THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: If you want to make a living as an artist, you need to create art that people actually want to buy. It’s much easier to channel existing desire in the marketplace than it is to manufacture desire for something unknown.
Speaker 2: It’s the Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the Inspiration Place podcast. An Art World Insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: Well, hello my beautiful friend. Welcome back to the Inspiration Place, your go to podcast.
Miriam Schulman: For inspiration, art, marketing tips and everything you need to thrive as an Artpreneur. I’m Miriam Schulman, author of the best selling book Artpreneur and your Curator of Inspiration. And today we’re diving into one of my absolute favorite topics Color trends. Specifically, today we’re talking about Pantone’s choice of Color of the year for 2025, which is mocha mousse. So this warm brown hue is so much more than just a color. It’s a mood. It’s a feeling. It’s an opportunity for artists like you to align with trends and connect with collectors. So let’s break down how mocha mousse. Or I’ll be saying mocha for short. Throughout. Mocha can inspire your art and enhance your marketing, or create opportunities for your artwork to stand out. So grab your sketchbooks and perhaps a mocha latte and let’s dive in. Why mocha matters. Every year, Pantone Color Institute selects a hue that reflects the cultural and emotional zeitgeist. Now, what I want you to understand about the color of the year. It’s not like they take a crystal ball and decide what’s going to happen. They actually are basing it on trends that have been picking up steam. So Moca has already been a trend all along, and I’ll be talking about that later in this podcast. But now it’s just reached a moment. So trend forecasting it’s about noticing what trends are already happening. Perhaps they’re seeing cars in that color.
Miriam Schulman: Perhaps they’re seeing more fabrics. They definitely take a look at what’s happening in the fashion world to see what’s walking the runways. And that’s how they help predict what’s going to be moving forward in terms of color. As artists, we know that we need to create art. If you want to make a living as an artist, you need to create art that people actually want to buy. It’s much easier to channel existing desire in the marketplace than it is it is to manufacture desire for something unknown. So for 2025 they have identified I would like to use the word identify rather than chosen. They’ve identified mocha. It’s soft, warm, brown. It’s very rich. And I want to share with you what Leatrice Eiseman, who’s the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, which he had to say underpinned by our desire for everyday pleasures. Mocha mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence, sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic. Mocha mousse extends our perceptions of brown from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe. So this color is more than just a trend. It speaks to the human need for comfort, luxury, and a connection to nature. I remember in my 2025 predictions trend, I talked about how earth tones were going to be important and art that reflects the environment is important, and mocha mousse is part of that whole trend.
Miriam Schulman: As artists, we can tap into this narrative not only to create art that resonates, but also market it effectively to our collectors. Hey there artists, are you ready to finally get your art noticed by collectors, galleries and the media? That matters for artists. Back by popular demand, my audience building workshop is happening live on February 13th and you don’t want to miss this. In this workshop, you’ll be learning tactics for your art to get seen that goes beyond social media. This will help you attract the right collectors, the right audience. Tell your unique story and finally get the recognition that your art deserves. This is your chance to develop a plan that works for you and your artistic goals. Reserve your spot now at SchulmanArt.com/Audience. That’s SchulmanArt.com/Audience. Let’s make 2025 the year your art becomes unforgettable. And I’ll see you there. Now let’s get back to the show. Let’s talk about incorporating this color into your art. How can you use this color to elevate your work and connect with collectors? So let’s start with the art itself. First of all, consider incorporating Moca into your palette. So think about raw Sienna, burnt Sienna, those types of earth tones. And perhaps if you’re an oil or acrylic painter, if you mix that with a touch of white, it’ll be along those colors. If, of course, if you’re a fiber artist, look for those types of fibers.
Miriam Schulman: So types of yarns, those types of materials. This is a very versatile tone. It’s an earth tone. It works beautifully as a base tone or as an accent. And it definitely will look good with floral tones, greens, even bold jewel tones if that is more of your esthetic. If you want to create a high contrast piece, you can imagine a series of abstracts where Mukumu serves as a grounding element. Or maybe it’s a portrait where soft mocha undertones are adding depth and richness. So maybe you’re using the background of your portrait’s in more of these mocha tones to give it that same kind of resonance. If your art leans towards Landscapes. Think of all the endless possibilities. So warm, earthy skies at sunset. Grounding soil tones that will bring balance to your composition. But if you’re an abstract artist, obviously Moca can provide a sophisticated neutral base that lets your other colors sink. Now, it’s not just about adding this color to your art. It’s also about storytelling. Moca evokes indulgence and comfort. This is something that we’re seeing in home decor a lot more is this sophisticated luxury. So you can use these themes to frame your art and invite your audience to see your art as an essential part of their personal sanctuaries. Okay, so now let’s talk about marketing. More the business side, because, you know, I’m all about the marketing and the business and making money And it’s not just about the art you create.
Miriam Schulman: It’s an esthetic you can use to leverage in your marketing. So I have a bunch of ideas for you, six to be exact. So number one, create mood boards. Share visuals of your art styled in our interiors featuring Moca. For example, you can pair your artwork with warm, earthy decor elements like mocha toned walls, wooden furniture, rich textiles. If you’re a ceramic artist, you want to lean more into those warm types of glazes and those types of settings to showcase your art. Now, like I said before, I noticed this trend coming a few years ago. So in 2022, when we moved from the suburbs to the city, I ditched my very 1990s seafoam green sofa and traded it in for a more sophisticated sectional in a performance velvet in the tone of mocha. And this is from West Elm and their fabric color actually is called mocha. I was noticing this trend a lot with our H. They still have this trend everywhere, but I was noticing more and more brown sofas, and so I wanted something that I wasn’t going to get tired of. And yeah, I’m very happy that I went with this. The velvet goes along with this trend of the whole luxurious feeling, but honestly, I picked that fabric simply because my cat won’t shred it.
Miriam Schulman: So. And we’re cat people in my home. Number two collaborate with designers. So if part of your marketing strategy is reaching out to interior decorators, interior designers make sure you pick ones that specialize in earthly esthetics and let them know that your art complements this 2025 trend. Send them postcards showcasing your art. Perhaps over a mocha colored couch. Or maybe it’s a white couch with mocha pillows. But you’re going to show them how your art fits seamlessly into this esthetic. Number three content marketing. So using social media and email marketing to highlight this trend, you can write emails about how your art fits into this trend. You can create Instagram carousels or reels to demonstrate how your art aligns with mocha themes, either in, like I said, either in the art or in the decor that’s around it. That it goes blends in seamlessly. And you can make sure you use captions that let people know that you’re on to this trend, that this is a trend for 2025. People who buy art, they are not up on trends the way we are. This is our business to know what is trending, but they don’t. So you can help educate them and be that go to person, be that go to artist who has their finger on the pulse of what’s relevant right now. Hey artists, are you tired of feeling burnt out, invisible, trying everything you possibly can and it still doesn’t work.
Miriam Schulman: It is time to change all of that. Back by popular demand, my audience building workshop is happening live on February 13th and you don’t want to miss it. This will show you how to attract the right collectors. Pitch yourself to the media and craft a personal story that truly connects. Plus, you’ll walk away with the tools that you need to stand out without relying on endless hours of social media scrolling. You’ll also be learning cutting edge AI prompts to promise to make all of this easier. Spaces are filling up fast, so you don’t want to wait. Head on over to SchulmanArt.com/Audience to grab your seat. That’s SchulmanArt.com/Audience. Let’s make 2025 your breakthrough moment. And I’ll see you live on February 13th. And now let’s get back to the show. Number four, you can also host a themed show. So imagine having a mini collection that features this color very prominently and promote it as a limited edition series. So you could have this as originals, but you can also have it as a print series that goes along with this theme. So it’s inspired by the 2025 trend, and you can tie this theme to comfort, indulgence, everyday luxury. Number five You can use hashtags. So when writing about your posts on social media, you can use hashtags like hashtag Pantone 2025 or hashtag mocha mousse, or hashtag color of the year, or hashtag c o t y, which stands for color of the year 2025.
Miriam Schulman: And number six using this color in your branding. So you don’t want to change your branding every single year. But perhaps this is a color that you might want to introduce into your palette. So, for example, you’ll notice that mocha is actually a color that was on the cover of Artpreneur. It says Miriam Schulman definitely is in this very warm mocha color. Okay. If you’re listening to this as an audio podcast, we’ve also created a YouTube video that shows you how this looks and this video features by Artist Incubator members. I did a call for my Artist Incubator community and I selected art that best represented the trend. If you like color trends, be sure to give the video a thumbs up or follow the podcast and let me know in the comments! How are you going to be using this color? Are you excited about this color? Are you going to use it in your art, or are you going to use it in your marketing? Let me know which of these things I’ve talked about so far most inspires you to try it? Now remember, aligning your art with trends does not mean compromising your vision or style. It’s about positioning your work in a way that resonates with what people are looking for.
Miriam Schulman: Showcasing your art in mocha mousse spaces. Okay, so we’ve hinted about this already, but I just want to bring this home that even if mocha isn’t part of your art, you can still use it to your advantage. So you can style art in spaces decorated with this warm, inviting color. And that’s easier than ever with apps to help you back in the day. Like 15 years ago, I had to use Photoshop and do drop shadows behind my art, and it took us a long time to do it. Now they have so many apps that help you do this and make it so easy. But what you want to do is look for rooms that feature these mocha colored walls or mocha colored furnishings, and create these mockups using Canva, Photoshop, or one of these other apps. You can also partner with home staging companies. They will be able to rent your art on a monthly basis, but you can also partner with them to showcase your art in a room styled predominantly with this mocha color. Or perhaps there is a furniture store you can work with locally to accomplish the same task. Collectors. They want to see how the art is going to look in their homes. And this little extra effort is going to go a long way, and it makes all the difference in helping them envision your art as part of their modern esthetic.
Miriam Schulman: All right, so here’s some final thoughts. As artists, we have this incredible opportunity to influence how people feel in their spaces by embracing trends like Pantone’s color of the year. You can create art that not only speaks to the moment but enriches the lives of our collectors. So whether you’re incorporating mocha mousse into your palette or marketing your art with its comforting and luxurious qualities, or showcasing your art in spaces that celebrate this trend, there are endless ways to use color to your advantage. And remember, it’s not just about following trends, it’s about using them as a tool to amplify your unique voice as an artist. I wanted to pop in to make sure that you knew that we’ve been creating some free giveaways for you, and I think a lot of people don’t even know about it, which is my fault. So what you can do is go to SchulmanArt.com/Worksheet. And what my team and I have put together are podcast study guides. So to access the podcast study guides right now they’re free. So maybe that will change in the future. But right now they’re free. And put in your name and your email. Check your email. Here are your podcast study guides. Its star this email. And when you click on it. As of this recording and I’m recording this on January 5th, there are two podcast study guides already there waiting.
Miriam Schulman: But by the time you listen to this, there may be more. So one podcast guide that we’re going to have coming out is how to use color trends to sell more art, how to take advantage of home decor trends so that you can sell more art. And basically every time that I do a solo episode, we’re going to add a podcast study guide so that you can get the most out of it. There’s no catch. We’re giving this away for free just for you being a loyal listener, and we giving you ideas for how to use trends to sell more of your art. So it’s a pretty thorough guide and I hope you’ll take advantage of that. So again, you can get that over at SchulmanArt.com/Worksheet.
. And now back to the show. All right. So thank you so much for tuning in today. If you found this episode helpful please share it with a fellow artist. And don’t forget to tag me. I’m at Schulman Art. That’s c h u l m a n t at Schulman Art. On Instagram I’d love to see how you’re using mocha in your art and in your marketing. All right, my friend. Until next time, stay inspired, stay creative and go make something beautiful. Bye for now.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to The Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/schulmanart, on Instagram @schulmanart and of course, on SchulmanArt.com.
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