We recently connected with Jodie King and have shared our conversation below.

Jodie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

As an art educator, I can say with certainty there is not a single project that’s more meaningful to me than another. They all align with my mission to empower artists.

I believe that artists can earn a full-time living from their passion, and even the most creative, right-brained among us can build a business that thrives. But when I first started building my art business, it wasn’t just rainbows and paint splatter. It took a lot of work — and there was a major learning curve.

I hadn’t gone to business school. Hell, I hadn’t even gone to art school. I knew there were things I’d have to figure out the hard way, but I did it.

Today, though, my mission is to create a shortcut through all that murky territory I waded through in the early days of my own art business. I want to give other artists the fast track to success so they can speed up their own trajectory.

It’s not just about helping artists succeed; it’s about impacting their communities and making sure they can share their art with the world. Because that’s where the magic of art resides.

In today’s world, we’re told that creativity is “nice to have” rather than something essential to our very beings. But as artists, we know the truth: Creativity is what gives us energy, what fuels our joy, what helps us navigate life when things get hard.

We’ve been told that artists don’t make money – and we’ve all heard about “the starving artist.” But I call BS on that, and I’m showing other artists that they can do the same. We’re changing the narrative for ourselves and for the world, because more of us need art in our lives — and it’s a calling, not just a hobby.

The truth of my mission was never more clear than when the pandemic hit in early 2020. While I was always painting, I knew that the artist community at large was struggling. We may have had our “creative outlets,” but we didn’t have the same community, inspiration, or connections we had before.

While my main mode of supporting artists was through in-person workshops, which were no longer available to me or my community. So I had to pivot, and I started going live every Wednesday on Instagram.

I shared some of my best art tips, I talked about what it’s like to run an art business, I got honest about my story, but most of all I just connected with my community. It felt like a really lonely time, during those first few months of the pandemic. This time to connect and “be” with my audience made a world of difference for me, and I heard it really helped other artists, too.

It also showed me just how many artists wanted to know about what it takes to run an art business — and it was pivotal for me as well. I realized I knew a lot about running an art business, and I knew I wanted to help others do the same.

Of course, all of this happened during a pandemic, which changed how I showed up to serve my community of fellow artists. That’s when Art Biz for Rebels was born. I started Art Biz to give artists a comprehensive blueprint for creating a thriving art business and creating multiple, thriving revenue streams. Not only do students get over a dozen modules and countless resources on all the facets of starting and growing an art business, but they also get access to live coaching calls with me, and a community of fellow artists.

The results I saw from students? Astounding. Some of my students went from never selling a piece to selling multiples. Others found ways to create consistent sales so they weren’t in the feast-and-famine mode of artpreneurship. And others found the confidence they needed to put their art out there and sell it.

One of my first students, Jess, went from selling $200/month to selling $12,000/month in only a few months. And that’s just one success story!

During this time, I also saw that some of the artists I was connecting with were ready for a deeper dive into their art, their business, and their future growth. While Art Biz for Rebels serves as a starting point for all artists who want to make a living from their art, I knew I needed to create a different kind of program for the people who were already doing it — and wanted to do it even better.

That’s how Studio Elite was born. This serves as my high-touch mentorship, where I am lucky enough to get to know each artist 1:1, and I track their progress both personally and professionally. It’s such a fulfilling experience for me, because I get to give personalized feedback on members’ art, connect with them at an in-person retreat, and coach them through their business challenges. Best of all, we get to celebrate each other’s wins — and it’s such a beautiful thing.
Of course, any strong business requires a strong product. My other project, Color Course for Rebels, is everything I wish I knew from the very beginning about color, values, composition, and the creative process. I created this because, during my Lives and my other conversations with artists, so many of them wanted to strengthen their skills and feel confident in their artist process before starting a business. Today, I teach my Mother Color™ method and help students understand how to feel great about their pieces when they walk away from the canvas. Many of my students join Color Course and Art Biz for Rebels to ensure their art and their business are strong.

Just thinking about the projects I’ve started since 2020, I know for certain I can’t pick a favorite or say that one is more meaningful than the next. They all mean so much to me and my mission, because they meet artists where they are — rather than trying to get them to fit a mold.

We are all rebels in our own way, and I want to create spaces where artists can come and be their wildest, most true selves. Because, to me, there’s no other way!

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

Many of us remember the feeling of being a young child in art class. We can recall the early wonders of a paintbrush, the magic of making a mess. We can return back to what it felt like to spread tiny wet hands onto a white page, coloring in the spaces until we made the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. And we remember the one kid in class whose work always seemed to be exquisite, with enviable edges, gorgeous lines, and colors that inspired the teacher to hang it on the wall with pride. I was not that child.

Now a teacher, entrepreneur, and professional artist, multi-hyphenate I never grew up expecting to see my art hanging on walls. As a South Louisiana-raised wild child I was more interested in getting my feet dirty in the bayou than rubbing my elbows in paint. However, ambitious from an early age, I never hesitated when it came to rolling up my sleeves in order to build the future I desired. As a serial entrepreneur, I’ve started and run businesses in multiple industries. From managing one of Houston’s premier restaurants at 23, to starting my own organic clothing company in 2004, I have independently conceived, founded, and ran to epic heights three separate businesses. At 35 I felt the sudden urge to come to the canvas, and soon found it impossible to leave. My entrepreneurial spirit neighboring that of my passion for painting, I now finds myself at my most ambitious, triumphant, and authentic evolution yet: empowering fellow artists to challenge their status quo and build creatively and financially fulfilling businesses.

Though I have nearly 20 years of artistic experience under my belt, the genesis of my art business was not exactly based on intuition alone. Several years ago, after suddenly arriving at both a professional and personal impasse, I found herself at a crossroads. Ultimately it all came down to a simple decision: to stay in the safety where I’d been for years, or to listen to the still small voice that had long been gently tapping on my chest. Ultimately, I chose to listen inward, whipping out my easel and Novapaints with a vigor unlike ever before. However, when I first began telling people about the prospect of turning my longtime passion for art into a serious business venture, I was met with the same hesitation society has greeted artists with for years. But how will you make money? Never one to spend too much time concerned with the opinions of others, I got to work the way I always have. Now with four high-demand online courses, nearly 50k Instagram followers, a spread in Forbes, and workshops all over the world, I want to teach others how to do the same.

My mission is not purely to spread the knowledge that becoming an artist doesn’t have to mean a life of economic insecurity, though guiding people to a place of financial freedom is a driving force of many of my online courses. I also believe in a deeper, more spiritual freedom that emerges when we use art as a means of expression. I guide others in creating their own incredible, powerful HONEST art. But make no mistake, it’s not always easy. We create a lot of fugly art along the way. I’ve worked with artists for years and one thing I know for sure: It takes a special kind of courage to turn ourselves inside out and show it to the world. But, once we taste that freedom, we are never the same.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is not purely to spread the knowledge that becoming an artist doesn’t have to mean a life of economic insecurity, though guiding people to a place of financial freedom is a driving force of many of my online courses. I also believe in a deeper, more spiritual freedom that emerges when we use art as a means of expression. I guide others in creating their own incredible, powerful HONEST art. But make no mistake, it’s not always easy. We create a lot of fugly art along the way. I’ve worked with artists for years and one thing I know for sure: It takes a special kind of courage to turn ourselves inside out and show it to the world. But, once we taste that freedom, we are never the same.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before the pandemic my main mode of supporting artists was through in-person workshops, which in 2020 were no longer available to me or my community. So I had to pivot, and I started going live every Wednesday on Instagram. This changed the entire trajectory of my work and my mission. It really allowed me to create a big impact on my community that keeps growing every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jodieking.com
• Instagram: Jodie_king_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodiekingart/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JodieKingArt
• Color Course For Rebels: https://www.jodiekingart.com/ccfr
• Art Biz For Rebels: https://www.jodiekingart.com/artbizforrebels
• Studio Elite: https://www.jodiekingart.com/studioelite
• Workshops: https://jodieking.com/workshop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodie_king_/

Image Credits
Jodie King Media