Artist Academy

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 dime...

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 underwater scene, and he ...

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 festivals and shares with us he...

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 showed me what colors to u...

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 her lessons learned [the hard...

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 out my mural supply list to se...

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 to help you unblock ...

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 types of jobs.

Example:...

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 information/emotions/descriptions ...

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 what your version of ...

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. We talked about what her id...

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 front of passerby eyes to ...

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, he gives plenty of no-bulls...

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 she made the switch to runnin...

‘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: Clear, acti...

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 look at the opposite side o...

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 explanation of each, i...

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 her student’s busine...

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 much in the building ...