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

Curtis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 always thought I needed a full time job outside of my creative work as that is how we are taught growing up. I tried my hand working in several different retail and corporate environments all to find out I was not cut out for those places long term. However, the experience I gained, from a business perspective, proved to be wildly beneficial when it came to making a full time living as an artist and gallery owner. Once I left Nike corporate, I set out on my own with a copious amount of adversity from ex-coworkers to some friends and maybe only one or two family members. The constant “what if” from my boss and friends almost made me second guess my decision to leave the comfort of a 60 hour week job, but I used that energy and turned it into a hustle.
I don’t think I could have sped up the process as they don’t really teach business to art students so I needed the real life aspects to help me learn and implement in my own practices.

Curtis, 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 went to school for drawing on a full art scholarship. Once I got out of school, after thinking I wanted to run my own restaurant, which I did, I decided that I needed to get back to the creative world. I became a window dresser for Banana Republic Home (yes, they tried their hand at beautiful home goods for a couple of years). From there, I got into the set design and styling world for Neiman Marcus, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma and various other clients. While on set, working with different photographers from around the world, I quickly learned how to use a camera. I asked a lot of questions and watched every move from lighting to angle to composing and cropping in post production. I bought my first point and shoot camera from Target back in 2004 and set out on road trips. I began shooting my own images and posting them on Facebook when that platform first launched. Friends and followers started to comment and inquire about my experience and my work. Some even purchased their first Curtis Speer images directly through social media. As a set designer and stylist, I still find myself helping clients and collectors put spaces together and even go as far as helping them procure fine art from other galleries if needed. I am not an interior designer as that holds a set of special skills, but I can help guide a client in creating the right aesthetic for their residential or commercial space.
As for what might set me apart, I am an artist who runs his own gallery. Not many artist have the desire to step outside that creative box and handle the business side of things. What has helped me exponentially is the fact that my prospective clients are dealing directly with the artist every time and I have found that usually helps in closing a sale. I handle the creative and the business side of things; from creating, producing and curating not selling, packing and shipping. I will sometimes deliver and install the work myself to help make a client feel more important than they already are.
I am most proud of the fact that I remain tenacious in this process as a gallery owner and artist. There have been really lean times off-set by amazing lucrative times. It is all a fun game and artists are essential to the betterment of humanity especially these last several years. Connecting with people in the space that I have created is like a dream come true,

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

Great question as I have found that social media has really created a toxic environment of always having to “do” or “create” on a daily basis. I fell into this pattern for years and the level of stress it created was debilitating. What I had to unlearn is that we don’t need to constantly DO, but rather focus on our craft, regardless of what it is. What is then saying??? “Tend to your garden and the butterflies will come”. That said, I had to pull myself back to that very space and that is when I noticed a shift in my attitude which translated into more art sales. This country has really instilled in society the only way one can be successful is to work all the time which is not true or healthy. Success is far greater than any 401k that I’ve ever been enrolled in.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The one thing that drives me the most is to be an inspiration to any creative, regardless of where they might be in their journey. I love when am artist comes to chat with me in my space and asks about the journey and where the courage comes from. I’ve always felt I had leadership skills on some level but I don’t crave the spotlight. I believe leading by example is my specific role in this incarnation. When the student instead, the teacher will appear. For me, it’s not about the number of followers or clients or collectors but more about the ongoing impact of how I show up on a daily basis. It has not always been easy or fun but it has always been beneficial to my own growth as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cuspgallery.com www.curtisspeer.com
• Instagram: curtisspeer cuspgallerynewportri