Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Amy Keever, owner of Amy Keever Gallery, a unique Parisian art salon located a block off the Bentonville square. Amy is a primarily self-taught glass mosaic artist of twenty-one years who prides herself in creating one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, and Amy discuss balancing a business that is also your creative outlet and how to reignite your creativity when you’re feeling uninspired.
Show Notes:
(1:02) Introduction to Amy
(1:11) About Amy and Amy Keever Gallery
(2:54) Being a Business Owner and an Artist
(4:56) Future Plans for Amy Keever Gallery
(6:20) The Gallery’s Ideal Customer
(8:38) Balancing a Business as Your Creative Outlet
(10:57) How to Refuel Your Creative Side
(13:04) Mentoring Young Artists
(15:12) What Comes Next
(18:20) Advice to Aspiring Artists
(21:14) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“As a small business owner, you don’t have that boss to tell you, ‘This is how you have to do this.’ So, setting up systems was a big deal for me. I have a vision book that I keep the year’s goals and everything in.” – Amy Keever, (4:06)
“I think when you have a passion like that, it’s really hard, you’ll do anything to keep that. I’ve always said my dream is like a baby and it’s my job to protect that baby…There are some things that are not fun, but I know they get me to my end goals.” – Amy Keever, (8:38)
“I always said I wasn’t necessarily the most academic teacher, but I could motivate a kid. I think so much with life is about validation. If you can say, ‘Hey you’re valid just as you are,’ that’s a huge thing to be able to conquer.” – Amy Keever, (13:05)
“I would be true to myself and not feel like I had to validate myself to the rest of the world to be able to go forward in what I’m doing.” – Amy Keever, (17:31)
Turning Art into Business with Amy Keever
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Amy Keever, owner of Amy Keever Gallery, a unique Parisian art salon located a block off the Bentonville square. Amy is a primarily self-taught glass mosaic artist of twenty-one years who prides herself in creating one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, and Amy discuss balancing a business that is also your creative outlet and how to reignite your creativity when you’re feeling uninspired.
When Entrepreneurship and Creativity Intersect
Running a business centered around something you’re passionate about can make that passion feel more like work than something you enjoy. There’s a happy medium between focusing on having fun with creativity while also relying on that creativity for your livelihood. Amy’s career is a balancing act—sometimes the scales tip toward her entrepreneurship, and other times they tip toward her artistry.
When Amy started her gallery, she expected to be making artwork, and even though she found herself doing that, she also had to do the administrative work, marketing work, customer service work, etc. In order to stay organized with all the behind-the-scenes work so she could focus on her art, Amy became reliant on setting boundaries that kept her on track.
“As a small business owner, you don’t have that boss to tell you, ‘This is how you have to do this.’ So, setting up systems was a big deal for me. I have a vision book that I keep the year’s goals and everything in.” – Amy Keever, (4:06)
Staying Authentic in Mentorship
When mentoring or inspiring young artists, Amy’s biggest piece of advice is to stay authentic. If you’re mentoring an individual and you teach them to become what is trendy, you aren’t allowing them to stay true to themselves. Young artists need mentors that emphasize they’re going to have to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
“I would be true to myself and not feel like I had to validate myself to the rest of the world to be able to go forward in what I’m doing.” – Amy Keever, (17:31)
Art, and even branding a startup, is about expressing originality and presenting new ideas or concepts. Therefore, if you create your artwork or business to mirror somebody else’s, there’s not going to be anything memorable that makes your work stand out. Your work will never please everybody, but nonetheless, change doesn’t happen until someone dares to be different.
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