Artist Academy

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast is an interview with artist John Foster, all about his lifelong career in custom lettering, pinstriping, and graphic design.

I love chatting with artists who have lived through decades of the evolving art industry because they offer a completely different perspective compared to those who are just starting out. The evolution required to survive in this industry demands an open mind, constant learning, and the ability to adapt.

There are so many differences between today’s art world and that of 20+ years ago, and John has both lived through and thrived in those changes. We discuss how he got his start as an employee, eventually transitioned to being his own boss, and moved across multiple states—even to Europe—as a freelance artist.

Let me know your thoughts on this interview with John Foster!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast, we're exploring how small jobs can lead to big opportunities. I’m sharing my experience working on a mural for a local Mexican restaurant and how taking on a lower-paying project turned out to be a smart move for gaining exposure and expanding my portfolio.

In this episode, I’ll explain how shifting my mindset about these smaller gigs helped me view them as stepping stones to larger, more rewarding projects. If you’re an artist wondering whether to take on lower-budget jobs, this episode is for you! Discover how approaching these opportunities with the right perspective can unlock growth and future success.

Tune in for tips on how to leverage smaller jobs to build your career, gain exposure, and position yourself for bigger opportunities in the future. Listen to find out how I turned the Mexican restaurant mural into a strategic win!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast is an interview with muralist Tony Castillo. Like most of us, Tony entered the art world thinking he would go in a certain direction but ended up turning, learning, and diving into murals headfirst.

I love a good chat about large-scale painting, pricing, and the hurdles that only exterior painters have to face. Topics like heights, wind, and strict deadlines are just a few of the challenges covered with Tony. His story is yet another that really began in the 2020 dip and has quickly grown into a profitable career.

Listen to hear how Tony is landing these big mural jobs in today’s episode!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast, we're diving deep into the subtle but powerful ways shame can prevent us from reaching our full potential as artists. We often don’t realize how feelings of inadequacy or fear of judgment can sneak into our creative process, holding us back from taking bold steps, experimenting with new ideas, or putting ourselves out there fully.

Through this episode, we’ll uncover how acknowledging and working through shame can actually unlock new levels of growth, both personally and professionally. From facing impostor syndrome to understanding how our inner critic influences our decisions, the conversation covers how these hidden barriers impact our work and our confidence as artists.

Tune in for insights on shifting your mindset, embracing vulnerability, and using self-compassion to grow without letting shame stand in your way! Listen to hear the shameful secret that held me back for several years!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast is an interview with muralist and adventurer Emily Beaudoin. I so appreciate how real Emily is with her answers to all the technical painting and business questions I ask her. She’s just like you and me, figuring it out as we go.

Emily and I chat about her experience painting for Lululemon, Black Diamond, and several other name brands. She splits her time between creating murals in the Canadian summer and illustrating things like t-shirt designs in the colder months.

Emily is a fantastic example of what it looks like to lean into what interests you and let that seep into the paintings you create. Listen to hear how she’s navigating a business surrounded by the subjects that inspire her to live an adventurous life.

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast, we're talking about a go-with-the-flow marketing tactic that can be a game-changer for any mural business. Discover how adopting a flexible approach—especially when it comes to scheduling, pricing, and client communication—has helped me handle the ups and downs of running an art business.

From setting appropriate prices and taking deposits to maintaining a calm, confident attitude with clients, this episode breaks down strategies that can make the whole process feel smoother and more enjoyable. The conversation also dives into how personal development and shifting priorities, like the transition to motherhood, have influenced the way I approach my business today.

Tune in for practical advice on managing an art career with less stress and more flow, all while staying true to your creative vision!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast is yet another replay of an interview I did over 4 years ago with an inspiring artist who is living their unique art dream. William Jeffrey Jones is a sculptor living a little over an hour away from me in small-town Missouri.

After this interview, I was so inspired by this unique human that I drove to his location to meet and create with him. We threw on the pottery wheel, and I made a really big cup. We also recorded the session and put it inside the Academy because, back then, I had no idea what kinds of content artists wanted, so I was just recording anything and everything creative.

William is the epitome of an artist living out his purpose in life, the way he wants to live it out on the daily. He owns a pottery studio and coffee shop, works the odd hours he feels called to work, and creates the coolest things! Check out his Instagram to see what I mean.

Let me know what you think of this week’s replay with sculptor William Jeffrey Jones.

In this week's episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, by popular demand, we dive back into the topic of a Boss Mentality vs. Employee Mentality. The discussion explores the fundamental differences between these two mindsets and how they can impact artists' careers.

The boss mentality encourages ownership, initiative, and a proactive approach to challenges, empowering us to take control of our creative journeys. In contrast, the employee mentality often fosters dependency and limits growth, focusing on tasks rather than the bigger picture.

Listen to hear how we can not just recognize but also cultivate a boss mentality, enabling ourselves to navigate the complexities of our artistic pursuits with confidence and autonomy. The episode also includes practical tips for developing leadership skills, setting goals, and embracing a mindset that supports personal and professional growth.

Employee Mentality:
Needing safety and security instead of betting on yourself
Looking for someone else to pat you on the back
Listening to teachers
Obey the rules

Boss Mentality:
Taking risks
Celebrating your wins
Being the teacher
Make the rules

Tune in to transform your approach to creativity and career success!

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast, I am continuing the trend of bringing back some of the best, most inspiring, educational, and moving interviews from years past. This one is a look back at a chat from 2020 with Casey Langteau, all about how to find your artistic style.

Casey is a New Orleans-based artist with her own beautiful gallery filled with her unique art. She has a very interesting process in which she creates her one-of-a-kind paintings. I’ll let her explain it to you and share how she discovered her unique canvas style. Casey gives us actionable tips to look deep within ourselves to find a style of painting that’s truly unique to each of us.

Casey has a mantra she says in her head and out loud, which reflects the purpose of her creations. She has a solid "why" when it comes to putting in the work it takes to put out a heartfelt product at scale.

I took a look at what Casey is doing nowadays, almost four years later, and guess what… she’s still painting in this very unique style. She’s in a new gallery, all her own, in New Orleans. Having recently had a baby, her painting subjects have changed (go take a look at her Instagram to see!), but her style is so unique, with such a solid color palette, that I can easily pick it out in a lineup of other artists. She paints with beautiful muted tones and textures. I’ve really enjoyed having her posts on my Instagram feed for the past four years, and I think you would too.

Let me know what you think of this week’s replay episode with Casey Langteau.

This week on the Artist Academy Podcast, I finally let my husband take over the interviewer seat and ask questions. We polled the Artist Academy about what questions they had regarding art, business, personal life, and what it’s really like living with a busy artist.

My husband, Ryan Sanders, has been asking for this for a while, so I finally obliged him with some time to talk into the microphone. If you’ve ever met Ryan in person, you know his gift for gab. He’s way more of a personality than I am, has tons of sales advice, and keeps me laughing day in and day out.

You’ll find this episode entertaining at the least. You’ll also hear a bit more about my daily life, work habits, what it’s taken to grow an art business alongside our growing family, and so much more.

Let me know if Ryan should never, ever again take over the interviewer position or if you laughed at all during our conversation. Both are likely.