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

Hi Fiona, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

When I start working on a new series of paintings, I just jump in blindly. Painting is a process of action and reaction. I’ve learned from years of experience that if I try to force the work in a direction it doesn’t want to go, I end up in an unproductive tug of war. So I just paint. And then I react to what I’ve painted. Gradually, things take shape, a theme, a subject, a series starts to emerge and I start to understand the common thread between each piece. It’s very exciting, but also a bit nerve wracking sometimes. I’m always working toward a scheduled gallery exhibition, and when the only concrete plan is the show opening date, feeling at the mercy of the process can be uncomfortable. So the only strategy is to show up every day and work, to get into the rhythm, get on for the ride. The only goal is to be surprised with the result, and I always am.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a painter, I work full time in my studio in Vancouver Canada. When I was 22, I graduated university with a fine arts degree, rented a studio and got a job as a waitress at a diner. At the restaurant, the servers would punch in and out for their shifts, so I adopted the same system at my studio. If I worked 25hours that week serving bacon and eggs, I made sure I worked 26 hours in my studio learning to paint. I spent several years quietly painting before my first exhibitions in commercial galleries, which coincided with the birth of my son. Gradually I began to exhibit and sell my work more consistently.

Now painting is my full time gig. In my studio, I take care of every step up until the moment the work is handed over to one of the galleries whom I work with. At my woodworking station, I build my own custom canvas stretchers, stretch the canvas, paint the paintings, frame the paintings when appropriate, document the work and pack it for transport. I enjoy every step. It turns every exhibition into a journey. By the time I’m at the packing stage, I’ve just completed an intense period of painting, and I appreciate the opportunity to execute a straightforward task, tape, cardboard, more tape…

My work has evolved over the years, and each series is the generation of a fresh idea, and feel. When I’m in the middle of it, it takes most of my attention. I respect and appreciate what the galleries I work with do while I’m distracted by painting. While my mind is wandering, they keep the lights on.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

While most of my paintings are for gallery exhibitions, I had the lucky opportunity to create an extensive series of original paintings for Norwegian Cruise Lines some years ago. The art director I worked with was very trusting, supportive and gave me incredible freedom to work. Creating this series was one of the standout opportunities of my career thus far. Such a large sale allowed me to relax financially. For the first time, I felt like I had gotten ahead, and could afford to have difficult months without much worry. As importantly, the experience of working on such a big series of paintings was an incredible creative experience. The sheer volume of work meant that I could experiment, take a second and third approach to an idea and really build an aesthetic world. I learned so much about painting and what I was capable of. It was a transformative time.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

As an artist who spends their days painting alone in her studio, I keep my eyes open for unusual opportunities to expand my practice, my skill set, my audience, and my experience. I’ve incorporated video at times, music, and public art. In 2017, I created a 10 minute projection shown on the facade of the Vancouver Art Gallery. That project was a boot camp in computer animation. During the pandemic, when my many musician friends were made available by cancelled tours, I had the opportunity to write and collaborate on music and videos with them, each time trying something different. In order to experiment more, in 2021 I invited a musician to collaborate with me on a song and video connected to Metamorphosis, an exhibition held in Berlin. Murals have also been a way to mix it up. For my 5th public mural, I collaborated with two other artists to completely mural wrap a motel, and the parking lot. It took two month, hours and hours of work and was a crazy experience.

My entrepreneurial philosophy is one of creative challenge. What can I find that will push me? Allow me to try something new? My creative energy is the most important piece of the puzzle. I can’t buy ideas and curiosity. I have to believe that if I keep my creative muscles strong, the money will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fionaackerman.com
• Instagram: @ackermanfiona
• Youtube: @fionaackermanvideo