We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tammi Brazee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tammi below.
Tammi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Several events happened in the last couple of years that changed my course. I finally moved into and am working in a fully functioning studio with heat, plenty of space, good light, and running water. It’s amazing how a working studio changes everything! Since graduation from grad school, I’ve worked in a basement, a garage, a yurt (where I only had 2 hours of good light coming through the sky dome daily), the back of my car, and in a camper. I had several years where I couldn’t create art at all because I had nowhere to work. Being bounced around for so many years was hard on my creative output.
The second thing that happened was that I applied for a fairly large grant and got it! It was a HUGE boon for me financially and professionally. It exposed my artwork to many more people and helped me land five solo exhibits in galleries and a museum within a year. I discovered what kind of artwork people like and where my work sells well, which is important information.
The third thing was that it finally occurred to me that selling original paintings is HARD. It takes exactly the right person to walk into the gallery, connect with a painting, and have the funds to invest. This is such a personal process that some paintings take years to place with the right buyer. So, I finally decided to create an affordable option, Giclée prints. It’s proven to be a good decision and helps fill the financial gaps between painting sales.
And the fourth thing was pure luck! I made hand-cast resin marmot sculptures in fluorescent colors with rhinestone eyes to add to the painting exhibit “Tame your Marmots.” I’ve made 3D standing marmots before, but these new ones flew out of the gallery. I guess the stars finally aligned! I’m still making and selling these marmots months after the exhibit closed. I’m not sure what will happen next because one of these quirky marmots is about to go into the hands of a celebrity, which could drive their popularity up, depending if it shows up on Instagram or not. Fingers crossed!
As the saying goes, I wish I knew then what I know now. Where you exhibit your work matters a LOT. Adding other items at a lower price point helps get your art into many, MANY more hands than is possible by only selling higher-priced items, such as paintings. Having prints and other items available on an online marketplace helps too. Unfortunately, as much as I wish I could make paintings daily, focus on this one thing, have them priced so I can make a livable wage, and have them fly off the gallery walls, this is not a reality for many artists. We are forced to either work a day job as well as our art job or to have our hands in many different pots to pay the bills. I’m still piecing my art career together after graduating more than a decade ago, but I seem to be heading in the right direction.
Tammi, 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?
While a hint of an accent reveals Maryland roots, Colorado has been my home since 2001. I returned to college as a “late-bloomer” when my youngest child entered first grade, intending to finish my undergrad degree in biology. However, I took a two-dimensional design course elective and fell head-over-heels in love with making art. Because I’m a glutton for punishment and have trouble making up my mind, I eventually finished two graduate degrees, one in environmental science with a focus on ecosystems and the other in visual art with a focus on painting. This unusual combination of interests has had a profound influence on my work. My first painting series investigated the human relationship with the natural world and its creatures, a clear offshoot of my interest in natural ecosystems and our relationship with and impact on them. Several series followed that focused on our relationship with others and with ourselves. What’s coming next is still in the works, but I’m leaning towards a series about relationships between animals and their environment, one that is pure fantasy. I want to create a gallery “ecosystem” of quirky interactions between these imaginary creatures. As you can see, I’m utterly fascinated with connections and interactions between people, animals, and things within systems.
The most obvious characteristic of my brand is humor. I see humor in how we behave and interact. Of course, there is tragedy and pain, too, and this can be a dark undercurrent beneath the surface of my some of my work. Recently, I was given a huge compliment that I’ll always remember: I was “like the Gary Larson of the fine art world.” I’d never considered this before, but Larson humorously points out how ridiculous, awkward, and nerdy we can be, and that’s what I do, too. I make social commentary with a sprinkling of humor, a nip of nonsense, a dash of self-deprecation, and a dose of deeper meaning. I want others to engage with what I create, smile and nod in recognition, and think deeply about what they perceive. I believe in the power of art, and that art with humor is a backdoor to personal insight. There’s something about laughter that loosens our resistance and penetrates our defenses.
As I expand my business beyond the gallery scene, several things are on the horizon. Although my work is most often aimed at a mature audience, I’m currently learning to write and illustrate humorous picture books because what’s more heartwarming than a child’s laughter? I’m also branching out into a commercial sphere with prints, t-shirts, greeting cards (still in the works), marmot sculptures, and an art book titled “Marmots Among Us – a Collection of Paintings, Essays, and Other Nonsense.” I’m newly experimenting with online marketplaces and social media, but being in my mid-fifties, this is not a natural extension of my skill set, and I am finding it a challenge. So stay tuned for my mishaps and adventures as I enter new territory. I hope to make you laugh and think!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I often hear two things from non-creatives and sometimes even amateur artists. First, they tend to think we aren’t working a “real job.” This is a huge misperception. When non-creatives get a peek into my studio, at how hard I work and at how many things I juggle, they are often surprised. I don’t make artwork all day long because I’m also running a small business and must attend to many other things like bookkeeping, marketing, advertising, commerce, networking, communication, inventory management, learning new business skills, etc. There are periods when I don’t and can’t make any art because business demands take all of my time. It’s a bummer, but it’s true!
Second, the misperception that making art for a living must always be “fun.” I’ll start by saying that I’m truly lucky to have been born creative, that I can and do make art, and because my work is humorous, it is often fun to make it. However, it’s not always fun; it’s HARD WORK! Spitting out novel ideas and making things from them is very rewarding, but it takes energy, time, effort, commitment, constant growth and learning, and a high tolerance for risk and failure. Artists must do many other things, too, as mentioned above, that are not fun for us. Many artists aren’t natural business people; they often dislike and struggle with that part. And just like any job, there are parts that artists enjoy and parts that we don’t.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is that I get to create new things from novel ideas and that those things come to exist tangibly in the world as something newly born. I love the tactile nature of making things, the feel of paint gliding over canvas or warm, soft clay in my hands that materializes into something engaging and entirely new. I love thinking about what I’ll make next and then being prompted into action by the sheer desire to create it. I sometimes fantasize about having a business manager so I could make stuff all day, create like a woman on fire, and not have to push pause to take care of the business side of selling art. But alas, it is what it is.
It’s also highly rewarding to watch others engaging with my art. I enjoy the laugh-out-loud response the best. To bring more joy into the world, a crazy, sometimes disorienting world, is the best reward. If I can continue to make people smile, laugh, and think for the rest of my life, I will be a very happy woman!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tammibrazee.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tammi.brazee
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tbrazee/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/tammi-brazee-6233aa46
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/TammiBrazeeStudios https://tammibrazee.threadless.com/ https://tellurideartsmarketplace.com/collections/tammi-brazee-tame-your-mormots