We recently connected with Kathleen Rietz and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I’ve always been a risk taker because I always believed in myself and my abilities, even as a child. Choosing to attend art school instead of college was a risk. After school, choosing to be my own boss and make a career freelancing in commercial art instead of taking a 9-5 job with benefits was another risk. I choose to live life on my own terms. I survived the economic downturn after 9/11 for more than a decade, and eventually decided a good career move would be to take a job as a product development manager when it was offered in 2014. There, I learned important business skills that I could not have picked up on my own. But my mind was always set on rebuilding my own business and leaving that job when I felt the time was right to go off on my own again. That’s not to say that I didn’t give that job 100%. I certainly gave it my all, and I have always appreciated anyone who gave me an opportunity and a paycheck. In exchange, I learned skills dealing with overseas vendors, marketing, design and communication — things that all helped me build my art business a year before I resigned from that job in 2019. In early 2018, I took up painting to help me cope with a family member’s cancer diagnosis and the stress at my job. I started an account on Instagram, and my paintings began selling immediately. My first big sale was selling 7 paintings to a collector in Malta in September of 2018. I used the money from that sale to invest in having a line of silk blend scarves manufactured in China, all printed with images of my paintings, which also brought me immediate success. A year later, I took the biggest risk of my life when I resigned from my job and decided to try to make a living as a full time 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?

When I began painting in 2018, my work was very loose and abstract. Because of the demands of having a very detail-oriented job, I viewed my art practice as a chance to break free and play. My art practice became a sacred space for me, and there were many Friday nights I painted literally all night until the sun came up in the morning. Then I would nap for a while, and do it all over again. By Sunday afternoons, my heart was breaking, thinking of having to switch gears for another 5 days until I could paint again.

My work has since evolved into paintings with a decidedly floral vibe. Sometimes more Impressionistic; other times more abstract. Flowers are a universal language that all can understand — celebration of seasons, color and memories. I enjoy creating art that brings joy to others around the world and transcends language and cultural differences.

In the midst of the Covid pandemic in 2020, I saw a thirst in others for something meaningful, beautiful and fulfilling in their lives. Many Instagram followers began inquiring about whether or not I taught online art courses. So I decided to take a risk and learn how to create my first art course. The entire idea was daunting, but I invested in a course on course creation and consulted a couple of other artists who had created their own courses. In September of 2020, I launched my first online course, “Loosen Up and Find Joy in Your Art”. Since then, I have created 5 courses and hosted several online art workshops, reaching audiences worldwide.

It is beyond fulfilling to witness others finding the kind of joy and child-like wonder of discovering their own sacred art practices. I’ve seen students go on to have their work sold in galleries and displayed art shows. I feel that may art has always been about giving joy to others, whether in the paintings I create or in helping others find their own creative voices.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Believing in myself, my art and my ability to build a successful business has always been a choice for me. I believe in Big Picture thinking — the ability to see beyond the challenges at hand. There were years things got excruciatingly tough. in 2011 I moved out of my house in order to rent it out to try to save it from foreclosure. My income for 2 years on a row was at an all-time low, my dog had cancer, I lived by myself out on the middle of nowhere and walked around for 2 winters with a hole in the bottom of my boots. My house did eventually go into foreclosure, and I fought to get it back. I’ve always taken responsibility for my life and looked at each challenge as an opportunity to learn and do better. Every day brings a chance to create a better life than the one we’ve lived the day before.

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

Buy from artists. Take their courses. Support their businesses. There is a reason why we charge for what we produce. Art supplies are not cheap, especially quality supplies. We have bills to pay, insurance and healthcare, mortgages and rent just like everyone else. Not all of us are supported by a spouse, and even those who are need support for their dreams. For those who win awards in juried competitions, there is a jury fee that they paid to enter. For those who are awarded residencies in other parts of the world, there are still travel fees. For those of us selling online, there are shopping carts fees, bank fees, accountants to pay, email marketing subscriptions, memberships in coaching/consulting groups. For those of us creating art courses so you can learn from us, there are the decades of experience that we now have so we can pass our expertise on to you, plus website hosting fees that need to be met before we collect any sort of income. Art is not free. So if you love someone’s art, invest in it. Your investment means the world to them both financially and emotionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kathleenrietz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleen_rietz_artist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kathleen.Rietz.Art.Studio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOBYPXUOO-CALzoxazCdxwA