Junior Lydia Ford began her company, Lydia Makes Art, around September of 2020. Her mom motivated her to start selling her paintings, prints, stationary and room decor mainly through Instagram and her website.
Throughout her journey as a business owner, Ford found that custom pieces are some of her favorite works of art to make.
“I love doing the bigger, custom canvases… I also love the meaningful gifts. Like painting pets and childhood houses and things like that,” Ford said. “It’s the coolest feeling to see something that someone has conceptualized become a tangible item. I feel very accomplished and I’m proud of what I’m able to give people.”
Managing a business is not just about product creation, though. Taking into account the costs, sale price and time management is crucial to a successful business. Profit is also essential – creators must sell their work for more than what was spent on production.
This was something Ford learned the hard way.
“I realized that I was basically only charging for the product cost and not for the time it takes me to paint,” Ford said.
Ford chose to create an Instagram account shortly after deciding to sell her products, which led to more interest, a wider audience and more customers.
“I started posting pictures of things, and people started to order through Instagram. I just delivered and continued the cycle,” Ford said.
Time management is key to keeping Ford’s business running. She spends about three to four hours creating per week, but during the holidays that time can increase to five to ten hours per week.
In addition to using Instagram and her website, Ford sells her products at art shows.
“[The art show] was just a lot of people that I’ve followed on Instagram, and I got to see their work and meet them in person,” Ford said. “It was just a really cool experience, and I sold a lot of paintings.”
Ford is unsure of the future plans for her business, but she has a few ideas.
“Especially at the art show, I saw a lot of people who had day jobs who did [business ownership] on the side … I’m interested in doing that as an option,” Ford said.
Ford is also looking at colleges with entrepreneurship programs so that she can continue working in business after high school.
