July 2, 2019
Shila Pennell's home office isn't really an office — it's her kitchen, her vanity table where she does her makeup, or any other surface in her house where she can create.
"Super-technical," Pennell laughed, painting a flower pot propped up not on an easel or a stand, but an old Tim Hortons paper cup.
"It looks really strange, but it works, it's cheap — and it's recycling."
Pennell is the woman behind the Lighthouse Company, an Instagram account that sells hanging planters, prints and wall hangings.
It's a way she can keep her creative juices flowing, but selling her work for a little bit of cash is a nice bonus.
"I needed a creative outlet and I was super-broke last year going to school so I started up doing some watercolours," she said, working away at her latest collection of hanging planters at her home in the Goulds area of St. John's.
"I've always loved plants — I have 50 in my bedroom — so I was like, why not start selling those, too?"
Pennell decided to give a little side business a shot, and more than a year later, she has more than 700 followers and has sold dozens of pieces.
It's a busy life
Pennell works two full-time jobs — at the Petty Harbour Mini Aquarium in the summer, as well as at the Max Athletics Centre. The 27-year-old is also a student, pursuing her third diploma, this time in ocean sciences. That's all in addition to organizing a summer hiking program.
Not to mention her Instagram side hustle.
"It's a busy life I lead, indeed," Pennell says.
"It's extra income, and it really has helped me out, especially being a student. It's been a great help, so I'll definitely be picking at this while I'm going to school again next year."
Most vendors are hustling and doing many jobs.
- Shila Pennell
It seems like an increasingly common trend: local artists create social media accounts where followers can send a direct message to lay claim to an item available for purchase, or request a commission.
Pennell knows plenty of people who are in the same boat as her.
"If you're in it for making a lot of money, you should probably choose a different path,” Pennell said.
"All my friends that I know also have separate jobs. There's a couple that do this full time and that's all they do — and they're super-lucky to do that — but most of my friends that I know also work two, three jobs, and do this as well.”
It's an investment to get started in a venture like this, Pennell said, adding there are a lot of upfront costs to buy materials.
"I dunno, plants make me really happy, and so does painting and stuff, so I think selling that and getting people to buy plants would also make them happy," she said.
"It's a labour of love, for sure."
Pennell is ready for another busy summer season, taking part in the St. John's Night Markets, as well as the Etsy Markets and other artisan-focused pop-up sales events.
And she's certainly not the only local artist banking a little extra with her love of art in what little spare time there is.
"Most vendors are hustling and doing many jobs," Pennell said.
'Glitter makes everything better'
Sara Dillon works as a nail technician at a salon, as well as a nail technique instructor, and also runs an Instagram account called SJartworks, where, like Pennell, she sells her creations.
"Life is very busy. And I also have a toddler," Dillon said from her colourful art studio — a small room in the basement of her Paradise home.
"I mean, some days I find that I'm not doing anything and then I just feel weird."
Dillon's passion is mainly watercolour, but she paints a little bit of everything — acrylic, alcohol paint, canvas, and more.
Like Pennell, Dillon has been artistically inclined since she was young, and when she had her daughter a couple of years ago, she would spend her downtime at home painting and creating.
That's when she started selling her work online, and her Instagram account now has more than 1,600 followers.
Her colourful feed is littered with all kinds of creations that Dillon hopes brings a little light into people's lives.
"Glitter makes everything better. That's what we say in nails, too," she said.
"I've always had a really strong love for art, so it's nice to be able to be recognized by other people and be able to sell it, but regardless if I sold it or not, I would still be spending all my money on art supplies."
While it's a creative outlet for Dillon and a way for her to make a little extra money, it's not without its downsides.
Social media isn't all glitter and colour — it also creates a bit of stress, with algorithms set up to favour frequent posters.
"There's a lot of pressure with social media. We see a lot on Instagram and on Facebook and I think a lot of people try to compete with that or catch up with that, or they see somebody their age doing so many more things than them, so then maybe they should be doing so many more things," Dillon said.
"Being a local maker is the cool thing to do … people are very talented here and sometimes you've got to pay the bills, and sometimes you also want to do what you really, really enjoy doing."
Whether art is an outlet of stress or a way to escape, Dillon said there is a lot of pressure on young people to keep up appearances on their apps.
"It’s our generation that just is feeling like they need to do more, that their time needs to be completely taken up, all the time," she said.
"I know that when I feel like I'm just sitting down, not doing anything, that I shouldn't be sitting down and not doing anything, that I should be doing a million other things. Balancing is really hard to do."
It's a lesson Dillon learned the hard way; when she first started seeing success on her account, she would set a target of two new posts, every single day, of her working on new pieces, or a video of her creative process.
But that got to be stressful, and she found herself focusing more on posting on social media than creating.
"It's so exhausting, really, and it makes the process not as enjoyable if I'm only thinking about capturing each and every moment of a painting that I'm doing, then I find that I'm not really putting anything into the painting and I might be dissatisfied with it and I might lose interest," she said.
"It just becomes work then, it becomes something that I'm only doing for other people, to try and get other people's attention, instead of what it started from, which was just something that I did for myself."
Now she takes a more laid-back approach, posting only when she has something new to show off, or more prints for sale.
"If you're posting what's hip, what's cool, what seems to be the hype, then you might not have very much luck," Dillon said.
"Just enjoy it. Do it for the right reasons — do it for yourself.… The right people will come — the people who are actually interested in what you're doing."
Don't stress, just create
The same goes for Pennell, who already works a couple of jobs and doesn't have time every day to keep up her side hustle.
"I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love it. I've gotta go out of my way to find time to do it, but I love creating," she said.
"It's a huge risk opening up a [traditional] business."
As for advice for their fellow artists, Pennell and Dillon agree it should be for the right reasons — and definitely not something you're banking on.
"Don't stress about it, don't make things simply because you want somebody to buy it," Dillon said.
"I've always found that the work that I've done solely for myself, because I've wanted to paint it and it's what I enjoyed painting, that's gonna be the thing that people want the most. Because they want a piece of you — and that's what you should remember."
"Just go for it. You have nothing to lose by creating and you are able to give yourself and outlet to create, make something for yourself, making something for other people. And it feels really good," said Pennell.
