Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Meyer.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a creative. I was painting and drawing at a very young age. I also played the oboe and got my college degree in Music Performance and played with orchestras and did studio work in Los Angeles. Fast forward, we moved to Nashville in the late 90’s and I worked for a record company on Music Row which put out high-level acts. Since I was new in town, I didn’t know many people and the weather was cold, so I needed a creative outlet….I turned to art as a serious hobby. I started to teach myself how to draw and paint again at a higher level. I studied the masters, and it flowed very naturally for me. Eventually, I started to show my work to Art Directors at the record label I worked for and they eventually used my work for music books and CD covers. My work caught the attention of some of the book publishers in Nashville and they hired me to illustrate some of their gift books. That’s when I gained the confidence to pursue this new career as an artist a little further. Recycled Greetings in Chicago accepted a small greeting card line I created and did a test run in some of their stores. I was making some money but not enough to quit my day job. Then I had a baby and got laid off from my “secure” job and my husband suggested I paint on bigger canvases like I had always dreamed of doing. So when my son was asleep or napping, I taught myself how to paint big, and he eventually found venues and places to sell them! We were so broke and scared, but we did it anyway because we had to. I really didn’t want to go back to the corporate world, so I was determined to make it happen. Little did we know that this new unconventional path would lead me to being a career artist. Within seven months, my severance was gone, and we made our first month’s expenses selling my original paintings. We discovered Atlanta and started to sell work here, so it felt natural to move to the city and begin my new career. Shortly after that, my work really began to mature and grow, and that when my career began to flourish and take off. I am proud to say that I even survived the housing crisis with solely selling my artwork for income. 15 years later, we are still selling the work full-time, with my husband Mark as my business partner and manager. We have an amazing son and we make a great team! I’m currently selling my work through art fairs, galleries, interior designers, on-line sales and more recently on Instagram. It’s an unlikely path that didn’t involve art school or expensive art classes…and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It just wasn’t my path.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I believe artists are entrepreneurs. And if you think of it this way, whenever anyone starts any business venture, it requires a lot of dedication, time, and some financial investment. And with that comes a lot of challenges. It really was and still is a 24/7 operation. And when I started, I was a new mother with all of my family in California, so I didn’t have much help with my new baby. So my challenge especially in the early days, was balancing and juggling painting and building this new business of ours with being a new mother. But it can be done. I’m living proof of that. And I wanted to be really good at both. Somehow we put all of our trust into my talents in those early days, along with the belief that it will work and never looking to the left or right. It takes a lot of energy and tenacity because the output and what I pour into my art and business is so high. But the pay off is so rewarding. I not only living my dream of creating for a living, I got to stay home with my son and watch him grow up. And as I reach new levels and new audiences for my work, that same work ethic is still present. It’s challenging and exciting all at the same time.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am a full-time working artist. I mainly work in acrylics and mixed media with a wonderfully broad range of subjects, from figurative, to botanicals and landscapes, to my newer line of equestrian works. I think my range has been a complete asset to sustaining my business and I’m very proud of that accomplishment. I am constantly experimenting and trying new things to keep my work fresh and innovative. I think what sets me apart is that I’ve been able to sustain and grow my art business with the partnership of my husband and business manager, Mark Meyer. Without any outside financial support. We are a completely sustainable operation. I’m always curious, innovative, and I don’t give up. And now that I’m a little older and wiser, I have taken that confidence to new levels with my work. We’ve been able to do this full-time for over 15 years. And I don’t show any signs of stopping. I started my art career a little later in my life, having done other careers with music prior to this. So I have too many things I want to do and accomplish with my art and it’s a lot of fun to see it evolve. I truly believe anyone can do anything at any age. I plan on painting and creating for many years to come.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the quality that is most important is having a mindset of success. I have a favorite saying written on my studio whiteboard which says, “If you believe it, then you will see it”. Visualizing where you want to be before it happens, almost to the point of feeling, touching, seeing, sensing all of it, as if it was happening in real life.
And also having a mindset of gratitude for the people and things in my life and what I have, and for the opportunity to make art for a living. I’m so honored. These are truly powerful attributes to getting to where I’m at today.
And finally, personally connecting with my audience has been so important in my art practice. The beauty of Instagram, YouTube, and just being on the front lines at my shows is that I get to personally connect and share with my buyers, with the stories of how I created my pieces and also listening to how the work affects them. What an amazing experience it is to have a collector buy a piece of work that personally connects with them. It’s in the subject matter, a quote I’ve buried deep within the piece or something in the art reminds them of their past. I’ve wiped away tears, listening to stories of pain and triumph, or stood with them in silence as they are moved. Whatever it is, something is deeply connecting them with my art. It’s a powerful moment when it happens. It’s where artists and collectors meet in a very beautiful and vulnerable way. It makes me think that my job is much more than creating paintings, it’s empowering another person’s life every day in their own home. What a privilege it is to do this.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sandrameyergallery.com
- Phone: 678-644-6334
- Email: info@sandrameyergallery.com
- Instagram: @sandrameyergallery
- Facebook: Sandra Meyer Gallery
Image Credit:
Photos by The Studio at Daisy Hill
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