Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Walker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrea, appreciate you joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

The biggest unexpected problems that I’ve come across as a fine artist is how challenging it is to get started. I thought that I would quickly become successful because I had a strong portfolio, excellent education, and a great work ethic. However, market saturation, inevitable rejection, and the amount of time that it can take to get exposure were all harsh realities that I was not expecting.

The first challenge to starting my career in the arts was market saturation. Market saturation is a reality for everyone because everything is available on the internet now, which unfortunately meant that all of the other artists and companies across the world were now my competition. My solution was to embrace social media right away and get my artwork in front of as many people as possible. I have poured a lot of time into Instagram, and that has given me a global presence and has helped with my SEO. A lot of tedious time also went into optimizing my website, and because of that I am consistently appearing higher and higher on web searches, which make sales more likely.

Facing rejection at the start of my career was also challenging because it made me doubt both myself and my work, but dealing with failure is a very real and reoccurring part of being in the arts. What has been most helpful for me is keeping perspective. There will always be people who don’t like my work, but there are also many who love my work. The best example of the ups and downs is when I was rejected by a juried exhibition in the morning, then called by a big advertising agency in New York City later that same day. The most important part was continuing to believe in my work, and not just hoping, but knowing that I’m good enough to succeed.

The last big challenge of starting out was the reality that developing a successful career in the arts takes time. It can take years to get your work into the world and have it valued by buyers. What worked for me was to slow down and take the time to make strong pieces for my portfolio, while also entering juried group shows. This is a great way to get work in front of gallerists and buyers, and ultimately that is how I got gallery representation with 3 Square Art.

Andrea, 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 create realistic paintings and drawings, and my work shows the beauty in the world through people and objects. My artistic approach incorporates attention to detail, strong design, and a realistic rendering of light and texture through many layers. I specialize in portraits and still lifes, and I’m known for both my black & white and color work. I also enjoy including elements from nature in my paintings and drawings, and most of my work has a calm and peaceful quality. I mainly use soft pastel because I love the smooth blend, vibrant color, and realistic details that I can create with this medium. However, I also enjoy working with charcoal, graphite, watercolor, oil, and digital painting.

I got into the industry by first earning a BFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, while also studying with Amy Lind, an acclaimed portrait painter. Though my degree is in illustration, I went a fine art route with my career. I love the soul that goes into fine art and the deep appreciation for the materials and process, as opposed to focusing on making a commercial product.

I began my professional career in Colorado, where 3 Square Art Gallery selected me for gallery representation out of a group exhibition. This may be what I am most proud of so far in my career. Gaining representation 3 months into a career is rare, and I’m very privileged to be represented by genuinely kind and talented gallerists. Now, I live and work in Cincinnati, Ohio where I continue to experiment and most importantly enjoy the process of creating.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my social media audience by engaging with other artists on Instagram. I got around 90% of my followers from liking, commenting, and following other artists’ pages. One by one I would engage with other artists’ work, and often they would also go check out my page and follow me back. It was very time consuming I’ll be honest, but those genuine interactions with people built a strong following that values me and my work. Then, their followers started to see my work, and once I gained enough likes or views, the Instagram algorithm saw my content as valuable and sent it out to other people’s feeds. Beginning with the general public seemed like an uphill battle, so I started with the artist community to create a strong following, and now my work gets filtered out to the rest of the world because of that strong foundation and success that I created.

For those who are just starting their social media presence, I would recommend consistently post strong content that you believe in while staying up-to-date with trends. Also, continue to engage with your core followers because generally the more you put into it the more you will get out of it. I would also caution people about paying for exposure.

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

I had to learn to let go of perfectionism as an artist. For a long time I thought it was a good trait, and at times it can be, but more times than not, perfectionism has been a big hinderance and just another obstacle I place in my own path. The clearest example is when I entered an international juried exhibition The Young Illustrator’s Award. I was a senior in college and made it to the final round, but I was not selected for the exhibition. I was so defeated. I didn’t even recognize that it was a huge win to be in the last round of a prestigious international competition before I had even graduated. My own perfectionism made me doubt my work and feel like I may not have what it takes, while I should have been celebrating what was truly a victory.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andreawalkerartwork.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andreawalkerart
• Other: www.3saart.com/artists/andrea-walker