THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Christine Mighion: You can have all the goals in the world, but if you’re not producing work and if you’re not getting people to your website, those goals aren’t going to happen. Well, that’s why I said it’s like you can do Law of Attraction all you want, but if you don’t have the inventory, you’re not going to be able to produce the results you’re looking for.
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 : I’m always sending people to you as an example of how to write emails. So by the way, everyone listening to this podcast, how can they get on to your email list so that they can see like a masterclass on how to write emails because you’re very good at talking and then transitioning into what it is that you’re offering. And your subject lines always make me open it. So.
Christine Mighion: Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. You can actually go to my website ChristineMighion.com Or if you’re following me on Instagram at @christinemighion, I have the little link tree and you can sign up right there.
Miriam Schulman : Okay. Could you spell Mighion for people who are listening?
Christine Mighion: So it’s M-I-G-H-I-O-N.
Miriam Schulman : Today’s guest has been handcrafting each piece of jewelry in her Northern Indiana studio using gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones. Her line is a balanced vision of organic and modern imperfections and irregularities that mimic the course of nature greatly inspire the artists that we’re talking to today. Her jewelry has been featured in numerous national and international fashion and lifestyle magazines including lucky, shape, Vogue and The Knot. Please welcome to the The Inspiration Place Christine Mitchell. Well, hey there, Christine, welcome to the show.
Christine Mighion: Hey, Miriam, thanks so much.
Miriam Schulman : So you started a podcast?
Christine Mighion: Yep.
Miriam Schulman : At age 56.
Christine Mighion: Yes, yes.
Miriam Schulman : Tell us what led to that decision.
Christine Mighion: Something I never thought I would do. Yes. I have a podcast called the Slow Made Podcast, where I have honest conversations about what it’s really like to build a thoughtful, sustainable jewelry business for independent jewelry artists like myself. You know, there’s a lot of gallery artists, there’s a lot of well-known designers. But then there’s this large group of us that work alone. We think like artists and, you know, we create our business our own way. And so with what we do as artists on the whole, you know, it’s a very solitary practice. And this was a way to create community and to bring people together, talk about their experiences with their business and their art so that other people listening wouldn’t feel like they’re the only ones going through that same experience.
Miriam Schulman : I love that, and I know from our conversations that you created this for yourself just as much as you did to have a community. Can you say more about that?
Christine Mighion: Yeah. I had when I started out, I was on Etsy and I had joined a community of Metalsmiths, and it was really a place that we could come together and talk about our work, about our experiences, events, you know, complain when we had something happen, a package lost, and I missed that. Once I left Etsy and that group kind of dissolved. This was kind of something in the back of my mind that I just really wanted to create something where we could come back together. And so for me, I get to sit and have conversations with all these fantastic artists and, you know, soak up all their knowledge. And yeah, it’s been really well received.
Miriam Schulman : I love that there’s something similar, actually, that happened with me. I, I was selling on eBay, like when it was actually a thing. I mean, I know people do still sell on eBay, but it was before Etsy basically. And we had a messaging board because there was no Facebook. There was no Instagram. And as soon as Facebook started, I created like a Facebook group for those same people. And then I was meeting with them over zoom, and I started realizing how, like, I was spending all my time coaching them and how that didn’t feel fun anymore because I was like the unpaid coach of the group. So that’s when I started monetizing being a coach because I was doing it for free. So anyway, I thought that was kind of cool that we had similar, similar experiences in that that way.
Christine Mighion: And I never thought that I would do this. This is definitely out of my wheelhouse. I didn’t even like to pick up a phone. So this has been good for me, because now I’m not afraid to get on a zoom call or have a conversation with someone. It’s really kind of pulled me out of my shell.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah. Although I have to say that when you when you create your own community, it’s kind of like when you invite people over for dinner, you’re in control of that environment. So even as, And I’m assuming you’re a fellow introvert, is that right?
Christine Mighion: Yes.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah. Me too. So people say, well, I don’t I don’t believe you, that you’re an introvert because you got on the podcast. It’s like, yeah, but I didn’t have to leave my house to do this. So like. Right.
Christine Mighion: And then it’s quiet after.
Miriam Schulman : That’s right, that’s right. And I’m in. My cat sometimes comes in and visits me while I’m doing it. It’s perfect. I have my soda. I got everything ready. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman : Okay, we’re going to do an unboxing of this. So not only is Christine one of my clients, but I am one of her customers and she is a masterclass. So everyone watching this, whether you’re a jeweler or not, this is the second time I ordered from her. She has her little. This is like I love the quality of this. You want to say a few words about this? It’s not just me monologuing about how great you are.
Christine Mighion: Yeah, I like them, too. That’s from Moo cards. Yeah. And it’s just their standard square card. And you can get it glossy on one side and the other. And actually, the side that I write on, that’s supposed to be the back according to Moo.
Christine Mighion: But the side that I write on is considered the front. So if you ever get those, make sure you flip them around. Okay. I like the way you know it’s Matt here, so you can actually write on it because you can’t write on glossy. I’ve learned that the hard way. Have you also.
Miriam Schulman : Yes, yes.
Christine Mighion: Like what am I going to do with these? I’m going to put Matt medium on it and salvage it or just throw it out I don’t know. So thanks for the purchase. There’s a handwritten note which I love, but it also has instructions for care. So I think this is something that no matter what kind of art you do, if you have a physical product that you can definitely take a lesson in. Then I love even the packaging with the shredded stuff. So, you know, okay, I’m about to like, admit something bougie I do. Have you ever ordered from Chanel?
Christine Mighion: No
Miriam Schulman : I order cosmetics from Chanel. I don’t I can’t afford the I mean, I can’t afford the bags. I choose not to buy their bags, but I do choose to buy their cosmetics and they always send it in like a white and black box, and it either has shredded black or shredded white. So this was like, oh, look at this. And it’s brown. Yeah. You didn’t you don’t have to do this. But it’s kind of cute.
Christine Mighion: It was Valentine’s.
Miriam Schulman : Oh yeah.
Christine Mighion: So February I was sending those out. Christmas. I’ll send out some mint ones and then we’re done for a while.
Miriam Schulman : Oh, that’s so smart. So it’s a seasonal gift that you don’t always put that in, I love it. Okay. All right then you didn’t know there was going to be, like, a full on commercial for you, right?
Christine Mighion: No, but I’ll take it.
Miriam Schulman : No, but there’s so many things that artists can learn from. Do you have any janky things I’ve received in the mail? And I’m like, oh, that was so disappointing. And that’s their first impression before they even open it up. Okay. I love that. It just makes it so special. And this makes it like ten times more likely that I would gift this to somebody else, because then I know like, how beautifully it is presented. So then we have the what is this? Leather embossed. Embossed.
Christine Mighion: It’s microfiber, but it feels like suede.
Miriam Schulman : Yes. Yes. And it’s everything. Just like conveys luxury. Okay. So here we go. Oh. These are. I didn’t realize that these were the other kind. This is good. The ones that I bought before had the hook, and I’m more likely to lose that kind. Okay. That’s okay. So I’m not going to be able to hear.
Christine Mighion: Now you’re even modeling. Yeah. So Miriam’s putting on a pair of stud earrings that I created with shells and coral that was found in Florida and in Hawaii, and most of my work is one of a kind.
Christine Mighion: So she has a one of a kind piece of art.
Miriam Schulman : And this is pretty. See that? Look how pretty that is. It’s blown away. Okay.
Christine Mighion: Yeah, I like the larger comfort backs.
Miriam Schulman : Okay. I did not know that the coral was from Florida, by the way. But I did see the the captions. Even though this. I couldn’t hear you, which makes it more special. And there’s my polishing cloth, which, by the way, this is also good for cleaning your glasses.
Christine Mighion: Which is good because with the oxidized silver you shouldn’t use that on there. But I do like to include it, you know, just kind of a nice little thing to do.
Miriam Schulman : Okay. So that’s really helpful to know. How long have you been making jewelry? How long have you been at at this.
Christine Mighion: Over 20 years now, I think. 21. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah.
Christine Mighion: That I’ve been making and selling. Yes.
Miriam Schulman : Okay, so then I assume that this was not your first career either. Then if. Because.
Christine Mighion: No, I’m actually this is my third career. I went to school for dental hygiene. I wanted to go to art school so badly, but my mother was not having any of it. I was an only child, you know, you have to do the responsible thing and take care of yourself. And then when I moved to Hawaii due to licensure, I couldn’t practice out there.
Christine Mighion: So I also had a second degree and went in and began working with Easter Seals and kind of worked my way up to case management there and came back here and did the same thing with adults with developmental disabilities and ran a couple programs and I just got I got tired of it. I got to a point where I was managing employees and not working with the individuals themselves, and my daughter was one and a half at the time, and I was working crazy hours, and I just wanted to be home.
Miriam Schulman : Um, and it’s funny how, like you, it seems like you were always meant to do this. Do you feel that way?
Christine Mighion: Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, this would have definitely been what I would have done if I had the choice.
Miriam Schulman : I love that. So you showed your mother.
Christine Mighion: Mhm. She’s proud of me now.
Miriam Schulman : Is she still with us?
Christine Mighion: Yes. Yes. And she’s very proud of my work.
Miriam Schulman : I’m sure she wears it and tells all her friends. Awesome I love that. Okay so tell us then what made you seek extra help then. It’s because it’s. This is the kind of question I’m trying to imagine what my listeners are thinking. It’s like, well then why’d you join the Artist Incubator? She’s so successful. So what was it that you were looking to do differently?
Christine Mighion: I have, from day one, really tried to make sure that I had some good business sense, and I signed up for every class I could get my hands on. I worked with two different jewelry development programs, and they all basically kind of said the same thing. You know, you want to be a designer, you don’t want to be a maker. You want to be able to outsource your products. You want to scale. That wasn’t what I loved. And even though I did that for a period of time, I found that I was not a designer, I was an artist, and I thought more like that. And so what really attracted me to your program was one, I was listening to you, your podcast and then received your book, but it was really important to me to work with someone who could see me as an artist first versus a designer. And, you know, there were some things that I still struggled with. You know, I didn’t have my message tied down. I felt like I had too many irons in the fire and didn’t know how to take care of all of them. So that was my starting point and the fact that Instagram had changed a lot. I had sold really well on there and so I needed to do something different.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah, there’s a couple of things you said earlier that I just want to underline, especially for people maybe, who aren’t jewelry artists, just so they could see the similarities between what you do and what they might do. Because I do have a lot of people who might come in and out of my space who have taken a class not in jewelry, but in surface design or licensing, or putting their art on products where it’s the same kind of mentality, Christine, that you’re talking about, where you’re really a designer and they’re teaching you how to scale, and then they come to me and they want that. And I’m not about that. I’m about really teaching you how to be high end. And not that you can’t do those other things or can’t offer prints or can’t do that, but to keep the focus on those high end types of artwork and your artist’s spirit alive.
Christine Mighion: Yeah. And I did get really lazy after I stepped back from wholesale and press and I was selling well, I didn’t even increase my prices for years. And so when I really sat down and looked at the numbers, I’m like, I am just throwing money away. So I really needed some focus. Again, I needed somebody to keep me accountable, and I didn’t want just a class. I wanted time with a small group and one on one coaching, and it’s been incredibly valuable for me.
Miriam Schulman : If you’re an artist in your 50s or 60s or even 70s, you may have noticed something shifting. It doesn’t feel like time is running out anymore. It feels like time is circling back. This is what I talked about when I said we’re in kairos time, not chronos time. So also, if you’re a younger artist, maybe for the first time you’re realizing you don’t have to sell yourself short. That it’s possible to build a business around your art without burning out and without selling out. You’re not imagining this. There is a cultural rewiring underway, a shift from hustle to Holistic holism, from content creation to creative consecration, from entrepreneurship that extracts to being a business owner that exhales. If you’re an artist who’s deeply connected to your art, but you’re unsure of how to craft your message in order to market it. If you’re tired of trying to fit into business templates that just weren’t made for you, or maybe you’ve been through something hard grief, burnout, a major life shift and you’re ready to create from a place of death and truth, then the Artist Incubator is for you. Inside, we’re building our businesses, led from a new model led by artists just like you. We turn selling into service, marketing into magnetism, and your art into a sustainable business that honors your soul. Come and see what that looks like. Head on over to SchulmanArt.com/BIZ. That’s SchulmanArt.com/BIZ. We’ve linked it for you in the show notes. It would be my honor to show you the way. And now let’s get back to the show.
Miriam Schulman : I want to talk about not just the results you’ve had, which has been amazing. And we definitely want to get to that. But I really want to also talk about some of the relationships that you’ve created as a result of being in. And you’re not in an accountability pod as well, are you? Okay. So you just are in the inner circle. So that is your accountability group. I want you to talk a little bit about some of the relationships you’ve made as a result of that.
Christine Mighion: Yeah, I think almost immediately, you know, our group has changed as it’s kind of cycled over to the new group, but immediately Lynn Samis and I hit it off and we connected right away. And I really admired what she was doing and Kelly and Daniel. It was such an intimate group, and even though they’re painters, fine artists, the information you would give to them was something that I could always pull from. Or if not, you had something specific to me that you know. Lynn said, oh yeah, I got something from that too. And Lynn actually approached me at one point and said, you know, I love your podcast. I love listening to it. You know, we do completely different things. I don’t get jewelry, but we feel the same thing.
Christine Mighion: And so I had her on the podcast and it was just such a wonderful conversation. And I know, you know, Kelly and I have kind of connected a little bit off the inner circle, and I just feel like these are going to be people that I could come to if I needed anything or needed to bounce anything off of. And vice versa.
Miriam Schulman : And those relationships are going to last long after you said goodbye to me in my program, even though I want, I want to think that I’m going to keep everybody forever. We will link to that episode in the show notes. Whether you’re watching this on YouTube or listening to this on the podcast, wherever you’re consuming this, you can look below. We will link to Christine’s website for that email sign up as well as her podcast episode with Lynn so you can.
Christine Mighion: It was a great conversation. Yeah, yeah.
Miriam Schulman : Okay, so now let’s talk about some of the results you’ve gotten. But even before we get there, let’s see if we can unpack the three changes that you have made. I will help you if you can think of them. But you’ve kind of already hinted at what they are. And then how that has resulted in success for you.
Christine Mighion: So the first big change was honing my message. And I knew what I loved to do. And I could tell you a little bit about the elements I liked, or, you know, why I was drawn to a particular thing. But I couldn’t put that into a message that I could then convey to my customers. And I couldn’t put that into every listing and, you know, into every social media post. So honing that message has been incredibly important to me for, you know, anchoring my brand and anchoring me as an artist. It goes into every Instagram post, every email, every listing. And I’m really grateful for that, because now I feel like I’m really getting the customers that resonate with that message as well.
Miriam Schulman : Before we move on to number two. Okay. So I just want to give a little bit more detail for our our listeners. One of the things that we do in our messaging makeover is we really unpack your beliefs and your values and infuse that into your messaging and the way you do it. It almost acts. And I’m interested to hear if you agree with this, Christine, as like kind of a dog whistle because it’s very subtle the way you put it in. It’s not like you’re saying I voted for this person in your message, but when you talk about your beliefs and your values, it kind of infuses your messaging. Do you agree?
Christine Mighion: Absolutely that. Absolutely. And I also think, too, having that in place has allowed me to start a blog as well. And then, you know, talk about why I use recycled, you know, gold and that there’s still that same value, or why I’m drawn to a certain stone and talk a little bit about that stone. Or, you know, even in my emails, you know, linking to my values, linking to my about versus just sell, sell, sell.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah. I mean, and I have to say, even though I’ve helped you come up with this when I get Christine’s emails, now all of this works on me. Like I’m like, yes, I agree, I feel that, too. Thank you for seeing me.
Christine Mighion: That’s so good.
Miriam Schulman : Yes. So I really love it. All right. Now we’re moving on to email marketing, which is how I’m buying your stuff. And I just just so you guys know, the the unboxing I did, because I bet there’s some cynical person out there thinking you sent it to me for free or you’re paying to be here. I just want everyone to know she did not pay to be here. She did not give me that earrings for free. I plunked down my credit card and I bought it because first of all, I think it’s very important for my clients to receive and I don’t ask them for free things. Okay.
Christine Mighion: So yeah, with email, I probably sent an email out previously once every six months. And that was if I was trying to suddenly put, you know, a group of products on sale because I needed to get rid of some things and I needed a little cash, or I occasionally had a whole collection that I wanted to talk about. So I had no idea what to even talk about in the email. And I was mortified at the idea of sending them out because, like everybody else, you’re always afraid of bothering everyone. So the neat thing has been since I’ve been able to Incorporate my messaging and storytelling. It doesn’t feel like I’m selling anything, and that’s really important to me because I want to build relationships with my customers, not just here’s another piece, here’s another piece. And I tell you, just about every time I send an email out, I receive purchases. And I’m sending them out weekly now. So that has been really good, especially since Instagram, you know, is hit and miss these days.
Miriam Schulman : Yeah. Well, just to remind our listeners, uh, especially people who may be listening for the first time, when I went to write Artpreneur, the engagement rate had dropped to 1%. By the time I went to edit that chapter, it had dropped to 0.6%. That means six out of a thousand people, and as of 2025, it has dropped to 0.4%. So basically, whatever you put on Instagram, the algorithm decides if anyone is even going to see it. When you send an email out, the person you send it to decides if they’re going to open it. Not an algorithm.
Miriam Schulman : Hey, so if you like that tip, there is a lot more up to date information about how to market your art. And it’s all in my bootcamp. We refresh the boot camp every single time that I do it. I hope that you will join us. This one is going to be the end of April and it’s better than ever. So if you are selling, ah, but you’ve plateaued in your art sales and you’re looking to shift what you’re doing, or maybe you’re just starting out, this is for you. Some people join the bootcamp are just starting out and they just want to get the right step so they don’t make a mistake in their first steps in starting an art business. Some people have just started, some people have been at it for a while and they’ve plateaued. And there are people who join my bootcamp who have been killing it, but are always looking to do better. No matter what stage you’re in, we’ve got you covered and I know you’re going to get a lot out of it. It’s happening over the last week of April. It takes about an hour a day, and you’re not going to want to miss it. So to sign up, go to SchulmanArt.com/BOOTCAMP and we’ll see you there live. All right, my friend, let’s get back to the show.
Christine Mighion: It’s been great. And I’ve also really worked on this outside of, you know, your assistance in segmenting and, you know, really beefing up my welcome flow. And it’s amazing the results are. I’m just a firm believer in email now.
Miriam Schulman : I love that.
Christine Mighion: Okay, so number three, I’d like to say helping me kind of pull things in, but I honestly feel like your assistance with giving me the confidence to increase my prices was really important. You know, I can talk about it and I could bump it up a little bit, but there’s still always that doubt. And now I, you know, I’m still refining it. I’m still beefing it up. But I, I’m not as concerned about that now. It’s I feel that it’s really important with the work that I do and the experience that I have, that my prices should be reflective of that. And I’m I deserve to make a profit. Where before it was like, oh yeah, this is fun. You know, I’m, I’m thankful that I get to do this every day. But now it feels like a business.
Miriam Schulman : I love this. Okay. All right. So let’s talk about some of the results, whatever you’re willing to share. And now putting sharing some numbers. Maybe. I think that look is because she doesn’t she doesn’t know off the top of her head.
Christine Mighion: Is that right? That’s right. Yeah. Because I’m a mind reader apparently. Yeah. So I you know, I’ve been in since October and usually October through January are my best months anyways. So in some sense that is a little difficult for me to gauge. What about this year, 2025? Yeah, I can say that January usually slows down, in February, usually slows down, and even December was a little what I felt was slower, but when I looked at the numbers, I was doing so much better. I was probably up 10,000 in December. Part of that could be the increasing the prices. But when I, you know, step back and I look at the money that was coming in from the emails then I know that was something that I wasn’t doing before. So I would probably say that when I do look at my statistics, I’m up about 25% already this year and this is a slow time for me. Wow. So as soon as soon as Valentine’s Day is over, it just goes to a screeching halt. And so far, I’m doing really well. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman : And now we just have Mother’s Day around the corner. Yeah, yeah.
Christine Mighion: And then it definitely goes dead. But for me, that that works because that’s when I’m at the lake and I slow down anyways. Yeah.
Miriam Schulman : So. And Christine, bad news. It may not slow down this year. Well that’s right. I mean, that’s okay. You could be you could you send keep sending those emails out. Um, yeah. You can always put in that. This won’t ship until in your thing if you don’t bring your inventory with you.
Christine Mighion: Well, yeah, that’s not a real concern. I’m usually home a few days a week, and, you know, everything I have is one of a kind, for the most part. And it’s just getting me down in the studio. Production. Putting production first was really important as well. A lot of really mapping. Yeah, really mapping that out because you can have all the goals in the world. But if you’re not producing work and if you’re not getting people to your website, those goals aren’t going to happen.
Miriam Schulman : Well, that’s why I said it’s like you can do Law of Attraction all you want, but if you don’t have the inventory, you’re not going to be able to produce the results you’re looking for. So that’s true of a lot of artists when they they look at their inventory and I say, well, even if you sold everything, would that give you what you’re looking for? If they only have eight pieces, it’s not going to. So yeah, I’m glad you brought that up. All right. Do you have any last words for anyone who might be thinking about joining the Artist Incubator and is on the fence?
Christine Mighion: I would say do it. I have not heard anybody say that it’s been a choice that wasn’t worthwhile. I can personally say with all the experience that I have in the courses and you know, I took Marie Forleo’s B-School, I’ve done, I’ve probably done it. Stu. Amy. Stu. Amy. I’ve done all of those. The whole mastermind clique. Basically, yes. And I will say this has been one of the most valuable courses I’ve had, and I definitely made my money back right away.
Miriam Schulman : Love that.
Christine Mighion: So I would I mean, even if you’re on the fence with the inner circle, if you want that support, I strongly recommend it. It’s worth it. All right.
Miriam Schulman : All right. Christine. So thanks so much for being with me here today.
Christine Mighion: Thank you.
Miriam Schulman : Where can they find you on Instagram? Tell us again and spell it.
Christine Mighion: Yes. So it’s @ChristineMighion. And my first name is C-H-R-I-S-T-I-N-E. And last name is Mighion. M-I-G-H-I-O-N you can find me there. There’s links to the podcast to all of it.
Miriam Schulman : Okay. Beautiful. All right. If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of it and tag me and Christine or leave us a comment. We would love to hear from you. All right, my friend, thank you so much for being with me here today. I’ll see you the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired.
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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