Learning To Thrive In A Technology-Driven World

Linda Kemp has traveled internationally for the last 47 years teaching adult artists new ways to improve their art. Her innovative painting techniques have been embraced around the world with enthusiasm. As a professional artist and best-selling author, her schedule is normally set two to three years in advance. However, as Canada declared a state of emergency on March 13th, Linda Kemp spent the day crossing workshops and events off her calendar as cancellations were announced.  

At first, Linda was thrilled to take the extra time to paint and create in her studio. Unfortunately, as these plans vanished one by one so did her income. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Linda mainly focused on reaching her customers through event marketing. However, after workshops were cancelled and galleries shut down, Linda needed a new way to reach her customers.

“Society's shopping, dining and educational practices have changed and this may continue into the future. It is essential that businesses find a way to serve their customers, clients and students in order to survive.” 

The artist soon realized that there was no foreseeable end to this new way of life and she could not hide away in her studio. Linda needed to find a different way to earn a living and decided to put down her paintbrushes. She only had one question: “How am I going to teach, sell and thrive as an artist from my studio?” Without knowing where to begin, she started exploring online lessons on eCommerce, marketing, and filming to help her adjust to this new business landscape. Through her research, she was able to develop a new marketing and communications plan that focused on building an online presence through social media and an eCommerce website. 

Before discovering the ShopHERE Program, Linda had a website to display her portfolio with limited functionality. Unfortunately, this website lacked integration with social media channels, and an eCommerce aspect. “I built the website more than ten years ago. Therefore, the technology was very outdated and so were my skills,” Linda explained. 

After investigating several website-building platforms, Linda realized that she did not have the knowledge to take this task on her own. She began searching for a web-designer, but soon learned that this help would come at a sizable price. Fortunately, Linda’s 89 year-old mother came across a Facebook advertisement for Digital Main Street and urged her daughter to check out the ShopHERE Program. She is thankful to have discovered the program as this allowed her to pull together a beautiful website and overcome the dreaded learning curve, at no cost.

“Before ShopHERE, I spent months spinning my wheels and trying to catch up. Instead of trying to figure out how to add a ‘Buy Now’ button, I can focus on what my business is really about – painting and teaching. I still have a lot to learn but working with Digital Main Street has already taught me so much!”

ShopHERE has helped Linda tackle the daunting task of launching an online store. Now, all there is left to do is organize programming and livestream painting sessions! Stay tuned as you do not want to miss a lesson from Linda Kemp on negative painting techniques. Are looking for some artwork to add to your workspace? Check out Linda Kemp’s collection to stay inspired and motivated while working from home. If you know an artist or small business that could also benefit from the ShopHERE Program, click here for more details.