Ep.1 Jenny McGee: Becoming a Profitable Artist

In this episode I chat with artist Jenny McGee. Jenny lives in Columbia, MO where she creates custom paintings that are rich in color and texture. It took a health crisis to give her the kick in the pants she needed to listen to her heart and follow her passion. And now, After more than a decade of supporting herself as a FT artist, Jenny has created the Profitable Artist Academy that truly debunks the myth of the starving artist. 

We’ll learn about how she transitioned from graphic design, how living in El Salvador influenced her style, the mindset blocks she’s had to overcome as well as some really great lessons in life and business.

You can find all of Jenny's links and show notes here.

Resources:  Want to know 7 things you can do today to make leaving corporate easier?  Grab it here!

Let's connect!  Come join the Breaking Up with Corporate Facebook Community👯‍♀️

Follow me on:
Instagram
Website
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube

Loved this episode? 💕  Leave a review and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  rating here! 

Transcript

Jenny McGee: 0:00

I knew that I could get a job as a graphic designer anywhere. And it was my safety net. But really that deep down longing and passion I had was to be a painter.

Jamie Stephens: 0:12

Hey there and welcome back to breaking up with corporate. I'm Jamie Rene, your host and truth telling gal pal here to have the real conversations with badass women doing their thing will talk candidly about the hard lessons impact business failure mindset, corporate Bs, and all the things. I'm excited to highlight and learn from these amazing women that have stepped into their power. And they're proving what's possible. Let's do this. I want to introduce you to artist Jenny McGee. Denny lives in Columbia, Missouri, where she creates custom paintings that are rich in color and texture. It took a health crisis to give her the kick in the pants that she needed to listen to her art and follow her passion. And now after more than a decade of supporting herself as a full time artist, Jenny has created the profitable artists academy that truly debunks the lie of the starving artist. We'll learn about how she transitioned from graphic design how living in El Salvador influenced her style, the mindset blocks she's had to overcome, as well as some really great lessons in life and business. Please join me in welcoming Jenny to the show. This is Jenny McGee. And Jenny, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jenny McGee: 1:28

Well, hello, hello. I'm Jenny. And I am a mama of two kiddos and a full time artist. I create a lot of custom paintings for people's homes for people's businesses. And I'm also a course creator that teaches other artists how to make a living with their art, specifically paintings.

Jamie Stephens: 1:52

Oh, that's awesome. So is How long have you been? How long? Have you been able to support yourself as a full time artist kind of out on your own? And can you tell me a little bit where how your journey led you to that place?

Jenny McGee: 2:06

Yeah, so I start I well, I consider it my formal start, because that was what I made my business and LLC was in 2010. And so I knew things had to get a little bit more formalized. Because before 2010 I knew I wanted to be a painter, I dabbled in art, I loved creating work, and would sell it here and there. But my main job was a graphic designer at that time. So I didn't quite take it seriously until 2010. I was like, Okay, I knew I didn't want to be graphic designer anymore. New painting had my heart creating art was my passion. And I just needed to try it. Plus, I had a pretty major health crisis at that time that was that you know that fire, undermine you know it, to get things moving in and grooving to follow my heart my passion. So 2010 is when i i opened up a small studio in the town I was living in in Columbia, Missouri. And I started to create pieces, and paintings that utilized a ton of texture, because I'm emerald like texture free. person, I love it when you create something that you literally just want to touch. So I loved putting a ton of texture and colors together and painting trees. So trees were kind of the very first subject matter. When I opened my business that represented something very particular for me and something very important when they were trees for this symbol, as I was getting healthy again, as I was going through a health crisis, trees became a symbol of strength for me. And all of a sudden, like I started painting these trees and people were like really resonating with them and really loving the, the content of them. And one of my favorite quotes at that time was the secret to the life of a tree is that it remains rooted in something other and deeper than itself. And I think like well, and I think that no matter where you're at in your life, your your life journey, you know, we all have different hardships that we face. And oftentimes, we recognize through those hard times those difficulties that we just don't get through them by ourselves, right? We oftentimes are shown something so much greater whether it's our community or friends or family or in a God that shows up in our life. So as I was painting these trees, they started selling like crazy and Then I was like, Okay, I'm on to something. I got to be in business. Yeah, I had to make this formal. So that was my, my first formal opening as a professor, full time artist.

Jamie Stephens: 5:13

So was that a gradual process? Or was it like, they kind of took off and then you were just like, I am done with being a graphic designer, this is what I want to do. Like, I know for sure. It was

Jenny McGee: 5:24

an it was definitely a grad gradual process, for sure. I knew I wanted to study graphic design, because it was like, it was almost like I was had, like, studying it to be my backup plan. Like, I knew that I could get a job as a graphic designer anywhere. And it was my safety net. But really, that deep down longing and passion I had was to be a painter. So I was playing it safe, which isn't a bad thing. You know, like, I think that that's sometimes what we need to do in order to have like, be in a place that place of strength when the timing is right for us. So I worked as a graphic designer for many years after grad after I graduated with that degree. Maybe like, I would say, for eight, nine years, I can't remember exactly, but around eight or nine years. And yeah, it really wasn't until that kind of pivotal moment when I had that health crisis that it was like, Okay, now whenever that makes sense. Yeah. Back to your original question. No, it's it was a process definitely to lead to where I'm at today, getting to follow my heart and passion.

Jamie Stephens: 6:46

So do you have any formal training like in painting? Or is that something that you kind of did alongside your graphic design class, like classes and stuff? Or is is it just total hobby that turned into this?

Jenny McGee: 6:59

Well, that's a great question. I primarily studied graphic design, but I had about a year where I could take drawing classes and a couple painting classes. So I did get to dabble in fine art in my college experience. And then when my husband and I moved out of country to a country called El Salvador, I was able to connect with a group of Salvadoran artists, who many of them taught classes. So I was able to take a couple printmaking classes, and in really jumped into opportunities living in Central America, learning from Central American artists.

Jamie Stephens: 7:39

Wow, that's amazing. So would you say that that has had an impact on kind of your style? Or is it just kind of the technique that you've integrated? Or is there anything that you specifically learned in El Salvador that you are now still doing today?

Jenny McGee: 7:56

Yeah, that's a great question. I think the textures of Central America spoke really strongly to me that the whole culture is so textural, you know, you look at buildings and you see layer after layer, and get to that like Adobe layer that has been like painted over every decade, you know, and you see that on the infrastructure and architecture and buildings and then the the texture of the environment was so fascinating to me, so fascinating that I started to collect like, trash from the environment down there, and incorporated trash and different interesting chip bags and candy wrappers and water bottle labels and started integrating that into my art, as well as like, sugarcane pulp, sugar cane is a book produce down there. And oftentimes, you see these big piles of the the pope just stacked up. And that, that fascinated me to add that into my art. So definitely a big YES to to answer your question that experience living abroad in that region was influential, I think in why I love to add so much texture and layer, the tactile

Jamie Stephens: 9:19

and yeah, that's awesome. That's interesting. So what is the strangest thing that you've ever integrated into one of your paintings as far as like, as far as texture goes?

Jenny McGee: 9:31

This strangest thing. Well, mud. i The mud and clay in El Salvador is like this incredible, like rich red mud. And so I would oftentimes like we'd go to a community and just dig and dig and I don't know if that is counts as the strangest but certainly was one of the messiest was to add like a lot of clay. into painting before.

Jamie Stephens: 10:01

That's awesome. So I was just on your Instagram and I saw a recent tree that you just did, it looks like for an older couple, and it was just really beautiful. So what is one of like your favorite projects that you've done or one that has, like been so memorable that it's just like I did this custom work. And it's like, I will never forget this family or person or something like that.

Jenny McGee: 10:28

Oh, there's been many it, I feel fortunate to say that there's been many and I, I can't think of one like, in particular, that stands out as my favorite, because I love them each and every single as their unique experiences. I think when I get the opportunity to work with the people who commission or hire me to create a piece of art, and I invite them to be a part of it, and they literally put their hands in the texture, the very first layer, the very beginning of my painting starts with texture. And so when they come and imprint their physical like handprints and start the painting themselves is one of my very favorite experiences to see, I worked with, before the tree painting a very similar process with family, family friends, and they've just been near and dear to our hearts and their their son has been in a wheelchair and has had multiple physical challenge his whole life and to see him get out of his wheelchair and start to paint with his hands and start and initiate this painting with his with his mom and with his dad, and with his brother, other brother and sister, just like it makes my heart explode because they not only have, you know, a piece of artwork for you know, their home in a particular place in their home, but they've got a piece of family history, you know, they've got their families handprints like in you know, paint strokes on a piece that can represent a legacy for them. That's really

Jamie Stephens: 12:37

cool. How long do your pieces take to make,

Jenny McGee: 12:41

um, they take, it really depends on the size. For example, that piece, the family that I was sharing about, it took probably about 4050 hours, and probably the span of two months, because there's a lot of coordinating of times and schedules to get to get everybody here. And I really want to make sure that the color is right, the dimension this size is right. And so sometimes that takes a couple meetings before the actual painting is started to nail down. But in terms of my creation process, it's anywhere between 30 hours to 50 hours for like a four foot by four foot painting or four, five foot five, five by five. But I also create little ones too. And like, those go a lot faster.

Jamie Stephens: 13:29

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. So, um, so what is one thing? You know, it's hard. You know, you said that the graphic design was kind of your backup plan. And I know, the safety net, that a regular full time paycheck coming into your, you know, into your bank every two weeks. So what is it that you had to learn in order to be able to take that leap? Knowing that this is what your heart called you to do? But you know, there's always that financial consideration we have to consider.

Jenny McGee: 14:05

Yes, I first had to trust myself. I had to work on trusting myself and trusting that I have these passions, and I've got this desire for a reason. Yeah. And so that was step one. Step two was then digging and researching the heck out of other artists that are making it work. So I mean, I think, in any industry, finding that person or that people, or that, you know, example, who is where you want to be and researching their process, maybe they teach their process, but finding an example of somebody who is doing what you want to do, I think is a really great motivator to one recognize that it's possible and to that there can be support out there for you. You're not doing it, you're not alone. Yeah, so that was my second step after trusting and believing that I have these, these thoughts, this passion, this, this desire to try something a little bit scary. Right? And, but, but

Jamie Stephens: 15:18

which we both know you can sum up in a sentence of like, oh, I had to learn to trust myself, but like, that's a whole journey. Right? I mean, just the work that comes along with that, and so very, yes.

Jenny McGee: 15:33

Lots of internal work. Yeah, so try starting with that, you know, hey, I know that I have been given these desires and these, these feelings for a reason, and then finding that that other example that other person in, in your industry, so in the art industry, for me, it was finding an art coach, and I worked for with an art coach for six months, six to eight months. And she helped me know that, you know, just kind of start to debunk the starving artists myth, you know, like, it's, it's just a myth. It's, it's something that, like, I had to start questioning my beliefs around. Can't like it? Can artists actually make money? And, like, do do I have? Did I have to go to art school to make this work? Did I have do I have? Did I have to go to business school to make this work? Like starting to question, those doubts that sometimes can hold us back? That was part of my process, question and then come up with a rebuttal like, okay, the exact opposite of my disbelief, I came up with a belief, a new belief, right. So as

Jamie Stephens: 16:46

in, I have this belief that they're, you know, if you're going to be an artist, you've got to be a starving artist. And so then finding those examples of, hey, here's 18 examples of why that does not have to be true. So I find out that is, that's really great work for anybody that is trying to do. I mean, anything, you know, this goes back to all areas of your life, you know, so

Jenny McGee: 17:10

Right, exactly. And then like questioning the heck out of it being like, is that true? Do I really have to go to art school to be a professional, capable, great earning artist? Is that true? If so, why? And journaling out just kind of brain dumping all of the excuses that you've come up with to hold yourself back from doing what you really want to do?

Jamie Stephens: 17:36

And just now learning that whole process? Like, that's just amazing. So thank you for sharing that. Yeah, yeah. Tell me about how you got started into the course creation and how that is going.

Jenny McGee: 17:50

Yeah, so one of the biggest lessons I have learned as an entrepreneur, is that having different streams of income in your business is an is an important part of your success. So just relying on one thing is, it can make it very difficult. So of course, creation was kind of on my wheel with all my spokes of different aspects of my business. But I didn't know exactly when that would come about. I had been thinking about it for a couple years now and thinking, Well, what is it that I could offer? And I decided that this was the perfect time, this was the right time for me to start to teach other artists how to run a business, because I've done it now for I don't know, like, whatever. Yeah. 1112 years? How much? How long? Yeah. According to maps, thank you.

Jamie Stephens: 18:51

Thank you, since you got your LLC set

Jenny McGee: 18:56

up. I love that. So yeah, it's the right time. Like, it wouldn't have been the right time for me, you know, 578 years ago, but now it is. And I thought, Okay, this is the perfect time to implement a course that I can pass on the, you know, the business legacy that I have built, the things that have worked, the things that haven't worked, the things that really can up level, and get artists making money, way quicker than what it took me to do. So.

Jamie Stephens: 19:32

Yeah, no, paving that path. So this is the courses for artists who are looking to make into a business. So this just like fits my audience perfectly. So that was awesome. So Jenny, if people want to find out more about you, your courses, your art, all of those things. Do you want to tell people where they can find you?

Jenny McGee: 19:53

Absolutely. So you can find me at www dot artist Jenny McGee. dot com. And on that first link on the website is the profitable artist Academy if you are an artist and need additional support or would like additional support selling your artwork,

Jamie Stephens: 20:13

I just want to say a big thank you to Jenny McGee especially since she was my first ever interview. So I appreciate her bravery. Some of the key takeaways from this conversation are number one, it's okay to play it safe and be able to come from a place of strength. Number two, listen to yourself. Don't let a health crisis be your wake up call. Number three. Do your research. Find those examples of where you want to be and study them. Number four, don't be afraid to hire a coach. They can really help you get over any persistent blocks that you may have. Number five consistently reframe your beliefs by finding examples of the truth you want to believe. And number six different income streams are important to success. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. If you want to learn more about Jenny you can follow her on Instagram at artist Jenny McGee, that is je and NY MC je e. There you will see her beautiful artwork and find links to her profitable artist Academy course. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please share with a friend. Make sure you're subscribed to receive new episodes and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Your support goes a long way in helping like minded folks find this show. Thanks, guys.