We recently connected with Katie White and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Consistency and courage have been the main ingredients to my success. Showing up everyday, even in a little way, allows me to feel connected to my business. As a creative entrepreneur, I can’t sit around and wait for the creative moment to strike. It isn’t always going to flow during the work day. However, I never let that stop me from showing up. Setting daily intentions helps me regain focus and jump start my creativity when these moments occur. More times than not, I find that I can continue creating through the work day and make something beautiful.

Courage has been the cornerstone to my business. Beginning with my elementary students, I taught art to for 5 years. These children created without any inhibitions, giving me the courage to look at my creative practice in a more consistent basis. It was my students who encouraged me to be a full time artists, so I quit my job and never looked back. Courage shows up every time I pull a blank sheet of paper out, send an email to a new gallery, write a proposal, create a new collection… it is courage that allows us to continue putting our best foot forward. I often tell people who start a small business that it feels like jumping into the abyss of the unknown and it takes courage to do it. I apply this to every step of my process.

Katie, 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?

I have always loved art and been around a studio my entire life. In 3rd grade, I was told I had a learning disability. My parents enroll me in art classes to build my confidence outside of the academic classroom. It was there that I discovered how to draw, paint with oils and my true love, watercolors. I used my talent to attend Washington University in St. Louis, where I majored in Graphic Communications with a focus in Editorial Illustration. Unfortunately art school robbed me of my confidence and I quickly put my creative practice on the back burner. Looking back, that had more to do with age and not so much about being in an academic setting, but essentially, I had to grow up to recognize the truth.
After two kids and a lot of soul searching, I became the Director of Communications at Meals on Wheels in Tampa where I rediscovered my love for creating through graphic design. This led to the principal of my children’s elementary school to ask if I wanted to teach elementary art. At the age of 39, I left my job in communications and began teaching 650 kids, 10 classes a day in 30 minute time increments. It was in the classroom where I found my grounding courage and reignited my creative practice.

​I officially launched my business, Katie White Artist, Inc., in 2017 after teaching for 5 years. Being a woman and mother, running a small business, brings me daily joy. I connect and collaborate with other creatives on a daily basis. I sell my work through galleries, my website and launch 2 collections a year. There is never a dull moment being a creative entrepreneur.

My art is heavily inspired by nature. Each creation takes on its own life, much like nature does when it unfolds. Many of my pieces greet you with a soft, serene atmosphere evoking a peaceful emotion, while others pull you in with the bold colors, telling their own story. I am drawn to the horizon line, the space where land or water meet the sky, a quiet pause at the end of the day as the sun sets, a deep exhale or a place to root yourself to the earth. It reminds me of how important it is to stay grounded in the world we live in today.

In addition to my studio practice, I lead watercolor workshops and retreats. This work allows me to connect with women, teaching them how to use the medium as a tool to ease anxiety. My painting practice is what grounds me daily. I love sharing with others how to set intentions and being mindful with their own creativity.

My work has been shown in several galleries including Palm Beach Artist Collective, FLOW Art Gallery in Palmetto Bluff, Art House Charlotte (Charlotte, NC), The Scouted Studio (Charlotte, NC), Four Seasons Gallery (Homewood, AL), Sarah Gormley Gallery (Columbus, OH), Anne Irwin Fine Art (Atlanta, GA), and many local shops in Tampa, FL (MarketPlace Interiors, Four Corners Framing, Tampa Bay Interiors, Cielo Spa and Sketch Art Studio). I have the honor of being self-represented directly from my studio as well as partnering with well-aligned national home-decor stores, such as Pottery Barn, William Sonoma Home and Ballard Design, as well as HGTV.

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

When you are told you are not “good” at something, it can be a confidence buster for sure. From a very young age, I was told I was not good at school. I am not sure I was ever given a true diagnosis to what my “disability” entailed, but I do recall spending extra hours with tutors so I could pass a subject. I was told you are not “good” at reading, writing and math. This was a hard way to walk through a day in school. It was in 3rd grade when I signed up for weekly art lessons. In that studio, I found my confidence. I was actually “good” at drawing and painting. I really liked it and found myself wanting to do it all the time. This confidence carried me through my educational experience and essentially got me into college. But like many years earlier, I was told again, I wasn’t “good” at something, which led me to abandon my creative practice after college. It would be years before I picked up a paint brush or even had the desire to create. I found my passion again through the eyes of little children. It was within their creative practice that I began to rediscover what was buried deep inside of me. I am not sure if it comes with age and experience, but something beautiful unleashed and made me want to create something new, which is how I began this business.

Today, I love to read, write and create art. Two out three of those I wasn’t “good” at doing.

I now tell people to shut out the side chatter coming from people who may say you are not “good” at something. That is nonsense talk, those are lies, unnecessary road blocks. We all have our own unique gifts deep inside of us and it takes courage to find it and use. Surround yourself with cheerleaders, people to hold you accountable on a daily basis. Spend precious time with encouragers, the people who believe in your gift.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Community and trust have attributed to my reputation. First and foremost, I would not be where I am today without this community. I grew up in Tampa and know many different circles of people from my childhood, adulthood, teaching, working, church, neighborhoods, etc. When I decided to be a professional artist, I needed to draw from these groups to help me grow. If I were to break down where my early sales came from it was from each one of these pockets of people. I had name recognition and trust because I had a previous relationship with them.

My brand is about the art, but it is also about me. People want to feel connected to the art they hang on their walls. They want to know the story behind it, what was the artist thinking when it was created. At the end of the day, I believe my brand is more about the relationship. I take the time to visit with my collectors, listen to what they want to have on their walls. Do they want a “conversation” piece or just something to blend in with their decor? I take pride in the time I spend with them and our connection.

I allow my personal and professional values to drive every component of your creative practice, which in return brings me right back to why community and trust are key components to my reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katiewhiteartist.com
• Instagram: katiewhiteartist
• Facebook: Katie White Artist
• Linkedin: Katie White Artist
• Twitter: Katie White Artist

Image Credits
Diane Capozzalo Sara Jin