We were lucky to catch up with Ardith Goodwin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ardith, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I actually make an amazing living running my creativity and fine art business, but it didn’t happen overnight. I was on full disability due to a lot of medical struggles and turned to art as part of my treatment plan.
I quickly realized that using my creativity and the arts held a key to my healing journey and I had a gift for visual transfer. This led me to the passion of working hard to give my body a chance to heal. Over time, and a LOT of study and practice on the technical and business end, I began to see the possibility that the arts held the key for me overcoming my physical disability and thriving.
I learned everything I could about business, painted any chance I could get, and developed multiple revenue streams of painting, teaching, reproductions, and consultations. The combination of these helped me build a solid foundation for a business model that was strong even through the pandemic. It does require a devotion to craft and an absolute belief that I am worth it and capable of achieving it. That is my absolute first step.

Ardith, 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?

I am an anomaly in the art industry. My passion is teaching and my Master’s and National Board Certification helped me get to the top of my career in teaching the young. My body had other ideas. As it began to break down with my spine and joints, I had to give up my career and go on full disability to give my body a chance to recover. My outlook was honestly bleak at the time, but I always clung to my faith and the belief that I was meant for greater things.

I turned to art to heal, and little by little, after 20+ surgeries, I began to see a path forward artistically as a self-taught artist in watercolor and acrylic. The possibility of having a future was enough to keep my drive passionate and thriving.

Today, I am CEO of Ardithian Arts Inc. and travel internationally teaching art workshops when I can and painting my own version of beautifully interesting in my home studio. My love is figurative abstraction and non-representational acrylic mixed media works and I have built a crazy successful business in the arts following this path.

One of the things I am most proud of is the online membership, The Push Past Ordinary Society, which helps other artists discover and define their own versions of beautifully interesting and different. I teach painters who are ready to ask deeper questions of what they wish to say conceptually through pigment and paint and offer that with a side of creativity and beautiful community. There is a lot of sameness in the world today so just having the conversation about what is unique or distinct, and teaching ways to construct that, is golden in my world.

I also am deeply devoted in painting a narrative for clients that express dynamic movement, the belief that we are fractured but insanely valued, and that story and wonder can offer windows out of grief and challenge. Color is my love language when it comes to painting with a delicious side of odd, unexpected juicy tidbits.

My path to creative and business success was not linear but it was absolutely filled with a wildly supportive family and friend net, being open to believing the right next step would be out there and working hard to stay healthy enough to see all of that evolve. It is an amazing adventure.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is a beast when it comes to finding balance between being seen and working creatively, but it is necessary for business success.

In my case, it helped me build my entire business and connected me with incredible gallery owners, art collectors, and artist globally. When I think back about what strategies made a difference, I would have to say that being authentically me, learning to articulate well, and sharing my passion daily through interesting content made all the difference.

I had to get over the fear of video and audiences. Learning to share creatively with honesty and humility are musts, and not letting the pressure of trends get to me were foundational. I also found business groups online and studied the best practices of folks I felt were successful on socials.

What it really comes down to though is working hard to master my craft, showing the process of that, and sharing my heart in uplifting ways. I believe every one of us have unique seeds of inspiration to sow if we are brave enough to believe we are worthwhile.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I absolutely wish I would have had access to a business and creative mentor or group from the beginning. I have learned everything on my own and it has been fulfilling but daunting. Having a sounding board and a network of peers from the beginning would have made a big difference in helping me work smarter not harder. I currently mentor artists now through Mastrius and it feels so good to be helping other emerging artists find their way.

The Small Business Administration was a huge help with free resources and now, thanks to socials, there are so many wonderful creative groups and mentors out there lighting the way for young painters. I would also encourage any artist to connect with professional organizations in the art industry as well as self-taught, successful artists because there is not one absolute way to success. I am proof of that. Learn as much as you can and make the decisions that align with yes in your bones…and do your homework.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.ardithgoodwin.com
• Instagram: @ardithgoodwin
• Facebook: @ardithgoodwin
• Youtube: @ardithgoodwin
• Other: Pinterest – @ardithgoodwin