The value in Hiring an Assistant as a Full-Time Artist

Hiring an Assistant

In the 8 years I have built and ran my business, Rashelle Stetman Art, I have taken on all jobs of what it entails to grow. Often times, that means teaching myself things I thought I would never know. For example, working the backend of a website, learning mathematical equations I thought I’d never need to know and so much more.

Why Hire an Assistant?

After several years, when you get to a place where you don’t have to take on all jobs- hiring an Assistant, is vital. If you have found yourself in a place financially where you can budget the extra spending, the return on investment is inevitable. Hire your assistant to do things that will bring you more income. Hire them to do things that you may not be good at or know how to do. Take advantage of the opportunity to use someone else’s brain instead of limiting the ideas within your business to your own.

In my opinion, this allows you the possibility of growing your business in ways you maybe hadn’t ever thought of. The saying “two heads are better than one” is the real deal. Whoever came up with that one, I owe a lot to.

Sometimes, when you have been a one man show for countless years, you think you know it all. Fact is- you don’t.

Make Art Not Stress

I’ve been reminded of this a time or two when I have made mistakes. I am not ashamed, but rather learned this lesson I needed to to get me to this point. You know only what you limit yourself to, and that is the cold, hard truth. The things you aren’t as strong at doing and/or take more time for you to achieve- those are the tasks I force myself to let go of, pass them off to my incredible assistant and get back to doing what I was made to do- create art. 

Launch of the New Website

After countless hours of attempting to take every viewer right into my studio and feel like you can smell the paint and hear the stroked of the pencil on paper. This is my world, and I wanted to invite you into it. 

I owe a huge thank you to my Web Designer and Assistant, Miss Sydney Wallis. As another Fine Arts Graduate, I absolutely fell in love with her attention to detail & work ethic. I knew she would create something that reflects the work she has witnessed coming to life in the Rashelle Stetman Art studio. 

I have heard this a lot…. “You are an Artist….so what’s it like to just paint all day?” It kills me inside, because if you know any Full-Time Artists, you know that we wear many hats in our business. From accounting, to ordering supplies, to fulfilling orders, to creating new products to buy it is constantly a work in progress. Sometimes, I won’t have the chance to draw or paint for two weeks on end because the business side of this career tends to take over.

I wanted this website to reflect the wide range of styles I work in, art services I provide, and products I sell. Beyond that, I wanted the site to express my personality and extreme dedication to my Artistic Career. Sydney went above and beyond to make sure this site gives you that “sneak peek” feel. Like you could get a sense of who I am, and what it is like to work with me through commissioning your own custom piece. 

Please, feel free to explore, view the countless “behind the scenes” in the studio and the projects companies have hired me to create! I am so excited to be sharing all of it with you! It is an honor to work with so many amazing clients, companies and friends throughout the last 8 years. The best is yet to come!

 

COMMISSIONED FLY FISHING SERIES IN PROGRESS

Throughout the last several years of running my Custom Art Business, I’ve been broadening my range of styles & subject matter to meet all my clients art needs. I was recently commissioned to create a series of Fish on Wood Panel for an avid fly fisher.

Now having 2 of the 3 pieces in progress, I can honestly say drawing fish is extremely challenging. To not only create something that pops out from the wood grain is the obvious challenge, but then to push the realism so much that the fish appears wet, and more hyper realistic is another. I told my client Jess I would make it look like it just got out of the water, that is no easy task, but when its been said, it must be done. And if you know me, you know I will stop at nothing.

I thought Dogs were difficult to draw the first handful, and then they became easier, and I got a little quicker. I find if you draw something enough times, you start to get faster at drawing it. Things become easier, and eventually you become an expert at drawing that one thing. For me, that has become dogs, but it isn’t fish yet, which means I will be sitting her drawing them instead of out with my fly rod on the Guadalupe! SO grateful to have clients that make me excel at the one thing I know I was born to do- create.

Thank you all for your continued support in commissioning me, purchasing originals, prints, cards etc. You guys are the absolute best!

The Fish Series pieces will be posted within the next month when it is complete! To commission your own custom art, email me today at rashellestetman@gmail.com

PET PORTRAITS- HOW IT STARTED

When I started drawing pet portraits, I had no idea it would become one of the leading types of commissions for the custom art side of my business. I remember the first time I drew a dog, I was commissioned to do a huge 20 x 24 inch portrait of a German Shepherd. It was insane how hard it was, but by the end (55 hrs later) I was like DAMN! I did it! and that’s how it always starts. The second you learn how to draw something new, it becomes an addiction to get better and better until you feel you have hit that level of hours where you are professional at it.

I absolutely love drawing dogs. Its therapeutic for me. The strokes in the fur, the highlights in the eyes and the wet noses are so much fun to bring to life! The best part is seeing my clients face light up when they see their baby! To commission your very own pet portrait, contact me on the contact page here on rashellestetman.com or email me directly at rashellestetman@gmail.com

-Rashelle

SHIPPING WORLDWIDE

Hello Friends!

I have had a few clients in different countries reach out in the last couple weeks about holding off on commissioning me because they didn’t think I shipped to them. I said….WHAAAAAAT!? Course I do! I ship WORLDWIDE, so anywhere you are, I will make sure your art gets delivered to YOU! Commission your custom art today. Let me know you read this post and I will give you 20% off on your custom art order!

-Rashelle

PACKAGE PRICING FOR CUSTOM ART

If you are interested in commissioning two pieces or more in the same scheduled project, one after the other, I offer package pricing. This will reduce your overall cost by a few hundred dollars, maybe even more depending on the sizes you commission your pieces at!

Lets get you your dream art today!

CONTACT: rashellestetman@gmail.com

-Rashelle