Notifications repeatedly pop up. It’s an interested customer, and she’s thrilled to see her art has reached someone new.
Junior Aunesti Colton took her passion for creating art and turned it into something everyone can enjoy. By combining pure emotions and artwork, she works hard to make sure people know they are heard. She started her business in Arlington, before moving to Lewisville and selling online.
“[I run] a visual art business where I draw other people, their emotions, and their stories so they can feel represented in artwork and feel included in their community because I want people to have a safe space,” Colton said.
Colton is in the Incubator, which can be helpful to students who want to get serious about their businesses. Incubator is not just a class about entrepreneurship; it shows students what the real word is like with real world problems. Adviser Nicole Franczvai guides students to find what they want to do.
“I’m trying to help her figure out how to get her content out and expand,” Franczvai said. “She wants to make stickers out of her work, and [my role as a teacher is to] just open up the avenue of what’s possible and see how I can help her.”
Incubator also allows students to meet and form relationships with like-minded peers who can support one another.
“Aunesti has a very unique style of art and business,” Colton’s friend junior July Cer said. “I see how hard she works; she does everything on her own. She is very creative with what she does and knows what is best for her customers.”
Entrepreneurship requires handling many different and difficult environments.
“The biggest challenge I’ve faced was coming up with what would bring more people in,” Colton said. “I didn’t want to do something common or easy to do. And what I mean by common or easy is drawing something and expecting people to like it, so I had to come up with my own designs and come up with a style I was also comfortable with.”
Along with criticism, entrepreneurship also comes with the struggle of being their own boss.
“Being my own manager can be easy, but I do have to balance it with my personal life and not mix it because It’s unprofessional,” Colton said. “So what I do is give myself a certain time for the business, that way I don’t overwork myself but make sure I also don’t underwork and fall behind.”
As difficult as it is, hard work will always pay off. It’s not just the work she puts in, but also how much energy she puts into something. Colton recognizes if she wants to grow, she is going to need to be able to take criticism.
“If you’re not open minded you wouldn’t be able to have a good business because if you’re very close minded, you won’t have a lot of options that could help you grow,” Colton said.
Regarding ideas of how to bring customers in, Colton initially didn’t know how to spread awareness about her business.
“[For anyone wanting to start their own business], I would say don’t underestimate yourself because if you hesitate, you may not succeed how you want to,” Colton said. “Always work hard because if you’re lazy you’ll only get lazy results. And know how to take criticism, because criticism is good to grow.”
