Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat McDermott.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kat. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Although I’ve always had fun making and drawing art my entire life, I haven’t ever considered taking my art profession seriously until 2011. One of my friends wanted me to help her with an art table she had at Tate’s Comics for an event they had going on. She even encouraged me to bring some of my own art to sell so we could share her table together. I remember feeling very excited but super nervous; I’ve never placed anything I’ve made for sale before and was worried nobody would like it enough to want to buy it. Despite me being highly unprepared, that first experience was enough to break me out of my comfort zone. Seeing how customers expressed their joy and interest in my work made me want to do this more often! Since that day, I’ve been selling my wares at local conventions and eventually online to broaden my reach.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think there’s ever a smooth road when you manage your own profession. When I first started, I was very disorganized and had no idea which of my artwork I should sell, who I should be targeting, or what my ultimate goal was. Every convention I attended as an artist was a learning experience, and networking with my artist friends and the fellow artists at the conventions has helped immensely with learning and developing a process that works best for me.
After I focused on what type of products I wanted to sell, and what I could realistically make, I was able to plan much more efficiently for both conventions and online.
Please tell us more about your art.
At conventions, I mainly sell art-printed merchandise such as stickers, prints, compact mirrors, and zippered pouches. A lot of my work is composed of cats, pretty demon girls, and other cute things! But my more popular service that I sell online is portrait and pet portrait commissions where I draw my clients in my art-style.
I take great pride in being as involved in my work as I possibly can, and this means that not only do I draw the artwork, but I also print, cut, assemble, and package my own stickers and accessories at home while using other companies to assemble whatever else I don’t have the equipment to make on my own.
One of my favorite products that I make are my sticker sheets — there’s just something really satisfying for me when I’m holding a finished product in my hand and think, “I made this!”
Katnip Art was a dream I never thought I could make into a reality. And although I still work a 9-5 day job outside of my main source of passion, I’m still very proud of myself on how far I’ve come and all that I’ve accomplished.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
For me, it’s always been expanding the mind and being open to learn something new. I’m always trying to improve my style and process of what I do and apply that in my commission work or product making. As an artist, I’m never satisfied with my finished work for too long. There’s always something I can do differently next time, and there’s always more studying I can do to grow as an artist and business. And I enjoy each step of the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katnipart.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/katzomg
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/KatnipShop
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