles is actually defining your own work as art. A lot of us have like imposter syndrome. And we don't think it's good enough. We compare ourselves right away to whatever else is out there. We're not really taking into consideration the journey that other artists are taking, like how much time years and their experiences that got them to where they are, we're just taking it for face value. My artwork doesn't look like that. And therefore my artwork must not be art. That is a farce. That's completely fake. I mean, it's not true. It's a lie, right? The devil is a liar. And so first thing first is make the art that makes you happy. That's it, when you're creating artwork, do not make your main focus what is going to sell. And I know that sounds kind of counterintuitive, if you have like any business training, because in business training, it's like, we need a focus group to tell us what they like. And we need to make that right. But when it comes to art, art is so subjective. It's a language, it really is a language, all kinds of forms of our language. And so make what burns your flame, because there will be, I promise you, out of nearly 8 billion people on this planet, there will be a sufficient number of people that will resonate with what you're making, no matter what it is. I mean, as long as it's not harming anyone, that's what I say, as long as you're not harming anyone else. But so long as you're making something that's feeding that flame within you, you will find other people make sure that you're communicating the story behind it because everybody wants to know what it means. What does this mean? What inspired you like people want to be able to connect with it that way, because you can only receive so much information visually. But once you know what the story is behind it, or what the inspiration was behind it, even if it was just a feeling, say that, even if you're like, I don't know, I saw the red and I saw the blue and I saw the green and I felt like a red goes here, the blue goes here, the green goes here, it was just a feeling. Well, what were you thinking, when you had that feeling? Maybe there's something that you're kind of going through in your own life that was leading you to feel that way to do that. Okay, I could go on forever about that. But that's my point. Number one, is make art that you love. Secondly, if you really want to sell it, you know, that focus group, we talked about your friends and your family and your co workers, that's your focus group. Start sharing what you meet, and seeing if there's anyone within your immediate focus group, your circle, that would be interested in either purchasing a work of art that you already have created, or be commissioning you to create a work of art for them, you know, start to think it's really great to experiment. I think that experimentation is something that artists should do, and they should constantly do it is something that helps you find what is your voice? What is your handwriting, if you will in art. So definitely experiment. But with that that focus group, you're going to find a couple of people who will pay you for what you're doing. I know for me personally, again, I had to be like convinced that my artwork would sell before I could actually believe I could sell it. But I didn't have anyone really guiding me through that process. I had a neighbor who saw a work of art that I made that no kidding was like this small, and he paid me $200 for it. I didn't ask them. The price, I was just showing him the work that I had made. And he said, I want that painting, I will give you $200 right now for it. And I was like, wait a minute, what is the catch? Like? Is this the reality TV show? Like, are you sure you're not going to just ask for your money back. And that was actually one of the moments for me that really lit the light bulb in my head that wow, I can actually make money off of this, that this is something that I could actually create some income with. So yes, additionally, if you're coming into this situation right now, the internet is your friend. It is so your friend because not only is there YouTube University where you can learn how to do pretty much any and everything. You know, you've got all the social media as a tiktoks, the Instagrams, the Facebook's, there's people, artisans, constantly showing you how to do things like before, you almost had to just figure it out yourself. And now you could just watch somebody else do it and say, hey, I can apply this as well, in my own way, which is another thing like, please be original. Yes, I know artists, they steal from each other, but be original as much as you could possibly be because you want to be able to stand out from like all the rest of it. You don't want somebody to look at your artwork and say, Oh, isn't that so? And so like, no, that's my artwork. Sorry. So yeah, going back to that, start within your immediate circle, find those groups, find out what they want, find out what are they willing to pay for, you'd be surprised that people will pay for prints. A lot of artists kind of they think like, Well, I gotta create this one painting, and I've got to sell it and I've got a sell for top dollar. And why isn't it selling? Well? Have you ever thought about taking a high quality photo of that painting, and then printing off like a limited run of prints that you sign? And then selling those? That is a big way of how do you say, making it work for you cash counting, if you will, that one image, and I know for some artists as well. And I might be jumping the gun on some questions. But for some artists, they have a hard time letting go of their art because they're extremely attached to like the meaning of it, I come across a lot of artists who they want to sell their work, but they're just like, This is my baby, this is my child, you know, my child. So that's where you can make prints and you can sell prints, and you can make that a cash cow for you make some money off of that. And yeah, I hope I answered the question. I know that was a very loaded answer. I love it.

Ashley Mejia: 13:50

Thank you, you can tell that you've done this for a long time and that you've gained, you know, a lot of wisdom, a lot of experience in this space. And I just think that it's so true when you were talking about the story that people are curious about the story. And I've seen that I've asked that like even at restaurants, with musicians, when your favorite artists comes out with a new album or a new song even, you know, or the new music video. It's always like, what was the creative process? What was the inspiration and I think even now more so with like AI and how AI is disrupting content, you know, like writing art, even music. People like you who create something from nothing, and it's from your human hands and your human brain like that is going to be even more of a premiere like couture top shelf experience, you know, because they only can be one there is only one out of the star Lulu and that's very special. And I think that people are gonna want to crave it. I think people are excited about the technology and I think there's a space for it. But now even more so when there's so many things things that are commodities that you come from overseas and they don't mean anything, when you get a piece of artwork that someone thought about that it literally, you breathe life into this creation. Like I think that's so special.

Artysta LuLu: 15:15

Thank you. Yes, I love that analogy. Because it really is. I also like to say that artists are Alchemist. Because we are able to essentially turn an idea which is nothing, right you think of like an idea. It's like it's not a physics not a tangible thing. It's this like, metaphorical thing. And then we're able to produce something that is in its physical form that all started right here. So I do believe that artists are Alchemist. You know, I think of that all the time. Not just like, what I do artists, but just any type of art art form. That, to me is alchemy. And for those who are watching, if you don't know what alchemy is, it's turning, I believe it was like aluminum into gold or something like being able to change the chemical compound of one metal. And I feel that that's exactly what art is, you know, it is

Ashley Mejia: 16:06

I mean, the ability to take something abstract, like a thought or a concept. And to make it visual, like that's unbelievably hard. Because when you're writing a story, and I know you write as well, you know, you can use words, to get to where you're going, even if you haven't written the idea out yet. But you can start to shape it, you can say, here's what I know about it, or here's the thoughts that I want to kind of communicate. And you can use other words as almost like stepping stones to get to what you're trying to communicate. But what you're doing visually, is literally taking something that's unspoken, that doesn't exist anywhere and you're creating it. There is no stick figure because you're drawing the stick figure here. You're creating the painting. And it's magical.

Artysta LuLu: 16:54

Thank you. Yeah, I like I love thinking about it like, Yeah, and so

Ashley Mejia: 16:57

you've done this for a while. Can you share your most memorable art project? I know you do murals, I know. You mentioned your clothing. Tell us about Lumi that first big win even or when you realize like, oh my god, I'm doing it.

Artysta LuLu: 17:11

I made it. What was that? Like? Oh my gosh, wow. You know, I don't want to get asked this question. So thinking about it. It's like there's so many different moments that were so pivotal for me because again, like I can't stress enough being an artist that the amount of imposter syndrome that you feel, because I don't know, sometimes it's like, I can have a day where I feel like it's not my art isn't resonating with anyone, like, Oh, why do I even put so much time and effort into this? Nobody's even connecting with it. And then the next day, it's like somebody comes right up, like if they were spying on me, and they're like, Oh, my God, you're just a little little I see your art everywhere. I love it. Oh, my God, I my cousin bought your piece. Like, like, whoa, like, Where's this coming from? Like, it's almost like the universe of like, let's just validate your feelings really quickly. Let me send a believer to you real quick. But let's see one major moment. For me. I'm a very big believer of law of attraction. And that was actually one of the things I watched the secret in 2010. And that was one of the moments for me that I was like, you know, again, so do that epiphany, like, who am I living? What am I doing all of these things for whose happiness is really what matters hear for me, and she doesn't have 13, a coworker of mine, I was working at a university and a co worker of mine comes in with a magazine. And my coworker comes in with a magazine. And it's called the law of attraction. And I was like, Hey, this is right up my alley. And he sits next to me. And he agreed and the magazine was loose, I can see you in this magazine. Now mind you, at this point in my life, I was in Miami, I had gotten into a gallery down in Miami at a collection of about once, it was like 15 cohesive pieces. And I had it in the show down down in Miami. So my coworker had not seen my show utiles photos. They look to me like, I can see you in this magazine. And I'm like, Oh my God, that's so sweet. So that's so kind of you to say that he's like, No, seriously, you should contact whoever the publisher is, and see if they'll put you in this magazine. And I'm like, That is such a harebrained idea, like who would be like, let me get this artists that nobody knows about and throw it in this magazine. And no kidding, I did it. I was like, let me just be like, what's the worst that could happen? They say no, and you're at the same place that you were before, which is one of my main philosophies. Ask, just ask. So I shoot them a message or like ham this artist, I'm actually in a major gallery down in Miami, you know, all against the odds. It was when I believed in the law of attraction that I started to use it to work for me. And if you're just give me one moment, here's Law of Attraction magazine,

Ashley Mejia: 19:44

Guru fruity conscious money, the topic to love that. And but I'm

Artysta LuLu: 19:51

looking for the magazine that has my article in it. So there it is. Brains. There's my article. Her Law of Attraction magazine called pursuing my passion, beautiful. But there I am with my painting was my passion, I discovered the art of the law of attraction. And I wrote the article myself. So she asked me, she was like you have an article just about your story. And I didn't at that moment, I was like, Yes.

Ashley Mejia: 20:21

Let me set up. Like, why would I write

Artysta LuLu: 20:25

writing something real quick. But it's essentially the story that I told you about, like, you know how I had gone to college, I got a degree, I was working in a professional environment. And but my passion has always been Arthur Ashe really wanting to pursue that. And then I came across information about law of attraction. And I started to use that to my benefit. And so that's essentially what the story is. So yeah, I mean, there's the cover here.

Ashley Mejia: 20:48

That's incredible. Oh, my goodness, ethic love. Wow. I love that.

Artysta LuLu: 20:54

So yeah, so that is, that is one of my proudest moments, I can say. And actually, it was like, kind of a first for me, because again, I had essentially been like, creating all the hype for myself, so that like, I would keep going with it. And if you've ever read the book by Paulo Coelho, the alchemist, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, have you read that book?

Ashley Mejia: 21:14

Yes, it's been a while. But now I need to read it. Now that we've talked about it,

Artysta LuLu: 21:18

read it, oh, it's always good. But essentially, it's kind of like the thing that says that there's a universal law of beginner's luck, that whenever you set out for something, and you're like, This is a passion of mine, I really want to pursue this, there will be like this chain of events that just happen in your favor, because it wants you to pursue that path. So it doesn't make it far too difficult. Otherwise, you'll quit, right? So I feel like that was kind of one of those Alchemist moments for me when I got into this magazine again. And then I got printed twice, because I got printed in the end of the year. It was like the recap. So they republished my article, which was amazing. It ended up getting me in another gallery that same year, for being in the article, I got a feature spot. So I got a whole month feature show in the gallery all because I was in an article in my coworker just showed up with the magazines like art, so you will hit magazine and

Ashley Mejia: 22:10

amazing. And we went to I never

Artysta LuLu: 22:12

ever would have ever thought like, oh, submit an article like, that's a thing. I mean, I'm a public relations major, I should have known that's a thing, right. But I guess I've never thought about it for myself, you know, I never thought about it. In that context. I thought about it in the context of the move for a client, but that would be major. And then another major point besides being in the gallery, I was in a gallery called the Watergate art gallery in Ybor City, which was a co op gallery. And I feel like those years I was in that gallery from 2013, until it closed in 2000 nights, the building had gotten sold. And so our spot got taken, which was fine. But those years were super formative for me as an artist, I learned so much just about art business, which for anyone who is an artist, it is crucial you learn about how our business works, like, it is good to just be like, No, I'm gonna make art and I'm just gonna tell people, I sell it. And I'm going to make a little website, and I'm going to do that. But there's a lot of marketing knowledge that goes into it. Nowadays, in today's day and age, you have to understand the algorithm, you have to know on what social media platforms post what, at what time and at what date, and what hashtags to use, and who to tag, you know, all of those things. They're all like crucial elements, you need to learn those things to become successful in the business aspect. I mean, definitely, I went into it, thinking, oh, I'll just Law of Attraction my way into this. Which it is true. Like, you know, the belief is such a large factor. And absolutely, I'm a huge proponent of you know, what you think about your bring about, but you do have to follow that up with action, and you will not just attracted if you're just sitting in your room doing nothing about it and thinking about it, like the thinking is crucial that you have to follow whatever you're thinking and follow it up with some of that action. So yeah, learning the business being at the laundering. I was huge. I learned so much about how to price a piece, who do you sell it to? What information do you give them to sell it to them? You know, before when I was a little bit more naive, I thought well, I need to be able to justify the value of this piece by letting them know how much I paid for all the materials. So by the way, just Canvas cost me this and this this many paints I use if you can tell there's like at least 20 different colors of paints, which means that I needed this much and it took me this many hours to make. That was Lulu or at least that or to Salou, however which I know me as from 2010 2023. Lulu would say it the amount of time that you spent learning about your crafts, the amount of time you spent creating the individual piece, give yourself a proper hourly wage. One thing a lot of people don't think about is how As often are you handling that keys from say, gallery to Gallery, pop up show to pop up show or whatever format for you to sell it. So I posted it on my website, but I've also shown it at 20 different art shows. Let me ask you, Ashley, do you think that those 20 art shows that I've handled that GS and showcase it and spoken to different people about it? Should that factor into the value of the painting at all? I think so.

Ashley Mejia: 25:27

I think that you put a lot of work into marketing that painting and yeah, developing it talking it up in Yeah. And people probably express interest in it to Yeah,

Artysta LuLu: 25:37

exactly. So I don't think a lot of artists think about that whatsoever. They just think, okay, I spent approximately $100 in materials on this one piece. So I'll just charge $50 over that. Like, what? Like, it's kind of like, how are you going to be able to have any type of successful business, if your markup is $50, like in this and a tiny, that's not happening. So definitely, you want to be able to stand by the value of your piece. One thing that I learned from my husband, he's a New Yorker, by the way, and he is very unfiltered. very matter of fact, he does not sugarcoat I, on the other hand, although I'm a Reagan military brat, I was raised predominantly in the south, so in southern states, or like in the Midwest, so I was learned, like the oh, excuse me, I'm sorry, like mad, please. Like, oh, I'm sorry, like, and apologizing for everything that I do. Even if I didn't do anything?

Ashley Mejia: 26:25

Yes, me too.

Artysta LuLu: 26:27

I'm a very, you know, like, I'm just sugarcoat and tapered. And before somebody used to ask me, What do you charge him for this? He said, be like, Oh, is it okay? If I charge this much, he'll raise the price just to see how they feel about it. He's like, Well, I know, it's 250. But let me just say 350 and see where your heads that, you know, because he's like one of those negotiators, you take him to the flea market, and you're getting a deal on every. But I learned a lot from that sort of attitude that sort of you have to do that way in business. And I think as artists where we are a little bit more submissive, because the way society sort of treats artists just at all in general, it's almost like you have the audacity of doing something you love. And as if it's not work,

Ashley Mejia: 27:10

yes. Or you know what, that resonates so much with me as a writer who writes professionally, because it's like, oh, well, you know, I would write this myself, but I'm just really busy, or like, I'll have my college student daughter just write the copy for this, or I'll hire somebody from overseas to do it. And it's like, okay, well, if it's that easy, why don't you do in it? Like, right? And why should these things that are like you said, society, the Society of us artists, that the starving artists, or that we're starving writers, and we're always tinkering with something, but you know, we're not given that permission to profit from our talents. And it's like, how, how do people have that Audacity? To your point, you didn't just wake up with these skills, it's taken you a lifetime to get to 2023? You know, and so like,

Artysta LuLu: 28:04

thank you.

Ashley Mejia: 28:05

Exactly. Just because a painting might take you a lot, maybe less time, maybe not, but but they're not paying for your time. They're paying for the value and the impact and the insight, like what I was talking about the inspiration you're painting gives me that's something I can't buy just anywhere, you know, and so people need to come correct. Come with respect, you know, toward these gifts you have.

Artysta LuLu: 28:30

Thank you. Thank you. Y'all heard it here first. Yes, like, seriously, I mean, I'm so happy that you're saying this. And I know that, like you said, you resonate with this, because you're also a creative so you understand what it's like for people to try to sort of devalue the work that you're doing. And again, it to your point, I get that so often, as well. It's just like, Oh, my kid, they're looking at my art. And let me show you what my 10 year old is doing. And I'm like, so what are you trying to say, like, your 10 year old is great, by the way that 10 year olds are really good. But it won't sound the same, right? Like if somebody were to have someone else write that for them, it would not sound the same, and it will not have all of the educational background as you have to offer and that value to put into that. And it's just kind of like, I think what we need to do is just learn how to put into words what that value is, how can we like better explain to our clients what they're getting for their dollar amount other than just what they see? Because they're looking at it? They're like, Oh, well, this is on a wood panel. I know that probably didn't cost you hardly anything and I'm like, cuz it's on wood. Guess what, I'm charging twice as much now. Because it messes everywhere. Woods, not like with inflation, you know, it's like, no, but um, but seriously, I think like, yeah, just to your point. As artists, my suggestion is definitely learned the business as much as possible and there are free resources out there. If you can't afford to, like go back to school to learn it. That's not a problem. There are so many resources that are out there. There's free resources. I'm a part of like, four or five different artists newsletters that I just kind of like Googled artists grants, you want to look for nonprofit arts organizations, because they get financial funding. No, that was that was redundant funding from like the government to go towards artists and to go towards nonprofit organizations, and etc, and to really fund the arts. So that's like a really big resource. And it does it. There's a lot of little tidbits and things that you can learn about the arts business through that as well.

Ashley Mejia: 30:36

That's a great resource. I love that. I love that. That's really great advice. You've touched on so many gems there. Thank you so much. How do you because I know you were you were talking about before, you know, you create for yourself, but then you also create for you through your focus group, like you set through what people are resonating with are kind of what they're asking for. How do you organize your time with creating the art? And then all of the marketing, like the social media that goes into the art shows the talking to people like is that 6040? Like, how would you divide that,

Artysta LuLu: 31:14

that is not a hard number, because it really goes based off of like what the priority is, if I have a commission, and there's a deadline to that commission, that's my number one priority, like, you probably won't see a post for me online, just because I'm so hard focused on getting this project done. But what I tried to do is because I have all of like things on my cell phone or on my tablet, I know any opportunities that I get, if we're, let's say at a coffee shop, and I'm waiting for my coffee to get laid, or I'm just chilling at the coffee shop, that's what I'm going to capitalize on that free time. And I'm going to do the post make a little real if I have some of that time to make the real, you know, respond to what I need to. I mean, I'm pretty much working like I can't say 24/7. But if I'm awake, and I'm not painting, I'm probably on my phone either looking up, like, what are the opportunities? What ideas can I use from the reels to make a new reel that's going to, you know, display my artwork and sort of just kind of keep pushing the artwork. So there's not really a hard number for me, unfortunately, I will make a list of what needs to get done. And I'll prioritize what are those things that are the most important. But yeah, this being my full time, but I do have sort of like the freedom to do so which I could say. But yeah, I would say it's definitely Commission's first though, like if I'm working on a personal project, that this is something that I'm probably not going to see the payment for until this is out about and all of that. There'll be a hard stop the minute the commission comes through. And I mean, again, that could be my own fault. I know some artists who they'll say, for this month, through this month, I'm taking no commissions, and they'll sort of tear it around the holidays. So that would work best like say August through January would be your commission period. And then February to whenever would be like maybe the offline like no commissions at all. I'm focusing only on projects. I know that that works for some artists as well. I haven't been able to do that. I'm kinda like somebody's telling me like, Hey, we got this thing in two weeks. And I'm like, okay, I can make a habit. I can recap. So yeah, now I'm lucky. My husband, he's an artist as well. So I definitely I have to give him a shout out. I have to give him all the props because he comes through like, I definitely got so lucky. Maybe it was law of attraction. Yeah. But I definitely got a supportive partner. And you know, he comes in and he'll help me with whatever needs to get done if it's crunch time.

Ashley Mejia: 33:51

That's so cool. So do you guys create pieces together? Or murals together? Like are your styles like, way different? How does that work?

Artysta LuLu: 34:00

So we do have different styles. You know, he's like, from New York. So he has a very, like, New York graffiti street style that he incorporates a lot of like pop art, kind of comic book, you know, themes, and superheroes and things like that, like, you know, anime or whatever. Because the him and all his friends, they love that stuff. So he creates stuff that he loves. And then people find them and they're like, oh my god, I love this. He's like, Yeah, no, I love it too. Whereas mine is a very kind of whimsical cartoon, very illustrative style. But we do come together because my strong suit has been the characters. And whereas my weaker side, I don't want to call it a weakness, but I wasn't as focused as what was happening in the background of my pieces, because subjectively I was always focused on the character itself. And so the backgrounds will be pretty simple. I always kind of kept it simple. With him. He has such an abstract mind, and when it comes with spray paints and things like that, he did create some Amazing extracts, like style backgrounds. So sometimes there's been a number of pieces where he'll do like a whole abstract graffiti thing, and it'll hand it to me, no discussion hits me and say, Here, pay something on this. And I'll look at it. And it might say the word like love, right across it, like that's the one thing that sticks out as the word love. So then I'll draw some characters, like over it, and around it and everything, which is demonstrating that word love, but where you could still see the word, but I'm adding paint where it needs to be. But it's still kind of like, you could still see his work underneath and away. So we've done collaborations like that a number of times, it's kind of like my favorite. But I can say like, in terms of artistically, we respect each other enough as well, like, he's doing his piece through your piece, like you're on it, I trust you on what you're doing. Like, we might have a suggestion for each other that might say, like, Oh, what if you did like this type of border or something? And then he'll think about it. Oh, that's a good idea. Maybe he'll use maybe you won't, but we're not the type to be like, Well, I told you to use a border and didn't want to use it. Like, which? Yeah, honestly, before he and I got together, I kind of had decided, like, I am not dating an artist, because I always thought if I had ever dated the artists, it would be that I would be like, dictated to on how I'm supposed to be doing. And I never wanted that. And no, he's completely the opposite. He's just like, he'll throw up a suggestion. And sometimes it's like an amazing idea. And vice versa. And then sometimes they'll just be like, Oh, I like that idea. But you know, that wasn't really what I had in mind or whatever, just work on it ourselves. So it works out. So definitely don't like assume that you know everything about like, what a dynamic relationship does.

Ashley Mejia: 36:35

That's so cool. I love that I love that you have that that shared passion that shared Allah and that's really, really cool.

Artysta LuLu: 36:43

Yes, yes, I got lucky. I got really,

Ashley Mejia: 36:45

that's so neat. So you talked a little bit about some of the challenges that you know, you've been doing this a long time. And I know, you know, in the writing space, things can get competitive, even like a scarcity mindset like, because, as writers we've been told, Oh, you know, chat GPT is taking your jobs, people overseas or taking your jobs, there's not enough. Is there a competitive mentality? In our Have you experienced gatekeeping? Or artists hoarding opportunities? And if so, how have you managed those challenges?

Artysta LuLu: 37:21

1,000%? Yes, absolutely. I don't know. Like, if it's just the nature of the beast, or if it's the city that I live in, or what but there definitely have, I've experienced both sides. So first, to the gatekeeping side of it, like absolutely, yes, definitely the competitive side of it. I know that personally, I've had artists, friends of mine who went from like liking everything that I posted. So I don't see them in my likes, at whatsoever, or comments whatsoever. And it is sad to me, like I would hope that any artists out there would know that I don't feel like I am in in competition with anyone. And the reason being is because taste is such a specific thing to each person. That just because another artists can be selling next to me, it doesn't mean that that artists going to steal myself. And I'll give you a perfect example. My husband and I, whenever we sell, we sell right next to each other our booths, or our tent is either the same tents, or it's one right next to the other. And I mean, granted, We're husband and wife. So yeah, what's good for him, it's good for me to write you think. But at the same time, I could tell you that whoever wants to buy his painting, because they resonate so much with that, they're not interested in my piece, because it looks so vastly different. Or vice versa. You know, it's like, I can't tell you how many somebody who's just like they're in love with, let's say my style of work, they're not jumping over to buy his piece right away, because it's it's such a different taste. And that's the same with all artists. And I personally feel if we're in an environment, like let's say an art festival, where there's a whole bunch of tents with artists all selling, you'll find that artists will make more money in those environments than if they were just in a tent by themselves, even with a bunch of traffic. And I'll tell you the reason why. Because if you show up at a festival, and you see this person carrying the painting that they just bought, you see that person carrying a PC, that's why you see this person carrying a PC, all from different artists. And you've always been wanting to pull the trigger and buy a painting, I have the money to buy one, and you're in this environment, you're going to be more likely to buy a painting, because you're going to feel like everyone is given permission to spend their money right now. Like they're all doing it, I feel comfortable doing it too. If they could do it, I could do it. So then that is good for all of the artists in that environment. Versus again, like I said, one artist, you know, just on a sidewalk with hundreds of people walking by, they don't see people buying art and fine art, you know, carrying around paintings, they're gonna be like, I don't feel like you're going to be as successful. And that's the reason why there are. That's the same reason why you go to a shopping mall, and there's 10 stores to buy jeans from. They're not trying to take each other out. They're literally spending Have shop across from each other. Why do you think there's McDonald's and Berkshires like the US shell and Texaco or whatever it's called? Not like the different gas stations are right across the street from each other, because they know you're gonna go into a gas station, depending on what side of the street you're on. So might as well just net them in. So yeah, I think like it's flawed thinking to gate key. I love to see an artist that's doing really well, because I feel like that's evidence to me that I'm in the right place. If I'm the only artist in the city that's actually making any money. That's sad. Like, that doesn't make any sense. Like, what kind of city would I be looking at? It wouldn't be cool at all. But yeah, it is this mentality of just like, I think, is that the opportunities can seem so far and few, that an artist doesn't want to have to compete with other artists. So that's where the gate comes into play. And so, yeah, I think that's honestly, it's what it is flawed thinking, it's totally flawed thinking, I don't want to create, like the same sell artwork that anyone around me is making, I want to make what I make, and I want to see everybody eating, because again, I feel like that's just it's gonna be better for our city, it's gonna make open more opportunities. You know, it's that same mentality. But I have experience, and I do want to give credit to the artists who have opened up experiences, I mean, opportunities for me, and who said, you know, maybe they don't know who I am. They don't know anything about my experience or anything. And they're just like, Yeah, I'll give you this opportunity. Or I've had people call me directly and say, Hey, we've had, you know, an opening come up. Are you available? I'm sorry, it's last minute. And it's like, that has happened for me as well. So yeah, I'm just going to continue to be the type of person that's like, Hey, y'all, guess what this is happening over here? Yeah, I want to know about it, you know, link up with these people, and hope that other people are going to kind of pick up with that. But I don't think that there's any harm in, in sharing opportunity. Definitely put your application in first, though.

Ashley Mejia: 41:55

I think that's great. And I think it always comes back, right. Like, if you believe in karma, or just, you know, the positive energy, what we put out into the world is what we'll receive. And so if we're sharing, and we adopt that abundant mindset, it always comes back, it always comes back, just you know. So I love that that's such a cool perspective. So what have been the biggest lessons that you've learned so far as artists, or maybe something that you wish you knew when you first started?

Artysta LuLu: 42:24

Sure. So I would say, Well, I can't say that I wish I knew before I first started, because if I would have known, I may not have started. Because when I started, I was so naive, in a good way. Not in a bad way. I was naive, and thinking, you know, every gallery that sees my art is gonna pick me up, because it's so different from everything else that I've seen, or my stuff is gonna be flying off the walls, because it's so different from everything I've seen, you know, Oh, me rolling in the big bucks and no time. Like, that was naivety, I definitely was like, super optimistic, which I'm happy that I was because it's what gave me so much faith to like, just do what I did, to do everything and to go after every opportunity, there's not a single opportunity that I have for Digi I was not going to get it, you know, it wouldn't make any sense. So I was a little bit naive to how well received my artwork be. But I wasn't entirely wrong. I was just wrong about how much time it was. I think the biggest lesson that I learned well, one of the lessons that I learned is that it takes time, it takes a lot of time. I mean, me too, anyone watching this? Yes, I've been doing this for 13 years, I'm not saying oh, it's gonna take me 13 years to see any success. Like, it didn't take me 13 years to see any success. It took me you know, just a couple of years to start seeing some successes. But with that comes a lot of put in quotation marks, failures, or just knows, you know, sorry, thank you for your application, but we're gonna go with someone else. Thank you for your application. There was a lot of that that happens that, in theory, I understood, could happen. But I did not want that. That would be the reality. I just kept being like, there's no way that these people cannot see like the beauty and the value of this artwork that I'm doing my life's passion. But what I did find out is that you have to have patience, and you have to have, there's two things. It's consistency, and persistence, have to be persistent. Like I'm telling you, you have to be consistent and persistent. And what I mean by that is that you might apply for a grant one year, and they say, No, they're gonna give you some feedback on that. That does not mean that you're not worthy of a grant ever in life or that you'll never get that annual grant. That's not what that means. It just means that whatever they were looking for that year, they didn't find it in your application packet. And that's okay. To keep going. You have to be persistent and consistent means improve upon on the notes that they're telling you. I mean, I'm not saying go change your whole style. If anybody tells you Oh, you really shouldn't be creating in the style that you're creating, if that's not the person you want to listen to, because I'm telling you, I promise you that there's going to be people who love what you make. And your focus needs to be there just finding those people that don't try to change yourself around like what people's definition and perception, even if they are aren't professionals, because any art professional that's out there, and I'm an art professional, so I can say this. But I'm talking about those that got their Masters in Fine Arts and maybe their doctorates, and they teach at a university about what art is, even if that person is telling you, the artists, that is not art. I have questions because that person as a profession should know that there is no art definition to what art is. Art has always been like a rebellion. It has been about emotion, it's been about thought it has been about abstract thought, you know, even politics could be a play in your art. So it's like for somebody to be like guns are like, guess what it is? And I promise you, you go to the museums, you'll be thinking the same thing. You go to a museum and you're just like I mean, like they take them banana to a wall at Art Basel, and somebody paid $120,000. Art can be money, embezzlement, I don't know. Money laundering. That could also be art, I don't know. But yeah, so patience. Patience is a big, big thing that I learned, just have patience and have faith that everything is going to work out, you have to kind of constantly see that vision. Like if you see that vision of you, in like a major museum and people are celebrating these people are celebrating your name. And they're actually valuing your artwork for something that's like a livable wage that you can be proud of. That's that keep that image in your mind, even when you're doing the flea market or the art pop up and you just have a little plastic top up table and a little tablecloth over it. And the one easel it's like, if that's the reality of your situation, that doesn't mean that's the reality of your future, like you're working towards it. And there is an analogy that I use, this goes back to the persistence and consistency. There's an analogy that I use that Will Smith headset, and I'm sure he says the story much better. But this will be slap. He said that when he was a child, one summer, his dad put him in his brother to build a brick wall, a huge cyst with the whole siding of a building. And when they started, Will was like there is no humanly possibility that we're going to be able to build us two little kids can build this massive wall. And as that said, do not focus on the wall. Focus on laying each individual brick as perfectly as possible. Because if you've ever seen a brick wall, poorly done, one brick that's off, one that even just slightly off will ripple all the way up to the top of the wall. And it makes the structure unsound, right. So you have to focus on every single brick, just laying it perfectly. And that's what he did, he focused every single day on only laying his brick, or a couple of bricks perfectly in that date. And I couldn't choose a better metaphor for exactly what it has been like for me is every single day just trying to perfectly lay that brick, set that one thing apart. And then you'll kind of get to the end of the year, get to the end of the couple of years. And you're looking back and it's like, oh my gosh, I have a wall built. Like I actually, I built this structure. That seems not possible. And here we are. So that's really great. The other thing that I will say is comparison I have chosen, please do not compare yourself to other artists. And I get like that there's the educational aspect of comparing your work to other artworks, I get that, you know, I can understand like the as a student trying to break down, like, What were their thought processes? What did they do to create this, like, what was their steps in the painting process to create this, it's okay to do like an evaluation. But do not compare yourself to another artists, because they could have started when they were two. They could have started, you know, just yesterday, and you brought up AI. So I want to kind of make this note. So here's what's happening, if you're not aware of it, AI is okay, the technology, I'm all for the technology. But I am totally against the sourcing of art illegally. I feel like if it's open source art, which means that it's artwork that has already passed the copyright, it's in the common was called Creative Commons. I think Creative Commons. Thank you. It's in the Creative Commons library. For sure. Let's use all that artwork. If these IT companies want to open up licensing for artists and say, Hey, apply. We want to use your art and want to train our things to use your art. We will compensate you for this. Let's go I love that. I love the idea of it. You know, I mean, we've kind of been on this path for a long time with filters. But as far as just like, well, you know, we scoured the internet and found a whole bunch of images on Facebook, Instagram and what have you on people's online stores. And we're just going to use it because you know, you posted it, you shouldn't have posted it, we're going to use it now like that, to me is so illegal. And I cannot wait for the lawsuits like put my name on there, I want to be a part of that lawsuit, because that is so wrong. And then there's artists, which this is so surprising to me. There's artists out there that are actually like trying to justify this because they're like, Oh, well, artists, you'll anyways, like was like, Oh, you're looking at an image, like, okay, let's say I referenced, I took a photo of you. And I'm like, I want you to be my models for my painting. So I'm looking at an image of you, and I'm using you as my reference. That is not the same. Okay, that is not the same. And anyhow, like, as far as art is concerned, if somebody was to take one of my paintings is this and they want to put it on anything else, anything else, I would have the right to sue them automatic. So this is what I'm getting at with AI. So this is a right now, I know personally, artists who are going into these, I forget the name of the programs, we don't need to give them any publicity. But they're going to these AI programs, and they're inputting what they want their wares, whatever they're saying they want something that's surrealism, and they want it to be including cats, or they wanted to include, you know, ravens, or whatever. And then it's outputting, an image that has ravens and cats. And it's all it looks very dolly s. And then they're taking that they're taking a projector projecting that image that they did not create onto a canvas, and then they're doing the color by numbers, essentially. And then they're selling those paintings for what I'm selling my painting for, which is an original thought, an actual human thought that's an original thought, not something that a computer had created and prints it. They're not giving any credit whatsoever to the program that they use. And then you go into their comments, and people are like, Oh, my God, this is so amazing. Y'all are so sick. Oh my God, I want what I can't wait, you're, you're great artists. So people are actually getting credit for creating something that they didn't create. All they did was paint within the lines. And I mean, I get that that sort of basically been a tactic when it comes to realism, you might find a painting that is realistic, or hyper realistic. Whoa, this person is such a good artist, that you didn't know that they use a projector, they projected that photo of someone else with Canvas, and then they colored it in which again, who am I to say that that's wrong? Like it's a photo it is what it is, we're in this day and age, it is what it is. But when it comes to like the AI art, the thing about that that really bothers me outside of just people getting credit for something that they didn't create is and getting paid comparable to me like I almost want to double my prices on everything.

Ashley Mejia: 52:35

You should. Yeah, and I shouldn't but no. Yeah.

Artysta LuLu: 52:39

The other thing is that, I don't know, they're just getting all this athletes for like just being so incredibly talented. And then at the end of the day, that Raven, or that cat or that scenery, or the entire composition, could have been completely stolen from another artist who actually illustrated that image, who actually took the time to reference a real Raven referenced a real cat or what have you. I don't know, I know that there has already been a couple of instances that has come out about it. So honestly, I see that it's happening even in the music world now that people are able to write a song and they could take like Kanye West's his voice, and put Kanye West's voice over whatever they written or what have you. And I'm happy that that's happening. And the only reason I'm happy that that's happened is because the music industry has the money to go after these companies that are creating this technology. So something needs to be done about at least the copyright infringement that's happening, the theft of art that is happening. And I mean, the rest, I guess, can handle itself. As far as just like artists using AI to create artwork. They're not even really creating. I felt like, I don't know that shady. And if people that I love and I care if I respect them. But I don't know, it's just I don't want to let this get in between, like our relationships, either. You know what I mean? But I don't know what I do for our profession is what I do full time. So I don't know, I have to stand somewhere.

Ashley Mejia: 53:59

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Artysta LuLu: 54:03

It's kind of heavy.

Ashley Mejia: 54:04

No, I love it. And I love that you shared your perspective, as an artist, you know that you've been doing this that this is your craft, you've been doing this for over a decade. And it's just, it's a violation in just the purest sense of the word and to pass it off as our when it's theft. Yeah, it's pretty bad.

Artysta LuLu: 54:28

Did you hear though about the writing. So when it comes to writing, they did check GPT and they found that it was actually inventing stuff. It was inventing articles that did not exist. There's actually a lawsuit right now because they had claimed that I believe a professor had essayed like a student and that whole scenario was completely made up that incident that never happens. It was full of a bunch of just false information. So you can't even really trust chap. GPT. Um, the other thing that's kind of concerned me about AI is that I'm seeing on social media People are creating whatever photography that they want to create, and then they're posting it. And people believe that it's real. Nobody's saying anything that this was aI generated. And I feel like now Facebook is allowing people to share false information. You know, that's not real. Like there was one where it was like these girls that went to some rodeo or something in Texas. So they're all Western doubt, like, you know, cow girl has an African American woman, and they're stunning, beautiful women with their hats and everything that you could tell, every single photo is fake. These are not real people, this rodeo did not really happen. But the all the text said that there was this event that happened and these women were there. And it's like, basically saying, like, you know, black women were showing up with this. And I could get like, why people are so in love with it because of the meaning of it, right? It's like, yes, representation. And yes, we love this. And these are beautiful women, but it's completely fake. The event was fake, the women are not real women. Well, doesn't actually some harm. It's not real. You know, there's a lot of instances like that, where they're sharing historical cultural accounts of different people. And it's completely doctored. And there's nothing into this as this was aI generated. This is fake, you could fake. I mean, they posted a picture of like, I think it was, oh, shoot, I can't remember which basketball player is now at the top of my head. But it was two basketball players kissing. And it was an AI image. And it's like, yeah, like, where does it stop? You know, I just can't take it back now. Right? We can't undo it. But something does need to be done. I feel like in terms of the spreading of false information, and using AI to do so. And yeah, there's an artist that's using AI to create their Canvas pieces. I'm not gonna call you out. But yeah, it's,

Ashley Mejia: 56:38

it's it really is the wild wild west out here. And you're right. It's like Pandora's box, because now it's out. And the nature of it AI is machine learning. So it's learning and getting better and getting better and getting better. And it's scary, I think to like just the application. Because with everything with the internet, a lot of great things happen. Like you were talking earlier in our conversation about how social media, you've used it as a tool to get your artwork out there and to meet clients and get opportunities. But then you see a lot of bad uses in the dark web, that people are using the internet for really bad things. And the same with AI. Like it's just, it can be used for really great things. But I think that it's especially it goes beyond hey, let's just see what this thing can do. Like wow, look at what this computer this robot created. But to pass it off as it's your own work. That that's really, really shady. It's really, really shady.

Artysta LuLu: 57:38

I mean, is that not plagiarism, though? Like, Oh, no.

Ashley Mejia: 57:42

Yeah, that's classic plagiarism. You're trying to

Artysta LuLu: 57:45

get a job or like, if they were to find out that you just yank your entire resume off the internet word for word like, wouldn't you not get the job? I don't know. Or get fired? I don't know anyways, but that's just kind of a heavy topic. And that's something that we need, like a whole panel for I definitely feel like, oh,

Ashley Mejia: 58:02

we might have to do it be Yes,

Artysta LuLu: 58:05

an entire episode of just like, the pros and cons of anything, maybe what's happening in the news, like with, with different lawsuits, but I'm looking forward to like the music industry really coming down on it and seeing what happens in terms of copyright protection, because I feel like that needs to be said, I know that the Library of Congress already came out and said they will not be issuing any copyrights for any AI generated artwork, or any works of art, including written or music that was generated by AI. They will not issue any copyrights for it. But with people not even giving credit to it, like how are they going to know? How will they know? But we'll see.

Ashley Mejia: 58:41

It remains to be saved. Yeah, we do need a panel. I met a producer music producer recently he was talking about that. We talked about AI so maybe we do need a panel of the artists and music person.

Artysta LuLu: 58:52

That'd be fun. Yeah,

Ashley Mejia: 58:54

yeah. Yeah. And well, we can get a lawyer. We're gonna have to put that

Artysta LuLu: 58:58

together. Let's all I would love that.

Ashley Mejia: 59:03

Yeah. So I know people are going to be so inspired by your wisdom, everything that you've shared your light your energy. I know you have a great store and her stuff is made by her. It's not an AI. It's not a robot. So where can people find more about you? How can they connect with you online and how can they buy your work?

Artysta LuLu: 59:26

Absolutely. So definitely, all things are TISA Lulu is Artesia lulu.com. And that's AR t y staluo.com. I do have a shop button once you get to the website, but you can also bypass that button just go straight to my store by typing shop, dot Artesia lulu.com. And so that's where I have all my apparel I just dropped my trendline I'm going to be including more items for my summer line. So stay tuned is all things warm weather. I also sell all of my fine art pieces. You can buy a painting and original work of art. You can always Some prints and stickers, some buttons, a fan, those types of things from the same website, which is shopped at Artesia lulu.com. Now if you're on the social medias, if anything would be at AR T Y, SCA Liu Liu, Artesia lose my handle on all of the social medias. So whichever one you are typing or teaspoon, you're fine. Awesome.

Ashley Mejia: 1:00:23

Thank you so much, Lulu, for being on this show for sharing your insight or sharing all of your lessons learned and just really pulling back the curtain on the life of a professional artist. That's something that not everybody knows about or knows anybody that does this. So super inspiring. Thank you for sharing space with us today.

Artysta LuLu: 1:00:43

Absolutely. Ashley, thank you so much, again, for having me on your show. I am honored to be here. Thank you for believing in me back then purchasing a piece becoming one of my collectors back then like that's huge. And the fact that you've come full circle. And here you are today. And so I'm honored. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Ashley Mejia: 1:01:00

And with that, we've come to the end of another episode. Please make sure you hit subscribe if you haven't already done so. And give me a five star review on Apple. This will help out a lot and getting the word out about this brand new podcast. I invite you to check out the show notes and also grab my free niches get riches, freelance writing worksheet to brainstorm the best niches for your writing business. If you're not a writer, you can still use it to get business ideas. And until next time, this is Ashley a talk freelance to me. Don't forget, we all get this one precious life. Don't constrain yourself to a box that you were never meant to fit in. It is your right to profit from your own creative gifts. This podcast was created by Ashley Cisneros makiya our music was composed by Donna Raphael of world instrumentals talk freelance to me is a product of Phoenix creative studio