{"id":81283,"date":"2020-08-05T11:22:47","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T15:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/?post_type=shophere-post&p=81283"},"modified":"2021-06-01T11:15:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T15:15:09","slug":"shawn-paul-thompson","status":"publish","type":"shophere-post","link":"https:\/\/digitalmainstreet.ca\/fr\/shophere-post\/shawn-paul-thompson\/","title":{"rendered":"Portrait Of An Artist, As A Businessman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shawn Paul Thompson has worked on the business side of the film industry for more than two decades. But he wanted an outlet to appease his insatiable appetite for creativity. Five years ago, Thompson took an art course.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a painting course and things just took off \u2013 I found a great artist and mentor who offered all the tools to create,\u201d Thompson says. He notes that many professional artists are stifled by the pressure to create work that caters to specific sensibilities, or art that harkens back to a specific school or artistic movement. Thompson was free from that pressure. \u201cI had no fear, no agenda. I had no pressure so I started creating some really interesting pieces,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Thompson first painted using encaustics, which utilizes beeswax melted at hot temperatures diluted with pigments. Fast forward to today, with two sold-out shows, and a growing fan base, Thompson is still painting. Thanks to Digital Main Street's ShopHERE Powered By Google Program, he is now selling his paintings through his new eCommerce platform powered by Shopify. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs an artist, my focus, and my expertise is creative. ShopHERE took the IT and development anxiety away, but allowed me to have creative control over my brand, my art and my virtual store\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

ShopHERE is a government-funded program that helps small Canadian business owners develop an online presence amid the COVID\u201319 pandemic and beyond. And it\u2019s free. Thompson recommends the program to other creatives looking to harness the power of an eCommerce platform.<\/p>\n

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\u201cQuestion is why wouldn't other businesses use ShopHERE? If qualified, there is nothing but positive results in my experience as a small business owner who wants to focus on the creative, not the business\u201d he says. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He also offers valuable advice to other artists looking to grow. \u201cGo virtual and use [search engine optimization] tools. I have had great reach with Facebook, Instagram, and other social media marketing initiatives. COVID-19 has impacted my physical shows but in small business, we need to be creative and adapt, and my suggestion is do the work and work with ShopHERE\u201d Thompson says. \u00a0<\/p>\n

With the pandemic forcing in-person art exhibitions to pivot online, Thompson says it was important for him to have an online presence \u2013 a virtual home to catalog his many mix-medium and acrylic paintings. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Thompson has sold four paintings two-and-a-half weeks into the launch of his store. He adds that the online store offers him access to an unlimited audience and market \u2013 bigger than ever before. \u201cBusiness is all about being seen, and ShopHERE has but the eyes of the world on my personal and creative brand,\u201d he says. \u00a0<\/p>\n

As an abstract contemporary painter, Thompson\u2019s method entails creating a layered application of acrylics or mixed-medium paints on wood panels. These layers are \u201cpeeled back to reveal an abstract story, feeling or world. My palette knife and brush are my preferred tools, which allow me to construct, deconstruct, and reveal a hidden narrative\u201d Thompson says. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Thompson, 53, also wants to change how the public views art, especially the younger demographic. \u201cI feel a lot of younger people are intimidated by gallery shows, they think it\u2019s a snobby thing and they feel they won\u2019t have money to purchase an original work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI want to show that art is affordable, art is approachable, art is fun. Changing how art is viewed is important\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As Thompson begins to think about retirement, he sees his online store as a part of that chapter of life. \u201cI work in the business facet of entertainment, \u00a0but I want to use my e-commerce store into retirement,\u201d he says, adding that his goal is to focus entirely on painting in his golden years. To view Thompson\u2019s online store, click here<\/a>. For more information on the ShopHERE program click here<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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