Episode 37: Ditching The Words “I’m Too Late” with Jessi McNeal

Jesse McNeil, owner of the Cheery Pet, has had a winding journey to her current business. Starting out as a self-taught artist painting landscapes and vintage campers, she eventually stumbled upon the idea of hand-painting custom pop ornaments for pets. After overwhelming success, she decided to streamline her process and create a line of breed-based products. She now has 70 designs and has expanded her line to include dog bandanas, greeting cards, and notepads.

Late Bloomer
Jesse had a passion for music from a young age, growing up with musician parents and singing in school. In her 20s, she began playing guitar and writing songs. However, after becoming a single mother, music was put on the back-burner. At age 32, after remarriage and becoming a stay-at-home mom to four children, she felt the itch to pursue music again.

Jessi initially struggled with feelings of being too old and out of place in the music industry, which she felt had different standards for women as they age. However, she gained the courage to perform when she leaned into community and started a group for creatives and organized open mics. Later, a friend's husband encouraged her to record her songs, and she began the process of making her own album which she released at the age of 39.

“Small on Purpose”
Jessi realized that the lifestyle required to progress in the music industry was not feasible as a mother of four and she decided that she needed to reevaluate her purpose and came up with a small mission statement that lifted the burden of achieving specific goals, which was “small on purpose.” The phrase "small on purpose" is a powerful reminder that we don't always need to aim for big audiences or massive followings to make an impact. We put unnecessary pressure on ourselves to have a large social media presence, but we should focus on doing what makes us happy and sharing it with the world, no matter how many people it reaches.

Tools to Assist with Being a Beginner
Being a beginner at anything can be hard, because it requires a willingness to embrace vulnerability and navigate uncertainty. Jessi advises finding a community to join or start, seeking out instruction to learn, and having low expectations. Having low expectations can actually be a good thing because it allows us to approach a situation with an open mind and also reduces the likelihood of disappointment, making it easier to appreciate even small successes along the way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Two mini mission statements that were mentioned were “small on purpose” and “keep art fun.”

• What if we could reframe our thought about how many people our art is reaching? The whole point is to do something that lights us up and share that with the world, even if it is just one person that it touches, the mission was accomplished.

• Sacrifices are made when we follow our passion, but in the end if you are enjoying it thats what makes it worth it. Remember that, Life is a choice between what hurts and what hurts worse.

• Three things to help with your mindset if you are in the beginning stages are:
  -community
  -seek out instruction and invest in your learning
  -have low expectations

• Having high expectations and not having them be met over and over again can cause you to give up. So having low expectations could actually set our mindset up for success in the long run.

• No experience or winding turn in our creative journey is wasted.

• Let’s ditch the words, “too late” and let go of the idea that “time is lost.” That time is part of your story and one that will influence what you bring into the world.
  
  Lissie's Teehee course “Art & Digital Processes” is now open for enrollment! Join today! Doors close May16th!
  
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Jessi McNeal is the owner of The Cheery Pet and creates cheer-filled goods that celebrate the joy that pets bring to our lives. She has a line of dog and cat ornaments & mugs featuring more than 70 breeds, as well as a new collection of pet bandanas, greeting cards and other gifts for dog and cat lovers! All of her designs start as either an acrylic painting or a digital drawing that she then reproduces onto her products.

She is also a folk/Americana singer-songwriter and has released three albums. She was raised in a musical family and grew up singing, but didn’t take the leap to start sharing her own music until she was in her late 30s. With support from her family and a creative community she gained the courage she needed to push through fears that she was too old to pursue this creative passion. Her most recent album The Driveway is filled with themes of finding both hope and joy in the midst of seasons of waiting.

She and her husband Travis live in Mount Vernon, Washington, a rural community about an hour north of Seattle. They have four grown children as well as a granddaughter, and most days Jessi can be found creating new designs or packing orders in their 100-year-old red barn on their property.

You can find Jessi and The Cheery Pet on social media at: @thecheerypet or on her website at shopthecheerypet.com

And you can find her music on all major streaming platforms as well as on her website jessimcneal.com.