I want to tell you a story about one decision that changed my life completely.

I'm guessing you may have already heard that story before, and in the grand scheme of things - it's not unique. However, around the time when I decided to quit my 9 to 5 office job, I used to watch videos and read stories like this one perpetually. It helped to keep my dream alive and reassured me that everything would be alright. So, let's start from the beginning.

I've considered creating Patreon for a long time now, but recently it became more and more attractive for me and my business as a doll artist. Over the years, I’ve created five online classes that became very popular amongst my followers. I often receive requests to create new lessons about certain topics. Unfortunately, I can’t put out well-crafted classes as quickly as I want to. Finally, I found an option that satisfies all parties - Patreon! New video tutorials, Patreon exclusive, will cover different topics about doll making each month. So, let’s talk about how it works!

Most artists have trouble pricing their work, especially at the beginning. Doll makers are not an exception. I had so many requests for this article! So here I am, prepared for a task, ready to help out and give some advice.

No matter if you’re renting a studio space or working from your desk at home, having a safe and hazard-free area to create is truly important. These things tend to escape our eye until the damage is done. At first sight, a harmless activity like doll making can hide some risky and damaging elements. In this article, I want to explore some of the potential hazards and risks to your health you can easily avoid at your creative workspace!

I remember that exciting feeling. You’ve accumulated a lot of dolls and decided to put some up for sale. After a while, the first one is finally sold! The emotions are bubbling, joy mixing with pride, and then the slightest bit of anxiety seeps in. What should I do now? How to bring the best experience for the customer? Don’t worry! I got you. Over the years, I’ve sold hundreds of dolls, and I want to help you as well. I hope these tips will make the process of selling dolls less worrisome and more joyful.

A lot of doll makers, that I had the pleasure to talk to, doesn’t know how to take that step into selling their creations. And I get why. Internet nowadays is bursting with artists, crafters and creators offering their incredible work. But I’m a strong believer that every one of us has a small corner to do the same. So today, let’s talk about four places where you can sell your dolls and build an audience even if you’re just starting out.

In the past five years that I’ve been working as a doll artist full-time, my days fluctuated a lot. In the first two years, I’ve still worked from home, so my schedule was all over the place. I didn’t have a good work routine - inconsistent orders didn’t help with that as well, haha. But as the years went by, things started falling in place. I’ve rented a studio space, my work routine improved, I’ve expanded my creative business and added new kinds of products. I thought it would be fun to document a single ordinary workday and see how it’ll change a year or five years from now. And for you to see some of the behind the scenes that aren’t always very glamorous, but rather quite average, haha.

In the article “How to turn your doll making hobby into a career?”, I mentioned how important it is to diversify your income sources. One of the ways to do that is to offer your knowledge alongside your creations. Today I want to talk about the methods you can use to monetize your knowledge as an artist.

Last year I set myself a goal to draw more. I used to have so much fun sketching and painting with watercolours but art school kind of ruined it for me. Now, I feel ready to try my hand at it again. I didn't have a sketchbook or enough drawing materials so I’ve decided to treat myself a little. We all know how addictive shopping for art supplies can be, haha. I’ve ordered some stuff from Jackson's art supplies mostly because of their gorgeous website and convenient delivery times. I hope this will be helpful if you’re considering this website for your next art supplies haul!

Let me begin just by telling you how grateful I am for everyone who supports me by purchasing dolls, doll making classes, tutorials or just spreading the word around. Just because of you guys, I can rent a space for my doll making adventures! I’ve been renting a studio for a few years now and it was probably the best investment in my career. Just by separating my home life from my work life, I’ve become much more productive and much happier as well. Having a dedicated work space, you’re able to free your mind from such things like tidying everything after each work session and stop worrying about art supplies taking over your living room. I understand not everyone can afford to have a studio. Try to work with what you have and find some space at your home that could be just for your art and nothing else.

Taking photos of dolls is one of my favourite tasks, but it wasn't the case a few years ago. In the past, I'd make a doll that I really love, which looks great in real life, but the second I take the photo, I realise, I can't capture how unique and wonderful this doll is. Because doll making is my full-time job, selling the dolls online was my main source of income. I can't tell you enough how many times people said my dolls looked better in real life than in pictures, and when you're selling online, not in the real life, it becomes an issue. I'm wondering how many sales I've lost just because I couldn't convey how they look in person.

Being a one-woman show, I had to learn a lot of different things to run my creative business. From social media management, photography, content marketing to bookkeeping. All you need to have is a computer with internet connection, a few hours a week that you're willing to spend learning and most importantly some stubbornness to keep going.

Seeing your own work in the glossy pages of a beautiful magazine. Tempting, isn't it? I'd thought it would get me ages to achieve something like that. Nowadays it really seems that only artists with a huge following on social media, managers and connections gain such opportunities. But this belief is far from the truth. Continue to read and find out how to get published as a doll artist!

I interact with fellow doll makers on a daily basis. Some of them are students in my doll making classes, some of them are artists who share they work on Facebook groups or Instagram. A lot of them have two things in common: love for doll making and a desire doing it full time. For the past two years, I've been fortunate enough to call myself a doll artist and transform my doll making hobby into a career. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't easy at all. There were situations where I'd have loved to have some guidance. But I strongly believe that with the right attitude and hard work everyone could do it. Today I'm going to share the actions I took to make this happen. I hope they will encourage you to turn your doll making hobby into a career.

Recently I took an amazing class about craft photography. Somehow it changed perspective about my photos and I finally could tell why I didn't like them too much. You already know how much I love Creative Live, but this online course changed so much for me. I'm talking about more followers, higher engagement, and bigger sales!

Online marketplaces like Etsy has made it easy to offer your creations to people all over the world. Selling internationally is exiting. But before you've started to count all this future orders consider some inevitable obstacles you may encounter. So what do you need to know before you send out your first item to the unfamiliar country overseas?

Opening an Etsy shop was a first serious step for my dolls business. Now I’m able to offer my art to millions of people all around the word. Having an online shop made me feel more professional and it was easier to see how people are reacting to my art.