Artist Academy

This week’s episode features international street artist Peachzz (aka Megan Russell). You’ll hear Megan tell her story of how she got started with murals (using spray paint) with a theme of birds and wildlife. Her style evolved into also painting the human form, and fast forward to today with one that blends into both human and nature. Megan got her start by applying to mural/street art festi...

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. Susan Watkins is an Alaskan artist who paints beautiful nature scenes. We met on the job site of Bass Pro Shops and the memory pops in my head first is one where Susan and I were sharing a small lift while painting waves on an extremely tall wall. She...

This week’s featured muralist for May Mural Month is none other than Anat Ronen . She was highly requested within members of Artist Academy, so we sat down to chat about murals. She’s been painting full time since 2008 and had a lot of tips to give. If you follow Anat on social media, and I highly request you do in order to see the quality of her product, you’ll see her share tidbits of some of he...

This week’s episode is a jumpstart on our upcoming May Mural Month where I’m focusing on everyone’s favorite subject: MURALS. Here are some common questions along with a couple free resources to help: “Painting murals looks intimidating. I don’t even know where to start.” -   Come join the upcoming Missouri Mural Meetup on June 6th-9th for a hands-on learning experience! You can also check ou...

This week’s episode features painter, writer, musician, and creativity coach Lauren Spangler . Lauren helps artists find the sweet spot between passion and prosperity. Lauren’s mission is to empower artists to enjoy the creative freedom they crave without sacrificing the financial stability they depend upon. She has helped hundreds of professionals set and achieve their goals, and now she’s here t...

This week’s episode is a coaching call with Artist Academy member Samantha Brown. My favorite question to get from students is, “How do I get mural jobs?” Oh boy, do I have some advice for you! Samantha is just getting started in her muraling journey, having only painted murals in her home as a trial run. She knows who her target customer is (schools) so we work out a plan to start getting those t...

This week’s episode features artist Chanelle Jefferson . Chanelle is based in rural Nova Scotia where she regularly sells her original canvas paintings and hosts retreats. She is an energy, mind, and emotions practitioner, which she uses to help guide her customers through the process of commissioning a very special and meaningful piece of art. Chanelle uses her skills to extract the right informa...

This week’s episode features Texas artist Bryan Peterson . This is not your typical business talk but rather a reminder to create the art that makes you happy. Art that evokes emotion within the artist and creates excitement within the process. We take it back to the basics of drawing/painting because you love it rather than to make a dollar. If the product is great, the customers will buy. But wh...

This week’s episode is part of a coaching call with Artist Academy member Sheryl Corriveau . She asks me questions that revolve around how to kickstart her mural business to eventually quit her day job and be a full-time creative. Sheryl was recently trained on how to be an official Bob Ross paint party instructor, which I think is not only really cool but a great way to start bringing in income....

This week’s episode features New York artist ELLE . She’s been featured in a variety of different high-profile brand collaboration projects and has traveled around the world painting murals. I always give the advice of doing a free mural or two to get practice/photos to advertise later, but ELLE got her start painting, not just for free, but illegally on the streets of New York. She put her art in...

This week’s episode features sculptor/ceramicist Curt Hammerly . Curt sold and shipped over 5,000 pieces of work this past year at about $100 per item. You do the math, but this dude has the credibility to be giving us all advice on growing a social media following and making sales. With over 350,000 followers on Instagram, it’s best to listen when he gives tips on audience growth. Lucky for you,...

This week’s episode features abstract artist Jenna Kast . This is yet another interview with an artist who has a completely different perspective on creating than I do: she thinks about the art first and the money follows. I tend to find myself thinking about how I’m going to sell a canvas before I create it, but not Jenna. She spent the early part of her career creating for others so that when sh...

‘Tis the season for taxes. Hannah Cole, artist and owner of Sunlight Tax, was kind enough to come on the podcast and answer some of the most common questions like: How should I file? When should I hire a tax professional? What items can I list as an expense/deduction? Listen to hear answers to these questions and be sure to check out her extremely helpful resources below: The Sunlight Podcast: Cle...

This week’s episode features Ukrainian-born, now New Jersey-based, artist Olga Muzician . About halfway through this interview I realized - we have two very different work styles. Olga has the drive and need for perfection in everything she does. Everything is organized, clean, and as efficient as possible. There is no room for spontaneity or winging it in her work life. This interview is a great...

This is what the seasons of my business typically look like: Winter: Planning, practicing, resting - Do I want to repeat last year or change some things? How can I make this year more enjoyable? Spring: Experimenting, pitching - Stick to the plan and welcome new, fun opportunities. Summer: Hustling - Let’s go! Fall: Slowing, regrouping - Avoid burnout. Listen to this week’s episode to hear an expl...

This week’s episode features art marketer Jessica Craddock . Jessica mentors ADHD artists who are tired of marketing strategies that don’t align with their personality to sell 3x more art. I like talking to other business minded creatives and I used this interview to extract some art marketing advice that I don’t regularly teach. Jessica comes from a business background and gives a clear look at h...

This week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast features an Atlanta-based multi-passionate artist Elise Garcia . Elise has a positively infectious energy about her that I know will spill onto you to brighten your day. Her outlook on living a fearless life is commendable as she has some hilariously terrible travel incidents to share with us today. On the art side of things, Elise is still very mu...

This week’s interview is with a muralist/surfboard artist who is living the RV lifestyle, artist Nicole Miller . Her artwork is solid, and her marketing efforts are on point, so it’s no wonder Nicole is making a great living as an artist even though she’s traveling around every couple of years to a new location. Yep, she’s starting over every time she and her husband (and 2 dogs) change locations,...

This week’s interview features New York artist Dean Christensen . Right out of school, Dean created a series of paintings then turned around and sold those paintings at an art show. He used that money to buy a one-way bus ticket to New York where he stayed on a friend’s couch for 2 months until he was able to get on his feet financially and kickstart his art career. This interview aims to inspire...

Join fellow muralist Samantha Cox and I as we play a different version of the game Never Have I Ever... 🍻 Are you familiar with this game? We will be taking shots of kombucha while reminiscing through the mistakes moments of our mural careers. "Never will I ever do (BLANK) again!" Listen (and probably laugh) through our hard lessons learned. Use the code ANDREA for $30 off at www. MuralCoProducts...

Before we begin… I just wanted to let you know that TODAY is the start of our   31-Day Challenge  aka January Paint Challenge, whatever you wanna call it: 31 paintings and 31 days! You can paint like me, or redirect it to whatever your business needs most. 31 social media posts, 31 drawings, 31 photos/videos… 31 whatever! Sign up:  31-Day Challenge Commit by ANNOUNCING it to your au...

I’m in shock that this year ended up being my highest-grossing year ever (by far). On paper, I’ve always made a little more than the year before, so it would make sense that this year would be my best year yet. But number projections don’t account for life happenings. Specifically, being home with a newborn in the first quarter. Then opting for daycare just 2 days per week (because that’s all I co...

This week’s interview features a major successful illustrator, author, and podcaster: Andy J Pizza. If you fancy lighthearted creativity mixed with some art business talk and a dash of internal inspiration, then you’ll enjoy this chat with Andy.  He has his hands in a number of things. We talk about where his income is coming from, plus the benefits of diversifying.  This is a friendly r...

This week’s episode features doodler extraordinaire Ian Glaubinger . Ian shares the tough truths of navigating the art world and working with big brands. He’s created product designs for companies such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and so many more household names. The guy knows how to negotiate his way through an illustration deal in order to create a great product and experience for both the artist...

This week’s interview is with Utah-based wildlife artist Joel Pilcher . His charcoal drawings are incredibly realistic, but the thing I loved most about this interview was hearing how much of a marketing guy he is. I’m going to spoil this interview for you a little bit to give you the details of Joel’s backend systems because that’s what I was really curious about when questioning him. About 90% o...