34 Creative Wall Art Ideas to Decorate Your Space in 2023

Turning your hobby into a career can take a little trial and error, a lot of resilience, and some good business sense. TurboTax can help you make your moves count so you can focus on what you do best! Whether TurboTax experts prepare your tax return or you do it yourself, they guarantee their calculations are always 100 percent accurate, or they’ll pay any penalties.

If you’re a creative person looking to take your hobby to the next level, here are tips for getting started and growing your business.

Choose your focus: Before Steffy started focusing on the DIY aspect of her business, her niche was in fashion, mostly vintage fashion, which helped her build a following who loved her aesthetic. “My first big win was I booked a blog a month with a major fashion brand. It was the first time I realized that big companies are paying attention to people on the Internet,” says Steffy. “Over time, working with brands just legitimized what I was doing and made me feel like, yes, this is fun, and yes, this is something that is still a hobby, but also there's a future in it as my business.”

Set clear goals: Define your career goals – actually write them down – and create a roadmap for achieving them. Set short-term and long-term goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Set reasonable dates for achieving those goals and stick to them!

Create a personal brand: Establishing a strong personal brand that feels unique to you and your target audience can help you stand out in a crowded space. Make sure it’s clear what you do from your branding and what services you offer.

Develop a business mindset: Brush up on budgeting, marketing, sales, and customer service to understand how best to monetize your passion. “My first challenge was tax wise,” says Steffy. After getting hit with a big tax bill at the end of year, Steffy realized that she had to pay quarterly taxes as a freelancer to avoid hefty fees. “When you work for yourself, you're thinking you're making all this income, but really a lot of it goes back to the state and the government, and you have to really be on top of that.” TurboTax experts can help you determine all of your deductions as a freelancer and entrepreneur while helping you get your max refund.

Scale wisely: Do you invest in hiring help or do you stay small? That’s a question solopreneurs often struggle with. “I hit a certain point where I realized that I did need help. I'm still working through what that help looks like. I have a part-time employee, but I always grapple with whether I need more hours and more hands on deck,” says Steffy. Balance your creative life by contracting out the responsibilities that take up a lot of your time and that you don’t necessarily enjoy doing. Wearing too many hats can take away from your talents and lead to burnout so get help when you need it, like tax time, but choose wisely where you invest your time and money.

Adapt as you grow: Once you start to gain traction, adjust and adapt your business plan to suit your growing needs. “I was already doing DIY projects behind the scenes, but I just thought, it's not my niche. People won't be interested in this,” says Steffy about transitioning her fashion-focused brand to her other hobbies. “Then I filmed one video of DIY, peel-and-stick wallpaper, and it went viral. That's what made me realize that maybe people do come to me for my fashion, but that my fashion sense trickles down into all aspects of my life, including how I decorate.” That led Steffy to eventually writing a home decor book A Home for Every Season. “It just shifted my business completely,” she says.

Connect with other creatives: Being a solopreneur can be lonely. You have friends and family but they may not understand your business struggles. That’s where a creative community comes in. “A community definitely helps even just to have comradery and bounce ideas off of each other,” says Steffy, who often shares content with other influencers. “We're all on the Internet and then getting together and creating content and sharing it, it definitely helps lift everyone up.”

Consistently show up. Consistency is key to building a following and accomplishing your goals. “The biggest tip I would have is to just get up and do it every day,” says Steffy. “You have to have a strong foundation yourself to grow and just keep coming up with new ideas and trying new things and just showing up, not necessarily every day, but a few times a week, for your audience and trying to inspire them and be creative.”

Photos: Courtesy of Steffy.

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Life Lessons From "The O.C."

1. A homemade breakfast can cure anything that ails you — and is pretty much guaranteed to make you more popular in any situation

A major tension in the first few episodes is the conflict between Sandy and Kirsten Cohen about whether or not Ryan should be allowed to stay in that beautiful pool house on a more permanent basis. True to form, Sandy the “Crusader for Justice” wants to give the kid from Chino a shot, while Kirsten thinks he’d be better off in foster care. While Ryan’s homemade breakfast doesn’t mark the final conclusion to this conflict, it definitely eases tensions between him and Kirsten. It just goes to show — there are few things that perfectly scrambled eggs can’t fix!

2. Hiding from a problem is typically not the best solution

As any group of high schoolers — or, at least, any group of high schoolers with easy access to empty mansions — would do, Seth and Marissa decide that the best way to avoid having Ryan sent to foster care is to hide him in one of Kirsten and Caleb’s model homes. Great idea, right? Wrong! I’ll spare you the dramatic details of the fight, the fire, and the awkward revelations about the history between Marissa’s dad and Kirsten, but suffice to say that hiding from potential consequences is rarely the answer...even if you are planning to do it in a mansion.

3. Share your dreams with the people you love

While Seth is open with Ryan early in the season about his dream to sail alone to Tahiti, it’s unclear whether or not he’s been as clear with his parents about it. This comes back to bite him in the you-know-where later in the season (and into The O.C. season 2), when he decides to flee Newport in pursuit of his lone journey. Don’t you think it would’ve been handy for people to know his dreams so they could support him in a more meaningful way?

4. Be open about your exes

Oh, where do I begin with this one? There are countless instances in this series where untold secrets about a previous relationship rear their ugly head at very inopportune times for the people involved, but let’s call Ryan, Marissa, and Theresa Exhibit A. If Ryan had been honest with new flame Marissa about his romantic past in Chino from the get-go, he would have avoided an extremely uncomfortable Thanksgiving encounter...and who knows what else? If you’ve had a tendency to be cagey about your exes with a current bae, watching Ryan’s example should make you want to be more honest.

5. People are rarely as intimidating as you think they are

For years, Seth was so enamored with Summer that all he could do was pine for her and secretly bestow her name on his boat, but when they finally met and start flirting, he learns that he’s not the only student at The Harbor School who sleeps with a toy horse next to their bed. (Princess Sparkle and Captain Oats are still so meant to be.) Think of how much less time our boy Cohen would have spent feeling sorry for himself if he’d thought for even one second that Summer was potentially his own kind of dork.

6. It’s important to know when to bring in an expert

Marissa got in way over her head in The O.C. when she tried to tackle Oliver’s health issues on her own, and while she probably needed a real grown up, even adults can learn from the cautionary tale that played out in the penthouse of that fancy hotel. It’s important to learn what you can handle and what’s above your pay grade. There’s no shame in admitting that you can’t get through something on your own. Rather, there’s only shame in knowing that a problem exists and that you didn’t seek the help that’s really needed.

7. Making a choice is almost always necessary, even if it seems like you can have it all

Teenagers everywhere swooned at the thought of being in Seth’s shoes (Chuck Taylors, obviously) and having twoseemingly perfect suitors vying for their attention. Remember those awesome Chrismukkah gifts Seth got from both Summer and Anna? Well, it seemed too good to be true at the time…and it was, because in the end, Seth had to make a choice, and his inability to do so in the first place really damaged his credibility.

8. When people show you who they are, believe them the first time

Sandy and Kirsten spend a lot of time in The O.C. season 1 trying to put their faith in Caleb, even though he continually proved he couldn't be trusted. While it’s nice to give people the benefit of the doubt, this dysfunctional family dynamic should serve as a reminder to all of us that people’s actions speak a whole lot louder than their words.

9. It takes a lot longer to rebuild trust than it does to destroy it

Ryan is basically the poster child for trust issues, and every time he’s let down by one of his friends (ahem, Marissa), we get a front row seat to the inevitably long process of the aforementioned disappointing friend trying to win him back. Life would be much easier — and TV much less interesting, I guess — if we didn’t tamper with people’s trust in the first place.

10. Appreciate family members and all of their quirks

No relationship better demonstrates this truth in The O.C. than that between the Cohen family and The Nana. By the time Sandy’s mother has arrived in Newport, we’ve already been treated to tons of family folklore about how intimidating and, well, mean she is. So when we find out later in the episode (spoiler alert!) that she actually has cancer, it’s like a punch to the gut for us too. This particular emotional roller coaster should serve as a lesson to us all that it’s important to appreciate the good, the bad, and the ugly in our family members because our time with them isn’t guaranteed.

Pineapple Chicken Skewer Lettuce Wraps

Bring this pre-marinated chicken and fixings to your campsite, then unload everything onto a tray for everyone to customize their own skewers and wraps before heating them up over the fire! (via Brit + Co)

Shakshuka

The inviting aromas of sizzling tomatoes, onions, red pepper, and spices will wake you right up of your sleeping bag, if you’re still feeling like a zombie when you wake up from the previous day’s adventures. This zesty skillet meal also gets a good boost from chickpeas! (via Brit + Co)

10-Minute Vegan Stir-Fry

If all you have time to do in the way of food prep is to stop at Trader Joe’s on the way to your campsite, you’re in luck. This 10-minute vegan stir-fry comes together with three main ingredients and requires zero advance work. This is one of the easiest healthy camping meals with a light medley of veggies and plant-based protein. (via Brit + Co)

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

There’s nothing like eating a hearty bowl of chili while gathering around the campfire! This meat-free version is made with sweet potatoes and black beans, and it will reheat over the grill in a jiffy. (via Brit + Co)

Asparagus + Goat Cheese Frittata

Feed a crowd in style with this healthy, protein-packed frittata, bursting with the springy flavors of asparagus and goat cheese! Feel free to substitute the asparagus for whatever seasonal veggies you have on hand, too. (via Brit + Co)

Honey Sriracha Chicken Meal Prep Bowls

Traveling off the grid, but want to stay on top of your health goals? No prob! Prep these to-go containers according to this recipe, pack 'em in a cooler, and reheat at camp. This way, you'll have healthy camping meals to eat on for several days! (via The Girl on Bloor)

Caprese Chicken Foil Packs

Simply layer chicken, olive oil, pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese into some foil, cook for half an hour, and enjoy this refreshing fireside meal. It has a healthy kick with lighter ingredients and flavors to fully satisfy! (via Damn Delicious)

Tahini Chickpea Cucumber Salad

Try this easy-to-pack, versatile salad on its own, on a sandwich, or spooned over some grilled chicken and greens for an array of healthy camping meals to fuel your entire trip. (via Hello Veggie)

Campfire Baked Feta

3 ingredients, 5 minutes. That's how easy this healthy camping meal is, and you just can't beat that! Throw everything into a skillet over the fire and bake through, then dip some crusty bread into this feta dip with tomatoes and chickpeas. You could even serve this over top some pre-cooked pasta! (via Live Eat Learn)

Southwest Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Recharge after a day of hiking with this veggie-rich salad. It's especially easy to make ahead, pack in a cooler, and enjoy right away. This is one of the most substantial healthy camping meals because of the quinoa! (via The Creative Bite)

Thai Salmon in Foil

Cook fresh salmon over a fire, and you’ll feel like a true outdoorswoman — especially if you pretend you just caught it in the river! This succulent cut of salmon takes on Thai flavors from the fish and hoisin sauces. Lean protein FTW. (via Damn Delicious)

Stuffed Grilled Avocados with Shrimp + Mango Salsa

Those adept at grilling over a fire will love these tropical stuffed avocados, filled with garlicky shrimp and spicy mango salsa. The fresh ingredients amp this dish up to be one of the yummiest healthy camping recipes around. (via The Roasted Root)

DIY Instant Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a healthy camping breakfast that's so easy to make yourself! Instead of buying those pre-made packets at the store with tons of additives, opt for this homemade version that uses only 5 ingredients. Once it's prepped, you can bring it to the campsite in mason jars to go no-waste. (via The First Mess)

Summer Rolls with Almond Butter Satay

Light summer rolls are the ideal healthy camping dinner because they’re cheap, customizable, and fun to make as a group! The nutty satay dipping sauce from this camping recipe is the best part in terms of both its addictive flavor and easy preparation. (via Fresh Off the Grid)

5-Ingredient Mediterranean Salmon Foil Packs

Pesto and crumbly feta on top of silky salmon filets will always feel restorative, no matter how hot it is outside. This recipe packs in all that good Mediterranean flavor! (via The Seasoned Mom)

Italian Chicken + Veggie Foil Packs

If you’re concerned about getting all of your veggies in while sleeping in a tent, worry not! These packs, emanating the aroma of an Italian trattoria, have five different ones. (via Hello Glow)

Lemon-Dijon Asparagus + Pea Macaroni Salad

This recipe is just as good for summer BBQs and picnics as it is for camping, plus, it's packed with countless veggies for that healthy boost you're looking for! To prep for a trip, chop and store the veggies separately from the cooked pasta. Keep the dressing separated in a mason jar, too, so you can just mix everything together in one swift step once you've set up camp! (via Vanilla and Bean)

5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Granola Bars

This healthy camping food literally helps you live out your granola girl dreams! With 5 simple ingredients, this recipe yields a whopping 16 servings full of oats, PB, honey, and chocolate chips. Yummm. (via The Real Food Dietitians)