Creators celebrate the business of art

"I didn't think I was a creative person; my older sister was the artist in our family."

It was a surprising statement to hear from successful artist and "possibilitarian" Kelly Rae Roberts onstage at Fir Street Park last week.

Her story was part of a keynote panel on the business of art, featured at a PubTalk event in Sisters last week. EDCO (Economic Development for Central Oregon) describes PubTalk as "a happy hour aimed at bringing together different facets of the business community in one place to network, share ideas, and further local businesses."

Also sharing insights onstage was panelist Katie Daisy, an illustrator and muralist. Both artists have created thriving art businesses in part due to licensing deals and online community that developed around blogging in the mid 2000s. Both now live in Sisters.

Daisy always wanted to be an artist, and graduated from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2009.

"I never looked back and I became a freelance illustrator," she told the crowd.

Roberts, on the other hand, transformed from a social worker to an artist. She worked on an infectious disease unit, helping people who were diagnosed with AIDS in the 1990s, cancer patients, and in emergency rooms, in Oakland, California.

"It was very intense," Roberts said. "I was working on my life-career balance."

In her 30s, she found herself making Christmas cards. She thought, "Whoa, this feels good! Off I went into that exploration. It was a revelation to me."

She brought her art to the hospital to share with patients, families, doctors, and staff. They encouraged her to pursue her art.

Daisy described her work being picked up by a "Mommy Blog," inspiring her to launch an Etsy shop. Soon, her art was licensed by Target, Hallmark, and American Greetings, among others. She wrote a book.

"I was on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday," she exclaimed, "just for having an Etsy shop and an Instagram."

In addition to the keynote panel, the PubTalk event featured sponsors and local business supporters. Shannon Thorson, founder of Sisters Makers and a designer and maker in her own right, encouraged the audience to think of economic development differently. Rather than focusing on bringing in companies from outside, "what's been super exciting for me to witness is this idea of economic calibration."

Economic calibration, according to Thorson, doesn't celebrate growing for the sake of growth. Instead, "we build community and we create balance." She hopes that efforts such as Sisters Makers will promote "multigenerational living here in Sisters, and preserving the culture."

"You know what?" Thorson asked. "Sisters is really expensive... You've got to be really successful. You've gotta know what you're doing and you've gotta have a support system."

Willa Bauman is a manager for local nonprofit Seed to Table, leading up their program Sisters Farmers Market. She spoke of the market's recent expansion and celebrated last season's total visitor count of 19,000. The crowd applauded at that number.

A booth at Sisters Farmers Market is a lot cheaper than rent in Sisters, Bauman said. "You can make what you sell and have passion for the work you're doing," she continued. "This is what farmers markets across the nation do....We're trying to support a truly local micro-economy."

EDCO's Eric Strobel caught the crowd up on current business happenings in Sisters. He referenced Bivvi Camp - "that's where the magic is" - and the upcoming availability of light industrial space in Sisters.

He spoke of Sisters Makers, which co-hosted the event. Attendees nibbled food from Luckey's Woodsman inside the Makers building alongside Fir Street Park.

"To have a small business incubator in Sisters is going to be phenomenal," Strobel said.

"Two of our largest employers are expanding," he noted, referring to Metabolic Maintenance and Personalized Nutrients.

Photo by T. Lee Brown

Guests of EDCO's PubTalk explored Bivvi's "Base Camp" model, a contemporary A-frame mini-trailer.

The co-owners of Bivvi presented a pitch to potential investors. The company creates unique A-frame tiny-home trailers, many of which are used as external guesthouses or for short-term rentals on platforms like Hipcamp and Airbnb.

Dylan Woock, co-founder and CEO, took to the Songbird Stage with Kyle Robeson, co-owner and Build Lead. "Bivvi was founded in 2019 in Portland, Oregon, months before we went into a lockdown because of a global pandemic," Woock said.

The pandemic led to increased popularity of outdoor recreation and glamping.

"If anyone's tried to book a yurt on recreation.gov, or a fire lookout, good luck," he said.

Woock envisioned building a "little tiny escape pod" to help people get out of their houses.

Bivvi's early growth was "astronomical," according to Woock. The company is now based in Sisters. The co-owners expressed pride in building by hand, using American made parts and regional suppliers. Turnaround is about one month for current orders, depending on whether windows and doors are on-hand from suppliers.

For more information about the PubTalk program, see http://www.edcoinfo.com.