Meet Domica Hill
Domica Hill is a contemporary Aboriginal artist who started her business, Briar Blooms Boutique in 2020 after the heartbreaking loss of her baby girl, who only lived for five minutes. At the time, Domica wasn’t in the right headspace to return to her teaching career, and with Covid also impacting life, painting and artwork became a way of healing.
Her business grew quickly and organically as initially her friends wanted artwork, then their friends, and it kept reaching further through word of mouth marketing.
Alongside her art, Domica has also worked with dried flowers. After receiving many flowers for her daughter’s passing, she was disappointed when they all died, so she began drying them. With dried flowers becoming very popular at the time, this side of her creativity soon became a big part of her business. She even opened her shop called Briar Blooms Boutique, which sold dried flower arrangements, Aboriginal artworks, and products featuring her designs.
Domica closed the shop at the beginning of last year to focus purely on her art. Now, she runs the business from her home studio as a one-woman show. Through her online store, she has shipped artworks not only around Australia but also overseas.
Read more about Domica’s business journey so far:
Domica’s Business
Before I connected with Many Rivers, I was a high school teacher, teaching PE and Science. I also started a business with one of my best friends, who is also Aboriginal. Together, we went around to schools and ran cultural incursions and workshops. That’s really where my art practice began, as I ran a lot of the art workshops.
I always loved art, but I was very sporty and focused on my teaching career, so I never had time to pursue it seriously. Covid and losing our daughter gave me that time, and that’s when the business started to grow.
I first met Renée from Many Rivers at an Indigenous market in Brisbane. She introduced herself, we had a chat, and she said she’d be happy to help me with parts of my business. That’s how I got connected with Many Rivers.
I wanted to go into business because I wanted to create something for myself and to heal through art. It gave me purpose during a really hard time and allowed me to share my culture and creativity with others. Over time, it also gave me flexibility as a mum, which has been really important.
Working with Many Rivers
I’ve only had two meetings with Renée so far, but she has already been a great sounding board. She’s given me direction, helped me think about where to take the business, and also worked with me on financial projections using an Excel spreadsheet. That’s been really helpful for understanding how to estimate sales and income.
The Excel spreadsheet for managing my finances has been the most useful tool provided by Renee so far. I didnt record my finances in detail before as I have an accountant for the basics — but this tool helped me see how to project future sales and income if I meet certain targets. I’d never done that before, and it was eye-opening.
I haven’t received a loan from Many Rivers, and at the moment it’s just me running the business.
Biggest Challenge
The hardest part is trying to do everything myself. When you start a business, you don’t always have the funds to cover everything you need, like advertising, so most of my growth has been organic and through word of mouth. Not having funds to put into promotion has definitely been a challenge.
Biggest Success
Some of my biggest successes have been collaborations with brands like Pillow Talk and Koh living. Those projects have given me exposure Australia-wide, and it’s amazing to see my artwork out there on products in stores.
Recently, I also saw my collection in the Ginger Factory gift shop on the Sunshine Coast, which was really special.
Biggest Change
The biggest change has been the flexibility. After losing our daughter, we had a son the following year, and running my own business has allowed me to be present for him. I can work around his needs and still be there as a mum, which has been really important for our family.
Future Goals
Right now, I’m rebranding. My online store still runs under Briar Blooms Boutique, but my short-term goal is to rebrand fully under my own name, Domica Hill, as an artist. I want people to recognise me as a brand in my own right.
Long-term, I’d love to open a gallery space where I can both display my work and have a proper studio. Eventually, I’d also like to hire an employee.
Thank you Domica for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.
If you would like to stay updated with Domica’s small business, follow “Briar Blooms Boutique” through the following links:
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