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

Drew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I first began taking art seriously when I was a junior in high school, and I was very fortunate to have a lot of people at my school who were supportive of my passion. One of my charcoal drawings (a realistic close-up of a pursed mouth which I did for an art class) was displayed for an event at my school and it caught the eye of one of the administrators there. She came up to me and asked if the piece was for sale, and I was so caught off guard since I hadn’t expected anyone to be interested in purchasing my artwork. I said that it was available, and she asked how much I would charge for it. I had no clue how to price my work appropriately, so nervously I told her I would sell it for $50. She gave me the kindest smile and told me that she was going to give me $150 and would not take the drawing for any less than that.
Her generosity and encouragement meant the world to me, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that there are lots of people out there who are happy to pay for art and who actively want to support young artists. This experience pushed me to look further into art as a career, and although it took me a few more years before I started treating my art as a business, it really set the foundation for me to have confidence in my abilities and creative value.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I create paintings and other artworks that are inspired by the natural beauty in the world around us. I have worked in childcare as well for several years, and I love seeing the way that children view the world with such a sense of curiosity and awe. Too many people lose these qualities as we grow up, and so I strive to incorporate this feeling into my art to help others remember how wonderful the world can be. I choose to take in the world through a radically optimistic lens as a way to push back against the negativity that can feel so all-encompassing in our society today.

I have been doing different types of art my whole life but I really started taking my art seriously in high school and then turned it into an official business earlier this year. I started vending at in-person events this summer and opened up two online stores as well. Turning my love of art into a small business has come with a huge learning curve, but I am so glad I took the leap and trusted in myself.

The types of art I currently am focusing on creating include original canvas paintings, hand-painted earrings, art prints, bookmarks, and greeting cards.

The thing I am most proud of is how I have worked through my fear of failure and began my business anyway. My first in-person event was absolutely terrifying and I was so nervous that I was just going to embarrass myself and not make a single sale. The event went okay, but the more important thing was that I got through the event and came out alright on the other side. Even if you’re scared, you can start anyway, and I’m so glad that I did exactly that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One thing I’ve really had to consciously unlearn is the false belief that everybody’s main motivation when shopping is to spend as little as possible. This is not true at all, there are many people out there who are able and willing to spend a lot of money on unique artwork that provides value to their lives.

Personally, I have a hard time spending money on myself and try to spend within a fairly tight budget, which can make it easy to assume that the same is true of others. My budget is not the same as other people’s budget, and pricing my work to be seen as “affordable” is really just undervaluing my own art and pricing myself out of the ability to turn this business into a full-time job. Art is valuable and artists deserve to be appropriately compensated for their work!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist for me is seeing the joy my art can bring to others. This is why I have really fallen in love with vending at in-person events because I get the privilege of seeing the reactions to my work. My main goal with art is to help people see the beauty in the world, and when I can see that I am actually doing that it makes my heart sing.
One of my favorite moments from an event was when I had a painting of some crows displayed at my booth, and I saw this couple from across the way stop in their tracks to grin, point at the painting, shout “CROWS!” very loudly, and then beeline over to look at the painting closer. It was such an amazing moment to witness, and I feel so proud that my work can positively impact others like that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drewdostdraws.com
• Instagram: drewdostdraws
• Other: Email: [email protected]