Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Finley.
Christina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always wanted to have a career, where I could be of service and help people. I worked in the medical field for 15 years, I was actually going to school to be a lactation consultant when the opportunity to start a Jellybeanstreet in California fell into my lap. As much as I loved my patients and the career path I was heading toward, I could not resist falling in love with this business. I am able to paint with kids, families, and even pets in my workshops, birthday parties and fundraisers, all while helping raise money for charities. two years ago, after my 4th kiddo was born, I left my day job and decided to focus on Jellybeanstreet full time. I have done many fulfilling things in my life, having my children, charitable work, and I have even been a surrogate mother twice, but being creative, seeing kids in my workshops painting, and being philanthropic, makes my heart feel so full.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I struggle with finding affordable venues to hold my workshops and also struggle with marketing. I feel that social media marketing is very hit and miss. I would love to have a lot more word of mouth referrals. I do a lot of free events, which makes me feel good inside, but unfortunately does not pay the bills. I also don’t consider myself a great salesperson, so I struggle to sell the finished artwork sometimes, even to the parents themselves. I want to raise as much money as possible for the charities these families choose to support, but without selling the artwork, it is just not possible. I want to find that sweet spot in business, where people want to buy, without you having to be super pushy and annoying. My partner is very supportive and knows I love what I do but I think he would also like me to bring home a little bacon once in a while.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Jellybeanstreet Orange County – what should we know?
I like to say that Jellybeanstreet is where painting and philanthropy unite. I hold public workshops, private workshops, fundraisers, birthday parties, family reunions, pet workshops, you name it. We paint with hands, feet, brushes, toys, water balloons, kitchen tools, like salad spinners and potato mashers, you name it. There aren’t any rules, everything is very abstract. We do activities that produce elements for our graphic designers to work with. After the workshops, they are the ones who create the beautiful pieces of art using aspects of the originals. The parents or the artist have a say in the process too. They can choose what color scheme they are going for, what room they are planning to hang the artwork in, and most importantly, which charity or organization will get the resale proceeds. That is my favorite part! Once the artwork is placed in our online art gallery, whenever there is a resale of poster or canvas prints, 40% of the proceeds go to a charity chosen by the parents, and 20% goes back to the child (or other artist/pet) for their contribution to the design. They can also choose to have the entire 60% go to charity also.
This is why Jellybeanstreet is so great for fundraising. We can help large groups, like Girl Scout Troops, children’s hospitals, schools, etc, raise money by doing combined pieces of art. Even just gathering little painted fingertip prints from all the guests at a fundraiser, can be turned into a beautiful design that everyone had a “hand,” in creating. Our artwork makes great silent auction items too.
I am definitely most proud of the philanthropic aspect of Jellybeanstreet.
I have recently started creating artwork from animal prints to raise money for animal centered charities, and that is really fun too. It is also a great way to honor the memory of a pet who has passed. We had artwork created from the paw print of our dog Odie that passed away from cancer last year.
Oh my gosh, I could go on and on about all the opportunities to help raise money for charity with Jellybeanstreet artwork. I say it all the time, but the sky is truly the limit. I would love to see our art on the walls in homes, hospitals and hotels, all over the world. People need to buy art, so why not help some charities in the process?
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Jellybeanstreet was started in Australia by a beautiful couple, Ian and Marisa March. Ian was a graphic designer who had one of his son’s preschool paintings, turned into a huge canvas print for Marisa. People would come to their home and inquire about the artist. When Ian told them it was their toddler, everyone was shocked. Their friends suggested that they should start a business…so they did. They are amazing mentors. My 17 years old daughter, Rhiannon has helped me run workshops from the beginning, and I couldn’t have done it without her. She is and really talented artist, and brings so much to the table. My mom, Jamie, my partner, Rich and all the friends who have volunteered their time to help with fundraisers and workshops are my heroes. I also want to give a big shout out to Liz Marvulli at Perfect Day Scrapbooking in Huntington Beach. She was the first person to take a chance on my little business, and being able to hold workshops in her store has been amazing!
Pricing:
- Public workshops start at $30 per painter
- Fundraisers, birthday parties, private workshops, etc, start as low as $10 a painter
- Finished artwork starts at $35 for posters and $110 for framed canvas. Customized sizes are also available.
Contact Info:
- Website: usa.jellybeanstreet.com/orange-county
- Phone: 714-421-6399
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/jellybeanstreet_oc_la
- Facebook: facebook.com/jellybeanstreetorangecounty
- Twitter: twitter.com/jellybeanstOC
Image Credit:
Abbie Brewer and Amber Castro
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