Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Lang.
Hi Elizabeth, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I made art my business in 2016 with a strong desire to follow a passion for art that just wouldn’t go away. I left my full-time job in the spring of that year, having a history of painting experience but not sure what an art business would even look like for me. I had some savings but worked small random jobs like babysitting to make ends meet while I figured how to make money as an artist.
After working for years in the mental health field, I had to get reacquainted with what it looked like for me to be an artist. I had kept in touch with my creative side incorporating it into my job and free time but had never considered art to be a viable career. Maybe that was just fear, but I hadn’t giving art a real chance. Looking back now, I can really understand why art looks so scary. There are some really hard days dealing with a path that there isn’t usually a clear roadmap for, financial insecurity, and self-doubt.
Those first couple of years in business I made art, sold some art, did some traveling, and worked some random jobs. It took a while for me to really feel like my painting business was really working. In 2020, I was so encouraged by the outreach from customers who wanted to buy something. It was still a difficult time, but that was a turning point for my business. The following year, art shows were beginning to come back and everything really took off. While a lot of businesses experienced this same burst of growth after the pandemic, it was the momentum I needed to not only have a great year but to gain lots of new customers and opportunities. I am grateful to be in a good place in business now with more and more opportunities opening up!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest struggle for me was financial insecurity. Even when money is coming in for art, it isn’t necessarily consistent. That was hard to get used to. Even as my business grows, I have to remember there are ups and downs and I won’t be experiencing the same financial security that comes with a job where you make a salary just by showing up and doing your job. Sometimes in art, you do more than your daily tasks and don’t make anything. But it’s worth it to me for the moments where I find success. It’s like you try five times to do something and succeed once. All five of those tries were important!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an abstract landscape painter! I have been inspired most by the natural world. I started by learning about trees by volunteering and taking classes with Trees Atlanta. As I studied and painted trees, I began to paint more landscapes, and eventually started working on a painting style I would call my own. My painting style is simple and calming and I use blocks of color to convey the mood of a place.
Funnily enough, I think my style was partly inspired by the old paint by number kits! I was always fascinated how they could take all those little shapes and solid colors and make them into something anyone could paint to look like a dimensional professional painting.
I love painting landscapes in my usual way – acrylic on canvas – but recently I have really enjoyed and am very proud to have expanded to paint more commissions as well as creating and painting custom murals.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I love working with others and collaborating! One thing about being a solopreneur is that I really miss working on teams, so working with other painters and creatives is super energizing for me.
I’m always open to hear ideas, but I would love to collaborate on a mural with another artist!
Every purchase and word of encouragement is support and means the WORLD to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://betweentheevergreens.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentheevergreens/
Image Credits
Photos of the artist taken by Dave Williamson Photography
