THE LET'S MAKE ART BLOG
THE STORY OF LET'S MAKE ArT
The year was 2017. The weather? A brisk fall day. The mood? Discouraged, flustered.
The fate of the art world? Doomed.
Okay, not really, but let’s be honest—the world of art can be pretty unattainable. Unless you have experience in art or know someone who’s an artist, walking into a craft supply store (especially online) feels incredibly daunting. Which paint palette is best—the oval one, the square one, or the one that looks like an egg carton? Do I need artist-grade or professional-grade paint? And how in the world do you pronounce gouache?
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Our co-founder, Al Doan, had the same experience when helping buy art supplies to give to his wife as a gift. No wonder why so many people think you’re either born an artist or not—shopping for art supplies is confusing!
After experiencing this momentary failure firsthand at popular art supply stores, Al reached out to his artist friend from college, Sarah Cray. Soon enough, the California native found herself flying out to Missouri to build a business plan. Al, having done this before with his first founded company Missouri Star Quilt Co. (quilters, where ya at?), used his experience and Sarah’s knowledge about all things art to create a company that is known today as Let’s Make Art.
The Crays later moved out to the small town of Hamilton (aka Quilt Town, USA) to pursue the Let’s Make Art dream. The dream narrows down to three main goals:
- Accessible education would be prioritized by offering free video tutorials from artists
- The shopping experience for new and returning art-makers would be free of stress and confusion by offering only tried-and-true products
- Art would not only be seen as teachable, but also as fun, valuable, boundless, and non-competitive
It didn’t take long for the dream to become reality as our little company began to grow. And no, it wasn’t the kind of growth you see in a newly-planted tree over the course of several years. The growth we experienced was fast, it was sudden, and it was life-changing not only for us but for thousands of people around the world. It was at that moment that we knew we aren’t just a small company in the small town of Hamilton anymore—we are a part of something big.
How it started
We began the month of May 2018 with our first watercolor subscription box with just 30 subscribers. The next month we had 250 subscribers, and the month after that we had 1,000 subscribers. What started as a team of three doing all the work quickly turned into a team of 20+ people, and we finally got a shipping company to help us out (phew!). Soon we started renovating an old shop on main street to open as our storefront in 2019, and around the same time, we became sister companies with Missouri Star under our parent company Creativity, Inc. This cluster of creative-focused companies shares the same goal of inspiring and empowering people to create. We at Let’s Make Art have made it our mission to teach you the beauty of art-making and equip you with the right tools and assets to show you how you can create artwork you’re proud of.
How it's going
So, what does your future with us look like?
Well, for starters, we know you might not stick with us forever. The goal is to help you learn and discover your own artistic passions. We know there will probably come a day that you outgrow us, and that’s okay! We’ll still be friends, promise. While your interests may evolve, we plan to continue providing you with new and exciting content that meets you wherever you’re at in your journey, including projects, mediums, and even guest artists! Watercolor, Hand Lettering, Art Journaling, and art for Kids is only the beginning and we can’t wait to continue adding fresh content to stimulate your creative mind. The beautiful thing about art is that the power to create something beautiful already exists inside of you—we’re just here to help you discover that side of yourself. You are your own hero in this story!
No matter how messy it is in the beginning, no matter what challenges arise, the important thing is to just start.
We have been scrappy from the beginning, taking it one day at a time to make things work. And that, my friends, is what creating art is all about. No matter how messy it is in the beginning, no matter what challenges arise, the important thing is to just start. Just create. And before you know it, you’re taking a step back to admire the beautiful thing you just made with your own two hands.
Ready? Let’s make some art!
RECENT POSTs
Liquid error (sections/pf-ff6ae75b line 103): product form must be given a product
I just painted along with Sarah in her tropical challenge. I empathized with her working so long trying to create weekly projects and thinking about what everyone would like to have, making it easy and fun and how it must be stressful at times. This was very freeing and fun. I didn’t use the greens and yellows but what what was already on my tray-magenta, violet and yellow. It was so much fun and I learned something new. I hope you will be free too to teach us techniques like tonight and encourage us to play with color and be outside our boxes. God bless you young lady. As I wrote before, I’m twice your age with a daughter 27 and you’ve brought me so much joy. A confession, I do compare my work to yours. Yours is always better. :)
I have always wanted to learn watercolor painting but had no idea how to begin, especially because my vision exceeds my ability to draw. The outlines were the brilliant solution. I experienced success from my first attempt ( the bunny). I did go through all the intro tutorials first. I adore Sarah and the crew. My first hobby is quilting, and believe me I was shocked to see Jenny painting by Sarah’s side. Suddenly it all made sense. My new hobbies have made my retirement and the Pandemic bearable. Thank you for inspi try ing me!
I was given a box for Christmas and have been hooked ever since. I feel you saved me from going nuts through this Covid crises! I get up each day and can hardly wait to try a new painting. Some have gone the way of the trash can, but a lot get put in my frame box showing my latest “masterpiece”! My daughter even gave me on Mother’s day a portfolio to put my favorites in. Bu the way – I am 76 years old! I have painted in the last few years with Acrylic paints, but have given most of them to my grand daughter now that I have fallen in love using watercolor paints. I am next wanting to master using Gouache. Thank you, thank you for all the lessons.
I’ve been a loyal supporter of Missouri Star Quilting Co. for approx 10+ years. I love the Jenny Dean’s story, it’s very special. I’ve told my friends, family and my sewing and quilting friends about MSQC how they started and what they’ve done for their family & community. I’ve wondered how “Let Make Art” happened to end up in Hamilton, MO. Wow!! Another Doan involved in a great successful story.
I saw the Antique Sew Machine watercolor painting on one of the MSQC daily deals. I use to tole paint and always enjoyed that, except for the oil paint issues. I received my kit and the rest is history. Love your tutorials, always friendly and upbeat. It’s great to see Jenny Doan with friends and family from MSQC.
I also love the Dandelion paints, Princeton brushes and other supplies you offer at a VERY reasonable price. I am so glad you guys are making a success with your new company “Let Make Art”. It sure does brighten my days and has been motivational, especially with the on going pandemic. Best of luck for the future.