We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tammy Keller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tammy below.

Alright, Tammy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How do you think about spending on things like coffee when times are tough?

The art business is not an easy one. Luckily, I didn’t set out to make it a business in the beginning. Painting has always been a passion of mine. And over the years it grew on the sidelines as my family grew. I had always been a realist in my painting style, but became bored with the detail. An artist asked me why I chose to paint what I did, and I realized it was not about the subject but about the color. Her recommendation was to “stop painting the THING and just paint the colors that move me”. I had no idea what she was talking about at the time, but I knew I had to pursue that!! Here’s the thing, this was just a hobby. And I wanted to travel to take my first real art workshop with my first real contemporary artist in another state. It was a lot of money that I had never spent on myself before. But I went for it!! And in the process, I learned so much about myself and my work. I learned that “I” was worth the investment. I learned that when I invested my money into myself and the process, my excitement for the work grew and I consistently showed up for myself!!

That’s when my business started. I was painting in the studio everyday during the week and regularly attending workshops. I started applying to shows, then commissions, then social media, then galleries – I never looked back. Throughout these years, I have had to invest in myself so many times to teach myself the business of art. Each time, I’ve worried about the money I’m spending and if it will be a good investment for myself. But each time I’m reminded of the first time I invested in myself, and I push forward. Now, I’m not saying it’s easy!! I have had to give up other things in my life. Some have been big things. And I’ve always had to be willing to put forth the effort to follow through on my end. That internal drive pushes me daily to do something for my business, and part of that is because I’ve set the precedence that “I MATTER” and that no one is going to do it for me. I have to show up for myself everyday. It even says in the Bible that “where your treasure is, so is your heart”. Clearly this has worked in my case. I may not be a millionaire, but I live a happy life surrounded by so much beauty. And for me, its worth every penny!!

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.

My work comes from a great internal need to create. I feel I was created by my Creator to be a creator. It’s who I’ve been since a small child. Once I found contemporary painting and the freedom of expression that it brought to my life, the doors to my creative soul opened wide, and the need to create daily was so strong. The funny thing is that the spiritual process of the creation is what’s for me in the moment. But the art itself once it’s complete is meant for someone else. It’s meant to bring light, joy, and feeling to the collector’s space. I’ve always felt like art is like the jewelry of your interior space. It can completely change a room and the feeling that you want to convey when you’re in it. That is what my art offers the collector – a one of a kind piece of jewelry for their space that provokes the vibe that they want to feel and convey.

My original artwork is available online, in a few galleries, and hopefully a few local art fairs during next winter season in the Sarasota/Tampa area. I love doing art commissions for homeowners and the process of creating a piece of work that is specific to the space and it’s owners. I also have a limited line of stretched canvas prints available online, and am in the process of launching an affordable line of art prints on paper that I will be selling from my website www.tammykellerart.com, which should be available this summer. My goal is to provide the hope of beauty at all price points.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The last couple years have been a time of great pivoting for me. During Covid, my online original art sales were really great. I had sales from a contract I have with a company that provides original artworks for other online providers like www.Perigold.com. With everyone being stuck in their homes, they wanted to improve their spaces and did a lot of online shopping. Unlike so many, it was a really great time for me.

After years of working to build my following on my social media platforms, I also made sales and commissions directly from my posts, which was an amazing way to get my work out into the world. And let’s not talk about the economy in the USA right now. All of our purchasing has changed due to the increase in prices.

So much has changed. I’ve had to do a major pivot in my business to provide multiple income streams in order to build my business up again. Now that the world is open again, people are not buying original artwork from online sources as much. And the social media platforms have changed so much, that my collectors are not seeing my posts in their feeds anymore. In the last year, I’ve returned to local galleries to get my work into the world. I have been preparing and will be applying to juried art fairs in my region for the upcoming Florida winter season. And lastly, I have been developing my own art print work on paper to sell from my website at a more affordable price so that everyone can enjoy beauty in their space.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I think the biggest way to grow my clientele to date has been to be authentically me no matter where I am – in person, on social media, or in print. What I find is that people resonate with artists and their stories. They admire what we do and are enamored at the process. There’s something about the freedom to express yourself that draws people in and calls them to know more. I love talking to people in person to tell my story of the how and why I create my art. I think that tells people something so personal about me and they resonate with that. I have been in the past very successful at sharing my story and my authenticity through my social media platforms, and have built up quite a following. That means sharing the good and the bad – the successes and the failures. Social media looks so contrived, and I think people resonate with the lows just as much or more because it is real!! I think we are all searching for the “real” in this crazy world these days and that’s what I authentically do on my social media feed. You’re not going to find me in a flowing gown, in a beautiful field, and painting a painting. My posts are in my studio, wearing my studio clothes that are covered in paint, and my bare feet. That is truly what being an artist is. People resonate with that freedom and want a piece of that in their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tammykellerart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tammykellerart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tammystaabartist