Tyla Smith

Please tell us more about your business and when you started it.

Itty Bitty Picasso was thought of as a hybrid between my work, my educational background, and my talents not only as an artist but as a saleswoman. At Itty Bitty Picasso we take a child's artwork and create a superior quality reproduction on canvas known as a giclee. We use top of the line archival inks and apply a protective coating to ensure a piece of fine art that will last a lifetime. We also offer framing in a variety of colors. This way a child's artwork can be on display for everyone to see and even be passed down from generation to generation as something special.

I started this business less than a month ago and am looking for new and innovative ways to market it. The nice thing about my product line is that it has no boundaries. I receive either the original artwork by mail (which will be returned) or a high resolution data file, create the artwork on canvas, have it framed if requested, and then ship it directly to the purchaser. I think this is an amazing idea that is great for proud parents to showcase their children's talents or share the artwork with grandparents and other family members.

How do you define Hybrid?

Hybrid to me means taking all of the skills, life lessons, and talent you have as a mother and a person, and creating something unique and special to share with the world. We are all hybrids of some kind or another, especially as mothers and women. It is a mix of how we grew up, what we became when we got married and had children and the new dreams and ideas that came from that experience, and the constant adaptation we have to make as mothers, women, and entrepreneurs in a quickly changing world.

Tell us how your "What’s Next" moment occurred and what did it mean to you.

I have always been the type of person to work for myself. I started working at ten years old, babysitting for family friends. I transitioned to door-to-door sales at 12, selling candy in boxes, and have somehow stayed in sales in one way or another from then on. I went to school and received my degree in Graphic Design and Illustration and ended up after several short term jobs upon graduating working for a printing and mailing company as an account rep. Soon after 9/11 I got laid off. Soon after that I got pregnant with my second child. My husband and I decided that I would stay home and take care of both our children instead of paying the high costs of daycare. I soon became restless and a little stir-crazy. I was so used to working all my life that staying home and performing tasks that never had an end or satisfaction of a job well done was driving me bonkers. I knew I had to do something or I would lose it. I tried several things from home but ultimately never felt they were the right fit for me. I went to school and became a professional makeup and special effects artist and moved from Seattle, WA to Miami, FL with my family. When the economy took a nose-dive and the makeup work dried up I had to think of something else to do. Through a friend I started holding art sales events to raise money for charity. This went well for a time until the economy took a deeper slide and sales tapered off there as well. I had been brainstorming ideas for some time and with my art background, being a parent, and trying to be as innovative as possible I came up with Itty Bitty Picasso. Even in tough economic times people still spend money on their children, and still have enormous pride in what their children do. What better way to combine all the skills that I have been learning for the last 20 years into something that I could turn into a profitable company.

The closest time frame that your 'What’s Next' moment occurred was

After subsequent children

If you have not acted upon your 'What’s Next' thoughts, what has been stopping you?

My biggest road block right now in not being able to launch this product and company in a big way is financial.

What are your biggest challenges?

I second guess myself and I get worried that I won't be able to succeed in what I am doing. But I think about my future and the future of my children and what I want out of life and that gives me fuel to continue forward even when I am scared.

What are your aspirations?

I would love to build the business big enough so that it has an international client base and I would love to be able to have enough funds to start an organization to support the arts in our schools.

What are your interests?

I love painting, doing makeup and special effects, creating something from nothing and seeing the end result and feeling a sense of accomplishment in what I do, spending time swimming and going to the beach with my boys, reading, and watching movies.

What inspires you?

My boys. I want to become financially independent and know that I am secure enough to support myself and them through anything. Whenever I get discouraged they help keep me going.

Feel free to tell us anything else you'd like.

As a mother that has never really fit into the standard mold of "typical" or "normal" I am constantly inspired by those around me to make my life and the world a better place, and to find my unique spot in it. I think we all want to be able to say at the end of the day that we are proud of ourselves and our accomplishments. And we want our children to look at us and know that now matter what we didn't quit, even when things were tough and we made something of ourselves. We want them to know that anything is possible, that no dream is too big, and we can be and do anything we choose.

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