We all seek success (whatever it means to us individually) but aren't always prepared to deal with it when it comes along. And that's okay, because as you'll hear in this episode, you will learn how to deal with unexpected success if it's something you really want.

My guest is Lisa Goren, an artist whose work took a surprise U-turn when the pandemic hit last year, and she went for it.

Lisa Goren works in watercolor to show an unfamiliar landscape in a new light. By using vibrant colors and taking risks with different surfaces, she makes the viewer reevaluate their understanding of both the landscapes and their beliefs in the potential of the medium. Her works create questions about the nature of abstraction and our planet as many of her pieces are representations of unfamiliar, threatened terrains. More recently, Lisa has begun painting animals who had started showing up in unusual places during the pandemic.

​In our conversation, Lisa shares the artist residencies and serious work reflecting climate change that she was making before Covid hit. But when she was no longer able to travel to photograph and paint the wildlife and melting ice around Antarctica she turned her attention to the delightful animals that were visiting museums, aquariums and towns. Lisa shares her success dilemman: the new work was taking off and taking over. Her new journey is to regain control over where the work is headed while being open to whatever the future holds.

Highlights

• Lisa Goren details the path — and thick skin — that led to her successful art business. (2:25)

• Painting ice, bones, and deep blue colors in Antarctica, Alaska, and Iceland. (6:04)

• The importance of creating artist support groups in your art business journey. (9:07)

• Lisa reflects on the plans she had for 2020, how the pandemic changed it all, and the pivoting point that led to a new success. (12:17)

• Inspiration can come from anywhere, including free roaming penguins in museums. (17:47)

• Creating and pricing high-demand art that you didn't intend to sell. (19:45)

• Responding to a call for art during the pandemic created additional interest in Lisa's work from The Washington Post. (22:16)

• Handling the "problem" of success and why you might consider selling low-priced originals instead of prints. (26:45)

• Making connections with buyers and offering hope through art. (31:24)

• How to adjust your pricing to better control your schedule. (33:33)

• Lisa details the assignment that led to her return to painting penguins. (34:41)

• Transitioning from the artist you may be known as to the artist that you currently are. (36:54)

• Lisa details her marketing channels, how she connects with the photographers that inspire her work, and whether she replaced her lost income in 2020. (40:31)

• If the pandemic ended tomorrow, would Lisa continue painting animals? (45:24)

Mentioned

• Lisa Goren Paintings

• Washington Post article

• Shedd Aquarium

• Expeditionary Art (Maria Coryell-Martin)

Resources

• Photos and full show notes

• Art Career Success System

• Art Biz Success Community

• Art Biz Success Planning Sessions

• Intro and outro music by Wildermiss

About My Guest

Lisa Goren was born in California and raised in NYC, and yet she has dreamed of Polar landscapes since she was in her teens. Her first trip took her to Antarctica where she was inspired and captivated by the landscape. Her watercolors show an unfamiliar landscape in a new light. By using vibrant colors and taking risks with different surfaces, she makes the viewer reevaluate their understanding of both these landscapes and their beliefs in the potential of the medium.