The Art Confidential

Creating Your Own Opportunities - The One With Isaiah Sfagi

What happens when you stop waiting to feel ready and start putting yourself out there? This week, we sit down with Isaiah Sfagi to talk about confidence, making connections, and building a creative career from unexpected beginnings.

An Asheville native, model, and founder of Sfagi Model and Talent Management, Isaiah shares how answering an Instagram ad at 19 led to modeling, starting an agency, and creating opportunities for other emerging talent. We also get into the lessons that came with taking on responsibility so young, including the moments that didn’t go according to plan.

We talk about:

• Taking chances before you have everything figured out
• Building relationships and being intentional about showing up
• Understanding both the creative and business sides of your work
• Learning from rejection and taking responsibility when things go wrong
• Making room for talent outside the traditional fashion capitals

For anyone figuring out their next creative step, this conversation offers plenty to think about, whatever your age or medium.

Mentioned in This Episode

1. Isaiah Sfagi on Instagram (@kuyoowa)
   https://www.instagram.com/kuyoowa/
2. Sfagi Model and Talent Management (@sfagimodelrep)
   https://www.instagram.com/sfagimodelrep/
3. Asheville Fashion Week: Day 1, Industry Day Tickets
   https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asheville-fashion-week-day-1-industry-day-tickets-2001032970481
4. Model Con on Instagram (@modelcon_)
   https://www.instagram.com/modelcon_/
5. Isaiah Sfagi: Building a Legacy Beyond the Runway, on VogueMonaco.co
   https://voguemonaco.co/2026/07/16/isaiah-sfagi-building-a-legacy-beyond-the-runway/

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

Getting dressed can feel like a small part of the day, but what we wear can shape our confidence, energy, and the way we move through the world.

Jacqui and Andreina sit down with personal stylist Kim Tuzzeo, founder of The Daily Fabulous, to talk about returning to a lifelong creative passion after a career in healthcare. Kim shares how personal style can help women reconnect with themselves during career changes, divorce, motherhood, aging, and other seasons of reinvention.

We talk about:

• Using personal style to express who you are now
• Letting go of age-based fashion rules
• Building confidence through intentional dressing
• Starting a creative business later in life
• Staying encouraged when progress feels slow

Plus: Kim shares practical ways to shop your closet, create simple outfit formulas, and make thoughtful purchases that work with what you already own.

This episode is for anyone ready to rediscover their style, trust their instincts, or begin a new chapter without waiting for the perfect time.

Mentioned in This Episode

• The Art of Intentional Dressing by Erin Walsh
  https://amzn.to/4bYtiKr
• The Daily Fabulous
  https://thedailyfabulous.com
• Dress for Success
  https://dressforsuccess.org
• Orangetheory Fitness
  https://www.orangetheory.com
• Biltmore Estate
  https://www.biltmore.com
• Asheville Pizza & Brewing
  https://www.ashevillebrewing.com

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

Branding can sound like logos, fonts, color palettes, and corporate strategy. In this episode, Jacqui and Andreina make it more personal: your brand is the feeling people have when they experience your work.

Through examples from artists with very different styles, they explore why a strong creative brand is not something you manufacture. It comes from understanding who you already are, what you want people to feel, and whether your website, social media, packaging, and communication tell the same story.

We talk about:

• Why your brand is more than a logo or visual identity
• How authenticity and consistency help people recognize and trust your work
• Choosing three words that describe how you want your work to feel
• Creating a brand inspiration board and looking for recurring patterns
• Conducting a simple brand audit without trying to change everything overnight

Plus: Jacqui and Andreina share how they are reassessing their own creative brands, and they created a Brand Audit worksheet to help you do the same.

This episode is for artists and creative entrepreneurs who want their public presence to feel clearer, more intentional, and more like who they actually are.

Mentioned in This Episode

Deb Anderson / Ahdra Art
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahdraart/
Website: https://ahdraart.us/

Ashley Longshore
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleylongshoreworld
Website: https://ashleylongshore.com/

Nela Conde
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nela.conde

Branding Business School, Episode 158
You Don't Need to Be the Best, You Just Need to Be Different
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/158-you-dont-need-to-be-the-best-you-just-need-to-be/id1536507669?i=1000705522535

Molly Courcelle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollycourcellefineartist

Linsey Gray
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linseygraycreative

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

What happens when someone who grew up in Asheville decides to tell a different story about the city they call home? In this episode, Jacqui and Andreina sit down with Ryan Muirhead, creator of Ashevilish, to talk about community, creativity, and building something bigger than yourself.

Born and raised in West Asheville, Ryan has watched the city evolve firsthand. What started as a simple idea to create Asheville-inspired merchandise grew into a platform that celebrates local businesses, artists, musicians, and makers. Through Ashevilish, Ryan is helping people see Asheville through the eyes of someone who knows it deeply and loves it fiercely.

We talk about:

• Growing up in Asheville and watching the city change over the years
• How Ashevilish evolved from an idea into a growing community platform
• Using social media to amplify artists, musicians, and small businesses
• Why authenticity matters more than chasing influence
• Building relationships, supporting others, and creating opportunities through connection

Plus: Ryan shares the story behind his unforgettable Asheville Art Museum gala outfit made from artwork submitted by artists around the world.

Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, community builder, or someone looking for inspiration to start the thing you’ve been thinking about, this conversation is a reminder that meaningful work often starts with simply showing up for others.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Ashevilish Instagram
   https://www.instagram.com/ashevillish/
• Ashevilish Facebook
   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558782354000
• Burial Beer Co.
   https://burialbeer.com
• Wedge Brewing Co.
   https://www.wedgebrewing.com
• River Arts District
   https://www.riverartsdistrict.com
• Archetype Brewing
   https://www.archetypebrewing.com
• Prescription Pad Pharmacy
   https://prescriptionpadpharmacy.com/
• AVL Sounds Fest
   https://avlsoundsfest.com

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

Creative careers rarely begin with one dramatic moment. More often, they begin with a quiet decision to stop waiting for a gallery, a sale, or someone else’s permission before taking yourself seriously.

Jacqui and Andreina talk about the identity shift from hobbyist to professional, why readiness is not something you can prove, and how accountability, community, and small consistent actions can help a creative life become real long before anyone else notices.

We talk about:

• Claiming the identity of artist before you have external proof
• Protecting creative time and treating your work like it matters
• Showing your art without apologizing or waiting for perfection
• Finding accountability, encouragement, and community
• Breaking a big creative goal into small, achievable next steps

Plus: The creative-career myths that keep artists comparing themselves, moving the goalposts, and believing there is only one right path.

This episode is for anyone ready to take their creative work more seriously, even if they do not feel ready yet.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Victoria Pinney Studio (https://victoriapinney.com/)
• Victoria Pinney on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/victoria_pinney/)
• Brooke Lancaster, By Brooke Fine Art (https://www.instagram.com/bybrooke.fineart)
• Art Nature Movement (https://www.instagram.com/artnaturemovememt)

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

Our guest today is proof that there is no single path to a creative life. For more than four decades, Erik Larson has built a remarkable career as both a professional designer and an underground filmmaker.

Entirely self-taught, Erik has written, directed, shot, and edited colorful, irreverent, joy-filled films with the same group of collaborators he began working with as a teenager in Chicago. Along the way, he built a successful career as an art director and creative director, proving that there is more than one way to create a life in the arts.

We talk about:

• Making films without film school, funding, or permission
• Building creative trust with collaborators over 40 years
• Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and getting older as an artist
• LGBTQ+ history, visibility, and creative bravery
• Letting go of perfection and putting the work into the world

Plus: Super 8 films, thrift store costumes, fake names, secret creative lives, and a standing ovation at the New Beverly Cinema.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wondered if their unconventional path still counts. It does.

Mentioned in This Episode

• The Wizard of Oz
   https://amzn.to/4wabROl
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
   https://amzn.to/4gKboOn
• Lars Erik Films on Instagram
   https://www.instagram.com/larserikfilms/
• Lars Erik Films website
   https://www.larserikfilms.com/
• Lars Erik Films on YouTube
   https://www.youtube.com/@larserikfilms

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

What if building a creative community was less about networking and more about connection?

In this working episode, Jacqui and Andreina explore the difference between collaboration and community, and why some of the most valuable things artists share aren’t business tips or techniques, but encouragement, perspective, generosity, and support.

Inspired by conversations with fellow artists, musicians, writers, and creatives, they share stories about unexpected friendships, creative gatherings, and the small acts of connection that make creative work feel a little less lonely. They also invite listeners to join a two-week Community Experiment designed to help build deeper creative connections.

We talk about:

• Why creative work can feel isolating and how community changes that
• The difference between collaboration and connection
• Overcoming scarcity mindset and supporting fellow creatives
• Simple ways to build creative relationships without an agenda
• The Community Experiment and how to participate

Plus: Stories about artist gatherings, virtual studio dates, unexpected friendships, and the creative people who have inspired us along the way.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re creating in a vacuum, this episode is for you.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Kasey Moran Art
   https://www.instagram.com/kaseymoranart
• Asheville-ish (Ryan Muirhead)
   https://www.instagram.com/ashevillish
• Natalie Ray Fine Art
   https://www.natalierayfineart.com/
• Bronwyn Cronin Jazz
   https://www.instagram.com/bronwyncroninjazz
• Claudia Guerreiro
   https://www.instagram.com/artbyclaudiaguerreiro
• Sky Loraine Art
   https://www.instagram.com/skyloraine_
   https://www.skyloraineart.com/

Subscribe to The Art Confidential newsletter at theartconfidential.com to access the Community Experiment worksheet and our growing collection of free creative resources and downloads.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

In this episode of The Art Confidential, we sit down with Robert Nicholas, artist, designer, and founder of Marquee Asheville in the River Arts District. Robert shares how a lifelong instinct to see potential in overlooked objects led him from antiques and handmade lighting to building one of Asheville’s most unique creative spaces.

This conversation goes beyond business. It is about community, courage, and choosing to rebuild when it would be easier to walk away. Robert opens up about the vision behind Marquee, what Hurricane Helene changed, and why creating a space where artists feel seen and supported matters just as much as the work itself.

We talk about:

• How Robert built a business from antiques, found objects, and instinct
• The difference between Splurge and Marquee, and how Marquee became something bigger than a gallery
• Why community is at the center of everything he creates
• Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and what it took to come back
• Why artists need to stop listening to negative voices and take the next step

Plus: A simple but powerful reminder, if you think of someone, reach out. It might matter more than you know.

This episode is for artists, makers, and anyone trying to build something meaningful without waiting until they feel ready.

Mentioned in This Episode

• The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
  https://amzn.to/3Qk8IvS
• Marquee Asheville
   https://marqueeasheville.com/

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

What if joy isn’t something huge or life-changing, but something small you notice on an ordinary Tuesday? In The Art Confidential's first-ever Joy Report episode, Jacqui and Andreina share the little things currently making their lives softer, calmer, easier, and more fun.

From mahjong nights and birdwatching to morning walks, gratitude journals, protein powders, and temperature-controlled beds, this conversation is full of the tiny rituals and comforts helping them feel more grounded in this season of life.

We talk about:

• Why mahjong is suddenly everywhere, and how it became Andreina’s newest obsession
• Jacqui’s five-minute gratitude journal practice and how it shifted her mindset
• Bird feeders, solar fountains, and creating tiny backyard moments of peace
• Life-changing middle-aged discoveries like progressive contacts and BedJet systems
• Finding joy in routines, community, slowing down, and paying attention

Plus: Bear encounters, “Sad Sunday,” and the legendary Tiger Titties Mahjong Group

This episode is for anyone craving a softer pace, tiny pleasures, and reminders that joy is usually hiding in the little things.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Mahjong Set (https://amzn.to/4dYdTLe)
• 5-Minute Gratitude Journal, Spiral Bound (https://amzn.to/4f1Ik4o)
• Smart Bird Feeder with Camera (https://amzn.to/4nHdbFv)
• Spicy Bird Food to Deter Squirrels (https://amzn.to/49bgXkG)
• Pedestal Bird Bath (https://amzn.to/4uUdLly)
• Solar Powered Bird Bath Fountain (https://amzn.to/49hG31f)
• Kion Mango Amino Acids (https://amzn.to/4up15TU)
• BedJet (https://amzn.to/42Pzi2X)
• Hungryroot (https://www.hungryroot.com/r/FIG4RJFU)
• The Lazy Genius Podcast (https://www.thelazygeniuscollective.com/lazy)
• Barbara Brown Taylor (https://barbarabrowntaylor.com)

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com

In this episode of The Art Confidential, Jacqui and Andreina sit down with poet, writer, and visual artist David Gate for a conversation about creativity, care, and what art can make possible in difficult times. From poetry and mental health to friendship, truth-telling, and the role of artists in community, this one is thoughtful, honest, and deeply grounding.

David shares his path from writing songs to becoming a widely loved poet whose work speaks to loneliness, sensitivity, masculinity, and hope. They talk about how Asheville shaped his life and work, why creativity became a form of self-care, and how art can help people feel less alone by showing them their own experiences reflected back.

We talk about:

• How David moved from songwriting into poetry and found his voice
• Creativity as care and its connection to mental health
• Why telling the truth is an act of rebellion for artists
• Male sensitivity, emotional language, and naming what we feel
• The role of sharing art and creating connection through your work

Plus: baby goats, late-night writing, Burial Beer, and a poem that might make you cry.

This episode is for artists, writers, parents, and anyone who needs a reminder that sensitivity is not weakness, it is strength.

Mentioned in This Episode

• A Rebellion of Care: Poems and Essays by David Gate
   https://amzn.to/3OIvmxw
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
  https://amzn.to/41FcPVS
• The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
  https://amzn.to/48aDltL
• David Gate website
   https://davidgatepoet.com
• David Gate Instagram
   https://www.instagram.com/davidgatepoet/
• David Gate Substack
   https://davidgate.substack.com/
• Burial Beer Co.
   https://burialbeer.com/

Some links may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

About The Art Confidential

The Art Confidential is a podcast about how the art world really works. Hosts Jacqui Fehl and Andreina Bates sit down with artists, gallery owners, consultants, and other insiders for candid conversations about building a creative life—from studio practice to sales, exhibitions, and the realities behind the scenes.

Follow the show so you never miss an episode exploring the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping today’s art world.

Connect with us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartconfidential

Website: https://theartconfidential.com