Episodes
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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!
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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! -
Missing episodes?
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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 rulesBoss Mentality:
Taking risks
Celebrating your wins
Being the teacher
Make the rulesTune in to transform your approach to creativity and career success!
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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.
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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.
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Take advantage of 35% off Artist Academy Memberships: https://andrea-ehrhardt.mykajabi.com/birthday
In today’s episode of the Artist Academy Podcast, I explain how I really felt painting on a roof and all the emotions that came with putting myself in an uncomfortable situation.
I also touch on a subject that’s been on my mind lately: the difference between a boss and employee mentality. This is a topic that’s not often discussed, but it needs to be looked at from an aerial perspective.
Making the shift from working for someone else—showing up and doing a job we’re told to do day in and day out—to working for ourselves is no small jump. It’s a mindset shift that can hold you back in your art business if you’re not aware of it. Here are some examples:
Employee Mentality:
Listening to bad advice, then blaming that for why things didn’t work outLooking for someone to tell you what to doComplaining when things don’t go your wayBoss Mentality:
Owning up to your mistakesMaking your own scheduleRealizing that your efforts directly affect the outcome of your businessListen to today’s episode to hear my examples and all the other details!
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This week, I’m going to be going over all of the possible birthday week specials/discounts I’ve considered putting out this week, and which ones I’ve chosen & WHY.
35% off Lifetime Membership & 1-on-1 Coaching: Click here
35% off 1-Year Artist Academy Membership: Click here
NEW: ABC Coloring Book! Click hereIf you were to ask me, “What do you want for your birthday?” I would immediately say, “Please don’t buy me something. I have an Amazon account, and I don’t need any more material things, ever. What I really want is to make a $h!t ton of sales within my business.”
There’s something about getting that confirmation email that someone has bought something I offer. It gives such a blast of energy!
I have a goal to hit $200k by Jan 1st, so when I sit back and ask myself… “What can I put out that’s going to help me hit that monetary goal? But also, what do I really WANT to promote? What feels good to shout out to the world? Say somebody is going to give me extra money during my birthday week, what do I want to trade it for?”
What do I offer currently? Let’s make a list:
Murals/LogosArtist Academy Membership (1 year - 35% discount $155 = $289)Mural Money Book (Last year = signed copy)Prints - Canvas/paper art prints, alphabet series poster, custom name prints (Past years = 35% off)NEW: Coloring Book! (Please leave me a review for my birthday! Incentive: $5 off the next book I put out - Simply send me a screenshot of your review)NEW: 1-on-1 Coaching (35% off Lifetime Membership to the Academy - Be coached by me for the entire year!) $3,500 - 35% off ($1,225) = $2,275Frankly, these are things that I need to promote more often. So, why not give myself a reason to speak about it via a special offer during the week where I’m getting the most attention and my energy is at its highest?!
Steps I need to take in order to make this successful:
I’ve given my audience a heads-up that the birthday specials are coming (girls have booked the 1-on-1s already)Only booking 1 small mural job this weekCreate videos/photos (some scheduled ahead of time) to promote this HEAVILYCreate a calendar of planned posts: Monday - Announce all of them, Tuesday - Promote the 1-on-1 coaching and membership option, Wednesday - Promote the coloring book, Thursday - Membership reminders, Friday - Coloring book reminders. Last chance emails!
Link in my Instagram bioI know that it’s only going to work if I’ve been showing up consistently throughout the year.
Listen to today’s episodes to hear all of the details!
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Today’s interview is an inspiring story of adventure with artist Julie Kluh. Julie has traveled and lived all over the world via sailboat and now paints beautiful, ocean-themed oil paintings for collectors. Talk about living the dream!
This interview is actually one from back in 2020, so I took a look at what Julie has been up to lately, and she’s still painting water! I sometimes envy artists who find their one and only niche and stick with it, because you can see the mastery in their craft, having painted the same type of thing over and over and over.
But there’s one new thing I noticed that she’s been up to, which is making rug prints of her art. She has her beautiful wave paintings printed on giant rugs for your home, and they are stunning! I love seeing artists grow and evolve and create new, unique things with art.
I know you’ll enjoy this replay of an interview I did over four years ago with the amazing, adventurous artist Julie Kluh.
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This week on the podcast, I’m celebrating 11 years of full-time creativity/entrepreneurship by sharing some of my highest and lowest moments. I sat down to make a list of the fun, scary, trying times aaaaand some are pretty juicy.
I open up about some REALLY tough times where on the outside it looked like I was having the time of my life… when in reality, looking back, it was my lowest point.
There’s so much to learn from making mistakes and being in such a low spot in life, so I’m pulling back the glitter and rainbows to share my tough moments with you.But it’s not just a sad Sally vibe, don’t worry. I share some of my highest, most prized moments too, AND how I landed the big opportunities! Learn from the things I did wrong and right in this week’s episode.
If you want to hear a really juicy episode from years past, listen to this one where I took a customer to court: Episode 198!
See the upcoming Mural Meetup schedule: www.artistacademy.co/meetup
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Today’s interview is an episode from 2020, where I had a very real conversation with wildlife artist Sophie Green. Check her out!
I’ve followed Sophie online for the past four years, and the amount of growth she’s had with her art business has been so well-deserved. I remember messaging her a little over a year ago about how much her paintings have transformed from very good to extremely good.
Sophie has always been a realistic wildlife artist, but her paintings have taken on an almost lifelike feel lately. That’s in large part due to the habits and persistence she’s applied to growing her business, all of which she talks about in this interview.
Sophie is another one of those artists I would ask to hang out with in real life if she didn’t live all the way across the pond. She’s very real in how she talks about how much painting actually sucks in the middle of the process, and how business tasks aren’t the most fun thing, etc.
I know you’ll enjoy this interview with Sophie Green.
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This week’s episode is the first of many solo episodes you’re about to experience for the remainder of the year. I’m going to be testing out the approach of giving you one solo episode per week that is brand new, while also bringing back an interview I did with a past artist guest (likely from three years ago or more) each week.
Why am I doing this?
Because I polled my audience (you), asked what you wanted, and you responded. So, I’ll be giving you what you asked for.My energy is super high right now, and I’m a big believer in feeding off other people’s energy because I practice it myself by listening to other podcasts. So, I’m showing up here for you to do the same with me. Take it! Take my LFG energy and go out to paint, sell, promote, and make money this holiday season! NOW is the time to put your head down and promote like you’ve never promoted your art business before.
If you need MORE borrowed energy and a roadmap for how to promote, sell, email, etc., I have that for you inside ArtistAcademy.co with our 4th Quarter Success Plan. It’s a proven roadmap on how to navigate the holidays, complete with templates on how I’ve done it (and made money from it) in the past.
Onto today’s topic…
Eliminate indecisiveness by polling your audience. Simply ask them, “What do you want?”
Tip #1: Giving them A, B, or C choices is a much better approach than simply asking a blank question.Tip #2-3: Listen to today’s episode to hear all about it!If you’re doing this for yourself, who cares what anyone thinks?
If you’re doing this to make money, your audience’s participation matters.Listen to hear the ways I’ve polled my audience in the past in order to make more money and lead a more stress-free art business.
Upcoming Birthday Specials:
35% off the 1-Year Artist Academy Membership
35% off the Lifetime Membership to the Artist Academy + Coaching with me for a year!
See the upcoming Mural Meetup schedule:
www.artistacademy.co/meetup -
I’ve decided that this year I am kicking it INTO GEAR for the 4th quarter, and in this week’s podcast episode I’m sharing with you exactly what that means...
How can you create a high-energy vibe for your life and business?
How can you use that vibe and energy to gain momentum, and then maintain it throughout the week, month, quarter, or year?
Let’s dive into everything surrounding the topic of kicking our butts into gear to crush our goals!
Listen to this week’s episode to hear all the ways I’m doing this in my own life and business.
ALSO, here are the locations and dates for the upcoming 2025 Mural Meetups:
Costa Rica - Jan 6-13
10 spots available
Spray class taught by Kole TrentTulum, Mexico - Jan 20-25
8 spots availableBarcelona, Spain - March 10-14 - $100K Club Meetup
Invite OnlySt. Croix, Virgin Islands - April 1-5
15 spots availableSpringfield, Missouri - June 5-6
15 spots availableListen to the details and go HERE to see all the Mural Meetup info.
Upcoming Birthday Specials:
35% off the 1-Year Artist Academy Membership35% off the Lifetime Membership to the Artist Academy + Coaching with me for a year!Keep a lookout for the email shouting out when the birthday specials go live!
www.ArtistAcademy.co -
This week’s episode features Canadian artist Jackie Knauer. Painting windows is Jackie’s forte, so we dive straight into the technical side of how to paint so both sides are visible to the viewer.
Jackie has a unique way of going about painting windows and shares everything from the step-by-step strategy to what specialized paint (and markers) she uses. I guarantee you will take something new from this interview, even if you’ve been painting windows for years!
Let me know what you think of this week’s episode with Jackie Knauer.
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This week’s episode features Michelle Poli, or, as you may know her, Paint by Mish. We get into some very real talk about what it’s like getting started with painting windows, including how to pitch yourself, what supplies to use, and how to price.
Michelle was inspired by window painting master Scot Campbell (aren’t we all?!), who came on the podcast in previous years. Listen to Scot’s episode here 👉 Window Painting with Scot Campbell - Replay
I’ve never tried using an airbrush but plan to in the near future, so I had all the logistical questions ready for Michelle. She happily answered them and SO MUCH MORE.
Listen to hear all of her tips and tricks for window painting—not just this holiday season, but year-round!
Mentioned in this episode:
Airbrush Gun: Iwata Eclipse
Airbrush Paint: Createx -
This week’s episode is a small peek into a training we did recently inside the Artist Academy, all about finding and expanding your energetic minimum/maximum capabilities.
This is not a visionary exercise, but rather a tactical strategy that will leave you saying, “I need to do this in order to make $$$ next month.”
This is just 20 minutes of an hour-long training we did inside the Artist Academy, so if you want more info on this topic and many other business trainings like it, apply today: www.ArtistAcademy.co.
Your energetic minimum is the minimum amount of effort you're conditioned to put in, knowing you will expect a certain outcome. There's no wondering if things will happen—you just know. You know because it's happened so many times before that you're now accustomed to giving out the effort needed to meet that minimum.
An energetic maximum is the maximum amount of money, jobs, or opportunities that you think you are capable of achieving at this moment in time—not in the future, but right now. Listen to hear what my energetic minimums and maximums are and how you can figure out and expand yours too!
www.MuralMoney.co - Show more
