We were lucky to catch up with Janie Haskins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Janie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

When I was growing up, I often thought about being a professional artist. But instead I became a journalist and then a lawyer. During those years I’d browse listings for art classes and then find excuses not to sign up. When I finally did begin pursuing art, I realized (1) I loved it, (2) the learning curve is huge, and (3) it takes time to build and sustain a career as a painter. I wish I had found the courage to begin studying art and building a business sooner — I lost a lot of years doing work that I didn’t love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m a representational oil painter who creates colorful, impressionistic, light-filled works. My paintings are inspired by the landscape and people of my home state of Florida as well as my travels. My subject matter ranges from landscapes and seascapes to figures on the beach to birds and vibrant orange trees. I frequently paint outdoors on location, and I feel this infuses my work with a sense of “being there” that you can’t get solely from a photo. I also do commissions, and I enjoy working with clients to develop a composition and color scheme that will feel just right in their home. And I teach classes and workshops. I greatly enjoy sharing my knowledge and helping other artists grow. My work has been exhibited in both local and national shows and is available through galleries and on my website.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I keep in touch with clients on social media, in person at art events, and through a newsletter I send out regularly. I think it’s important for artists to build a newsletter list because that’s the most reliable way to reach the people who are truly interested in your work. I also send a Christmas card every year with a handwritten note. And I use software to track sales so I always know which pieces a collector has bought.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In my earlier life, I was a newspaper reporter and then a lawyer. In both of those jobs, it’s critical to get things right and avoid making mistakes. Mistakes could cause you to lose your job, or lose the case, or even lead to litigation. As an artist, that kind of thinking can lead to perfectionism and an unwillingness to put your work out there. My entrepreneur husband had to teach me that in business (and in art) it’s ok to take risks and be wrong. If things don’t go the way you hoped, you just try something else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.janiehaskins.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janiehaskinsart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janiehaskinsart