A sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University has launched a new website for her art business, making $400 over the past few weeks.
Dagny Van Aken is a student majoring in entrepreneurship with a minor in art. She displays her art during downtown Fort Myers Art Walks. She has been making little by little at these art walks, every first Friday of the month.
Van Aken decided to launch a website three weeks ago that showcases her art.
“I wanted to explore my options and see if I could reach more people that way,” she said. The $400 was earned in three weeks, just from her website, https://dagnydesignsart.com/.
“I never knew it was going to be like this. It came up so fast,” she says. “I’m very happy with the success of the website.”
Peter Haines, a customer, discovered Van Aken’s art from the downtown Fort Myers showcase. “I was walking by when I saw her booth. It got my attention because of all the lights and such. Then I saw her art,” he said. Haines is from St. Petersburg and was visiting the art walk with his daughter.
“I really liked Dagny’s artwork and paintings. I thought they were beautiful. She told me she does custom art,” he said. “I asked her for a picture of me and my wife.”
Van Aken was very excited to work on a custom painting. “I don’t get that many custom painting requests. Usually, customers just want to buy the artwork I have already made, so it was super cool to work on something personal for someone,” she said. She said that this painting was very emotional for her because Haines' wife had died last June. Van Aken finished the painting after a week and shipped it out to Haines.
Since the art walks, Van Aken’s customer base has grown larger. She said she is excited for what is to come.
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