We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenn Schanz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jenn, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
In 2022, I had the pleasure of meeting local watercolor artist, Ann Thomas, and got to see her teach a demo. She made her gorgeous architectural ink and wash paintings look so easy! I was hooked on the style and decided to try it. I grabbed my sketchbook and painted a cafe in Paris, a few European houses, and cute cottages that I found reference photos for online. One day, I was out for a walk with my husband in our little town and saw the buildings downtown in a whole new way. A coffee shop had recently moved in to the historic firehouse and the cream city brick, intricate black iron balcony, and the teal door caught my eye. I finally found my “artist eyes” and started taking my own reference photos of all the buildings I wanted to paint. Fiddleheads coffee shop was the first ink and watercolor sketch I completed in my sketchbook. I posted a photo of it on Facebook, tagged the coffee shop and later that day I got a response. To my surprise, it was the VP of the company telling me he loved it and asked if I could create a larger painting to hang in the cafe. I was beyond excited and quite nervous. This was my first commission outside of friends and family. I was still pretty new to watercolor but I knew I needed to do this project. After a few failed attempts, I finally had a pencil sketch I was proud of and was ready to add the ink and paint! I met with Bill at Fiddleheads and he told me to name my price. -I had prepared for this moment- He said he was willing to pay whatever I wanted to charge. Finally, I blurted out, “ $150?” …Sold! And I could finally catch my breath. I was so relieved, the meeting was over, we agreed on the price and I walked away beaming knowing soon my artwork would hang in one of my favorite coffee shops.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’ve generally been an artsy person for as long as I can remember. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and had painted with acrylic for many years before I fell in love with the flowy medium of watercolor. I took a class at my local community center that focused on various watercolor techniques. I soon became obsessed and was eager to learn as much as I could. I painted flowers and landscapes for practice and watched hours of YouTube tutorials. I knew that if I wanted to go pro, I would need to commit to practicing my skills daily.
The experience of my first commission revealed to me that I might have something here that I truly love to do. Can I explore this as a viable career option? I started sharing my story and showing off my paintings. I secured a few orders, each one offering their own set of challenges. Eventually, a good friend suggested I start painting house portraits – such a fantastic idea! After more practice and a little networking, I soon realized there is indeed a market for this.
Currently, I am preparing for my first time selling at an art festival. Ordering 1450 prints of my artwork is absolutely nerve wracking but I have to have faith that they will sell over time. I’m proud of the effort I’ve put into this pursuit. People say they want to change careers and follow their dreams all the time. I am forging my own path and making my dream start to feel like my reality.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
That I’m incapable of owning a business or being my own boss.
I’ve struggled building the confidence necessary to carry out the ambitious goals I’ve set for myself. Something that has helped is making sure I follow through and stay consistent. Every completed goal is another step toward my dream of being a full time artist so my approach has started to become methodical.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I still have a relatively small audience, however it is growing everyday. My best advice to someone who is just starting would be to post reels consistently. The best way I’ve found to keep a regular posting schedule is to batch film content. I usually film for multiple videos in one day that I can recycle and use as B-roll. On another day, I will create multiple reels and save them as drafts. That way, when I’m ready to post, I don’t have to worry about creating from start to finish.
Another important factor to growing on social media is to make friends. Send DMs to others in your industry. Get to know other like minded people and comment on their posts. Find your community, get involved, and support other artists, creators, small businesses owners, etc.
Art is often created in solitude, but then it’s meant to be shared , felt, and interpreted by others so don’t be too shy. The bottom line is: Put yourself out there and interact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennschanz.com
- Instagram: @jenn.schanz
