We were lucky to catch up with Lacey Eidem recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lacey , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope to leave behind laughter and inclusion. If you’ve been following my career as an artist you are well aware I do not lack a sense of humor. When I pick a subject matter for a new painting I have very much thought through the audience’s reactions. Who will recognize and get a sense of nostolgia and if it’s a portrait of someone new to the viewer how that will be received with a small amount of context clues. My absolute favorite scenario when people first view my work is laughter. Kids specifically are very drawn to my portraits because even though they may not know who Steve Urkel is, there is a silliness and joy I feel that I convey through art.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a life long painter. I have never wanted to be anything but an artist. I went to art school straight out of high school with the intention to create art. And that’s what I have done.

During the last year I have taken a step back mostly from commission work to focus on growing my own body of work. I have found myself circling back to choice projects. I have found a lot of value in looking over a commission and deciding if it’s really the right project for me. Even though I know I could do most ideas brought to me there is value in my time and energy as a person. Being able to say, thank you for thinking of me but I don’t believe I can do justice to this specific photo. I get a lot of blurry screen shots sent to me. And although I know I can manage to make most of them work to look like a beautiful work of art it takes a toll on my mental health. I’d like to add that I am in no way ungreatful for the commission work that has kept me afloat in uncertain times. My friends, family and community have helped me financially succeed in a career that certainly is not easy.

I’m really proud of myself for figuring technical things out in an ever changing technical world. When I was in art school facebook was brand new. And although I find social media personally exhausting it has opened a world of connections and a platform for success for entrepreneurs. I taught myself how to build my website. I figured out how to make tik toks. Go me!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

YouTube, man. It’s so simple. If you don’t know how to do something look it up on YouTube. I didn’t know how to package a painting with glass to make it across the country so I looked it up. And guess what? There’s 1000 very detailed and specific videos on how to do exactly that.

I have also found a lot of value in networking. I know a lot of artists and I’m not afraid to ask someone a question. I also respectfully don’t gatekeep valueable information. I have a lot of artists contact me with questions. I’m pretty straight to the point as my time is very prized.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Over the years I have applied for grants and stashed away extra cash to put right back into my business. Only a couple years ago did I buy myself a nice camera to take photos of paintings. Then I saved and just last year bought a printer. It isn’t anything fancy but I researched and got a small artist grade printer that only goes up to 13″ wide. Eventually I’d like to upgrade my printer again and find the right studio space downtown.

A little side note about my printer- until 2019 I was completely opposed to making prints. I think I just didn’t know how to go about it and I didn’t bother to figure it out. A fellow artist and entrepreneur contacted me and brought forth the idea a long with a great price point and I figured I’d try it. (Thanks Alyson at Prints & Repeat!) It completely changed my business. It’s like an extra side hussle that grew to be the main bread winner.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lacey-eidem.squarespace.com
• Instagram: @laceyeidemart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/laceyeidemart
• Other: tik tok: @laceyeidemart

Image Credits
All original paintings by Lacey Eidem