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

Katrina, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Absolutely earlier! My first degree is in Education — Early Childhood Education. I learned a ton about teaching styles and methods — I’m so grateful. It has helped me be a better human & mother as I’ve tutored, taught in public school, charter, and within my home. However, LOL, I wish I’d made “creating” my priority instead of graduating from two different Universities. (I started regularly painting and selling my work at age 28, after graduating twice, marrying, and having my first child.) If anything, I could have just taken classes that interested me instead of focusing on the needed classes for my diplomas. While receiving tools from the classes that interested me, I could have also been going to artist workshops, showing my artwork at markets and local shows, taking commissions, and most importantly: refining my process and style.

If only I had realized sooner that grades and certificates/diplomas are really not that important. As we know too well now, it’s all about the journey and all we learn along the way. No two artists, creatives, or entrepreneurs’ journeys will look the same, nor will they learn the same lessons. These are gifts that will prepare us for future challenges and opportunities. Most of my greatest discoveries and lessons learned have come through failure and/or following the untraditional path. I now seek to always follow my heart and listen intently: ignoring the “shoulds & should nots”, breaking free from traditions, guilt trips, peer pressure, and cultural persuasions that no longer serve me and my personal path.

Katrina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From a young age, I thought I would be an architect. I was always doodling and building. Different summers spent abroad in France and Italy — first with my French language program at BYU and then a few years later with architecture classmates from UNLV. Time spent in the art museums, walking the city and hilltown streets, and finding patterns in the French & Italian gardens solidified my love of art and design.

I live in a small mountain village near Park City, Utah, which is calm and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of where I grew up in Orange County, California. My husband and I moved here 18 years ago after our oldest was born. I was painting when he slept – a desperate attempt to hold on to who I was before I became a mother. I soon found it was more enjoyable to paint while my children slept than work on landscape projects for clients. Painting in this peaceful place has helped me heal from the hard things of my past and helped me be a better mother, partner, sister, and friend. As a mother of 5, I find there’s no end to all that I want to paint and never enough time to do it all – yet I pursue this path that I love.

Formally trained as a landscape architect, I was ever-pursuing the creation of outdoor rooms: bringing the comfort and coziness of the inside to our outdoor spaces. Conversely, my work as an artist beckons the “outside-in” by depicting the natural world. Instead of bringing humanity outside, I use the tools of design that I acquired in architecture school to bring to humanity the perfect imperfections of nature: blossoms that never fade or need watering, birds that never need to eat, or tire of doors, windows, and walls. The graphic nature of my training allows me to break down those attributes I see in the simplest form, portraying what I find most important in each subject and piece. Thick, candy-colored paint carefully placed and shiny – like stained glass on wood boards. You’ll find my oil paintings on all shapes and sizes: tiny to very large, square, rectangle, circle, oval, etc.

In 2018, I started a podcast: “the CANDYcolored studio” to better support women, mother artists, and creative entrepreneurs. There, I serve a palette of support, hope, and love, with a side of realness! As a mother of 5 (3 teens & 9-year-old twin boys), I know that life is rarely easy and jolly…but savoring the sweet moments gives us the strength we need to find peace, growth, and fulfillment along our journey. In my podcast you’ll find:

– marketing & business tips for artists & entrepreneurs
– behind the scenes as a mother, entrepreneur & artist
– realness & new discoveries about life, learning, and the human journey

My artwork is found in collections in North & South America, Europe, and Asia. I enjoy participating in local gallery & museum shows such as the Springville Museum, and the AAUW Utah Women artist show, where I received a Juror’s Choice Award. I belong to our local art association: MAA, and often present on art business topics for other local associations and museums.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

It’s probably not something most would like to hear — everyone says to use social media to grow their audience & clientele, but I have found that starting and nurturing my email list has been the most effective way of supporting current and future collectors. Social Media is a great introduction, but if you want your audience to really get to know you and what you have to offer, sending out regular emails (even if it’s just once a month) will slowly create that deeper connection and understanding of what you do. It’s not uncommon for collectors to receive my emails for a year or more before they find the perfect piece or are ready to start a commission. A few tips about email lists:

1. Subscribe to a handful of email lists of those in your field or whose work/brand you admire. What do you like or what don’t you like in their emails (length, videos, subjects, etc.)? Use this info to create your own email style.

2. Keep your email content to one main subject – link to your website/shop/podcast, etc.

3. Be personal, ask your email subscribers questions, for feedback, and encourage them to reply & ask you questions too.

Instead of hoping that the algorithm will be in your favor, commit to your email list subscribers and watch how your emails consistently show up in their email box. After all, new stats are showing that nearly 49 percent of people start their day by checking their email. Make your email list subscribers a priority. Encourage anyone interested in your brand or products to sign up — make it easy for them by putting it on your social media bio and website (in several places like your announcement bar, menu, pop-ups, and at the bottom of your homepage.

You can sign up for my email list here: https://katrinaberg.com/pages/email-list (unsubscribe whenever you wish)

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

“Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz has made the biggest difference for my art biz and my husband’s landscape architecture firm. It gave us the tools to avoid the “starving artist” and embrace an abundance mindset. Keeping profit a priority while being extra mindful of business expenses and looking for programs and systems to minimize your business costs will help you plan ahead and guarantee profits. In addition to the book, you can listen to their podcast: “Profit First Nation” and hear more about their principles on their website: mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first

“The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks was a huge catalyst in my personal and business life understanding true abundance, and making dreams a reality. He teaches the skills and habits that will help you get out of life ruts and start reaching your goals. Amazon has an audio version along with Kindle, paperback & hardback.

For artists, “Art Pricing Secrets” by artist Stephanie Weaver is a one-stop manual to dig deep and detailed about your pricing. Stephanie breaks the code by presenting a 2-step formula for gallery artists and hobbyists alike. Find Kindle and paperback versions on Amazon or on Stephanie’s website: stephanieweaverartist.com

Contact Info:

• Website: katrinaberg.com
• Instagram: @katrina.berg
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@katrinabergfineart
• Other: email list sign-up: https://katrinaberg.com/pages/email-list