We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Scheuerman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

As a professional artist, something I never imagined I’d say at 46 years old, it took me 40 years to finally quit my job. Now, I’ve been pursuing a full-time artist path for the past 6 years. When I started painting at 30, I didn’t expect it would take me 10 years—an incredible amount of trial, error, success, and failure—to get to where I am today. I believe the time spent on the journey, without a distinct destination in mind, actually helped me become the artist and person I am now.
When I first began painting, I did set some goals, but they weren’t about becoming a full-time artist or achieving mainstream success. They were smaller, more attainable milestones. The first was to have my own art show, which I managed to finish and host within six months. The second was to get my work into a gallery and paint my first mural. All three of these goals were accomplished within the first year of starting to paint, which gave me a sense of progress and motivation. As a child, I spent much of my adolescence drawing and coloring, so that foundation of skill and creativity helped me when I finally decided to dedicate time to painting. By the time I started creating seriously, I already had a solid skill set and a wealth of ideas, which made it easier to dive in and continue growing as an artist.

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.

As an artist, I don’t identify with just one discipline; instead, I consider myself a multifaceted creator—working as a painter, graphic designer, and photographer—who champions community and environmental activism. I began college with the aspiration to earn an Associate of Arts degree, but I never pursued a specific path. Ultimately, I left before completion to follow a passion for concert photography and journalism, despite having little prior knowledge in either field.
I believe my ethos is similar to that of many artists: try things out, learn as much as you can from a subject, but if you feel frustrated or uninspired, take a break or shift direction. There is no singular path to follow in life. In fact, I believe the more divergent paths you take, the richer your experience becomes.
In the early 2000s, I began hosting snowboard and skateboard events with a local magazine, again with limited knowledge, but after a decade of hands-on experience in both event planning and photography, I felt the need for a new direction. That’s when I turned to painting.
I presented a retrospective for Salt Lake Design Week entitled Act Like You Know What You Are Doing, which showcased my artistic evolution. The premise was simple: if no one else knows what they’re doing, neither do they. I’ve practiced this ethos throughout my adult life and, over time, realized that most people are also unsure about their next steps—whether it’s 2, 4, or 5 years down the road. Life often gets in the way, but it also opens up new opportunities if you’re open to them. When I started painting at 30, I was intimidated by large-scale outdoor murals. But over time, I gained a new perspective on size and scale, which has enabled me to create large-scale pieces with confidence. My murals span a wide range of styles and messages, reflecting my versatility and intuitive understanding of the collaborative vision for each project. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible clients I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to collaborate with, including Warner Brothers, Dr. Martens, WeWork, STRUCK, Café Rio, Stein-Eriksen Lodge, Laziz, POWDR Corp, The Canyons, RoHa Brewery, Brighton Ski Resort, and more. To date, I’ve completed over 150 murals throughout the western United States.
I draw inspiration from the works of Edward Hopper, particularly his traditional Americana aesthetic, but I am also deeply influenced by Renaissance art, especially Caravaggio. Over the past 20 years, my travels abroad have fueled my creativity, exposing me to street art, music, culture, and language. I believe that having a broad worldview helps you connect with other creatives and their environments.
My work emphasizes the beauty of the natural world while advocating for responsible practices, underscoring the link between creativity and conservation. I believe that inspiration is all around us, but often we’re so focused on achieving our goals that we overlook the quiet moments of life that can spark creativity.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Life can be a very complicated mess sometimes, but that’s also how you learn to navigate those struggles. When I first started creating as a painter, I was presenting work that was different from my photography and written words. It took me a few years, but after I had sold a few paintings, I learned that you have to call yourself an artist before anyone else will. I understand that most degree-centered careers start with the determination to have a title attached to an identity. Artists, however, are a bit different in that regard. No one will call you an artist until you first identify as one yourself.
Now, I introduce my “job” as an artist. Of course, there are many things that matter beyond a title, but you have to embrace that truth in yourself before others will see it the same way. It’s difficult, but I think it’s essential to pursue the arts. At 40 years old, I applied for and received my largest budget for a mural at the time, and it changed my life. I ultimately quit my job and jumped into full-time art. I think I needed to have all the life lessons, self-esteem, and trust in myself before I could make that pivot, but that was the path I ultimately chose. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get here, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, given all that I’ve learned along the journey.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

When I first started painting and began selling some of my work, I experienced the thrill of achieving these goals. However, I quickly realized that there were very few ways to actually get recognized outside of my community of friends and associates. To address this, I started my own pop-up art shows with friends who were in the same position. Each year, I would host my own shows to help this community of artists grow and find new audiences. I’ve continued this tradition, recently celebrating our 16th annual art show for local artists. When we first began experimenting with this idea, there wasn’t much like it in Salt Lake, so we had to find our own way to promote the events, and over time, it grew into the annual event it is today. Now, there are maybe 10 pop-ups on a busy month, with at least 1-3 every weekend. These events are great for the community of artists trying to get their work out there, but they also saturate the market, making it hard for consumers to decide which ones to support. It’s a good problem to have, but those long weekends at markets can also be exhausting and frustrating—trying to push your art while also creating it. I believe local galleries need to do a better job of discovering up-and-coming artists and promoting emerging talent. It seems there is little investment in this area of their business model. They focus on established artists, but don’t provide the same support to those who truly need the promotion and exposure. The general public seems eager to support the arts, music, and culture, but others with resources could do much more to help. There are so many inexpensive ways to decorate a house or office, but hopefully, these are being purchased locally when possible, especially for large developments like hotels, apartments, and businesses within the community to continue to support local artists.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joshscheuerman.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jscheuerman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessejoshjames
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshscheuerman/
• Other: Threads: @jscheuerman