Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Pauly Tamez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Pauly, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I knew back in 2010 that I wanted to be a full time artist. At the time, I was making a living in the financial services industry, working as a wholesaler for a fixed income investment firm. I spent almost 3 decades in that business, and although I made a very good living, I never liked the business. I left a financial planning business and moved to the Boerne area and met a group of artists at one of the local galleries who inspired me to develop a discipline as a painter. I sold my first painting as a professional artist at that gallery in 2011. I met a landscape painter who became my mentor for the next 5 years until he passed away. I began saving and preparing for a transition in 2016 after completely leaving financial services and going back into business for myself as a Realtor, so I could continue to develop my art business. I started preparing to leave the workforce in 2017, and was able to do so in 2023, fulfilling my desire to be a full time painter, teacher, and coach. How many people can say that they can stay home , drink wine, and color all day?

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Being in real estate gave me the freedom and ability to pursue my art business. I started to teach classes and make relationships with galleries and other venues to display my work. I had already developed a discipline of painting daily, and since meeting my mentor, Bill Zaner in 2011, I was painting about 50-60 paintings a year and selling 20-25. Most of my work is sold through social media, my monthly newsletter, and a few commissions each year. I had a boss one time that taught me, “The harder you work, the luckier you get,” so I learned to network, paint live at shows, and set up to paint outdoors (en plein air) as often as I could. I believe in getting out there where people can see me, and I am not shy about introducing myself and talking about my work to anyone who will listen.
Bill taught me a lot about landscape painting. He taught me about creating space, distance, and atmosphere with color. He also taught me how to paint realistic trees and how to create light and shadows. He was a great mentor. We would spend hours talking about how to create certain colors and he coached me as I painted with of him. As much as he taught me, after he died I had to keep learning. The main thing he taught me was if I want to get better, I have to paint more. But beyond that, I have to paint with the purpose of improving with each new work. So, my focus when I begin each new painting is making it better than the last one.
After I left the traditional workforce (refocused, not retired), I spent the first year feeling out how I wanted to run my business. One of the more significant changes though, was a shift from traditional landscape to Abstract Expressionism, a genre I had always desired, but could not break into when I was focused on a job . The day after the last day at my job, I woke up and realized I had no emails I had to respond to, no phone calls or appointments I had to make, no reports to file, and I didn’t have to put on a suit and tie and drive 25 miles to my office. I felt free. I went to my studio, got a 3’x 3′ canvas, and painted what I was feeling. All of a sudden, I was an abstract painter. I titled that painting, “Non-Linear Transition,” and it sold. One of the other things I did to create this breakthrough was in 2022, I started learning to play the cello, which opened up a different part of my brain. I think creative people need to be always growing and challenging their brain to learn new things. Music helps me see things differently, and frees me up to try new things.
I learned this last year what was profitable and where I had little to no ROI. I decided this year to eliminate vendor shows and art competitions, and instead continue to network, find new venues to display and do live-painting events, continue to work on developing my work, and teach.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I am fortunate to have found purpose in my passion. I believe having a purpose helps a person get out of bed every morning and can even extend their life by several years. I volunteer, teaching landscape painting at our local senior center once a month. It is a very popular class that fills up every month. I usually have 2 or 3 people in the class who have never painted before, and I am delighted to see “the lights come on” when they realize they can paint! I have several students that come back month after month for this free class. Every single student walks away with a completed oil landscape in this 2 hour class. My mission with them is to encourage them to find their creative ability even if they have never painted before. I never listen to when people say they can’t paint or that they can’t draw a stick figure. I tell them that they CAN paint and that every one of us has creativity within. And I also remind them we are not going to paint stick figures.
The other passion and purpose I have is helping military veterans. I am a 100% disabled veteran whose disability you can’t see. I have suffered with depression, Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and addiction issues. I manage these with painting and music, but my drug of choice is paint and a canvas. I offer free quarterly painting sessions with like minded veterans to help them express their emotions on canvas in a guided session. The paintings they create are full of intense emotion and thought, and helps them process their emotions and trauma. The ROI for me is exponentially more than any amount of money could provide. It is by far the most satisfying part of my art focus.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Having been in the banking industry, a financial planner, and a successful Realtor and recruiter prior to being a successful artist taught me to be discreet and keep my opinions to myself. I use social media almost daily. I am a very public person and fairly well-known in my community. I never discuss politics, religion, or sports on social media. I maintain a business page and also personal pages, but I treat them all the same. I also have a website and send out a monthly newsletter that I am adding new subscribers to each month.
I only post new paintings and things relevant to my art business. Rarely do I post personal things other than pictures of my pets or places I travel to paint. I almost always paint wherever I travel, so I post my plein air work. My art business, Pauly Tamez Art, joined the local Chamber of Commerce. I attend networking events as often as possible, and am a member of their Veterans Entrepreneurs group. Any chance I get to network, I collect names and email addresses to add to my newsletter email list, as well as add people to my social media accounts (always with permission).
Being in the public and in sales, I’ve learned to be interested in people rather than trying to be interesting to people. I ask questions about their business and inevitably, they ask me about mine. I am naturally a bit of an introvert, as many artists are. I learned when talking to others to ask FORD questions – Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. Then I LISTEN. People love to talk about themselves, especially when they know you are interested in them. Those questions help me next time I run into them or see them on social media. Bottom line – don’t be afraid to get out there! Always be adding to your circle of influence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ptamezart.com
• Instagram: @paulytamez
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauly.tamez.9/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauly-tamez-831b15199/

Image Credits

Headshot courtesy of Paula VM