We were lucky to catch up with Adam Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I was young, it was pretty clear that I was going to pursue a career as a ‘creative.’ However, my family encouraged me to be a planner and look ahead and take the necessary steps to secure success. Because of that, I had chosen early on that I would pursue a career as a commercial artist vs. a fine artist. Although I graduated with a degree in fine art, I really went to school with the intent to pursue graphic design and illustration.

Having landed my first job in the field as a student, I continued to take that path after college and all throughout my career. I ‘climbed the ladder’ so to speak, and worked my way up the ranks of graphic designer, assistant art director, art director, communications director and creative director. I eventually took my experience, left the corporate world and went out on my own as a freelance designer and illustrator. Although there were ups and downs, overall, I had a relatively successful career.

A year ago, I had a close family member confront me about my choice. He didn’t imply that I made the right choice, but he did bring to light that I have a ‘gift’… a passion… that I suppressed in order to be ‘successful.’ He asked me outright why I chose not to paint. I had painted an acrylic painting for him years ago over a weekend, and he was moved by that painting. He was wondering why I didn’t do that more often… or… all of the time.

I know the answer. The answer was risk. The fine art world is a risky place. At the time, I thought painters were a dime a dozen. However, in retrospect… it was nothing like it is now. The art world is COMPLETELY saturated by painters. But… I was curious.

My wife encouraged me to investigate. I flew out to Italy for an oil painting workshop. It resonated. It resonated hard. My attention started moving away from my design and illustration work. My focus was clearly on this new direction. However, I hadn’t ‘jumped in.’ I thought I was still safe.

I was wrong.

Without recognizing it, I was sending out a signal to my clients that they were no longer my priority. My attention was elsewhere. Although no one directly spoke to me about it (until much later), it became clear really fast that work, after years and years of this, began to slow down drastically. I was faced with a decision… a decision I had to make quickly.

Do I give up (or slow way down) on the painting passion and redirect my attention and my efforts to my design/illustration job, or do I fully move my attention to this newly resurfaced passion of painting.

My wife and I chose painting.

And the result… our bills began to pile. And we lost our house.

So… speaking of risk… we’re in the middle of it. We’re dead center. Our income is considerably less, my hours are considerably more. My efforts are constant, I’ve often fatigued and we’re living with family.

However… risk aside… we see light on the horizon. As I began to put myself out there, the response has been overwhelming. I’ve sold a number of paintings, I keep raising my prices, I’m getting invited to galleries and difficult to get into art fairs. I’ve won awards and have been the subject of articles. The momentum is fantastic.

I still don’t know what the future holds, as I’ve been told this is the worst art market in decades, if not longer. But, I’m answering a call that feels right. I am growing everyday and learning more about myself through my art. I am receiving fantastic feedback and response and my ‘style’ is getting more and more refined.

So, yes… the risk was somewhat put upon me, but also a very clear choice when it became apparent that a choice had to be made. I can’t fully say that the risk has been financially rewarding (although I’m currently operating in the black), but it certainly has been spiritually rewarding. And, at the end of my time, I will not question whether or not I could have done it or should have done it. I’m doing it. And it’s the right thing. I know it in my soul.

Adam, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been an artist of one form or another. I’ve been drawing my whole life, and illustrating most of it as well. I painted a bit when I was younger, but have returned to painting… oil painting, specifically, about a year ago. However, so many of the principles of a finished oil painting are similar to the illustrations that I’ve been creating most of my career. Choosing subject matter, creating an engaging composition, color choice, perspective, anatomy… all of those things were a part of my skill set when I transitioned to oil painting recently. I explain this because many are surprised by my paintings knowing that I’ve only been doing it for a short time. However, so much of what I’m doing now is a result of years and years of repetitive image creation, it’s a little misleading. The oil part of it though… that’s new. And I have a LOT to learn regarding that.

I’m still in the early stage of my oil painting career, in that I’m still figuring out pace and methodology. I decided to go through most open doors early on, and that’s created an environment of me being committed to creating a certain number of paintings right away for gallery shows, art fairs and commissions. So, I haven’t really figured out a healthy pace as of yet, but I anticipate things slowing down by December for me to evaluate this last year, and start planning next year with healthy boundaries and healthy decisions. I’m starting to say no to commissions, fairs and galleries and being able to start choosing the things I want to participate in (instead of feeling like I HAVE to participate in) and really getting to choose what I WANT to paint (which is very different than an illustration career, as that is almost dictated for you, to a large degree).

This new direction for me has me constantly questioning what I want to paint and how I want to paint. Asking who I am as a painter/artist and what defines me and sets me apart. As I speak about in my newly created artist’s statement, I want each of my paintings to be a snapshot of a part of a larger story. Although I love ‘pretty things,’ I want my work to make people question the pretty thing… and wonder about its place in time and its place in its surrounding context.

I also want my work to have a visible energy to it. I want it to almost be like a video clip rather than a photograph per se. To accomplish this, I use underpainting to come through to provide movement to the piece. I also build up my paint considerably, so it’s very textured and creates an additional dimension of light and shadow. Although there’s not a lot of explanation behind my color, I always lean back into jewel tones. For example, If I have a darker area that’s mostly burn umber, I will eventually come over the top of it with deep purples and blues (with hits of red coming through from the under painting)

That is where i currently am at with my art. My subjects are people I know, animals I find interesting, even plant life… if I believe it has a story to tell. I don’t know where I’ll be a year from now, but I’m excited to find out.

How did you build your audience on social media?

This is a really interesting question because so many people struggle with it. However, what I’ve learned is… it’s the wrong question. It indeed is the question everyone is asking, but what I’ve discovered is that it is way more important to have a handful of buyers than thousands and thousands of ‘followers.’ One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that people love to look. They love to give compliments and tell you that you’re wonderful and that they love your work, etc. But, the reality is, if you’re trying to make a living out of it… those things are nice, but you literally can’t take them to the bank.

What I’m trying to develop is a radar for people who will truly connect with your work and are more than willing and able… they are ‘wanting’ and some times desperate to buy your work. I have had people reach out to me and say ‘I NEED that painting’… before they even knew the price. Those are the people you want to find.

Finding those people didn’t happen through social media for me. Those happened through relationship. Those happened from getting out in the world physically, putting myself in front of people, shaking hands and sharing my story. Some of the nicest things ever said to me about my art or myself as an artist came from people who haven’t bought a single piece of mine.

I think it’s fine to create social media and have a following. But, I think it’s important to know that I think it’s more important to know that social media is just a way to update people who are already invested through other venues. That’s true for me, anyway. I do believe there are folks out there who have really big accounts that have so much momentum that folks just want a piece of it, but I think that’s probably the exception, not the rule. For me, it’s going to events, participating in community, being kind, being generous, being creative. It’s also improving my skills… practice, repetition, application. It’s caring about others… genuinely. When people truly feel your investment, they become invested. They connect with you. They connect with your art.

All of that said… there is some amazing stuff out there on the internet. And it carries its own weight.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes. Everyday. I’m always learning new things and new resources. There are so many organizations out there that support the arts. There are so many artists out there ready to share what they know. I’m not going to list anything in particular, but it comes back to networking. If you don’t know where to start, just look up art galleries in your area or art shows. Go to them. Ask people how they started.

Okay, I will share. Here’s sort of how it happened for me…
1. One year, many years ago, I just told myself that I don’t know my city. I decided that I needed to get out and explore. I decided that others might be interested in that, so I wrote a blog. For thirty days in January in Minnesota, I went out to something new, every day, and went home and wrote about it.
2. One of those days, I went to the MN Winter Carnival. Specifically, the snow sculpting event. I saw it. I loved it. I asked how I could get involved. I started snow sculpting the next year and did really well. I’ve been doing it ever since.
3. Three years ago, I snow sculpted at a new international event in Stillwater, MN. I got to know the people who put on the event really well. I kept in touch and tried to keep my art in front of them. They reached out to me when it was time to do some murals in Stillwater. I said yes.
4. I did the mural and it was a success. People in leadership roles in Stillwater began connecting with me. I’ve since done three more murals.
5. When I started painting last year, I decided to take a chance. Through snow sculpting, I know several restaurant owners in Stillwater. I jumped into the deep end and asked one of them if I could have an art show in their restaurant (with only having one finished painting at the time). They said yes. I painted 14 paintings for that show in two months.
6. I now had a body of work and was asked to be in other shows. I started looking up art fairs and gallery shows and submitted images of these 14 paintings as my entry.
7. I have now had additional restaurant owners reach out to me, additional gallery shows reach out to me, I’ve sold about fifteen paintings and I currently have art work in several locations. I am going to start looking at what I could be doing for next year and start planning accordingly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.adamturnervisuals.com
• Instagram: @adamturnervisuals
• Facebook: @adamturnervisuals
• Linkedin: @adamturnervisuals