Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Bagwill.
Hi Kim , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Married artists Kim Bagwill and Matt Adrian started The Mincing Mockingbird to share their signature humor, designs, and fine art. Since starting the company in Paso Robles in 2012, Matt and Kim have been having an almost criminal amount of fun creating things that delight them, and have been lucky enough that their creations delight others as well. All of The Mincing Mockingbird’s art and designs are designed by humans and certified visually organic, free from harmful AI and other visual pesticides.
The Mincing Mockingbird is made up of a diverse crew of hardworking people who strive for excellence in everything they do. From the design and production of the creations to customer support to the visual delights of our Cambria and Paso Robles stores, The Mincing Mockingbird’s crack California-based team works hard to ensure thoughtfulness and quality always come first. Matt and Kim care, and they hope it shows.
Matt and Kim’s original artwork can be viewed at the gallery located in The Mincing Mockingbird’s Cambria store. In addition to being a professional artist, Matt is also a published author (Penguin Random House). Matt’s paintings can be seen at mattadrian.com, and Kim’s at kimbagwill.com. The Mincing Mockingbird’s website is mincingmockingbird.com.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With zero business experience, Matt and Kim had to learn everything on the fly. Quitting their day jobs to take the risky leap into art-based entrepreneurship was terrifying. Mistakes came fast and they were costly. But over the years Matt and Kim learned from that most unrelenting teacher: failure. The pandemic seemed like the end—until their cherished base of customers saved the day. Both Matt and Kim had parents who owned their own businesses, and they cite learning from their parents’ hard work and sacrifice as being key to their foundational business model.
Matt and Kim have been selling on Etsy.com since 2007, and since then have made over 80,000 sales while maintaining a five star rating on the site. They attribute this to keeping an eye on quality and looking at their business as more of a communication with like-minded people than simply transactions.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Matt Adrian has been painting birds for over 20 years. He has worked with the Audubon Society, and National Geographic has given Matt’s bird magnets out as Christmas gifts. Unlike typical wildlife art, his acrylic avian paintings and unique and unexpected titles attempt to juxtapose the purity of nature with the anxieties and absurdities of the modern human experience. He considers his unique titles to be as integral to his work as the paint.
Kim Bagwill’s oil paintings are inspired by vintage photographs, and she finds them everywhere from flea markets to thrift stores to her family’s old photo albums. Her recent work involves explorations of color and flowers.
Both artists’ work is collected worldwide.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Matt and Kim have learned through opening their stores is that the Internet has everything, and it has made everything easy. So what role do brick and mortar stores have? They create a unique, tactile, sensory experience. Matt and Kim hope their stores offer surprises as well as unexpected connections and discoveries. They want our stores to be a wonderful journey, and if someone buys something, it is a souvenir of that experience from their time exploring the store. Some of Matt and Kim’s favorite memories of visiting their favorite shops boils down to moments where they ask themselves with a smile, “Why does this exist? Why do I find it so wonderful?” This also applies to looking at art, so it comes full circle with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mincingmockingbird.com
- Instagram: mincingmockingbird
- Other: mattadrian.com and kimbagwill.com
