Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast: Making Art Work
Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast: Making Art Work
#341: Monika Blichar (Creative Entrepreneur) (pt. 1 of 2)
Today we released part one of our interview with Monika Blichar. She's a creative entrepreneur based in North Vancouver, Canada. Currently, she creates paintings, fashion, books and toys; and her colorful works are rooted in surrealism and pop art.
A serial entrepreneur, Monika founded Art World Expo in 2010 and launched the Art World Podcast in 2022. She is also the owner of Monika’s Art Boutique & Studio in North Vancouver, where she leads a team of educators and creators who service over 200 students monthly via art programs and specialty workshops for kids, adults and seniors.
Tune in to be motivated by Monika's positive energy and collaborative approach to entrepreneurship! https://www.monikablichar.com/, https://theartworldexpo.com/ and
Welcome to the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast. Making art work. We highlight how entrepreneurs align their artistry, passion and vision to create and pursue opportunities to capture value in the arts. The views expressed by guests on the Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the podcast or its hosts. The appearance of a guest on the podcast, the venture they represent or reference to any product or service does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast or its hosts. The content provided is for entertainment and informational purposes only and does not constitute business advice. Here are your hosts Andy Heise and Nick Petrella.
Andy Heise:Hi Arts Entrepreneurship Podcast listeners.
Andy Heise:My name is Andy Heise
Nick Petrella:and I'm Nick Petrella, we're joined today by Monika Blichar, a creative entrepreneur based in North Vancouver, canada. Currently, she creates paintings, fashion books and toys, and her colorful works are rooted in surrealism and pop art. A serial entrepreneur, monika founded Art World Expo in 2010 and launched the Art World Podcast in 2022. She is also the owner of Monika's Art Boutique and Studio in North Vancouver, where she leads a team of educators and creators who service over 200 students monthly via art programs and specialty workshops for kids, adults and seniors. Be sure to visit her websites in the show notes to learn more about Monika, her podcast, studio and gallery. Thanks for being here, monika,
Monika Blichar:my pleasure. I'm so excited to talk to you guys.
Nick Petrella:Let's kick off the interview by having you tell the listeners how someone with degrees in English and French found success in the arts ecosystem.
Monika Blichar:Sure, yes. Well, my educational journey in university and college, really just, I followed my path of languages and my love for literature. I wasn't really thinking about what to do with those two degrees and I sort of fell into teaching and my whole childhood I spent doing art and painting and drawing, and after I started teaching I sort of reverted back to the art world instead of continuing on doing language instruction.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, and you've been doing that for how long?
Monika Blichar:This year is 19 years long.
Andy Heise:This year is 19 years Great, yeah, yeah.
Monika Blichar:So, um, it kind of just naturally fell, fell that way Right. Um, it was a. It wasn't really planned, it just kind of happened.
Nick Petrella:It just organically evolved that way and we will get into this. We'll unpack this cause. Andy and I have different questions for him. We're going to take a deeper dive into each of your revenue streams and things Cause it's not just you know, yeah.
Andy Heise:Yeah, and for a little more context for listeners, can you tell us a little bit about where you are?
Monika Blichar:Yes, I'm in North Vancouver and just north of Vancouver, british Columbia, canada. It's a beautiful little place. We're right on the ocean. It's pretty mild here, so we get to hike and swim. People joke in the same day. Really nice, nice area, very nice area of the world.
Andy Heise:Yeah, great Thanks. And so, as Nick mentioned in the intro, you've got a lot of creative ventures, including a gallery studio, fashion line, children's books, events, podcasts, all kinds of awesome things. Was there a? All kinds of awesome things? Was there a moment when all of those things sort of started clicking together, when you realized that this whole thing was like a sustainable business venture, or how did those sort of come about?
Monika Blichar:Yeah, well, I started with the teaching component on the side while I was doing my language teaching Because, if you don't know, teachers don't always make the best wages. So there's lots of teachers out there that are always doing little side hustles, and for me that was doing painting. First I started with like tutoring language tutoring and then I moved into painting group painting, group events and from there I slowly moved out of teaching. I taught part time for the schools for about eight years while I was building the business, and then I started experimenting with other streams of revenue and other things to kind of get out fully of the teaching for the schools anyway, anyway. So it kind of clicked for me when I was it was really early on that I thought, well, if I can teach one thing, I just need to know how to teach the other thing. So that gave me some leverage in terms of doing different workshops. As long as I had the material or a guest speaker I could. I could build on that and turn it into a more sustainable model with regular events. And then from there I just started.
Monika Blichar:You know, that took me a little while to kind of figure out. I built a team about 10 years in because I realized I couldn't do it all by myself. So I started. Right now I have 12 employees and they do all the service work for me and I do all the back end stuff now. So that gave me the time once I had the employees and the team who were delivering the service work for me and I do all the backend stuff now. So that gave me the time once I had the employees and the team who were delivering the service. That gave me the time to sort of dive into creating books, creating toys, doing all the other things that that kind of supplemented that. So I didn't have to go back to the classroom in terms of working for the school district.
Andy Heise:Yeah.
Nick Petrella:You know I was going to ask this question later, but it makes sense to ask it now. You know, like Andy said, you're doing fashion, jewelry and so on. That must take a heightened level of organization and processes. So can you unpack that, how do you manage all of these ventures simultaneously and your team, and just describe that for listeners who may have similar interests?
Monika Blichar:Yeah, absolutely so. I document everything. So we're very organized in terms of every time something is created in terms of a piece of art even with the kids' art we photograph everything so that if eventually, even if we don't want to do anything with that image right now, we can do something with that image 10 years down the road. So, as long as everything is really organized in terms of documenting, especially artwork, which you can turn into all kinds of different things, uh, with some fabulous you know, uh later you don't have to like really worry about it. It's not like that much pressure, it's not that extra, it's not a lot of extra work to to organize it that way, right? So, um, that's kind of how we do it. We have different people on our team who help us with all of that stuff. All of our teachers help us with the photography, with documenting everything.
Monika Blichar:But definitely, because I'm a teacher, working in semesters and working in seasons is really easy for me. So I really chunk everything into four different seasons. I kind of go with the seasons and just kind of go with. You know, okay, this is what we're doing this time, this time, this time, this time, and then it kind of just rotates Year after year. You kind of go with, you know, okay, this is what we're doing this time, this time, this time, this time, and then it kind of just rotates year after year. You kind of have the base and then you just build on it, right, yeah?
Nick Petrella:So you're, so you're a cycles. So you said something that kind of piqued my interest. So you said documenting and being able to use that art. Are you talking about the students? Art.
Monika Blichar:Well, the students, students we do that for them as well, because some of them have been with us, for I've been teaching 19 years, so some of them I've seen as teenagers or, as you know, tweens, and then now they're in university and they're able to come and say, hey, I want to turn this into cards or prints or whatever, and we have those documents for them.
Monika Blichar:So part of the program that we have for the kids is actually teaching them how to be entrepreneurial and how to use their art, not just to make it and throw it away, but actually or recycle it, but actually like document it and keep it and turn it into something that generates revenue for themselves or for their family or whatever they want to do with it.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, so I'm not an attorney, but I mean, if you do turn it into something like that, is that a derivative work and who owns that?
Monika Blichar:The kids own it. The kids own it yeah.
Nick Petrella:Okay, so there's no claim.
Monika Blichar:No, no, no, no, no we just document it for them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure, it's just a service that you provide through the educational program. Yeah exactly you archive their, their work that they've created over the time? Yeah, yes, yes, yes. With the artists we represent in the, in the stores, it's different, different sure sure, the kids yeah, we I've always like.
Monika Blichar:when I was younger, my family was um from there were immigrants from poland, so we were always like doing different things when we were kids and I remember looking back at that now and thinking I wish somebody had taught me this stuff much earlier, because I learned everything on my own. So it doesn't take a lot of extra storage for us to store these images for them if they ever want to come back and do something with them, or if we really see a kid who has potential later on. You never know right, and you could say, hey, and I wish I had some of my images from when I was five or six, right, right?
Nick Petrella:Yeah, yeah, reminds me of a story Andy Craig Black.
Andy Heise:I was just thinking about that too.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, what was his teacher? His teacher saved all his work.
Andy Heise:Yeah, he was a soccer player, and he professionally, and then he decided to get out of that and then wanted to go to art school. But he didn't have a portfolio and his teacher his from high school had actually saved a lot of his work and so he had his portfolio ready for application because his teacher did so a similar sort of thing. I could imagine scenarios where that would be. I know I made this thing in that class one time, but I don't have it. And it would be really good for yeah.
Monika Blichar:Well, with the technology that we have right now, too, it's so simple and so beneficial for us to do that stuff. So, yeah, we're happy to do that, for the kids for sure, and it's nice for the parents to see all the progress that they do for year after year, too, sure yeah, yeah.
Andy Heise:And going back to something else, you said you were talking about how you got started. You were doing the workshops, you were teaching the classes you were organizing, and then got started. You were doing the workshops, you were teaching the classes, you were organizing, and then you sort of slowly pulled yourself out of the, the delivery of that content, and brought other people in to do that.
Announcer:Was that?
Andy Heise:something that came naturally to you Like did you have the vision for it? Well, I'd like to do these other things, but as long as I'm doing this, I can't do that, or is that like? What was that?
Monika Blichar:Was that intentional or just sort of kind of evolved that way? It sort of well two ways. It sort of evolved sort of naturally. First, because I was just getting so many students that I couldn't do it all. I was like I'm going to burn myself out if I keep doing it this way, right, so I started bringing people in.
Monika Blichar:But I also had this like family moment because my, because we immigrated, my grandparents, everyone stayed in Poland. So I was going back and forth. My mom died when I was 25. So I was taking care of her mom and I had this moment of like I can't do all of this if I don't have the delivery covered and I'm going to be stuck in the business and not be able to work on the business if I don't build a team.
Monika Blichar:Last year I was really fortunate that I had that foresight, because I spent three months in Poland while everything was still happening here. We had 200 students coming to locations, all the pop-ups, the markets, all that stuff going on, and I was working virtually from the computer bedside with my grandma, as she was, you know, passing. So it was really fortunate, in a way, that I was allowed to do that and I enabled myself to do that, and I really encourage other artists to do the same thing and start building so that they're not always stuck, especially in those moments where you know you want to spend time with family members at that, you know when they're sick or when they really need you. It's really important to have that freedom and flexibility and if you don't build it, you'll always be creating a job for yourself, which is, for me, never something I really wanted to like keep it at.
Monika Blichar:I always was wanting to have more freedom in my life, my life. One of the reasons I left teaching was in a full-time job for a school was I never had that freedom. When my mom was sick with cancer and I was young it was my first job I got scolded for taking time off and I remember feeling like I'm never going to let them feel like. I don't want to feel like that ever again. So I really like had that experience and I always wanted to grow it that way, so that I had that freedom to do you know to, to, to take time in those moments Right.
Monika Blichar:And just for myself too, right, Like I enjoy getting up in the morning and watering my garden and doing all that you know, and having a slower pace.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, early morning podcast.
Monika Blichar:Yeah, exactly.
Andy Heise:That's such an impactful, powerful message I think that you just delivered there, because I think so many artists get stuck in the making and doing of their work, which is, of course, very important, right. Yeah, the systems and processes that go to support the work that you're making. Again, if you're the one like grinding, through that, if you're not doing it, then it's not happening to your point.
Monika Blichar:So and I think too, like, when you're not happy and when you're not fulfilled, and when you're stressed and you're in the grind and you're doing all that like you're not creating your best work either because you are stressed and you're not motivated to do the things that you want to be doing because you're so bogged down with all of that other stuff, right? So one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was like always hire for the things that you're not good at. Like, don't try to do those things because you're just not good at those things, right? So like, invest in the other people, because that's investing in yourself, you know.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, that's awesome. Well, you're set up to scale. You get franchises. I mean you're Monika. In your biography, you state that your mission is to inspire and motivate people to pursue creativity and creative entrepreneurship. How are you doing that?
Monika Blichar:Well, we touched a little bit on it earlier. Definitely, in the kids' programs, we incorporate that idea that their art is of value, so that they learn how to market it and package it and sell it how to market it and package it and sell it. And then, in terms of adults, we've had for the last 10 years. We have a little hiatus right now for the Art World Expo, but that was an event that I started in 2010 where we have emerging and established artists come in for a large-scale trade show. I was running that four times a year across Canada two in the spring and then two Christmas events.
Monika Blichar:So we were working with directly with people who already had art and already had jewelry, fashion design, all kinds of different sculptures, bags, everything, everything.
Monika Blichar:They're making everything, and one of the reasons I started that was because I enjoy sales and I know that it's really tough for artists to sell their stuff. So, on top of just having the show, we were running like workshops for them how to sell their stuff, how to you know, brand yourself, doing these different things for them. So that's that was one of my big focuses. Right now, we're mostly working with the artists that are in this in the stores no-transcript situation. You can turn um your paintings or your drawings or, you know, whatever you're making out of your garden, and there's lots of different ways to increase your revenue. And, especially now with the digital world, anybody can launch a course or videos or things that people can pay for that you know that will help you earn that extra revenue. So there's so many, so many creative ways and I think right now we're living in the best time to do that stuff, because there's just so much like limitless possibilities, you know.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, now you're. You're talking expos across Canada. Were these at other galleries? Were they at? Actually you know?
Monika Blichar:We were doing them at different venues. So in Vancouver we were doing it at the Telus World of Science, which is like a big science venue. Everybody knows it. It was Expo 86 was the venue for it, that they originally built it for um. So we did it there once when it was huge. It was just like a big art bomb went off. We had fashion shows and local celebrities and it was great. We had the only body art painting competition running in canada through that event.
Monika Blichar:So that was wild because the people came in with special effects, makeup artists mostly who worked for the movies, and they got just free reign of making these amazing headpieces and turning people into just different characters through the makeup. It was so cool. And then, yeah, we were doing those at tell us where to sign in Vancouver and then renting like different venues in Victoria and Edmonton. We did at the Muttart venues in Victoria and Edmonton. We did at the Muttart Gallery Conservatory in Edmonton which was like a plants where they grow plants, so all these different pyramids. It was really neat. So I try to pick like interesting venues, not just like a blank room. It was like always add on.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, so you're reaching a broader audience because the mailing lists and the people who follow those science and whatever else. Yeah, so you're reaching a broader audience because the mailing lists and the people who follow those science and whatever else. Yeah, okay, great.
Monika Blichar:Yeah, exactly, I'm a big fan of cross promotions, um, because especially with, like, bigger organizations who have, who have mailing lists, who have followers, um, because it just helps everybody that way too right. So I try to always partner with people who have definitely some knowledge of how to market and have a following right, because it always works out best for both parties. With artists a little different, because lots of them don't have especially emerging, they don't have followings quite yet.
Andy Heise:But that's what you're providing. You're providing a marketplace for them to show and sell their work, introduce them to a new audience, as well as professional development. It sounds like.
Monika Blichar:Yes, exactly, and everybody has to start somewhere, right? Like you know, one of the things about art schools that I noticed from having artists in the art shows is a lot of the art schools will give you this beautiful degree, but they don't teach you anything about sales. So, you know, you have these amazing artists come out of art school that just spent four or five years there and have no idea how to sell anything and they're sitting behind their booth and they're on their phone and they they're so shy, they don't want to talk to people and it's like, ah, this is like somebody needs to fix this Right. So yeah, but it's, it's all about like what you want, right To, a lot of artists don't want to do that, Right? So that's where, going back to that first point of like higher than you know, pay the extra little bit or trade your art or whatever, if you don't have the money at the beginning. Right?
Andy Heise:So bring your friend who is isn't afraid to talk to people or whatever, exactly yes, yeah, yeah. And so with with your, with all of your ventures that you've, that you have, you work, as we've been talking about. You work to support artists and you've seen many different paths of artists over the time that you've been doing this, I'm sure, and so I'm curious, like what does you know a successful entrepreneurial artist look like? What is what? How would you define that?
Monika Blichar:A successful entrepreneurial artist for me is somebody who just stays the course. I think people want to have fame and fortune and success instant, and I've seen many artists like try a couple shows or, like you know, give it one or two years and then they go back to working their full-time job and then they kind of go back to art or they'll sell something else. And I think, like the biggest thing is that I've learned is just to stay in the one industry and don't flip-flop, because then people get confused about what you're doing and and the longer you stay the course, the better the outcome is going to be in the long run. Right, so that's. I think that for me is like the biggest thing is like don't, don't waver, you know.
Andy Heise:Yeah, yeah, and be persistent.
Monika Blichar:Yes, yeah, and I think you know people talk about like overnight success, but they don't talk about like the 10 years of vocal lessons someone had before that, or the 20 years of practicing or drawing since you were little. All of that takes time and you have to be patient with what level of revenue or success that you want to get to as well. It doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes for people it does, for sure, but even then it takes time to maintain that as well. It doesn't happen overnight, right. Sometimes for people it does, for sure, but even then, you know, it takes time to maintain that as well.
Andy Heise:Yeah, yeah, well, and it takes you know, to your point. You know you try a couple and it doesn't work. You go back to a full-time job or something. I mean it is sort of it's like you did right, you were teaching, but also starting the classes and the workshops, and then at some point there is sort of a shift or a tipping point where it's like okay, well, I've got these things going and it's working. If I were to focus more time on it, I think we could be, we could make something of it.
Monika Blichar:And I think too, like when you are like moving from, you know, one industry to the next or you know, maintaining your creative passions with a job or some profession or something, you just kind of have to be patient with it too right, and just like find something like, for example, we figured out that I figured out that the best way to leave something is when you have either like a subscription model or an essential service that you know that every month and you sign contracts for a year or two years, you know that this money is coming in. So I think that's another part where artists kind of like, oh yeah, this month was great, I'm gonna quit my job. And then the next three months are like, ah, I shouldn't quit my job, right, so figuring out a way where you can get that recurring monthly revenue coming in, um for a longer period of time, so that you know that like, yes, I can focus on this and I have these contracts for the next year, I'm good, right.
Nick Petrella:Yeah, that's great.
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