Artist Academy

Today’s interview is an episode from 2020, where I had a very real conversation with wildlife artist Sophie Green . Check her out! I’ve followed Sophie online for the past four years, and the amount of growth she’s had with her art business has been so well-deserved. I remember messaging her a little over a year ago about how much her paintings have transformed from very good to extremely good. So...

This week’s episode is the first of many solo episodes you’re about to experience for the remainder of the year. I’m going to be testing out the approach of giving you one solo episode per week that is brand new, while also bringing back an interview I did with a past artist guest (likely from three years ago or more) each week. Why am I doing this? Because I polled my audience (you), asked what y...

I’ve decided that this year I am kicking it INTO GEAR for the 4th quarter, and in this week’s podcast episode I’m sharing with you exactly what that means... How can you create a high-energy vibe for your life and business? How can you use that vibe and energy to gain momentum, and then maintain it throughout the week, month, quarter, or year? Let’s dive into everything surrounding the topic of ki...

This week’s episode features Canadian artist Jackie Knauer . Painting windows is Jackie’s forte, so we dive straight into the technical side of how to paint so both sides are visible to the viewer. Jackie has a unique way of going about painting windows and shares everything from the step-by-step strategy to what specialized paint (and markers) she uses. I guarantee you will take something new fro...

This week’s episode features Michelle Poli, or, as you may know her, Paint by Mish . We get into some very real talk about what it’s like getting started with painting windows, including how to pitch yourself, what supplies to use, and how to price. Michelle was inspired by window painting master Scot Campbell (aren’t we all?!), who came on the podcast in previous years. Listen to Scot’s episode h...

This week’s episode is a small peek into a training we did recently inside the Artist Academy, all about finding and expanding your energetic minimum/maximum capabilities. This is not a visionary exercise, but rather a tactical strategy that will leave you saying, “I need to do this in order to make $$$ next month.” This is just 20 minutes of an hour-long training we did inside the Artist Academy,...

This week’s episode features muralist team Sascha and Tashi Styliano . I really enjoyed hearing all of the behind-the-scenes information on subjects like pricing, ads, what it’s like working with a partner, and how they relocated from South Africa to Cyprus all while keeping up the pace of full-time muraling. If you’re looking for some motivation to start muraling, this is the episode for you. Bot...

Making $100,000 in your art business is the goal of many, but few (in comparison) seem to achieve it. Why is that? I asked members of our Artist Academy $100k Club: “What is the one thing that contributed to your success the most this past year?” Their answers will motivate you! Shoutout to the $100k Club members featured in this episode: Lacey Crime Rich Marks Samantha Cox Samm Wehman Epstein Che...

This week’s episode is a coaching call with Artist Academy member Brian Fritz . Brian is an artist at the beginning of his art journey, and we all know how mentally taxing that time can be. The beginning months or years of starting any business are extra exciting, hopeful, and frustrating. That time specifically is THE time to lean on a mentor, not when you’ve already somewhat established yourself...

This week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast is all about the things that influence my art business but are not exactly business-type tasks. It’s no coincidence that when my non-work life is in check, my productivity seems to be at its highest. Things like personal, mental, and health-related obstacles can dent my goals, and they definitely have done so this year. I’m not much into opening up...

This week’s episode features illustrator and educator Scott Rempe . Scott gives actionable tips for you to take away and use within your art business to land more jobs! We go over how to have conversations with customers, what questions to ask, and even how to ask leading questions that position you as the expert. I remember my first few conversations with customers on the phone, where I would be...

  This episode was done a bit differently with   Ekaterina Sky   taking over the interviewer position to ask me questions about podcasting. She is starting a podcast of her own, so this is mostly an episode where you get to be a fly on the wall to hear how I started/grew/promoted this podcast in the early days and now. You’ll get a lot of surprise behind-the-scenes facts! If you’re...

This week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast shines a light on the negative side of owning your own art business. We often chat about how AMAZING working for yourself is, but nobody can argue that entrepreneurship comes with a heavy mental load at times. The 3 things that led me to reeeally dislike my art business (and at times still do) are: 1. Overbooking I would schedule every weekday (and...

This week’s episode is yet another addition to the Quit Your Day Job series, where I interview current members of the Artist Academy to discuss how they recently quit their day jobs to pursue art full-time. Making that leap into full-time creativity after spending years working for someone else can be a rollercoaster of emotions, but Summer Paradiso is handling it with supreme optimism. Summer joi...

This week’s episode features professional calligrapher, author, and educator Margaret Shepherd . Throughout her 55-year career, Margaret’s calligraphy is currently in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum, the Rare Books Department of the Boston Public Library, along with freelance work for multiple colleges and law firms. She has taught workshops and given live calligraphy demonstrations to ar...

We are ending our two-month-long mural podcast theme by saving two of the best for last. Christian Stanley is the artist behind CStanleyCreative , and his wife, Jessica Stanley, is the marketing mind behind it all. In this interview, we chat about the specific roles both Christian and Jessica take on to grow their mural business. From getting a jumpstart in 2021 to now, just a few years later, the...

I’m declaring this week Up-and-Coming Young Artist Week. I sat down with a couple of relatively young muralists recently who have a lot of spirit, and I think you’ll enjoy hearing their stories. This episode features 17-year-old Maddie Deiters . Despite being only 17, Maddie has painted thousands of square feet of murals in multiple states. She’s a go-getter! What I took from this is that there is...

I’m declaring this week "Up-and-Coming Young Artist Week." I recently sat down with a couple of relatively new muralists who have a lot of spirit, and I think you’ll enjoy hearing their stories. This episode features 23-year-old muralist Ana Gabriele Honsowetz, aka Ana the Artist . She shares her journey into full-time creativity and the hoops she has to jump through to make muraling a profitable...

This week’s episode is a coaching call with Artist Academy member Jessa Aber . She is one of the many artists I have met who are doing all the right things: sharing photos, making videos, pitching ideas, following up with potential customers, etc. But even though her efforts are good, combined with working a full-time job, there’s little time to stretch past her current situation. Jessa lives in a...

This week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast features muralist Jolene Rose Russell . Jolene’s professionalism stood out to me when I first spoke with her, and in this interview, we dive into how that trait trickles into her mural business. There’s such a fine line between being creative yet professional, a free-spirited artist yet someone who shows up on time and does what they say they’re go...

This week for a special May Mural Month episode I decided to bring back an interview I did 4 years ago with Mural Joe. You know how everybody has those *kinda famous* people they look up to in the industry? Mural Joe is one of those for me. His tutorial videos combined with his discipline to keep painting and making videos for so long in order to grow his business and better his skills at the same...

This week’s episode features muralist Chera Brooker . After we got off the interview, Chera and I both agreed that we would likely hang out if we lived in close proximity to each other. She’s my kind of creative personality. You’re going to get a lot of good vibes from this interview, along with hearing us geek out over creating videos to promote our painting. Chera shares her process for creating...

This week for a special May Mural Month episode I decided to bring back an interview from 3 years ago with muralist Pamela Kellough . I remember this being one of my most favorite interviews from 2021. Pamela has such a warmth about her which made talking with her such a delight.  She is almost 70 now and still muraling. If anyone has ever tried painting large scale for any amount of tim...

This week’s episode features multi-passionate business owner and creator Gretchen Leggitt . This woman has my heart with her multifaceted pursuits in business. I  really  enjoy talking with muralists, but give me a muralist with a thriving side business on top of it and I can feel the excitement bubbling within my brain.  You know how when you paint a mural with dimensions that are...

This week for a special May Mural Month episode I decided to bring back an interview I did 5 years ago with a muralist I started out working under. Melvin Lovejoy and I met on the job site of Bass Pro Shops. The very first memory that pops into my head when I think of Melvin is when we were working together at a store near Vancouver, British Columbia. A really big wall needed to be painted with an...