Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Latasha Greene . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Latasha , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.
I have been an artist my entire life as a side hustle so it’s hard to pen point my very first client so I will tell you about the first client that made me confident enough to go full time with my art business. This was back in 2019, a friend of mine invited me to speak at a conference in Mammoth CA. The conference was all about small mountain towns and my talk was about cultivating diverse businesses in mountain towns. At this point I was getting work but still classified my art as a side gig cause I had a day job. There were a lot of folks in my talk and they were all excited and receptive to my ideas. At the welcome dinner that evening a man approached me to talk about some topics I had brought up earlier. He told me that he was opening a line of boutique hotels in mountain towns and wanted me to outfit the one in Colorado with my art. I was super taken aback and a little skeptical that he would actually contact me. But to my surprise a couple of months later he was in my inbox and I was able to negotiate my first five figure gig! I painted two murals, made five illustrations, printed and framed 90 prints from those five designs, all for this hotel. That budget allowed me to quit my restaurant job. I learned so much on that project and I’m grateful it gave me the security that I needed to follow my dreams.
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.
I am a Black woman born and raised in Baltimore Maryland but currently living in Denver Colorado. I fell in love with nature exploring the Shenandoah valley in a Virginia when I attended VCU. I obtained my degree in Scientific and Pre Medical Illustration. That really peaked my interest in the natural sciences and fanned my exploratory flame. After I graduated my partner and I moved to Denver to pursue our careers. I knew that a fresh start in a new landscape would provide the inspiration and motivation that I needed to get my business going. With Jitterbug Art Studio I am able to create art that centers around the beauty and wonder of nature in a lot of ways. I am an exhibiting artist when I show my large watercolor landscapes. I paint murals, do editorial illustrations, product design, and teach watercolor painting workshops. My work is special because I use my art for a cause and to help give people a voice and feel scene in un represented spaces. I work with a lot of brands, non profits and affinity groups like Merrel, American Alpine Club, Otterbox, Outward Bound, and Brown Girls Climb to name a few.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of my career is inspiring others to embrace their inner creativity. It’s really really special to see the joy that envelopes a person when they surprise themselves with the painting they have made. That is why my watercolor classes are my favorite part of my business.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I firmly believe that knowledge is power and that we must lean on others for their experiences and wisdom. If there is one piece of media that I had to share it would be The Creative Pep Talk Podcast. Andy J. Pizza is just so infectious and charismatic and delivers such valuable creative business information. It really changed the way that I looked at being an artist and he helped me make a more focused plan of attack to get my business started.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.jitterbugart.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/jitterbug_art
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heyjitterbug_7028?si=zeEU6CJ2pon1ZnDb
- Other: www.Patreon.com/jitterbug_art