The Weekly Edit is my Sunday roundup of what I am reading, listening to, talking about, and buying. Consider it the things I would text you if we were friends.

Subscribe now

The Weekly Edit

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Club Update: Last week we discussed all things prints and the group taught me and each other more than I️ could ever teach them! I’m excited to dive into all of these new-to-me print and print on demand resources. This Tuesday we are discussing shipping hacks!

   2. Podcast: Enjoy Tuesday’s interview with Brynn Casey and Friday’s replay on all things accounting for artists!

2. Reading - I’m finishing up this book. It’s a longer one, so it is taking me some time, but very good. Also, thankful for it because our wifi has been going in and out. Let me tell you, you really see how tech-dependent you are when you don’t have access to wifi - this book has been a lifesaver!

3. Wearing and Wanting -

   1. Two impractical items that I️ just love! I told myself if someone bought a painting of mine of equal or greater value, I’d buy these earrings and what do you know, someone did. I️ can’t wait to see them in person! They are going to be perfect for a wedding we have this fall in the Bahamas. Impractical item number two is this clutch. Unfortunately, I️ have never been a purse person so I’d never use it, but wow! (you even get to personalize it with stamps!)

      

   2. I️ love the jacket (shown above) but it’s sold out, but I️ found this version (that’s also a better deal) that is a great swap!

   3. Finally, just received these flats (below) - I️ haven’t been a flat person in years because I️ have really narrow feet and blisters are inevitable but these come in narrow!! (ignore my wrinkled jeans)

   

4. For Your Home -

   1. You all loved this reel about how to spruce up your Amazon frames, so I️ wanted to reshare my list of my go-to Amazon frames.

   2. On that note, McGee is having a Labor Day Sale and I️ just loaded up on some frames for around the home. They haven’t arrived yet, but I’m hopeful! Also like this gold leaf mirror, it’s similar to the antique version I️ found for my powder bath. (Mine’s more brown, but I️ always love an antiqued gold look). Last thing - they have a great clearance section and are giving things away - like these nice towels, placemats and cutting boards.

      

   3. I️ have noticed the Scalamadré pillows in what feels like every Homewrthy video, but I’m waiting to see one of these rugs pop up. P.S. last week you guys loved this ruggable rug I️ was eyeing for my back porch, so resharing for those of you that missed it.

   4. I️ interviewed the woman behind Chasing Paper this week for the podcast (coming out this fall). I️f you aren’t already familiar, you need to check out their amazing artist wallpaper collaborations. Like this with Meredith Kinney and this with Liz Lidgett.

   5. This collection of new arrivals is so fun! Since turning the dining room into my office, we don’t have a great area to eat. I’m toying with the idea of building a small banquet and am gathering inspiration.

   6. I️ feel like I️ could learn how to make this, but so cute!

   7. SALE - you have to do some digging, but if you need lamps, fans, or any lighting, they are offering $75 off if you spend $199 or more with code 26FR50. You could buy two of these cuties and get $75 off!

      P.S. The floor lamps in particular are priced well!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

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P.S. The podcast came back this week! Make sure to subscribe to get new artist interviews and solo episodes every week!

Prefer to watch this post? watch on Youtube here!

Dear Creatives,

Growing up, my best friend lived down the street. We met on the first day of kindergarten, as all great elementary school friendships do, and we were off to the races. Whether it was proximity or our shared love of creativity, we were inseparable.

Every day after school we would go play on her worn, wooden outdoor playset and play house, but not what you are thinking. We were never a traditional family unit in the suburbs doing “normal things”. We were a house of pirates, dinosaur hunters, orphans (during our Annie phase), ghosts (during the phase that genuinely worried our parents), fairies, and more. The premise was always that we were a family, sometimes just the two of us, sometimes our little sisters were allowed to join, sometimes neighborhood kids rounded out the cast. Girls were in the family and boys were almost always the bad guys. The limits were endless.

Why am I telling you this? Because being an artist is its own version of playing pretend. We are creating worlds and images in our minds and working to translate them onto the page. But I learned something beyond that, something that carried all the way into art school.

To do your most creative work, you need to build boundaries around it.

Growing up, that looked like playing house as some version of a family with the treehouse as home base. It was our safe zone and the rules were drawn in a circle around it. Inside that circle, anything could happen.

As an artist, boundaries might mean limiting your palette, your medium, or your subject matter for a period of time. I was pushed to do this throughout art school and it worked every time. Constraints, prompts, and limits consistently produced more creative work than total freedom did. It’s hard, but I am still working to apply this more intentionally now.

Take my two main subjects: reading girls and figures. I have painted figurative women since high school, when I took my first figure drawing class with a nude model and have been drawn to tasteful female renderings ever since.

The Reading Girls came later, about a year and a half ago, and since then I have used that subject as my perimeter. Inside it I can do whatever I want. Color, texture, medium, paper, canvas, it does not matter because the subject stays relatively unchanged. That is my only rule, and somehow, having that one rule has made everything inside it more interesting, not less. (see below)

Too many options makes us freeze. Analysis paralysis is real and it is particularly brutal for creative people who are drawn to every direction at once. Yes, I️ also get excited and want to buy and use every single material in every single color in the art store.

But I️ am pushing you to try this for a month: Pick your boundary and work inside it. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• My first Reading Girls collection used only four tubes of paint, which surprises people because the work is quite colorful. One red, one blue, one yellow, one white. That was it.

• Try buying a flower arrangement and drawing it every single day from the day you bring it home until the day it dies, watching how it changes and how your eye changes with it.

• Try painting the same corner of your house at different hours of the day to capture the shifting light, very Claude Monet of you.

• Or give yourself a prompt like “find something traditionally ugly or discarded and make it beautiful.”

The oyster is yours. Go take it.

Xoxo,
Hayley

The Weekly Edit is my Sunday roundup of what I am reading, listening to, talking about, and buying. Consider it the things I would text you if we were friends.

Subscribe now

The Weekly Edit

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Club Update: Sorry for missing this week’s calls! I️ had a little bug, but we will be back in action on Tuesday to talk all things PRINTS! Not a Club members? Add your name to the waitlist here.

   2. Podcast: This week on the podcast we discussed holiday with (what I️ think is) a fresh marketing take. Let me know if you agree! Next week I’m interviewing artist Brynn Casey!

2. Reading - I️ just finished this book and it was such a sweet true story! An easy, heartwarming read. Now I’m starting this book that has a very high goodreads rating, so my hopes are high!

3. Wearing and Wanting -

   1. This red sneaker! I️ love an unexpected pop of red!

   2. I️ just bought this entire outfit for fall and I’m pretty pumped. My sister decided to match me and get it too! We will match like we did 25 years ago, except it doesn’t involve bows and smocking ;)

   3. Can someone buy this please so I️ don’t have to haha? It would be the most fun party dress!

   4. I️f you need a cute hostess gift idea, look no further than this new-to-me site! I️ love giving hostess gifts that are fun, playful, but also something she might not buy herself and this site has all of that and more! I’m eying this, this and these!

4. For Your Home -

   1. I️ just discovered this new shop with tons of French vintage goodies! Most items are one-of-a-kind, so you have to act fast, but they have some stunning pieces! I️ was eying this demilune but it sold :p, but they have so many other fabulous pieces, like this table/desk!

   2. Pepper Home has some really beautiful pillows on their site with fabric that looks like some really high end fabric I️ saw on my last trip to ADAC. I️ am currently loving this one!

   3. Over The Moon is doing a collab with Caitlin Wilson Design and I️ love all of it, especially this quilt!

   4. I️’m eyeing this Ruggable runner for our screened in porch.

   5. I️’ve been searching for some distressed or vintage frames and I️ think I️ found a good source on Etsy (they are arriving in a few weeks, so stay tuned!)

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Dear Creatives,

It is August and I am about to talk to you about Christmas, yikes, I️ know, but trust me this is to make you LESS STRESSED.

Every year I watch artists (my previous self included) make the same mistake: they let November roll around and suddenly realize they need to do something “holiday inspired.” What follows is panic, ornaments getting painted in a frenzy, things get dumped on a website without a plan, and by December 20th someone is in my DMs saying they are so burned out, they didn’t even make that much money, and they swear they will never do holiday again. Then they do it again the next year… I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be this way!

I do not want that to be you this year, so I am here to tell you this: The fix is not working harder in November, it’s thinking differently right now.

You need to change your thinking about the holiday season from it being a high ROI/sales season to it being a marketing season. Every ornament, calendar, card, or small giftable object you sell between now and December is a seed. It gets planted in someone else’s home, someone who did not know you before, and it blooms every single year for the next decade when they pull it out of a box and hang it on their tree.

I know this because of my grandmother. Every December, she gave me and my sister one nice ornament featuring whatever I was into that year. Every December since, I have pulled those ornaments out of the same tissue paper, hung them on my tree, and thought about her.

Now imagine each ornament was hand painted by you. Every December for the last 30 years, I would have been pulling your artwork out of a box, hanging it, thinking about you. That’s years and years of marketing during the most emotional, gift-heavy, family-heavy season of the year all from one purchase.

This reframe changes how you should plan the holiday season.

The seeds vs. money makers framework

Every holiday offering falls into one of these two categories. You can lean into one or the other or both, but you have to make that choice strategically to be successful.

Seeds: Ornaments, calendars, small prints, cards, small giftable objects. These are things you sell that will most likely be gifted to someone who is not your existing audience. That person opens your work, hangs it on their tree, frames it, and now you are in their home. They didn’t know you before and now they do (and the revenue from the sale is a bonus). The real return is the audience you just planted.

Money makers: Originals, commissions, larger bespoke items. These are what your existing audience buys for themselves or as larger, more meaningful gifts. These are what pay your mortgage and move your business forward.

Most artists treat every holiday offering as a money maker and get frustrated when ornaments only net twenty dollars. That’s not what ornaments are for, instead the ornament’s job is to end up in a home where you’ve never been.

Below I walk through the full framework. The seeds case study, the pricing psychology of why cheaper is not better and why some things should be priced higher than you think, and homework to get you started now (without feeling overwhelmed!)

If you make anything for the holiday season and you have been winging it, this is the plan.

Read more

The Weekly Edit is my Sunday roundup of what I am reading, listening to, talking about, and buying. Consider it the things I would text you if we were friends.

Subscribe now

The Weekly Edit

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Club Update: This week we covered prepping for holiday…crazy I️ know. We focused on not just holiday planning, but considerations like pricing, how to keep your gift-able items feeling premium and on brand and so much more. This Tuesday we are talking about prints!(not a members, join the waitlist here)

   2. Podcast: The podcast is back (please follow!) and we dropped three new episodes this week! Listen to them all here or wherever you listen to podcasts!

2. Reading - I bought this book frankly because I️ was obsessed with the cover. So fun fact I️ own a kindle (and love it, which shocked me) but if a cover is ever really pretty I️ buy a hard copy. It’s like a mini work of art! The book is a true story (which I️ didn’t know and then went down the rabbit hole stalking this girl on Instagram) and is so far phenomenal. It’s a tale of a girl in her twenties living in New York and kind of about the dogs that walked through life with her. It’s really sweet.

3. Wearing and Wanting -

   1. I️ really love this dress and it’s on sale (less than $100)

   2. I️’m a sucker for a sneaker.

4. For Your Home -

   1. I️ posted this reel this week and wanted to share my new artwork with you. I️ have had the Christine Carrier piece since I️ went to the Loyola Art Show a few years ago and love it. You can shop similar pieces here and the frame (Amazon) here. The Caroline Greb piece I️ came across on Artfully Walls and LOVE! I️ bought a few other prints that I️ can’t wait to show you.

   2. I️ was gifted this wall print from Fracture and am working on my guest bedroom. I’ll keep you posted on how I️ style it. They also have a cool Americana collection. This vintage Coke print could be cool in a basement or gameroom situation.

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

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Dear Creatives,

The podcast is back!

A lot of you asked why it went away, so I️ wanted to share…podcasting is a lot of work. It is one of the most time intensive things I do and for a long time it was not bringing in any income, which meant every hour I spent on it was an hour I was choosing not to spend on something else. That math became harder and harder to justify as other areas of my business were growing.

You were persistent, though, in telling me all of the reasons you missed it including: it was where you learned XYZ, it was where so many of you found me in the first place, and it was the content you came back to when you needed a reset. Maybe selfishly, I brought it back because I missed it myself.

Season two is going to look a little different based on what I’ve heard from all of you. I am doing more solo episodes because they are more manageable for my schedule and I’ve learned that you like that tactical advice mixed in. I will continue adding interviews when I️ find someone with a great story to tell. To keep it sustainable and to allow me to keep it going, please consider following the show wherever you listen, subscribing on Youtube, or sharing with a friend (all free!)

(if you are wondering, an increase in these numbers allows me to pitch to advertisers at no cost to you, get bigger names to interview, and make a little profit.)

Now, let’s get into the three episodes I dropped this week and why they were the three topics I️ wanted to dive into first.

Between my three businesses, I talk to hundreds of artists every year. I have slowly learned that everything most artists want, sustainability, more time in the studio, quitting the day job, or more time with their families at home, comes down to making money. The reason most artists are not making the money they want is not lack of skill, it is that they are operating under a few assumptions that are holding them back: the starving artist concept, mistaking who their customer truly is, and pricing incorrectly. So I️ broke each one down!

Episode one: The starving artist myth. Probably 8/10 artists I️ have interviewed said they didn’t choose to formally study art because they wanted to choose a “safe career.” The idea that being an artist is a risk is a belief many still hold, but something I️ am seeing is less and less the case. This episode is where season two starts because everything else we talk about this season builds on this idea.

(I️ just noticed the creepy AI cover Youtube gave this video, so please disregard haha)

Episode two: Collector psychology. The assumption that your ideal customer is just someone wealthy enough to not think twice about spending money on art is one of the most common and most limiting beliefs I see. This episode reframes who actually buys art and why, which changes everything about how you market and sell your work.

Episode three: Pricing. Most artists are pricing too low, burning out, and then quitting. This episode breaks down the pricing mistakes I see constantly and how to think about your numbers in a way that makes your business thrive instead of wearing you out.

If these episodes resonated and you want to go deeper, I have a tool that pairs really well with them.

My financial tracker is below and it is one of the most practical tools I use in my own business. If you are going to raise your prices, start tracking what is actually selling, and build toward real sustainable income, you need somewhere to track what is coming in and going out. This does just that! (and your accountant will thank you!)

Thank you for being here and for being patient while I figured out how to bring the podcast back in a way that felt sustainable.

Xoxo,
Hayley

Read more

The Weekly Edit is my Sunday roundup of what I am reading, listening to, talking about, and buying. Consider it the things I would text you if we were friends.

Subscribe now

The Weekly Edit

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Club Update: This week in the Club we are discussing working with interior designers. Next week we are discussing Holiday Prep (not a members, join the waitlist here)

   2. Podcast: The podcast is coming back this week!! Make sure you are subscribed because we are dropping THREE episodes this week!! In the meantime, listen to Friday’s replay episode with Lindsey Crafter

   3. The Scouted Studio has two STUNNING new collections by Kaitlin Kidd and Mitchell Walters. See how we’d style their new collections below.

2. Reading - I️’m currently reading The Art of Gathering and am getting so many ideas for The Club! It’s a really interesting read…I️ will be doing a recap once I️ finish it!

3. Recommended App for Creatives - Manychat! I personally use it to DM my podcast to new followers and send my Substack to people that request it in comments. It’s hands down the best app I️ pay for (there is a free version) but if you want to grow and not be on your phone all of the time it’s a must! Get 30% off with my link.

4. Wearing and Wanting -

   1. I️ love a flattering short in this weather!

   2. I️’m cleaning out my closet and selling some things on Poshmark like this Hunter Bell dress. Follow along for more items!

5. For Your Home -

   1. I️f you love a bobbin frame, shop from my friend! They are the ones I️ use because they are THE BEST quality!

   2. CB2 is having a summer sale. Lighting has been one of my favorite things to update in our house and CB2 has some great options at fantastic prices. Love this and I’m a sucker for anything in unlacquered brass. Also love this!

   3. I️ did a print haul and supported a few of my favorite artists…stay tuned for how I️ style these pieces. For now, check out what I️ bought: This by Laurel Dawn, this by Caroline Greb (you know I️ love a stripe and very excited to style this in my kitchen!), and this fun little reminder for my office!

   4. Two oddly specific items that I’m loving because I’m nostalgic (and we crave analog!) - this speaker (fun fact: on our honeymoon our room only had a speaker, no TV or anything and it was this exact Marshall bluetooth speaker. Considering getting it for my husband for our anniversary and because he needs a new speaker) I️ have a Marshall record player that my dad got me in college along with his collection of incredible vinyls but bluetooth seems like an easier choice for every day use. Second, I️ saw this bluetooth phone on Instagram this week and weirdly really want it (totally unnecessary but I️ miss a corded home phone, is that weird?) (I️ saw it on this account and she’s such a fun follow, so dropping her account below!)

   5. Shop the cafe curtain I️ added to our laundry room! (not the best photo, sorry)

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

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Dear Creatives,

I recently participated in two art shows, one in Atlanta and one in Charleston. Different markets, different artists, but there are a few lessons I learned from both that led to more sales in person and, surprisingly, online during and after the show. I’m getting into all of that later, but first let me teach you one specific sales technique that will prevent you from lowering your prices the minute someone hesitates on cost.

The offer-a-different-size-not-a-discount rule

I closed three sales because I used this move, and I want to give you the exact language. I think we often struggle with selling, after all, most of us just want to be artists, not salespeople, so I thought it might help to give you a specific situation and a specific script.

When somebody is clearly interested in a piece and clearly hesitating on cost, the worst thing you can do is offer to come down on the price. You devalue the work, you devalue every piece in the booth, and you train the buyer to expect haggling next time. The right move is to redirect the conversation from “price” to “size.” Same language pattern every time: “If this one isn’t quite right, I have an eleven by fourteen of a similar subject for $X. Want me to grab it?”

What this does: it moves the buyer’s brain from “I can’t afford this” (an objection that ends sales) to “the smaller one might fit my space better” (an objection that converts). The price is a real factor in their life, but you’ve given them another option without making it seem about money. That reframe closes sales that a discount would have just cheapened.

If they still hesitate at the smaller size, that’s the moment to offer a print similar to the original piece they were drawn to (if available). Same framing: “I also have a print of the one you liked, eight by ten, ready to take home today.” Not “if you can’t afford the original,” ever.

That's one piece of advice to help you close more sales, but I️ have lots more below including: the full three-week marketing arc I ran before both shows (what I posted, when, and why it converted), the booth I built for free out of my own living room, the Monday email template that's already turned three Friday browsers into commission conversations, and the post-show content calendar built to carry the momentum for a full week after the doors close.

If you have a show coming up this summer or fall, this is the playbook.

Read more

In case you missed it, I didn’t post a Weekly Edit last Thursday. I’ve decided to give it its own home. Here’s why: half of you show up for the recommendations, half of you show up for the essay, and cramming them into one post every week means everyone’s scrolling past a section they didn’t come for.

So here’s the new plan: the essay lands on Thursdays now, and the Weekly Edit drops in your inbox every Sunday, a round-up of what I’m watching, reading, wearing, and telling everyone about (whether they asked or not lol.)

Why Sunday? Because Sunday is made for finally reading that article you saved three weeks ago, hitting play on the podcast episode that’s been sitting in your queue, or splurging on that Ulla Johnson blouse that’s on sale, because you sold out your collection this week and you earned it.

I want these short, sweet, and still worth ten minutes of your Sunday. Enjoy.

The Weekly Edit

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Club Update: This week in the Club we discussed how we are moving more analog in our marketing and how this is FANTASTIC for artists. (Also was sent this read on the subject) Next week we are discussing working with interior designers. (not a members, join the waitlist here)

   2. Podcast: The podcast is coming back this month!! Make sure you are subscribed!! In the meantime, listen to Friday’s replay episode with Brittany Smith.

2. Reading - Just finished this one: The narrator is highly unlikable (not as bad as Yesteryear, but she isn’t someone I’d want to hang out with haha) but it really adds to the story. The premise - the narrator’s “friend,” a highly successful author, shockingly passes away and the narrator steals her draft for her next book. What unfolds after had me sitting there with second-hand anxiety, but it made for a great read.

   Now I’m starting this book - A twisty thriller taking place in the Suburbs of DC. It was recommended to me (actually both of these were) during my photoshoot at Ladybird books by the women working there!

3. ULLA JOHNSON SAMPLE SALE! - up to 70% off!

   1. We love a sample sale and we love Ulla! My faves are majorly discounted!

      

      1. Shop my favorite jeans and top (above) and the best oversized denim jacket!

4. Wearing and Wanting

   1. I️ was gifted these bras and they are truly the softest thing I️ have ever put on my body, and they actually get the job done unlike bralettes and other “soft bras”.

5. For Your Home -

   1. Love this gift idea - frame your friend’s wedding matches or their favorite restaurant’s matches if they are moving!

   2. Was just sent this little “candle coaster” and I️ think it’s the cutest list accessory.

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Dear Creatives,

I want to make a quick but genuine recommendation today because I think you will love this as much as I do.

A few weeks ago I started taking “real” lunch breaks, which if you know me is already news, and I have been spending them watching various Homeworthy episodes on YouTube. One episode and I surface back to my desk inspired in a way that feels different from scrolling Instagram or perusing Pinterest.

I recently was sent Liz Lidgett’s Homeworthy and had to share it with all of you! What I love about it specifically is that Liz shows her own home and walks the viewer through every intentional decision she made from painting her sunroom rug herself to the thought that went into every piece hung on the wall. Nothing is forced to match or to “go,” and yet everything works and tells a story. The mix of old and new throughout her home is exactly the kind of collected-over-time aesthetic I find myself drawn to and trying to build in my own space.

She also has a brass hat collection that I cannot stop thinking about, and I am now genuinely considering what my own random collection of something might be…

Liz also just released a book called Art for Everyone, that I️ obviously had to order. It is about collecting art, personalizing your space, and doing both on any budget. Highly recommend!

And if you are not yet familiar with Liz, the best place to start might actually be her episode on my podcast, before you fall down the Homeworthy rabbit hole. Consider it a warm introduction.

I️ know this is a short Substack, but now you have homework, go watch/listen/read one of these and be inspired!

Talk soon,

Hayley

P.S. If you are a paid subscriber (or want to become one) I️ have consolidated all of your free resources and discounted coaching in one place!! HERE. (If you aren’t a paid sub, check it out to see what you’re missing, wink wink).

Subscribe now

Can you do me a quick favor? If you liked this, hit the restack button (it's the icon with two arrows in a loop) at the top of this post, drop a reshare, or just tell a friend. It helps me more than you know, and it'll only take a second.

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. My Artist Intensive one day event in Alabama is filling up (only 1 full day spot left!!) Snag your spot here.

2. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! My friend Marisa is about to host a free workshop that’s insanely cool. (She’s whose carousel course I️ took and led to my TACC carousels going viral multiple times!) So I wouldn’t be recommending it unless I actually thought it was going to help your business.

   Over 2.5 billion prompts get typed into ChatGPT every day to recommend the ‘best business for X, Y, Z’ but if the bots don’t know about your brand? You can’t get found. Which means good news for your competitors, and very bad news for your bank account. So you need to know about GEO, which is a fancy way of saying: how you can get the bots to trust you, and recommend you to your ideal clients.

   1. Which is where Marisa’s *free* 5 day workshop comes in.. How to Get Found, Liked and Booked on AI.

      1. You’ll learn:

         • How to get the bots to know and trust you

         • How to get recommended and cited by ChatGPT, Claude and others

         • How to get leads to like instantly when they arrive on your website (hint: you need personality)

         • How to use conversion psychology to get them to book you in 24 hours

         Marisa - from Dirty Copy - is so smart, fun and has a wicked sense of humor, so if you’re worried this will be another boring, fluff-filled workshop that’s basically a 5 day pitch…it won’t be (Marisa always overdelivers in my experience).

         Want to sign up for the *free* 5 day workshop? It’s happening in less than 2 weeks.

         SAVE MY SEAT HERE (M’m doing it!!)

         https://polite-tree-993.myflodesk.com/kcrtmhnm0t

3. Reading - This is a good, fast, fun read!

4. Wearing and Wanting -

   1. Save major on art supplies here!

   2. Wearing this in tomorrow’s photoshoot! Also bought this as a second choice!

   3. Obsessed and might need

5. For Your Home -

   1. Loving this fawn rug (and it’s on sale! 30% off)

   2. Turkish towels on sale

   3. A great, affordable upgrade that makes a huge difference (or at least it did in my kitchen) - new hardware! And Ballard has a ton of options on sale right now!

   4. Everyone’s favorite glassware is on sale!

   5. I️f you need taper candles, these are dirt cheap.

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

Instagram’s CEO said it publicly earlier this year: shares are now one of the most important metrics on the platform. The algorithm is actively pushing content that gets sent from one person to another, and it is deprioritizing everything else. (why? because that’s how the everyday person is using the platform, to send memes to each other not to actually post stuff.)

Which created a problem I could not stop thinking about.

The content that gets shared most reliably falls into two categories. Educational, the kind a coach or an expert posts, here are five things you need to know about X. And funny, the kind a comedian or a meme account posts, the thing that makes someone immediately forward it to their sister while thinking, “I️ thought only our childhood included this very niche experience”.

Most artists are neither of those things on Instagram. Or at least, that is not primarily what we are there to be. We are there to show beautiful work, build a collector base, and sell. So the question I kept coming back to was:

If the algorithm rewards shares, and most shares are how-tos and memes, where does that leave the artist who just wants to show her work?

I think the answer is that most artists are posting content that was never going to get shared, not because the work is not good, but because the post was not built for sharing. A photo of a finished painting centered on a plain white wall with the size and price in the caption is a product listing. It is not content. No matter how beautiful the painting is, a stranger scrolling Instagram has very few reasons to send a product listing to her friend.

The share happens when the post gives her something. A feeling, an idea, a laugh, a moment of recognition, something she wants her friend or her sister or her partner to also have. Your art alone, on a wall, with a price, does not give her that. The world around your art might.

Keep reading for the artists edition of sharable content, broken into six categories so you can pick what works for you, the four rules that will immediately make your content more sharable, and of course, homework for you to improve this week.

Keep reading because if your Instagram has been a slideshow of paintings on plain walls and you cannot understand why nothing gets shared, this is the actual fix.

Read more

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. My Artist Intensive one day event in Alabama is filling up! Snag your spot here. (P.S. only 3 spots left for the full day mastermind!!)

2. Reading -

3. Wearing and Wanting-

   1. Just purchased this swim shirt (that’s actually cute) because living in the lowcountry and boat weekends are taking a toll on my skin.

   2. debating getting these sunglasses too from a new-to-me brand…

   3. Currently obsessed with these sets!

   4. I️ have a photoshoot next week and have been exploring stripes! Which is your favorite - these pants, this dress, this dress, or this dress?

   5. speaking of stripes…obsessed with this beach tote ($35!)

   6. The everyday tank that you can style with anything this summer. I️ might buy it in every color!

4. For Your Home

   1. Looking for a new bath mat to add some color to our bathroom (and that is a step up from our cheap, Amazon one)

   2. Also a doormat, because it’s a place to add a little personality!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

I want to talk about something that has nothing to do with your content calendar, your email list, or your conversion rate, but likely is the most important factor in growing your business… bear with me.

Last week I had coffee with a friend. Then later in the week, coffee with an artist. Neither of those meetings was scheduled with a specific agenda. Nobody was pitching anybody anything. We just sat down together and talked. One of those conversations sparked an idea I had not been able to get to on my own. The other gave me energy and excitement about the week ahead. Both of them reminded me of something I keep having to relearn.

Getting out into the world is a business strategy and not in a networking/LinkedIn kind of way. I’m referring to getting out of your studio to increase your exposure to the right people, the right conversations, and the right moments of accidental clarity.

I have said this before and I mean it every time: the people I have met along the way have done more for my business than almost anything else…and you do not meet those people in your home office. Your home office is useful, productive, and where the work gets done, but it is almost never where the luck happens.

I have started thinking about this as surface area. (Not networking, not intentional relationship building, not any of the phrases that make it sound more calculated and less fun than it actually is. Just surface area.) The more of the world you are in contact with, the more likely you are to stumble into an idea, a person, a conversation, or an opportunity you could not have planned for. A few examples of “increasing your surface area” include

• Going to the library instead of ordering online.

• Calling the friend you have been meaning to call for three months.

• Making actual plans with the person you keep saying you should see.

• Emailing the person who has been quietly on your mind.

• Working from a coffee shop once a week or packing up and painting outside in a park

• None of these are grand gestures, but all of them open a door of some kind.

I am committing to one intentional surface area activity a week. One thing that gets me out of my routine and into contact with the world in a way my home office simply cannot replicate. I am telling you so I actually do it and also to invite you to do this “challenge” with me. (reply if you are in!)

The second thing I want to talk about is the opposite of that, and somehow equally important.

Silence.

The kind of quiet where you turn off the podcast on your walk. I know, I know. I am a podcast person too. I allow music because I can genuinely zone out to it, but if you are someone who also zones out to music, then true silence is probably what you actually need.

A few examples include a bath with no phone, a walk with no headphones, or sitting in a chair after work and just existing for a few minutes, which my husband does naturally and which I have had to learn to do by watching him like he is some kind of advanced human. These are not productivity hacks, instead they are the conditions under which your actual brain gets to show up.

I keep my Fridays intentionally and protectively open. I don’t allow calls or scheduled obligations, only margin. Recently, in that open space an idea arrived that I have not been able to stop thinking about. I am not ready to share all the details yet, but there is an event in the works for artists and it came entirely from a Friday morning where I had nowhere to be and nothing demanding my attention.

The idea did not come from a brainstorm session or a prompt or a research rabbit hole or a conversation about what the market needs. It came from silence and an open calendar and a brain that finally had enough room to think something new.

I do not think that is a coincidence. I think that is how it works, and I think most of us are too scheduled and too stimulated to let it happen very often.

So here is what I am actually suggesting, practically speaking: One surface area activity a week and one real stretch of silence somewhere in your days. Not because either of those things will magically produce something, but because the home studio, as much as I love mine, has a ceiling and the world, and the quiet, do not.

Xoxo,
Hayley

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. I️ just dropped new prints and you can bundle and save!! Bundle any mix of prints and save: Buy 3+ save 20% / 5+ save 30% / 10+ save 40% / 15+ save 50%

   2. My Artist Intensive one day event in Alabama is filling up! Snag your spot here.

2. Reading - Look what landed in my inbox on Tuesday while I️ was finishing this draft

3. Wearing and Wanting (Beach Day edition)

   1. the hat you need

   2. the best sunscreen

   3. a good book

   4. The perfect tote

4. For Your Home

   1. the cutest martini napkin set (under $10!)

   2. I️ love unique wrapping paper and this is on sale and can be used for anything!

   3. cute plate set for your next get together (under $30)

   4. don’t underestimate the impact of a small change like a colorful bath mat!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

Out of the five most-viewed posts on my art account this month, four were carousels.

Ironically one of those posts was the most low-effort thing I’ve made in months. After my Atlanta show two weeks ago, I had a camera roll full of pictures that were not necessarily Instagram-grid-worthy on their own. A shot of our dinner the night before, A photo outside from when the power went out (yes, the power went out the night before our show, which is its own essay one day), cookies for dessert, you get the idea. Nothing “cover photo worthy for an art account” but together told an interesting story.

I sat down on a Wednesday night, opened Instagram, made a ten-slide carousel out of those photos with one to two sentences of caption on each, scheduled it, and went to bed. By Friday it had four thousand views. My last four reels combined did not have four thousand views (another issue for another day).

(Also - carousels are going viral again and again on my TACC account, but those are educational, so we can discuss another time, but more proof that carousels work!)

The reason that post worked is not the photos, but the format. Specifically, the one mechanic Instagram has built into carousels that no other format has, and which almost no artist I follow is currently optimizing for. I’m walking through that mechanic and the rule that comes out of it below.

The mechanic that makes carousels different

When you post a carousel and a viewer sees the first slide in her feed and does not engage (no like, no save, no comment, no share), the algorithm does not retire the post. It serves her the second slide the next time she opens the app. Your one piece of content gets two shots at her attention. If slide one was a swing and a miss, slide two gets a brand new at-bat with the same person. (I️ think most of you know that)

But, what I️ don’t see enough people doing is using this knowledge to their advantage. Let me introduce:

The two-hook rule

Slide one is a hook. Slide two is also a hook. They are not the same hook. They are not redundant. They are two independent attempts to stop a scroll, because the algorithm is going to use them as two independent attempts to stop a scroll.

The test: if somebody saw only your slide one, would she stop. If somebody saw only your slide two, would she stop. Both have to be yes. If only one is yes, you have lost half the post’s potential audience. Below are three examples:

In the first example above, I️ have a cover page/hook on each slide

Slide one: “How to style are in your home”

Slide two: “As an artist and gallery owner, I️ have seen a lot of walls…here is what actually makes a home feel collected”

Both are hooks that lead to the same information later. Together, they give the algorithm two clean shots at every potential viewer. Slide three is where the actual story starts.

If I had written slide two as “here is the first tip… ,” I would have lost the second-chance hook. Instead people would see a random tip without context.

Most artists, including me until very recently, treat slide two as the first information slide. Slide two has to be a fresh hook in its own right.

Below I’m walking you through the three carousel formats that work for artists with real examples from my account (the educational, the story, and the showcase), the in-app editing tricks that make Instagram favor your post, and the real view counts from my last seven posts so you can see the format-vs-format math for yourself.

If you have been pouring hours into reels that are pulling four hundred views and wondering what you’re doing wrong, this is the fix.

Read more

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. I️ just dropped new prints and you can bundle and save!! Bundle any mix of prints and save: Buy 3+ save 20% / 5+ save 30% / 10+ save 40% / 15+ save 50%

   2. My Artist Intensive one day event in Alabama is filling up fast! Snag your spot here.

2. What I’m Reading - Read this in a day on Sunday!

3. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. I️ love a summer dress!

   2. $20 basic tee with a little somethign extra

   3. J.Crew but giving Doên (under $100)

4. Sales Report

   1. Frame is having a great denim sale - PS an extra 30% is applied at checkout. Love these

   2. Blue Mercury’s Summer sale is on! Im’ stocking up on this while it’s on sale!

   3. Solid and Striped is having a 4th of July sale if you need to finally get new bathing suits (like me)

   4. Athleta is also having a huge sale and I️ need shorts (these are $33)

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

Last year I made a decision that felt indulgent at the time and turned out to be one of the smartest moves in my business. I invested in professional photography for two collections, the Reading Girls library shoot and the After Midnights figures shoot.

I want to be upfront that this was not a massive budget, but I think a lot of artists assume professional photography is either completely out of reach or barely worth it compared to just snapping something on your phone in decent light. I used to think the same thing. Then I actually did it and watched what happened to my business.

Why the photos mattered more than the photos

Here is the thing I didn’t realize about investing in quality photography, it is not really about getting a nicer picture of your art, it is about giving your work context for your audience. Photography tells a story and a reason for someone to feel something before they even fully process what they are looking at.

The library shoot did not just show my Reading Girls paintings. It put them in the hands of a woman lost in a room of books, and might just have made you nostalgic for something that despite existing, isn’t something we do that often — explore our local library. It told you who this collection was for right away. Buyers did not just see a painting. They saw themselves, or someone they wanted to be, or a specific person in their life right away. How do I know that? They told me. “OMG I need a reading girl,” or “my niece is such a reading girl,” and “my mom is a reading girl!”

The After Midnights shoot did something different but used the same principle. Through heart shaped sunglasses, a martini glass, and playing cards fanned out on a vintage table, it was unhinged in the best way and it told you immediately this collection had a completely different energy. Glamorous, a little chaotic, fun without apologizing for it. This collection was for the woman chic enough to order a dirty martini, but playful enough to not let it stop her from running the pool table. The buyer of these figures wants something chic, but that also says something about themselves in a way that isn't too serious.

Neither shoot was really about the art hanging flat on a white wall. I can shoot that on my iPhone for free. Both were about pulling the work off the page and giving it a world to live in.

What actually happened

Both collections sold out within two months (or less) of launch (which is my goal and you can read about it here).

The real shift was bigger than any single collection selling well. I found I could charge more because the presentation around the work signaled that the work itself was worth more. My brand started getting taken more seriously, by collectors, by other artists, by people considering working with me. And maybe most practically, I now have a library of images I am still using almost a year later. Website, Substack, newsletters, social content, gallery applications, press requests, one photoshoot, used over and over across nearly every part of my business.

There was also something less measurable that mattered just as much. Having those photos made me genuinely more confident putting the work out into the world and buyers could feel that confidence too. It is hard to quantify but easy to notice in hindsight. When you believe in the presentation of your own work, people believe in the work itself a little more too.

I was so convinced by what happened last year that I have already invested in a new shoot at my recent show in Atlanta, and I have another one scheduled in July for a brand new collection.

I know not everyone is ready to book a photoshoot this month, and that is more than fine, because below I’m sharing my favorite tip for better photos and an AI tip that fixes one of the most common photography problems artists run into. Plus, I’m sharing the exact numbers from both shoots, what I actually spent, and the rules I follow now so every shoot earns its keep.

Read more

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. I️ just announced my Art Intensive one day event with Carrie Pittman! Learn more here.

   2. New Reading girls are here!

2. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. These two JCrew dresses! one and two

   2. Beautiful butter yellow dress that looks much more expensive than $108

   3. I️ just was gifted the cutest new beach bag!

   4. The perfect summer wedding guest dress/rehearsal dress

   5. and because I’m in my mid-summer, dresses-are-the-only-option era, you need this Amazon dress (shown below) - true to size but will shrink in wash

   

3. For The Home:

   

   1. Copy my table! Napkin ring, napkin, placemat

   2. Also this piece for my reading-inspired gallery wall.

4. SALES REPORT- a few 4th of July sale favorites

   1. We just got a second sheet set from Brooklinen and LOVE them! I️ love these percale sheets (30% off)! They also have great towels (these are 50% off)

   2. It’s PRIME DAY through tomorrow!

   3. AWAY - It’s a great time to finally get good luggage. We love our Away set!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

Let’s talk about something that has been bothering me.

Artists are getting more criticism for using AI than almost any other industry right now, and I think that is genuinely unfair. Before I get into how I use it, how I misuse it, and what I am doing about it, I want to address that directly because I think we are having the wrong conversation.

A few weeks ago I got called out in my comments for using ManyChat. For those who don’t know, ManyChat is an automation tool that sends a DM when someone comments a specific word on your post. The commentor said something along the lines of “she tells us to be ourselves, but is sending us automated replies.” Yes I️ was, and here’s why I️ don’t think it’s wrong…at all.

I genuinely love connecting with the people in my world. My collectors, my coaching clients, the women who show up in my comments every single week. Those relationships matter to me deeply, but deep connections rarely start when a carousel says comment “Substack” for the link and someone comments “substack”, which is what I️ use Manychat for. (That and sending new followers my free podcast because 90% of my followers are artists and I️ think it will help them.)

They start when someone gets into my world, joins my email list, emails me, messages me directly, asks about piece, shows up in the Club. ManyChat just gets them there faster. Automating the door is not the same as automating the relationship.

That distinction matters because it gets to the heart of why I think artists are being held to an unfair standard when it comes to AI.

I know someone who was literally told by their corporate employer, “I want you to spend time every single week learning about how to better use AI, how to build agents, how to do your job more efficiently.” That was not a suggestion, but a directive. In nearly every other industry right now, learning and adopting AI is being pushed from the top down, and the people who resist it are the ones quietly being left behind or edged out entirely (another issue for another day). But when artists do the same thing, when we pick up the tools available to us and try to work smarter, we get called inauthentic in our comment sections. The double standard is worth calling out, especially since so many artists have brought it to my attention that they also are getting called out (and mainly by other creatives).

Think about what we are actually asked to do to be profiting artists: Make the work. Photograph the work. Edit the photos. Write the captions. Post the reels. Send the newsletters. Answer the DMs. Update the website. Handle the commissions. Do the accounting. Pitch the galleries. Respond to the collectors. Maintain the email list. Stay on Pinterest. Show up on TikTok. Do it all with a smile and make it look effortless because we are an aspirational brand.

Every single one of those things falls on one person. Us.

Other industries have teams. Marketing departments. Assistants. Publicists. We have ourselves and whatever we can cobble together on a budget that most corporate marketing managers would laugh at. So when a tool arrives that can handle some of the admin, the formatting, the reformatting, the scheduling, the repurposing, of course we use it. We were drowning and someone threw us a life raft. The criticism that followed felt a little like watching someone bail water out of a sinking boat and telling them they are doing it wrong, it’s better to let it sink.

WPP CEO Cindy Rose put it better than I could when explaining her mantra to her team: “use AI to automate the ordinary and elevate the extraordinary… At the heart of a lot of creativity is a truth or insight about human imperfection. Turns out AI doesn’t do that very well.”

Or my favorite quote from her, “[AI] helps creative people spend more time being creative.” (Listen to her at 11:30 mark for more on this topic)

This is what I think we need to focus on. The ordinary, the admin, the repetitive tasks that eat your creative hours alive, hand those off. The extraordinary, your point of view, your story, your specific weird humor, the reason someone buys from you instead of the thousands of other artists on Instagram, that stays with you. Fiercely.

Buy back time to think, to be bored, to “make bad art,” to have that “unstructured creative time” that I️ love to talk about but always schedule over in my calendar.

The problem is not that artists are using AI. The problem is that some of us, myself included on a bad day, are accidentally handing off the extraordinary too. Running our own voice through the machine so many times that we forget what it sounds like. Letting it write our ideas for us until every artist’s profile starts to sound like the same person. Outsourcing the very thing that makes someone stop scrolling, stop and stare, or notice.

Here is where I land: AI is not the enemy of creativity. Misusing it is and artists are not wrong for using it. We are actually the ones who need it most, which means we also need to be the most intentional about where we let it in and where we absolutely do not.

The galleries that waited until last year to build a website did not protect their integrity. They just fell behind. I am not doing that again with this technology. I am stepping into 2026 with both eyes open, using what helps, protecting what matters, and being honest with you about all of it along the way.

Which is why I am starting something new.

Keep reading for the first installment of my new paid series where every single week I share exactly how I am using AI in my art business, one specific task, broken down step by step so you can implement it too. This week I am teaching you how I turn any piece of long form content (Substack, blog, email) into a viral carousel in about ten minutes, using the exact Claude prompt and template structure behind the carousels that have been performing best for me lately.

This is what I️ used on these three viral posts in the past few weeks.

Example 1: 123k views, 1k shares, 2.6k saves, 885 follows

Example 2: 13.5k views, 73k shares, 409 saves, 72 follows

Example 3: 42.6k views, 383k shares, 2k saves, 431 follows

Introducing: AI for Artists, One Tool at a Time

Every week at the bottom of this newsletter I am going to share one specific way I am using Claude, ChatGPT, or another tool to do a real art business task better, faster, or cheaper. Exactly what I did, what I typed, what came back, and whether it was actually worth it.

I will tell you the time it saved, the results it produced, and how you can copy it for your own business that week. Think of it as the AI section of your paid subscription, practical, honest, and updated in real time as I learn.

This week we are starting with the one that has genuinely moved the needle for me on Instagram lately.

Read more

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. Come see me TOMORROW in Atlanta at my art show with 7 amazing fellow artists. The show is in Buckhead from 12-6pm - reply to this email for the address.

2. What I’m Reading - Read this in a day on Sunday!

3. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. This dress!

   2. 4th of July is calling with this dress!

4. Art I’m Loving -

   1. I’m always on the hunt for new artwork and am currently eyeing these prints by some of my favorite artists! I’ve loved her work for years and might need this piece. Two artists that have appeared on my podcast also have art I’m eyeing - here and here. Finally, I️ have always admired her use of color and texture. Which should I️ get?? Help a girl out!

   2. (P.S. yes, I️ buy originals and prints, remember this when thinking about who buys your work. We categorize “print buyers” as an afterthought, but sometimes your ideal customer LOVES everything about your work but that room requires a print budget…I’ll write about this soon.)

5. For The Home:

   1. Was just gifted two of these with photos from my wedding! I️ can’t wait to add them to our bookshelves.

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

I watched the new Burger King commercial three times in a row this weekend and now I have to rewrite half my Instagram. (watch it below)

This past Oscars, Burger King debuted a new commercial. It’s narrated by their actual president, a man named Tom. Not a celebrity, or a cartoon, or a voiceover artist, but the actual sitting president of the company. The entire premise of the commercial is that they fired the king (their 20+ year mascot that won them awards during his debut in 2004). They go through what customers had been complaining about. They admit the food had fallen off. They show some genuinely embarrassing footage of bad meals. Then Tom says, this guy (showing the king) definitely wasn’t helping, so we fired him and crowned you instead. The closing line: there’s a new king and it’s you.

I went down a research rabbit hole. Then I built an entire Club presentation around it because what Burger King just did is, in my opinion, exactly what almost no artist on social media is currently doing, and exactly what would change the most about your sales if you fixed it.

Three things, specifically, that I want to walk you through. Then the actual audit I’m running on my own captions this week, with my rewrites side by side.

The first thing they did is they told the truth. Not in a wallow-y way. In a clean, professional, here’s-what-was-broken-and-here’s-what-we-changed way. They fired their twenty-year-old mascot, the one they’d won awards for, because the recognition the mascot had built was no longer translating into results. Recognition is not the same as results. (remember that)

I think most artists I work with are hanging onto something that is no longer working because they remember when it did work. A subject matter that hit two years ago and hasn’t since. A posting cadence that built their first thousand followers and now produces nothing. A marketing tactic they kept doing because it used to be their thing. For me, it was the artist tip of the day posts. They worked…until they didn’t. I built my audience on them. They stopped working weeks ago and I kept doing them out of muscle memory until I finally let myself stop. The point isn’t that the old thing was bad. The point is that the world moves and you have to be willing to fire what you used to be known for.

The second thing they did is they put the actual president on camera. Not a celebrity endorsement or a polished spokesperson. Tom, the man who runs the company. This is the same move I keep talking about: founder-first branding. People are exhausted by faceless brands. They want to buy from humans. They want to know who made the thing. The data on this is overwhelming and it keeps getting more overwhelming as AI floods every feed with content that has no person behind it. Your face, your voice, your hands in the studio, your dog walking past the camera, those are not soft assets anymore. Those are your hardest competitive advantage.

The third thing they did, and this is the one I want to spend the rest of this post on, is they crowned the customer. The entire commercial, top to bottom, is about the buyer. Not about Burger King. Not about Tom. Not about the food. The buyer is the protagonist. The buyer’s experience is the story. There’s a new king and it’s you.

Almost no artist I follow is doing this. Almost every caption I read, including most of mine until very recently, is talking about the artist, the artwork, the inspiration, the process, the materials, the size, the price. The buyer is nowhere in the caption. We are at a party describing our own outfits to nobody.

Below the paywall I’m walking you through the full caption audit I ran on my own Instagram this week, with three before-and-after rewrites from my own feed, the founder-first versus customer-first tension and how to actually hold both at the same time without contradicting yourself, a breakdown of one artist’s caption structure (the artist who is doing this better than anyone right now), and the five-question buyer profile I now run before I write a single caption. If your work is beautiful but your captions feel like they’re shouting into a void, this is the fix.

Read more

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. The recording is available from my Money Workshop - click here to purchase

   2. Join us in Atlanta for a fun art show on June 19th! Email me for the address.

2. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. sneakers!

   2. simple white top with the perfect amount of detail

   3. summer sandal I’ve been wearing ($36)

   4. Father’s Day gift idea - You send them your photos and they turn it into a glass print!

3. For The Home:

   1. My new favorite Amazon frame!

   2. Also loving my new coup candle!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

May was a hard month for a lot of reasons that I️ won’t get into entirely, but the kind of hard that compounds. I was coming of months of travel, had a packed work schedule, and endured a few things that really hurt to be honest. By the time I came up for air, I was emotionally and creatively flat in a way that felt unfamiliar and honestly a little alarming for someone whose entire life runs on creative energy.

I worked through it slowly, because I had no other option, and somewhere in the middle of that process I had what I can only describe as a deeply obvious epiphany.

I am a grown adult with free will and I had completely forgotten to act like it.

My husband came home with the vanilla party pack of mini Blue Bell ice creams that he knew I️ loved but hadn’t bought in years. He said, “remember joy isn’t always that hard to come by” as he watched my face light up as I️ devoured the treat. I painted my nails (which I️ never do) a color that made me unreasonably happy (also never do). I baked cookies in the middle of a Tuesday for no reason. I took my laptop to the porch and worked outside just because I could (and because the pollen was finally gone).

None of these things are revolutionary, but that’s basically the whole point. I had been waiting for life to feel fun again without actually doing anything fun.

But here is where it got more interesting than just remembering to buy ice cream.

I recently took a character strengths test, per my therapist’s request. My top five came back as Fairness, Social Intelligence, Love of Learning, Perspective, and Creativity. When I shared these with my therapist, she pointed out something I had not fully registered; my work taps into almost every single one of them. Creativity, obviously. Love of Learning, absolutely, I am constantly researching, reading, evolving. Fairness, I genuinely believe every artist has a fighting chance at success regardless of background or starting point and I pour that belief into my coaching. Social Intelligence, I work with women from wildly different places, ages, and life experiences every single week. Perspective, the ability to see the big picture and offer wise counsel, that is coaching in a single sentence, right?

My job feeds me. I knew that, but I had not seen it quite so clearly before, but the problem was that in my current state, I️ wasn’t feeding my strengths outside of work.

Then she asked me a question that stopped me cold.

When was the last period of your life when you were truly the happiest?

I shared it was probably my mid to late twenties in Charleston.

When I started describing why, I realized it had nothing to do with being younger or having fewer responsibilities, in fact I️ was working way more for much less and had really bad anxiety back then, but as a whole I️ was happy. It was something much more specific. I shared an office with my friend Caroline Lunne. I would walk in, we would chat, she would mention a pop-up happening that evening and I would go. Then I would leave and grab a drink with a completely different friend from a completely different circle. Then come home to dinner with my husband or roommates depending on the year. Every single week looked something like that. Constantly dipping my toes into different ponds, different industries, different kinds of people. It took me back to college as a business major & art major, where one hour I was in “Finance 201” and the next I was in “Drawing in Space” and the humans in those two rooms could not have been more different. That variety was not incidental to my happiness. It was the engine of it.

Here is what my therapist helped me see: I️ am pushed through a love a learning and creativity but I️ was only finding that through my art, which currently only has a “for-profit” lens.

I am deeply fed by new people, unexpected conversations, and environments that push me somewhere slightly uncomfortable but wonderful and I had essentially stopped seeking that out.

Not because I do not love Beaufort, I do. Not because my life is not full, it is. But I have not been here long enough to have built those concentric circles yet, and more honestly, I had not been trying very hard to build them. I was waiting for Charleston to somehow show up in a smaller coastal town, which is not how any of this works.

But, I️ have free will and I can go do something about it.

So I am writing this down partly to think it through and partly to hold myself accountable. I am actively looking for my version of the day-in-the-life of 28-year-old Hayley. The event I say yes to even when staying home sounds easier. The introduction I actually follow up on. The room full of people who have nothing to do with my industry and everything to teach me.

The ice cream was a start, but the real work is building back the variety.

If May flattened you too, I want to ask you the same question my therapist asked me. When were you last truly happy for an extended period of time, not content, not fine, but genuinely lit up? And what was actually happening around you when that was true?

The answer is probably more specific than you think… and more actionable.

If any of this resonated, start here.

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1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. I’m exploring new two new art styles/collections and new work is on the horizon…Enjoy these really bad photos (all I️ had on my phone at the time of writing this). Also conducting some research, I’d love to know which you prefer. Vote below!

2. What I’m Reading - I️ need a new book

3. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. This sweater my friend wore to my house last Saturday - she looked great and said she loves it in every color!

   2. This top that is so unique, but I’d also wear every day.

   3. I️ have the same feelings about this top

   4. All I️ want is light dresses for the summer heat and I️ love this and this one and this one (I️ also ordered a few from Amazon, but I’ll wait to share until the check the quality of those)

   5. Just ordered these jean shorts from Tarjay ($28)

4. Art I’m Loving -

   1. This new collection by Lindsey Franks, but man are they selling fast!

5. For The Home:

   1. Lovin’ these frames

   2. These coup candles!

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

My parents were sorting through old photo albums recently and found this newspaper clipping.

"Kindergarten Corner" interviewed local Atlanta 5 and 6 year olds about what they were thankful for. Take a minute to read mine. I know. Yikes. It looks particularly bad next to "my family" and "god." At least "my dog" and "my blankie" are cute. Kindergarten Hayley also appeared to have quite a head of hair, but that's beside the point.

The funny thing is I know all of these kids today, and the way every single answer fits them perfectly still cracks me up. The "god" kid has actually made a guest appearance in this Substack.

Here’s why I’m sharing it, and it isn’t what you think.

Despite being six years old, I remember this moment clearly. I walked to the giant magnolia tree on the corner, that’s where all the “walkers” met their parents before heading home. My mom was there chatting with Tess’ mom. Tess was my best friend, neighbor, and the blankie kid, obviously. My mom walked over and asked why I’d said I was thankful for myself. I looked at her and said, “You always told me to love who I am and be proud of myself, so I said that.” She smiled. That was that.

What started as a silly newspaper interview was actually saying something much bigger.

I had a wonderful childhood, but I was never popular in elementary school and genuinely didn’t care. I had three best friends and that felt like plenty. I got a rolling backpack for my birthday, practical, cute, deeply uncool. I chopped my hair for “Locks For Love” into a short bob that did not cooperate with my volume, also uncool. At recess I was not playing tag with the boys. I was weaving monkey grass, choreographing imaginary worlds, making fairy houses out of woodchips. I was, in retrospect, exactly myself.

Middle school fixed that, because of course. I swapped the rolling backpack, changed my style, even picked up sports to fit in, but I always had art. When my friends complained about our grumpy middle school art teacher, I was staying late in her classroom. Looking back, she was probably grumpy because middle school boys will do literally anything inappropriate for a laugh and the girls are too busy trying to impress the boys to focus. Ahh, middle school.

I took summer school just to fit AP Art into my high school schedule. Those rooms were the places where being weird, creative, and fully yourself was not just tolerated, it was the whole point. From there, I had two experiences that locked that in permanently.

Our AP class went to Oregon for a weekend and we were just allowed to be our complete weirdo selves.

Then I saved up and begged my parents to let me go to a summer art program in Ireland for three weeks. I roomed with kids from all over the world, including a lot of New Yorkers who assumed being Southern meant I dated a cowboy. I did not, although that would have been cool. I’m from Atlanta, not exactly rodeo country. That trip cracked open everything I thought I knew about beliefs, culture, and what was possible. It deserves its own Substack honestly, but what I took home was this:

We need people around us who protect our sense of individuality and celebrate it, even when it looks nothing like their own.

Artists are unusually good at this. I think it’s because making personal work requires you to defend your own perspective constantly, and that makes you genuinely curious about other people’s.

I majored in art with about eleven other people. Almost every single one of them was an Enneagram 4, the type that builds their entire identity around being one of a kind.

I’m a 3, for the record, with some very obvious 4 tendencies. That room of people changed how I think about creative community, because nobody was trying to flatten anyone else. Everyone was just interested.

I feel that same thing every week inside the Club. I gather a group of women whose ages span generations, who live in different countries, hold different beliefs, and show up anyway, openly and honestly. We regularly wander into religion, beliefs, and other topics people treat like landmines, and nobody detonates. Artists understand that difference is not a threat. It’s actually the most interesting thing about another person.

These are also the people who say “that was so creative, I loved it” at the exact moment I’m convinced I just did something mortifyingly “cringe” on the internet. We all need those people desperately.

So here’s the practical part, because I don’t want to just leave you with a warm feeling.

The people closest to you will probably love you no matter what. That’s not the same thing as the support I’m talking about. What you actually need is someone, a friend, a community, a group of some kind, who believes in your specific strengths. Not blind cheerleading, but true belief. People that show up when you’re second-guessing yourself and says no, actually, that part is the good part.

For a lot of artists, that community doesn’t exist yet in their real life. Build it intentionally. Find the people who make you feel more like yourself after you’ve spent time with them, not less. That’s your signal.

Kindergarten me apparently already knew this. Took the rest of us a little longer.

Xoxo,

Hayley

Interested in learning more about the Club, join the waitlist for the fall cohort here.

1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. The podcast is officially coming back in August! As we build up to the relaunch, I️ am sharing your favorite episodes! Listen here! (make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss season 2 coming back!)

2. What I’m Reading - Just started this book, I’m not super into it yet…I️ do love the cover art though haha! Also, just finished this one. It’s divisive, but I️ personally really liked it.

3. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. my new favorite summer dress! (shown below)

      

   2. Eyeing this other long summer dress!

   3. Doên’s new summer collection dropped and it’s everything! Eying this and this!

   4. Under $100 light dress!

   5. This dress is stunning! (and on sale!)

   6. My new favorite PJ/loungewear (on Amazon and very affordable but good quality!)

4. Art I’m Loving -

   1. We dropped new work by Jennifer Walker and Lisa Ann Tindal this week! Both collections are so fun!

5. The Sales Report- What’s on sale this week…

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

Since moving to Beaufort, I have become a frequent flyer out of the Savannah airport. I am partial to the stunning Charleston airport if we are being honest, but convenience wins and that extra thirty minutes usually means SAV beats CHS every time.

On a recent connection to Atlanta, I noticed a squad of tall, not entirely unfortunate looking athletic young men filling the seats of my very small aircraft. The flight attendant actually got on the intercom and announced, and I am not making this up, “if you notice a team of tall, handsome young men on board today, I’d like to welcome the Savannah Bananas.” To which I awkwardly clapped. Sorry, the flight attendant was asking for it and I am nothing if not a people pleaser.

Since that flight I have been absolutely inundated with their TikTok content, and it got me thinking. As my good friend Parker put it, they are the Troy Bolton of 2026. They can play and they can sing, but that is not actually why they took off.

The Harlem Globetrotters have been doing trick basketball since 1926. Entertaining sports is not a new idea. So why are the Savannah Bananas selling out stadiums, breaking ticket sale records, and going viral in a way their counterparts simply have not?

Here is my thought…

They did not try to convert existing baseball fans. They stopped talking to the person who was never going to show up anyway and started going all in on the person who was already looking for exactly what they were offering. Families. People who think baseball is boring. Kids who want a show. People who want to be entertained first and watch sports second. They found their actual audience, got very specific about who that person was, and never looked back.

Most artists are doing the opposite. Trying to convince people who aren’t currently interested in buying art to buy art. Posting content that speaks to other artists when their actual buyer is a 38 year old woman who barely thinks about how a painting is made and cares a lot more about how to frame it, where to hang it, and whether it will work over her buffet. They are talking to the wrong room entirely and wondering why no one is buying.

I know this because I did it too and I know the exact moment it changed.

In 2025 I stopped chasing trending audio I did not care about and started leaning into the music I actually loved, which happened to be the music my ideal client loved too. I stopped trying to look like every other artist on Instagram and started asking what would make someone like me stop scrolling. Turns out my ideal customer is basically me. Same taste, same humor, same references, same slightly unhinged commitment to a good time.

Which brings me to my After Midnights launch campaign. I hired a photographer, put on a series of dramatic gowns, cosplayed drinking champagne, and shot a whole campaign around playing pool and generally causing chaos. (Thank you Marilyn Morgan for putting up with my antics.) It was a little, okay a lot, unhinged. It was not your typical artist launch. It was definitely not what the algorithm was telling me to do. But I knew it would land with my people, and it did. That campaign performed better than anything I had done before it because it was completely, specifically, unapologetically for one person. Me. Oops, I️ mean my ideal client ;)

The Savannah Bananas did not accidentally stumble into a loyal fanbase. They made a decision about who they were for and then made everything, the uniforms, the content, the experience, for that person. No trying to appeal to everyone, instead they completely committed to the right someone.

Your job is not to convince everyone. It is to be completely undeniable to the right person.

The most common version of this mistake I see? Artists letting ChatGPT write their captions and wondering why nothing lands. Generic content written for no one in particular reaches no one in particular. You cannot outsource your personality and expect it to connect. When every artist is saying the same thing in the same way, the one who stands out is the one who sounds like an actual human with an actual point of view.

So who is your actual person? And are you talking to her?

Keep reading for how to actually do this work. I am sharing the exact ideal customer worksheet I use with my coaching clients, the one that takes you from "I think my buyer is a woman who likes art" to knowing her so specifically you could pick her out at a dinner party.

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1. Updates: What’s going on with my different ventures…

   1. I️ added four new pieces of artwork to The Scouted Studio. See them below or shop here. (get the dress here)

2. What I’m Reading - Just started this book, I’m not super into it yet…I️ do love the cover art though haha! Also, just finished this one. It’s divisive, but I️ personally really liked it.

3. Wearing & Wanting -

   1. Two easy summer dresses to throw on and both under $100! Shop one, shop the second.

   2. Great slides for the pool! ($60)

   3. Love this summer skirt!

4. For The Home:

   1. just bought this rug (finally!) for our living room! (On sale)

   2. P.S. Serena and Lily has a great Memorial Day sale

5. The Sales Report- What’s on sale this week…

   1. There are about a million and one Memorial Day sales, but a few standouts inclulde

      1. Cleobella sale on sale - sale items are even cheaper! Love this top and lots of sizes left.

      2. Perelel - my pregnant friends love their prenatals, I️ love their hydration powder. (It’s all OBGYN created, so it’s safe from weird ingredients).

      3. Saks is having a huge sale. Loving this dress

      4. Alice and Olivia has a great sale! Enjoy an extra 25% off sale, plus tons of new styles just marked down.

This Substack contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase—thank you for your support!

Can you do me a quick favor? If you like this, just hit the ❤️ at the bottom of this email! It helps me more than you know, and it’ll only take a second.

Dear Creatives,

I sold a painting a few years ago at Spotlight on Art and made twenty dollars on it.

Not twenty dollars in some sad metaphorical sense. Twenty dollars in the actual, literal sense. After the show’s fifty percent commission, after what I’d paid for the materials, after what I’d paid to have the piece framed (which was not nothing), the actual money that hit my bank account when the dust settled was a twenty dollar bill. I cashed the check, felt vaguely proud of the sale, and moved on. I only ran the math because I was reconciling something else entirely and the number stopped me cold.

What’s painful about the story isn’t that I didn’t know how to price. I did. The square inch method is not a secret… I can multiply. What I didn’t know how to do was put a number on the wall that scared me a little, sit with the discomfort, and not flinch. So I flinched. I kept the price low because I was afraid that if I raised it, the work wouldn’t sell. The work didn’t sell faster at the low price. It just sold for nothing.

Here is the thing I’ve come to believe after coaching dozens of artists through this same loop. Pricing is not a math problem. Pricing is a confidence problem dressed up in a math costume. The artists I work with who undercharge are not bad at arithmetic. They are scared. Scared the buyers will leave, scared they’re being arrogant, or scared their work isn’t worth the number their gut keeps suggesting they put on it. So they round down until they’re making twenty dollars on a painting and don’t realize it for six months.

Below I’m walking you through the exact pricing audit I run on my own inventory every six months. I’m showing you the spreadsheet system I️ use, with screenshots. I’m covering the three pricing formulas and which one actually applies to your kind of work, because the square inch method everyone teaches falls apart the second framing or weird sizes or mixed media enters the picture. I’m sharing the commission upcharge math, the fifty-percent-deposit rule and why I won’t budge on it anymore, the timing on raises (and how to do them so quietly nobody comments on them), and a real case study from this week’s coaching calls about an artist whose work has been selling out so fast it’s almost a problem.

If the gallery math test in the free portion above made you a little queasy, this is the fix.

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