We recently connected with Nora Franzese and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nora thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

As an emerging illustrator and graphic designer, I encountered significant competition in the market for lucrative projects, which posed a challenge to making a sustainable income. In response, I chose to return to school to pursue a career as a public school art teacher while continuing to accept illustration projects, including illustrating children’s picture books. One of the major hurdles has been ensuring fair compensation for the extensive hours spent in the studio, a challenge that has intensified as the illustration market has become increasingly saturated, stresses of self-promotion, challenges of client expectations that go hand in hand with the fears that come with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

As AI-generated art becomes more prevalent, traditional illustrators may find it increasingly difficult to compete for consideration and financial support leading to reduced opportunities for commissions and sales, ultimately impacting artists’ income and livelihood. This is our new reality as artists.

As a gallery artist over the years, my biggest challenge has been how to determine the right price for a work of art and struggle to get paid fairly for my time and effort, particularly if clients are unaware of the industry standards.

Nora, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Over the years, I have become increasingly engaged in the art community on Long Island and in the process have gained valuable gallery experience, made connections with both local and international artists, and increased my exposure in the art world. As a graduate with a fine arts degree from NYIT School of Fine Art and a Masters in Art Education from Dowling College, my career path has brought me back to where I wished I had begun. This journey has opened up more opportunities and inspired me to create and collaborate within a vibrant art community.

Being part of organizations like the Patchogue Arts Council (PAC), the South Bay Art Association (SBAA) and Bay Area Friends of Fine Art of Long Island (BAFFALI), I have been afforded numerous opportunities to exhibit my acrylic paintings in galleries across Long Island as well as the honor to serve on the board of SBAA. Over the last year I am grateful to be able to share that I was invited to showcase my art in solo exhibits. Over the last decade I am elated to have been invited to participate in live painting performances at festivals and the facilitator of community painting projects. This experience has opened up a start to a new business opportunity for me as an artist where I am not reliant on illustration projects.

As an art teacher getting closer to retirement, in just a few years, my business plan has been set on a trajectory. I feel as though this direction has reignited my passion to create.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Reflecting on my experiences, I recall a time when I had a pivot in my career, which taught me valuable lessons about adaptability and resilience. About a decade ago, my father-in-law became very ill with cancer and my husband spent a lot of time with him leaving me with time alone to reflect about my own life choices and career direction. My teenage daughter motivated me to return to my studio, which I had been overlooking because of life obligations, and begin painting once more. I started small. I opened an art instagram account to meet working artists and see what is happening in the world of art. I joined an international art group to exchange artist trading cards with the group’s monthly prompts meeting artists across the globe and then began my adventure illustrating daily in groups like Inktober, where artists draw and ink a daily prompt. After a while, my desire to paint on a larger scale had won over the tiny trading cards. Now my work shown in galleries has a varied scale of 12 inch square to 12 foot murals. My journey has brought me such a feeling of freedom and release as well as the satisfaction of making money doing something I love.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most significant lessons I needed to unlearn was to be avaiable for everyone else’s needs. I needed to relearn how the necessity of prioritizing my own needs as an artist while caring for my two children and fulfilling my role as a devoted wife. As a mother and wife, I often found myself putting my responsibilities first, neglecting my creative passions and artistic pursuits. It became clear that to nurture my family effectively, I also needed to nurture my own artistic spirit. Embracing the idea that self-care and personal expression are not selfish, but rather essential, has been a transformative realization in my journey as a mother, wife, educator and artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ntappfranzese.com/
• Instagram: noralee.illustrations
• Facebook: Nora Tapp Franzese
• Youtube: Franzese Art