Artist Academy

In this week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m sitting down with my friend and Artist Academy member Ariane O’Day. I’ve known Ariane for about five years, during which I’ve had the privilege of watching her painting career blossom over time. She started out teaching and bartending but quickly realized those jobs were taking time away from the creative career she really wanted. Ariane shares what it took to finally let go of safety nets, find clients in a new community, and turn one opportunity into many through word of mouth. We also talk about the confidence she gained through attending Mural Meetups and how that experience helped her take on bigger projects. If you’re an artist who dreams of leaving your day job and making a living with your art, I think you’ll really connect with Ariane’s story. There’s no single path to becoming a full-time artist, but sometimes the biggest step is simply deciding to stop letting the thing that pays your bills keep you from building the career you actually want.

In this week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m talking with Brittany Wolfe of Painting with a Twist in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has been with the franchise for nearly 16 years and talks about how she was able to build a successful paint-and-sip studio, and how you can too. We talk about why she chose the franchise route, the support that comes with it, and everything that goes into keeping a studio running. From marketing and hiring artists to managing the finances and making sure customers have a great experience, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes than you might think. We also talk about her partnership with Birch Tree Communities where she brings art to adults with mental disabilities. As part of the project, participants paint their own birch trees, with each individual tree coming together to create a larger collaborative piece of artwork. She shares what she’s learned from working alongside her husband, balancing motherhood and business, and what makes someone a great instructor. We talk about finding your own personality as a teacher and remembering that the creative side of being an artist needs the business side to support it. Let me know what you think of this week’s episode with Brittany Wolfe! Check out Wolfe Studio Art to see more of her work.

“Your worst client will teach you more about your business than your best one ever will. They’ll show you every gap in your process, every weakness in your communication, every boundary you didn’t set.” In this episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m sharing some of the worst customer experiences I’ve had throughout my mural career and the business lessons those experiences taught me. From an unpaid project that ended up in court to mistakes I discovered in my own contracts, these stories weren’t always easy to go through, but they showed me exactly where my business needed to improve. I’ll talk about the importance of clear communication, detailed sketches, contracts, deposits, getting approval for changes, and setting boundaries before problems happen. Because difficult customers don’t always mean you have a bad customer. Sometimes, they reveal where your systems, communication, or boundaries need to be stronger. If you’re a mural artist or creative business owner, this episode will help you recognize potential problems before they become expensive ones. My goal is to give you practical lessons you can apply to your own business without having to learn them the hard way.

In this week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m talking about selling original canvas art and how I unexpectedly sold about $7,000 worth in just three weeks. I’ve made more than a million dollars with murals, but only around $50,000 from original canvas work in the last 13 years. So these recent sales really surprised me, especially because some of the paintings had been sitting around for many years. I’m sharing my pricing strategy to sell, and the different ways these paintings finally found buyers. I talk about getting out of my own head when someone actually wants to buy, and how my art connects with those right buyers in a way I never thought it would. But more than anything, this episode is a reminder to play the long game. Just because something doesn’t sell today doesn’t mean it won’t sell years from now. Keep painting and keep putting your work out there because you never know when the right person is going to find your art.

In this week’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I’m joined by Daniel Scott, a coach for creatives who works with artists on creating a life that supports both their creativity and their financial goals. Daniel comes from an interesting background as a musician and former lawyer, having spent 12 years advising ultra-high-net-worth clients before shifting his focus to helping creatives build lives around their purpose.We ended up going down a pretty interesting rabbit hole about what we actually mean when we say we want to be “successful.” Is it making more money? Having more freedom? Being able to spend your time doing what you want? And how much of what we’re chasing is actually something we want versus something we’ve been taught to want?We also talk about the very practical side of making a living as an artist—how much money is actually enough, what to do with the money when you have a good year, and how to set up your business so you’re not constantly working just to keep up.There’s definitely some back and forth in this one, but I think that’s what makes the conversation interesting. If you’re trying to figure out how to make your art work financially without letting the business side take over your life, give this episode a listen.