Tim Packer - Tim Packer Art Academy
On the Truth: "I mean the universities and colleges are failing them just miserably."
We all remember being kids and making art of some kind. Water colors, macaroni pictures, maybe even some Play-Doh creatures. But did you ever think you could make a living from it? Tim Packer realized he could.
In this candid conversation, Tim Packer pulls back the curtain on the realities of the art world, busting myths about the "starving artist" and explaining why most universities and mainstream art advice miss the mark for artists hoping to make a living from their passion. He details how he leveraged both his artistic talent and business savvy to grow his own career, how he turned his mentorship of a young artist into a global success story, and how his experiences inspired him to launch his online academy to help others achieve the same.
Listen as Tim explains how to enjoy what you do and make some good money doing it.
Enjoy!
Visit Tim at: https://www.timpackerartacademy.com/
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timpackerartacademy/
Podcast Overview:
00:00 Teaching Artists to Earn Income
07:56 "Regret, Art, and Helping Others"
12:25 Art Worlds: Villages and Markets
16:39 90s Limited Edition Print Boom
22:11 "Keys to Successful Art Sales"
30:03 "From Artist to Police Officer"
35:30 "Art, Auctions, and Breakthroughs"
39:44 "Keys to a Thriving Art Career"
43:29 "Creating Art You Truly Love"
52:39 "When to Pursue Art Full-Time"
54:13 "Turning Point in Career Success"
01:03:10 Artistic Process and Experimentation
01:04:04 Breaking Free from Comfort Zones
01:11:18 "Art, Critics, and Accessibility"
01:15:44 Art vs Commerce Priorities
Podcast Transcription:
Tim Packer [00:00:00]:
I mean, my dream when I. Because I quit my job and walked away from my pension as a police officer when I was 40 to give this another try. My goal was if I could ever just make as much as what I would have made had I stayed and gone on pension, then it'll be a wash, right? Well, I far surpass that. But while I was in there, you know, just kind of and watching the sales go up and I was mentally crunching the numbers because this was November, and I thought, holy. Know what? I'm going to make over a quarter million dollars this year. As an artist.
James Kademan [00:00:34]:
You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link fund@drawincustomers.com we are locally underwritten by the bank of Sun Prairie Calls On Call, Extraordinary Answering Service, as well as the Bold Business Book. And today we're welcoming preparing to learn from Tim Packer of Tim Packer Art Academy. I'm excited we get to talk about art, Tim. So how are you feeling today, Tim?
Tim Packer [00:01:04]:
I'm feeling great. I'm excited to be here and thanks for having me on the podcast.
James Kademan [00:01:08]:
Yeah, I'm excited because I don't know if you know this or not, but I majored in graphic design.
Tim Packer [00:01:13]:
Oh, me too.
James Kademan [00:01:14]:
Way back when. I don't do anything with it now. And I just got back from Italy and it was interesting because I'm like, wait a second, I've actually painted and drawn this cathedral.
Tim Packer [00:01:27]:
Yeah.
James Kademan [00:01:28]:
And I just never knew where it was.
Tim Packer [00:01:30]:
Oh, this is going to be a lot of fun then, because there's going to be a lot of context on your end, and I'm sure you're going to have a lot of questions as well, which is cool. Yeah.
James Kademan [00:01:37]:
So let's start with the foundation. What is Tim Packer Art Academy?
Tim Packer [00:01:41]:
Okay. It's my online art academy. And there's a lot of, like, recorded courses where people pay just for a certain course. I can get my color and composition course or see how I paint the subjects that I paint, or I have, like, whole suites of programs on there. And then I also have, like, a mastermind program. I call it the Hungry Artist Community. And that's where they get all of my courses. Plus, every week I do a live zoom call from the students, basically from around the world.
Tim Packer [00:02:11]:
But I'll critique their paintings, I'll answer any questions they have about art or the business of being an artist, and I'll give them coaching Advice.
James Kademan [00:02:20]:
So is the idea, I guess most of your students, are they looking to do art just as a hobby or are they looking to do it as a professional?
Tim Packer [00:02:27]:
Yeah, that's my niche is like I've been, I am a very successful artist. I've had a really successful career as an, as an artist, as a self publisher, kind of ran my own gallery. But what I really want to do now is my new mission in life is sharing the lessons and the knowledge that I've acquired over 25 years of being a full time professional artist with other peopl