We were lucky to catch up with Gaye M Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gaye, appreciate you joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
I don’t run a massive business; I’m just a solo artist building my career one piece at a time. Over the years, I’ve met many people who want to turn their passion for art into a thriving career but don’t know where to begin. I was in the same boat at first, so I turned to marketing experts for guidance.
Through their advice and my own determination, I went from earning around $20K in my early days to hitting a six-figure income. The key? Taking marketing my business seriously and making it a priority.
One of the biggest lessons I learned was that I couldn’t rely solely on commercial galleries to sell my work. I had no control over how many of my paintings would be displayed, and that made depending on gallery sales alone unsustainable. Now, don’t get me wrong – I have an amazing relationship with my galleries and we collaborate beautifully. But I also needed to explore other ways to market and sell my art to reach the level of income I was striving for.
The learning curve included getting very familiar with how social media works, and investing time and money learning how to market effectively on the various platforms. My website also enjoyed a major makeover. Once I got some of the key elements in place, things started moving – after having been in art career purgatory for a number of years.
In addition, I am building a library of “evergreen” products to leverage my time. This includes prints and streamable art videos (still in production on the video thing,…there is so much to learn) that allow me some passive cashflow. It has been a completely worthwhile activity.
Gaye, 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?
Creating art has always been a part of me – but for a long time, I never saw it as a way to support myself. My journey into turning art into a livelihood happened almost by accident. I started by showing locally, which led to attracting attention, making sales, and even receiving offers to teach. It was all about getting myself out there – something that holds true for any business.
At first, I relied on gallery representation, but with the rise of social media, I saw an opportunity to diversify my income beyond just galleries. I invested in learning and brought on some marketing experts to help me master the social platforms. This shift has truly transformed my business and significantly boosted my income year over year.
Now, my work is a balance between teaching and selling original pieces. I love the harmony of spending time alone in my studio, creating, and interacting with my students, who are such an inspiration to work with.
What I truly enjoy about taking charge of my own marketing is the chance to connect with my collectors. In the traditional gallery model, the artist and the buyer rarely meet, but being more hands-on allows me to build relationships with the people who are drawn to my art and bring it into their homes.
To further build passive income, I’m now offering a limited selection of prints and developing online, streamable courses that I’m excited to launch in 2025.
Living life as a painter is incredibly fulfilling, and I feel so fortunate to make a living doing what I love. It truly feels like I’m living the dream.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When Covid hit, everything came to a screeching halt – galleries closed, teaching opportunities disappeared, and for a while, it felt like my entire income vanished. Painting sales and teaching gigs were the backbone of my business, so it was a pretty terrifying time.
But during those long months of lockdown, I took a deep dive into learning how to teach online and sell my art through digital platforms. What felt like a huge challenge at the time turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made for my business. Now, with the skills and structure I built during that period, I’m thriving online alongside my in-person teaching and gallery work. Honestly, I never would have embraced the online world if necessity hadn’t pushed me – I’m a bit of a Luddite at heart. But I’m proud that my pragmatic side stepped in and helped me adapt.
I often think of the little book Who Moved My Cheese? – the story about two mice in a maze, getting their daily meal from a fixed spot, only for it to suddenly disappear. One mouse waits, hoping things will go back to normal, while the other ventures out in search of “new cheese.” The second mouse finds new cheese and thrives and the first mouse….well, it didn’t end well for him. I took the story to heart and went in search of the “new cheese”. It worked out for me.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
The biggest game-changer for me has been learning how to leverage the backend of my Facebook business page, especially using paid and targeted advertising to expand my reach. Realizing the power of these tools, I invested in a mentor to guide me through the process of developing my presence on Facebook. Honestly, it was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. That expert advice helped me unlock the full potential of social media, and it has truly been a key driver in growing my audience and business. It’s also important to post often, and let your audience get to know you some. Don’t be afraid to let your personality show! We all want connection, after all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gayeadams.com
- Instagram: @gayeadamsart
- Facebook: gayeadamsartwork
Image Credits
all my own photos