Hey, First name / friends!

A little change of pace for our normal newsletter, but today I wanted to share something that’s close to my heart – giving back! ❤️ When I was around 10, my parents decided I was old enough to start receiving a weekly allowance in exchange for chores I did around the house.

 

I was ecstatic when I envisioned just how much candy I could buy with $10 a week. But I quickly learned that wasn’t quite the reality. The first day that my dad presented me with my weekly allowance, he also gave me three jars. They were labeled “spending”, “saving” and “charity”.

 

You probably see where this is going. My dad gave me my allowance in $1 bills and quarters, so that I could divvy everything equally between the jars. At first, I was crushed that my $10 weekly candy budget was slashed to $3 and change. I felt cheated. But Dad told me with money comes responsibility.

 

 

Predictably, I spent ⅓ of my allowance on candy. For the next ⅓, my dad took me to the bank to set up my first savings account. I assumed the final ⅓ would go into the collection plate at church, but my parents surprised me when they told me it was my choice to decide where to donate my charity jar money.

 

It didn’t take much thought for 10-year-old me to blurt out, “ANIMALS!” 

 

And so, about once a month, my mom would drive me to the nearby animal shelter so I could present my donation in person. Being there, I saw exactly where my allowance money was going, and I felt an immense feeling of fulfillment. I'd chosen wisely.

 

By putting the decision in my hands, my parents gave me a priceless gift: autonomy. As I got older, my feelings of contentment and pride when I donated grew into a deeper sense of responsibility to use my money wisely. (Lesson learned, Dad. Good job!)

Oh, and today is my dad’s 72nd birthday! If you're reading this, happy birthday, Dad! And thank you, for teaching me the joy of giving.

As my business has grown over the years, I’ve been able to expand from a few small annual donations to more significant monthly contributions to wonderful organizations around the world. 

 

When I started traveling, I knew I wanted to get involved with the local communities I visited as my way of showing support and gratitude. You can find a detailed breakdown of my favorite organizations in my 2023 year in review blog post. But here are a few of my recent milestones that have meant a lot to me:

When you support my classes, you’re helping me support organizations that are making a big impact in the local communities I call home around the world. 

 

Here’s a recent example of this in action. A few weeks ago, I shared a free download of the product collections deck I’ve been working on. There is an accompanying template that you can purchase for $5 if you want to make it easier to whip up your own portfolio or collections deck. 

 

At the same time that this template launched and $5 sales were coming in, I saw a post from one of the organizations in Chiang Mai that is near and dear to me. Hand to Paw is an organization that helps dogs and cats in northern Thailand. And last week, they had an urgent need for funding to cover hospital bills for the animals that they support. (Many cats and dogs get hit by cars and motorbikes here.)

 

I chose to donate 50% of the proceeds from the Product Collections Deck Template to help this organization cover these urgent costs which were life-saving for many street dogs and cats here in Chiang Mai.

 

Whether it’s $5, $100, or even watching my Skillshare classes, your support helps me help others and I can’t thank you enough for that. 🙏

 

Switching gears back to art and creative business tips. 🎨 With Easter around the corner, this week’s #CreateWithCatCoq challenge is to illustrate bunny rabbits! I’ve always loved drawing rabbits, and they’re a great seasonal animal trend to have in your portfolio for the spring and Easter seasons. 

Want some tips for tracing animals from a reference photo in Procreate? This blog post tutorial will walk you through it step by step!

Make sure to share your bunny illustrations on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq so it’s easier for me to like, comment, and share your work! 

 

Register here for free!

Exciting news! My friend and fellow artist, Stacie Bloomfield, is hosting a free week-long mini-course next week where you’ll learn how to realistically make an income from your art (even if you’re super busy).

Stacie is not only an incredibly talented artist, but she’s also a powerhouse businesswoman whose strategies have built her company, Gingiber, from an Etsy shop into a seven-figure business. 

 

That’s the power of starting a side hustle. Whether it’s an Etsy shop or a few designs on Society6, we ALL start somewhere. And you’ll never grow if you don’t start! 

This mini course is for you if:

Register for The Artist’s Side Hustle free mini course to learn the actionable steps you can take to make money from your art in as little as 5 hours a week.

 

I hope you have a fantastic week! Don’t forget to share your bunny illustrations on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq!

 

I'm a proud affiliate for Stacie's programs, which means that if you enroll in one of her paid courses using my link, I earn a commission at no additional cost to you. : )