I sort of had a similar experience in art school-people stealing or damaging other’s artwork, professors making nasty comments or breaking students art, employers putting me down, calling me stupid or mediocre… I don’t know why people need to crush other people’s dreams to try make themselves feel bigger. It made me realize why people hate artists. I stopped making art for 2 years after I graduated and almost dropped out my last year. I became super depressed too and luckily my desire to make art was still in me and after some healing, found myself again. Therapy also helped me process a lot of the abuse I witnessed and was given, so that I could create without restraints on my mind. There’s so much elitism and gatekeeping and grossness in these communities, especially if you’re lower income or a minority. Also, people on Reddit can be so unhinged and have way too much time on their hands. Many of the communities on there are full of miserable people with nothing better to do than spread that everywhere or come up with conclusions about everything. The last story broke my heart, 2020 was awful, but as an artist myself putting all that time and energy into something for it to just be thrown out I’d have such a hard time grieving that loss!! I am so sorry you had to go through all of this. ❤ Know you aren’t alone and it was very brave of you to share all of this. Keep on going and don’t give up no matter what anyone or life gives you!
There was a generational shift at some point. I know an artist, well into her senior years now, who has nothing but good things to say about the art school education she received. My experience in architecture school was much as you describe art school, and I was deemed to be a good student, yet I still was abused and humiliated unbelievably. The worst of it is, you're still young, and you can think this is appropriate behaviour from so-called teachers. I did have a tutor in my final year who said "Humiliation is abuse", so maybe things have changed for the better. They certainly needed to.
I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but it's very admirable that you found the help you needed and that you recognize what happened was not ok! I hope you have found joy in art-making again and I wish you much success! 🙏
How dreadful! My teachers were all well established artists in England. They had no need to be brutal. We all starved together.. only the models had a regular income ! You need to publish details of such teachers (without flouting the libel laws). Just check their present output online and you will see how crummy they are, if they are still working!
@@joseeallyn9950honestly, one was making pottery with bodily fluids when I checked out her portfolio… the other that broke students work was super talented but when you went to his site had a ton of pop ups and malware ads. And it’s so true there is a community among artists, but I don’t think it’s at art school anymore.
@@michaelepp6212I wish I had the knowledge and confidence I do now. At least the knowledge to understand what they were doing to me and others as I wouldn’t feel as scared to call them out!
Thank you for sharing your stories Brooke! The worst experience of my art career happened in 2022. I had just opened a website to sell my artwork and bought an inkjet printer to make my own high-quality prints with. I was getting the e-commerce side of my site set up when I decided I couldn't tolerate another day of my abusive, co-dependant relationship of 10 years. I escaped from my ex without a job, and had no support system to fall back on due to said codependency and relationship dynamics. I quickly ended up homeless and had to sell my printer, camera, and other supplies to be able to find an apartment to build a new life. My brain had learned that starting an art business = homelessness, so I promptly dissolved my LLC and gave up on art completely. I learned that I shouldnt tolerate toxic relationships and that I should plan the financial side of an art business better and have a full-time job to support myself while my art business grows. 2 years later, I've started a new TH-cam channel and am taking art seriously again as a side job while I figure out how to make an art business work for me.
Thank you for sharing! Some big lessons learned. As a film student I was hired to record a small orchestra concert and halfway through I realized the camera hadn't been recording the whole time. That's on me, but it meant I never went back behind the camera and became an editor instead. Glad you stuck around with painting!
STOP that is so sad 😭 Can’t imagine your stress while waiting for the post office… that is a true nightmare. The older I get the easier to ignore negativity. It quickly becomes clear when someone is giving real, heartfelt advice and when they just can’t imagine a better life, like you said. I do love your editing style, so thanks for another lovely video! Have a beaaaaaautiful week 🌙
True. I think the older we get the less we fall into the trap of having any kinds of expectations towards anything. Be it life or let alone post offices lol
My worst experience of my art career….I never pursued it. I came from a family of artists….mom, dad, sister, all 4 grandparents! In my younger, more rebellious years I decided I WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT….fast forward to today. I am 50 years old and realizing that creating art is a big part of who I am. Better late then never I suppose ❤️
Stupendous, Brooke. You and this video. You asked. I was 24 years old (in 1984) and got a job as Deputy Warden of a community college. The Warden )my boss) was a bitter (that word again), twisted, malevolant who was itching for his retirement (he was 55). He took pleasure, daily, in destroying my confidence by shredding my work of the previous day / evening. I had not, until this point in my life, met a truly evil person, someone intent on getting his kicks by messing up other people (I was not the only one, but I was certainly his fave kicking bag, until I wised up). I thank that man. He taught me SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!
This was a great video, you aren't only an amazing artist but you are so natural in front of the camera. Thank you for sharing not only your art but your life
Normally I just listen to TH-cam videos, but with your videos I can't! I have to stop and watch! Because the shots are so beautifully done, it's just relaxing to see. Congratulations 🎉🎉 I fell sorry for those experiences though 😢 Congratulations again and please don't stop making videos ❤❤ Big fan from Brazil
Brooke, your talent for videos is almost equal to your talent for painting. I am so impressed. My worst experience as an artist was in 2006 and 2007. I sold my house and made about $97,000 in profit. I moved into an Artist community and painted full-time and held gallery strolls each month. I sold paintings, but I also had a lot of people coming to my gallery stroll because I was offering free wine and food and spending lots of money. I got a lot of press, including being on TV and featured in our local city magazine and it was wonderful for a time. I was incredibly happy. Then the riff raff moved into the area selling drugs and doing drugs in the open, and it was a dangerous place for a single woman. People became afraid to come to gallery stroll because of these things. After a year and a half of being in the studio/gallery, I ran out of money. I had to move out of the Artist community and into a boring apartment with no room for a studio space. This was over a decade ago and in the interim, I have moved more times than I can count and owned and sold two more houses. I am currently in an apartment using my living room as my art studio space. I guess my biggest lesson from this is that everything changes and we must be resilient!
Thanks for sharing! In my 20s I had aspirations to do book illustrations and was invited to meet a published children's author. He told me flat out I wasn't good enough, no encouragement or advice. Does one invite people to see them only to shred them? I hung up my pens, and went out and got "regular" jobs for 35 years. Until last year I started painting and well blow me down, I might be quite good at it. Second career starting, 60 is the new 50. 💪
I had the same exact experience and I’m your age too! I was devastated and worked 9 to 5 jobs but got the courage up this year to start over. I wish you the best because even 35 years later, I still remember how I felt. You can do it!🙂
Could not have been easy reliving those experiences for this video so kudos to you for doing it anyway! And it's great to see that you bounced back well from each incident and didn't let any of them derail you. Awesome share!
Bruh…….😨🥺😭 That’s rough but being able to sell prints eases the blow. I had a series of pieces selling at a local bar downtown for a month. The bar was great with handling payments since everything was cash only and I collected 100% of the profits. Only downside was the security of these pieces on the walls. When I picked up my work, 12 of 15 pieces appeared to have been sold. I was so excited, it took me awhile to count the cash and the owners of the bar also labeled each piece with the payment. A positive relationship and trust was always there. After I got home and put everything away, I did a recap and noticed 1 piece was actually missing. It was not labeled with the other payments and it was not with the remaining pieces. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I look at it as a lesson learned. It’s actually kind of flattering that my work is worth the demand of a 5-finger discount. But I can’t be mad at the bar either since they had been so good to me offering a spot to sell my work, they just needed to figure out a better system in keeping artist stuff secured. 🤷🏾♂️
Was this just because you had friends at the bar or do bars do this for artist? I’m wondering because I’m an artists but I haven’t gotten my art out there
@@jdos5643 Hey, it honestly depends on the bar. It doesn’t hurt to talk to the owners and ask about getting wall space to sell. The 2 bars I sell regularly at want artwork that fits their theme. It benefits you as the artist and enhances the atmosphere where you’re displaying. Some bars may charge for the space or take a percentage off whatever sells. My situations have been unique in a sense. My friends bar takes 10% of whatever I sold and allows me to sell at anytime. The other didn’t charge for anything but only allowed me 1 month to sell as they like to rotate artists giving others opportunities, but you can sell again every few months if available. It’s great exposure but it can be risky with how things are handled. I learned to document and get things in writing so you have some sort of insurance on your work since some places may not have tight security watching your stuff. Or make sure they are displayed in a spot where only the owners/employees can get to if a customer is interested. But I highly suggest talking to your local bar and see if they’d like to set up an event you can participate and sell your works. That definitely helps and I’ve had other bars reach out and offer to give me space to sell as well. 🙂
At least only one went missing, I had an artist friend mine have an entire series destroyed in a bar& restaurant fire. Like you she had a nice deal with the owners, she had sold art there before with an exhibit. And then one night there was a fire, and worst was her insurance had a clause about the type of venues that they would cover, and they didn't cover restaurants.
@@FtLoiterDale I think she did have pictures, at least for social media. She regularly posts her work. It was a bad fire, that burnt the two adjacent businesses. I felt pretty bad for her, she is a nice person and a terrific painter.
Thanks for taking the time to keep posting content for us. Im an artist that has been purposely avoiding any social media. This was very helpful for me given we havw had similar experiences unfortunately. Super shitty these things happened to you! Going forward, im glad your doing better now and hope you are maintaining well.
This is the first of your videos that I've seen and I appreciate all the work you've put in. Your covid story was painful to listen to, I can't imagine! I'm 52 and have had sooo many of the - people trying to tear you down at work - experiences. I've worked many odd jobs over the years, as well as persued an acting career in LA, so those experiences have been crazy, unusual and sometimes abusive and cruel. In 2019 I started drawing in my free time and kept it up during covid. Recently I shared some of my artwork with an in-law. She went to art school, owned a small gallery and frame shop for years, and I naively thought she'd be happy we would finally have something in common. Wrong!! Her passive aggressive comments knocked the creative wind out of me. Thank goodness my husband recognized that she was acting out of jealousy. But, even with his encouragement, I haven't been able to work on a piece since this happened 3 months ago. I'm trying to shake it off but its hard. After hearing your artist community experience, I'm glad I listened to my gut and turned down her offer to join a community she is a part of. I'm keeping my artwork far away from her from now on!
So important to surround yourself with people who lift you up instead of tear you down! I hope you can get your spark back soon and start creating again, I wish you all the best and lots of encouragement! 🙏
Yeah, no that's wrong of them, always encourage. As an artist that's what I'd do. As an art student some critique is necessary, but as others have said, that gets taken too far. But for a beginner to be harsh is totally horrible of them, don't let it stop you. In fact take lessons, you can do that online these days, and show them something in a couple of years to see the look on their face 😅 all it takes to be an artist is persistence
@@ME-xq7lr all good points, thank you! I've been studying online as well as exploring my own style. I think that's partly what bothered her. She took it personally that I didn't reach out to her for help or for her to teach me, which is impractical as she's in another state and doesn't teach online. She's old school and thinks her way is the only way. I'm currently using my own photography as reference but she thinks that's "cheating". Thankfully I get constructive criticism from my husband, who's in media arts, but what she was offering was far from constructive. Anyway, I could go on but I'm sure you get the gist of it. Thanks for the encouragement, I need it and appreciate it!
11:33 one of the best and funniest transitions/self promo I've seen 😂 you can feel this video was made with so much love despite the tough life experiences that inspired it :O tysm for sharing / filming this ! 💗
Oh my gosh. I don’t think I’ve had one worth remembering yet. But, I’m just getting started as a professional. The tip about getting things fully insured is priceless. Great job editing and filming this one, Brooke!
Outstanding Video Brooke, Lovely of you to share your rocky road of an art career on the road to worldwide success. Sorry to hear your originals disappeared. I think someone saw an opportunity and grabbed them. They are alive and well somewhere.💜
I litteraly cried when she told that last story. The canoe painting is litteraly on of my fav paintings of Brooke's and I didn't realize it was gone.. im so sorry and devastated for her ❤😢 as a fellow artist I know how hard it is to loose something u worked to hard at.
You are so captivating and talented. It's such a bummer that these things happened to you, but I'm convinced you'll continue to have a great career as an artist. And what an amazing career to have. You are your own boss, on your own schedule, doing what inspires you / what makes you happy to make a living. I'm jealous.
Loved this video and how sassy it was Brooke! I'm a newer art business but I hadn't even thought about insurance. Thanks for the tip for the future! My worst experience wasn't awful but just made me disappointed in myself. I couldn't get find a job during the pandemic so I opened commissions for my art just to scrape up any money I could. My aunt purchased one and I way undercharged for the amount of work I did (not just in a "oh you're a new artist so your prices will start low" kind of way, like $50 for a full commissioned portrait that took ages). My friend even messaged me immediately after seeing the rates on my commission announcement post and said "ma'am you are worth more." (true friend right there). I also took wayyyyy too long to complete it (2 years working on it inconsistently) to the point where I felt bad even making my aunt pay the $50 I was charging. I also used a terrible quality photo that made it hard to complete the piece AND I screwed up the proportions and had to repaint half of her face. Just an absolute mess all around. So now I'm gonna remember to include a timeline in my commission contract to hold myself accountable, not just my customers.
It’s not always rainbows and butterflies being an artist, that’s for sure! Thank you for your candid and funny way of sharing this with us. It gave me a fresh perspective on dealing with my own art career blunders and trolls. You are awesome! ❤
Beautiful video again, and wow i felt your pain ! I don't have a lot of experience in the artworld, since i can say i am getting serious since last year. In that year, i worked 21 hours in my other job, plus all the work i did as an artist, participate in 7 artfare, and sold for only couple hundred box of derived product and one art piece (that i sold for 100 box). I have two young children under 5. Also followed a course that was one day a week plus homework, for four months. So, i fell into depression for too much work in the past two years actually. So what i learned from that is to choose wisely my projects. To evaluate better my capacity and I will focus on one job now. Before, i did not know that it was possible to live from your art. Now that i know, i have put so much work and effort in getting better and try to show my work to the world. It is hard work really, so i admire all that you do, it is impressive.
I think a lot of people don’t believe it’s possible, but it totally is! Good luck on your journey, I’m starting the path to being an independent artist myself.
Love your sense of humour😂. Thanks to share your experiences with us. I love your work and ignore toxic people and comments, they are the problem not you. 😊
Well done Brooke. Your integrity towards your collectors is to be commended and this story can be used to build trust at the very least. I know of an artist who was contacted by a collector wanting to know where his painting was. It turned out the gallery had sold his painting twice and shipped it to the second purchaser. They had been payed in full both times. The artist painted another painting for the customer and sent it over to him personally. Your missing paintings looked great by the way.
Great video! $8k!!! Ouch. I was the president of a local art association for a few years. I loved it. I hope I was never like the one you met. In fact, I think it was my job (and the job of every artist) to be the exact opposite. We are here to inspire! Thanks for sharing. Like the great American philosopher Peter Cetera said, “You’re the Inspiration”.
Agreed! I am on the board of one as well. Especially when there are young artists starting out, I go out of my way to be positive, helpful and encouraging. From experience though I have seen some people behave so badly, when they feel threatened. It is such a shame
Yours is way worse I'm so sorry that happened to you! I watched your whole series with Tim and remember hearing those first two stories, so awful. I recently learnt the importance of waiting long enough before varnishing! Was rushing to get a commission shipped in time for Christmas and went ahead and varnished it too soon. I came back to package it the next day and a whole section of the painting had literally disintegrated!! (the section had a lot of ivory black in the mix which I forgot dries so slow) long story short: had a breakdown, removed varnish, repainted, WAITED, revarnished and now it's safely with the customer thank god
Very nicely done on the video. Your work looks outstanding. It was fun hearing your stories. Here's one. After an art show, I got a call from someone who had come. She asked to buy a framed limited edition of one of my pieces, without the art. She only wanted the frame.
So sorry to hear about all these trials! I'd be willing to bet that the art is hanging in some creeps home. In any event, apart from the art "lessons", this was a brilliant and well done video. Good luck with the rest of your career - you are still quite young and have an entire life ahead of you. Wishing you all the best.
You are amazing Brooke, in every sense of the word. Your art, your personality, your positivity and your semi snarky sense of humor 😅. That what doesn’t kill us indeed makes us stronger. You will grow and will continue to learn, but most importantly by sharing your experience you will gain more attention, work and followers. Good luck to you! You are a class act 💪❤
Adding a little something of my own to help with the dreaded algorithm & for the catharsis. About 14 years ago I lost vision in one eye & that inspired me to take my illustration seriously. One of my first series were a set of 6x6 acrylics. I struggled to part with them because of how proud I was of their execution & that I also enjoyed having them in my home. But, I decided the grown up artist thing was to let them go, at least I could receive compensation & start to "get myself out there". Found an odd little local business with an aesthetic I thought would give them a good position to take off. Made an agreement with the owner on all the business details and went back home to wait in anticipation. At one point I broke down & contacted them to confirm that they had all my information correct, and waited. Then call went unanswered. Then the number was disconnected. ... Went to their location, empty. I try to be sympathetic because I know having a business fail is devastating. But to just be forgotten like that. I hope they at least found a home, the alternative is just too sad.
Mega impressed with how well edited and thought out this video is, Brooke. You've inspired me to carry on making my TH-cam videos after giving up two years ago. One bad experience was early on in my career accepting a commission from a horse veterinarian. She messaged me on Facebook to paint the view from her garden on a large canvas. I told her it would be £840. She was thrilled and so I got to work. Two weeks later it was finished. I sent her a photo of the finished piece thinking that she'd love it, and send me the money and I'd send her the artwork. But I had been naive - I didn't take a deposit before starting and I had sent her a photo of the finished artwork she could have just printed off and kept. I didn't hear back from her at all - she ghosted me and blocked me on all social media avenues! Lesson learned. My first solo exhibition was held in a small local gift shop. I invited all of my friends and family to the opening. I bought all of the food and drink myself, but the owner said he'd be happy to split the cost with me. I sold five paintings! Totaling £980! The shop owner said that he'd pay me all in one go after my exhibition was over. Shortly after my show had finished he claimed for bankruptcy. That was nine years ago! He still owes me over £300 which I've now given up on chasing up. In hindsight, I was too trusting and should have written up a contract.
OH NO! What a horrific experience with the two missing paintings. And that "May" painting is my favourite of yours. So glad you had pro photos of them. That is utterly heartbreaking, and I cant believe the P.O. told you they were thrown in a dumpster. Whether true or not, that is utter irresponsibility. Totally heartbreaking. But sadly, a lesson well learned.
I've been following you for years, waaaaay before covid. I've been a long time fan of your art, I love your colors and technique, but may I say that what makes it better is the artist herself? You just have such a beautiful way to you, a sensational and elegant sense of humor and eloquence. Anyway, art may come and go, but a strong character stays for the ages and will overcome any hardships as well as a foundation to keep creating. Never lose that part of yourself (and of course your sense of humor) and you will never lose your way. Best of luck always, warm hugs from Mexico.
I really admire artists that are able to make a living off their artwork. It seems like hell at times though! I do artwork as a hobby, mostly for myself, and have only given away or sold a few pieces over the years, and I avoid commissions like the plague. (maybe this is why) One time a guy I knew begged me to draw him a tattoo, begged and begged. I told him I don't really do that style of artwork but he said he loved my work that he had seen and really wanted a tattoo like some of the things I had drawn. He told me what he wanted and I finally agreed. It was just colored pencil but when I finished and gave it to him he looked at it for about 30 sec and then said, "You aren't very good at this are you." He then took a ball point pen and marked up the drawing more to his liking. Another time I had a boyfriend who was always telling everyone how much he loved my artwork and how talented I was. He said it would mean so much to him if I painted him something, so I did. After he saw it he said, "Well, I guess I can hang that in my closet." I try to think of something positive to take away from this but mostly I learned to be more careful who I share my passions with.
I think that is a lesson learned to surround yourself with people who will support you and lift you up! Those people didn’t deserve your art, I hope it doesn’t stop you from creating ✊
I feel for you on the loss of two paintings in that way, heard some horror stories of packages being left outside at the mercy of the elements in the UK in more recent postal strikes, thankfully I avoided sending any of my (way less valuable) art at that time. As for the AMA incident, oh WOW, people do love to think the worst and call anyone out on the basis of their speculation dont they! My worst experience has been mild compared to that, someone really having a got at taking over one of my social media accounts, thankfully unsuccessful but it has made me question whether I want to carry on trying to build up an art business online & via social media.
The video is SOOO WELL DONE, I just couldn't take my eyes off, so delightful to watch. THANK YOU for your thoughts! Wish these three situations be your the worst experiences ever and nothing worse would happened. Wish you all the best!
What a fierce you woman you are. It makes me proud to hear about young women like yourself (my children’s ages) who are focusing on meaningful things. These were bad situations. Not broken fingernails. You handled yourself masterfully.
I cannot believe you had to go through these experiences. I learnt from this video that no matter how bad experience I have in my art carrier, I will never give up on my dream and keep on going and learning from those experiences. Very grateful to follow your social media as a little kid and now as a undergrad fine arts student. Hope to meet you someday and learn about being a fulltime artist and the business side of art. Keep creating and keep inspiring!
Hey Brooke - Thanks for sharing your stories. I"m glad to hear that you were able to turn your bad experiences into something positive. ...which got me to thinking about my own worst experiences... There have been a few over the years. I had a portfolio review that was quite brutal and insulting. My ego was bruised, but I came away with a critical piece of advice: "If you want to be the best, study with the best teachers!" That, and my stubbornness, eventually led me to finding the most brilliant and wonderful mentor a few years down the road. There was my entry into the Academy's annual student competition, a charcoal piece that was knocked over, marred, scuffed, paint spilled upon, and virtually destroyed several times during creation. Finally as it was being framed, I was called to the back and informed that the framer's tie had come loose and dragged across the surface - right in the middle of the face! As I grabbed my tools to begin one last repair, I turned to the framer (who was panic stricken), smiled, and said "Hey, I'm getting pretty good at fixing this piece!" Then there was the large charcoal piece that I spent weeks on. I had procured a buyer in my hometown when I decided to move back to be with family. I spray fixed the drawing (3 times!), built spacers to protect the surface, protected front and back with foam board and several layers of bubble wrap. I shipped it off to arrive at my home shortly after my return. When the package arrived, I opened the box to discover that all of the charcoal had come off the surface and was laying in a sooty pile at the bottom of the box. *sigh* It kinda broke my heart, so much so that I started looking into more permanent mediums and sealants for my work. That turned a disaster into a bonus. And here is probably my favorite from a story viewpoint: I was working as a caricature artist when a man approached me and said this: "You drew my mother a couple weeks ago. She just died. I'm very superstitious and I want my money back because - wait for it - *YOUR DRAWING KILLED MY MOTHER*....... (Turns out the guy was not mentally stable, but how was I to know at the time....?) I had no choice but to laugh and view it as the most bizarre experience of my art career - and the most scathing critique I had ever received to boot. I called my mentor at the Atelier and said "Remember all those times students got emotional during critiques? Well I've got a doozy for you...." The good news is, I figured that after that there was pretty much nothing worse that someone could say about my art, and since then I can take any criticism that comes my way. Plus it makes a great story. And I can always take solace when a piece doesn't go well.... "Well, this drawing didn't turn out as good as I intended... but hey, nobody died!" ;) With each disaster and bad experience, I became more resilient and confident, and less afraid of the bad things that could happen. Cheers and best of luck to you and your art! Mikey
I can't imagine one of my pieces going missing! Your resilience is really inspiring, and I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I personally can't complain because my worst experience was my Newfie somehow managing to get near a commission and smear the final layer with his tail- an extra 3 hours later the dog was clean and the painting fixed
Your personality is adorable! This video was well orchestrated and edited...the time it must've taken! Kudos to you...I wish you much success over the course of your career!
Jfc on the last story, I'm so sorry ;; I mean they were all shitty, but the last one must have been so painful. A lesson I've learned from my own shipping nightmare: Keep a very detailed record of what's in the insured packages you send, and also take pictures of the package before you ship so you can describe what it looks like in detail to the post office. Also ask the recipient to immediately take a picture before opening the package if anything seems sus about it and to also keep the packaging for the post office to inspect in case you need to file an insurance claim if anything is wrong like something is damaged and there are missing contents. Long story short I shipped some of my stock to a warehouse in a different country and the package was basically lost for a month and a half and when it arrived it was water damaged, a chunk of items had been stolen and a whole batch of expensive prints had been ruined. The value was not anywhere near what you experienced, but for a struggling small business owner it was devastating, especially because it delayed the reopening of my store for so long when I was dependent on income from it :'>
Omg so horrible, it's so terrible when stuff like this happens to small businesses, I feel your pain! Good that you're checking all your boxes now (even if it's more work to ensure safe arrival)!
well similar experience but a commission of a dog portrait done in pastel. Packaged and sent through Canada Post, with insurance and tracking and oddly enough also during the pandemic. It arrived after weeks of inquiries from me and the person who commissioned it BUT it arrived damaged. Because it was damaged and not lost, no compensation from Canada post or USPS .. nice. Someone had clearly stepped on it and left boot prints.... sigh 😞
Oh no, how awful. 😢 I was sure that the insurance covered damage also(you have to get a photo of the damaged package and the damaged contents). They should have compensated you. ❤
Ok may I just say this video is a work of art. I am so impressed with your filming and editing skills. Never have I ever hit a subscribe button with more enthusiasm than just now. Incredible work!!
I can't think of worst experiences I've had yet, seeing that I'm only transitioning to being a full time artist. Wish me luck. Thank you for sharing yours though so I can learn the easy way and wishing me to avoid bad experiences moving forward. Cheers! ;D
Such a crushing story for that number #3 but wow you told it all so well. Love the way you created this video and all of your vids! My worst art career experience has got to be when a friend commissioned me to create a HUGE painting ... in another artist's style. She had sent me her work and I said 'I can't copy her art but I can create a similar vibe using similar colours etc' then I made her several small paintings to show what I could do and she basically said 'Nope, I want it to be exactly like the other artsts work - never mind' It was so weird coz I am a portrait and animal artist mainly and she wanted an abstract landscape - wtf! Oh well. Learnt my lesson there - decline when they have something very particular in mind and are not after your personal work. x
That suggar daddy comment resonate with me the most. I remember on my 3rd day as a stockbroker, I ask middle-aged man about books recommendation to learn more about technical analysis. His answer was: oh, don't be bother. You can just ask me. You just need to smile to your client and you'll get paid 🤯 I took a pity on unhappy people who slash their bitterness to others 😇
Wow how refreshing to have an interestingly made video that is art related. I’m sure there are others however I’m just very impressed with the overall production of your video. Bravo Brook for an informative video that is not boring, well scripted, produced/directed( to yourself?lol) acted, entertaining and very well done in general. Thanks for this.
Die Geschichte mit dem Postoffice ist ja echt hart...mein Beileid. Hatte in den letzten Jahren auch ein paar schlimme Erfahrungen als selbstständiger Illustrator und Maler, daraus wächst man, da hast Du recht. Ich finde deine Bilder schön und glaube du könntest einen höheren Preis dafür verlangen. Alles Gute Dir.
Awesome video. You can tell you are an artist by the amazing care a detail put into shooting and editing. Your video is a little art piece on its own. Don’t stop.
I've been working as a professional artist for the last 43 years and I have so much I want to say to you, Brooke. For the sake of brevity, the douche bag that told you to get a sugar daddy is on the edge of giving up himself. You'll be selling paintings long after he finally gains his management position at McDonalds. Shipping artwork is always a risk. I've had forklifts driven through my paintings, frames cracked and broken, I've had galleries close up in the night and disappear with my artwork. I too have had to return money to a customer with apologies. This is all part of being a self-employed artist and, although these issues suck, I can say that I've had WAY more positive experiences and bad ones. Anyone running a business of any kind has similar little setbacks. I still wouldn't have traded my art career for any other. Speaking from experience, you're on the right track. Stay tough, take your punches and keep going. It really is worth it.
wow this video was heartbreaking, funny, and heartwarming all at the same time. It's weirdly nice to know that other artists, and artists that are super successful, have had rough times too. It's always amusing when bitter people give bad and inappropriate advice, always more telling about them than anything else. Reddit is a WILD place and while I would have been horrified, it's awesome you got some solid business from that. And oh my god I about cried with you on the postal service experience, that is definitely every artists worst nightmare! I am soooo sorry that happened. Yikes!
Thank you so much h for sharing these terrible experiences! I just went to your site, your work is outstanding! Congratulations on your hard-earned skills and fortitude! Much continued success!
So far other than not having any sales lol is when I was just getting back to my painting after my retirement. I was watching an interview with a prominent artist who runs an atelier and he was saying how basically if you’re not a teenager you’re not ever going to be any good. I actually let this get to me for some time but eventually worked my way past that stupid comment and am now quite happily painting and improving everyday. As you said, words have weight! Thanks for the video, terrible about your lost art. But I’m glad you’re able to at least sell the prints.
This is such a well planned, beautifully shot, and fantastically edited video! Wow wow wow. I love what you’re saying (the content and its honesty), but the video works so hard, and it’s got a life of its own. Love it.
This video is awesome, love the style. I don’t have enough experience to say I have nightmares from my art career. But you know what I would love to see, is how do you cast goals/plan a day/stay productive and not lose track of time?
I make jewelry models for companies sometimes as a freelancer and the worst thing is having to make so many changes cause no one knows what they want and are doing! And getting paid is always a struggle!!! Love your work!
Aaaawww, bloody hell. 😥 Poor Brooke. Sending you love, hugs (and not bugs as I initially wrote), and many warm, comforting thoughts and energy. Thank you for sharing your hard learned wisdom and experiences. You are indeed an amazing artist ❤🙏❤🫂🫂🫂❤❤❤👍👍👍💪💪💪
What a great video! So well made and the third situation really killed me - I am very sorry for you and your hard work! I am a fulltime illustrator myself and I got a bunch of very bad advise when I started out. Also I had to learn the hard way that a lot of puplishing companies want the work done as fast as possible but will take themself all time of the world to pay for said work. Longest episode I had to wait for a big payment that was really needed at my end were 7 months. Also I learned that a lot companies are very.. strange when it comes to the usage rights. A lot have very strict contracts but some refuse to do contracts at all - which is super wierd. There are some companys using my work without any usage rights for years and they still do not want to put effort into a contract - even when I ask them every half year.. whats wrong with them?
Yes, you need a contract. If a company refuses to do one with you, then they are shady! They KNOW that by being evasive, most newbie artists will give-in and do the art anyway. Then, they will just make use of your art forever, any way they choose and since there are no restrictions that you can hold them to, they will continue to do what they wan with it. The Graphic Artist's Guild used to put out a printed handbook that had contract samples in it and I am sure they must be online now, and have newly updated tips, advice and prob artist's Contracts that can be used for presenting to the potential art buyer. One company I did some freelance work for in my early days, had presented a Contract to the artists that we had to sign. You can always request an amendment to something you don't feel comfortable with in the contract. My very first freelance job was a huge amount of lightly detailed technical paintings (airbrush) for a small media company who was doing a slideshow for a large aerospace company. The job's requirements were ridiculous and it was turned-down by several artist's they worked with in the past. I heard of the job when by chance, another fellow artist who had paid them a visit to show his portfolio, could not do the job because of not having those particular skills. But they were running late know with THEIR CONTRACT with the aerospace company, so the deadline was now stupid, but after seeing my portfolio, they offered it and I took it. But it ended up being a painting per day (or more 😱), (following the provided technical drawings), for the agreed-upon price. Then after I delivered the last painting to them (which of course they still had to photograph and add to the slideshow they were creating), they tried to pull a fast one on me and add-in 2 additional paintings AFTER the contracted amount was fulfilled, AND THEY EXPECTED IT TO BE FOR FREE! 🤬 I promptly referred them back to the contract that I had them sign in order for me to do the job. One of the owners of the company tried to bully me into it, and the last straw was referring to me as an "inexperienced girl". Well, that was it. I told him if he wanted those 2 NEW paintings, that it would have to be a new contract for them, an I charged them 2X the amount as I did for the entire group of initial paintings. They had spilled the beans that they had already promised the aerospace company that they would add the 2 new slides to the slideshow and had no artist to paint the images. I had also found out that they were getting paid an exorbitant amount of $$$ for that slideshow and were definitely not passing any of it along in the offering to the artist. Well, they learned their lesson. That not all artists will be bullied into taking offers of less than their time and skills are worth. My advice is to have your contract ready (unless the company has one and they insist on using theirs), and don't ever be bullied into doing free work because you are newer to the industry.
@@pat4005 Wow what a stressfull situation! I am very sorry you had to go through that! And yes - I should maybe mentioned that I am from germany. Here is the copyright extremly tight and I never lose my ownership and customers only get usage rights. So if companys do not have a contract with me but use my art - I am the one who is lucky. Thats why I am very chill about it. Guess I will write a contract myself with a fee ffor every year in which they used my art without usage rights~
My worst experience has been a combination of experiences. I've been trying to get my career off the ground for about 8 years and every time I have started to gain some momentum I've been forced to stop by some kind major health event. It's meant I've had to stop painting for years at a time but here I am - at it again, and with a diagnosed chronic illness. I have so much anxiety around my dream being ripped from under my feet again but I'm trying. I've started a TH-cam channel and I'm painting as much as I can, and I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it 💕
Brooke, this is so well made! I love seeing how you get even better at this whole youtube thing with every new video :) I remember from your IG when the paintings went missing and think about this drama every time I ship a bigger piece overseas. Just had a little scare with a painting I shipped to India and what kept me sane was remembering I am not the only artist in this misery and it could happen to anyone ;) Love what you're doing here, keep up the great work!
I love you and your artistic personality truly fills brand with enthusiasm that pulls artist in me to come out of the area where i struggle to empathise now the areas where i couldn't make sense lead me to question and solve the senses that became senseless. God bless your creativeness and passions!
Awesome video. It's good you overcame those obstacles. I hope your art career continues to flourish. My personal worst experience in art happened during high school. We had a teacher that was quite opposed to everything outside of her definition of art. When reviewing my work she was constantly calling me out for my simplification of objects or the fact that I would draw some more cartoony style drawing on some pages for fun indicated I wasn't taking things seriously enough to be an artist. So I just quit. If the art world was supposed to be super serious without exploration I had no interest in it. What brought me in was the things I had fun with. So I quit drawing for nearly 20 years and only recently started again last year.
Wonderful video! You just gained another sub! I’m fairly new in my official art career, having sold stuff for years but only starting to take actual commissions last year, but my biggest (not that big)client made me run in loops to get his commission done in the way he wanted… I have learnt though, that every bad experience is definitely a lesson and helps more clearly define your boundaries in every individual career! Thanks again for the great watch!
Loved your stories and hearing about the struggles you’ve endured along your journey! I also thought this whole video was a lovely piece of art. We’ll soon Brooke, stay rad!
I had a somewhat similar story early on. In 2001, I was doing architectural illustrations while in school. I had been doing work for for a contractor in Hawaii when 9/11 hit. For 2 weeks, air travel halted, and I had been air mailed a check. This was before the time of Venmo and online payments just weren't very popular back them. I went to my dad's office and helped out designing homes. My dad was subleasing to an engineer, and I started doing civil drafting. By 2003, I took over my dad's company, and partnered with the engineer to do commercial civil engineering. I never went to college for engineering, but ended up a civil engineer. So art actually led to engineering. I still feel like I'm more artist than engineer, and someday I'll get back selling most likely aviation art.
I love your videos! You ability to look back at this with humor is a testament to your strength as an entrepreneur. Where did you get this embosser and gold sticker paper?
The effort that must have gone into getting all the different shots for this video Brooke is wild. Well done gurl 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!🙏
Second video ive watched, the first was the one about art studio essentials.
Was not expecting such a quality video.
Im flippin subscribing.
I sort of had a similar experience in art school-people stealing or damaging other’s artwork, professors making nasty comments or breaking students art, employers putting me down, calling me stupid or mediocre…
I don’t know why people need to crush other people’s dreams to try make themselves feel bigger.
It made me realize why people hate artists. I stopped making art for 2 years after I graduated and almost dropped out my last year. I became super depressed too and luckily my desire to make art was still in me and after some healing, found myself again. Therapy also helped me process a lot of the abuse I witnessed and was given, so that I could create without restraints on my mind.
There’s so much elitism and gatekeeping and grossness in these communities, especially if you’re lower income or a minority.
Also, people on Reddit can be so unhinged and have way too much time on their hands. Many of the communities on there are full of miserable people with nothing better to do than spread that everywhere or come up with conclusions about everything. The last story broke my heart, 2020 was awful, but as an artist myself putting all that time and energy into something for it to just be thrown out I’d have such a hard time grieving that loss!!
I am so sorry you had to go through all of this. ❤ Know you aren’t alone and it was very brave of you to share all of this. Keep on going and don’t give up no matter what anyone or life gives you!
There was a generational shift at some point. I know an artist, well into her senior years now, who has nothing but good things to say about the art school education she received. My experience in architecture school was much as you describe art school, and I was deemed to be a good student, yet I still was abused and humiliated unbelievably. The worst of it is, you're still young, and you can think this is appropriate behaviour from so-called teachers. I did have a tutor in my final year who said "Humiliation is abuse", so maybe things have changed for the better. They certainly needed to.
I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but it's very admirable that you found the help you needed and that you recognize what happened was not ok! I hope you have found joy in art-making again and I wish you much success! 🙏
How dreadful! My teachers were all well established artists in England. They had no need to be brutal. We all starved together.. only the models had a regular income ! You need to publish details of such teachers (without flouting the libel laws). Just check their present output online and you will see how crummy they are, if they are still working!
@@joseeallyn9950honestly, one was making pottery with bodily fluids when I checked out her portfolio… the other that broke students work was super talented but when you went to his site had a ton of pop ups and malware ads.
And it’s so true there is a community among artists, but I don’t think it’s at art school anymore.
@@michaelepp6212I wish I had the knowledge and confidence I do now. At least the knowledge to understand what they were doing to me and others as I wouldn’t feel as scared to call them out!
Thank you for sharing your stories Brooke!
The worst experience of my art career happened in 2022. I had just opened a website to sell my artwork and bought an inkjet printer to make my own high-quality prints with.
I was getting the e-commerce side of my site set up when I decided I couldn't tolerate another day of my abusive, co-dependant relationship of 10 years. I escaped from my ex without a job, and had no support system to fall back on due to said codependency and relationship dynamics. I quickly ended up homeless and had to sell my printer, camera, and other supplies to be able to find an apartment to build a new life. My brain had learned that starting an art business = homelessness, so I promptly dissolved my LLC and gave up on art completely.
I learned that I shouldnt tolerate toxic relationships and that I should plan the financial side of an art business better and have a full-time job to support myself while my art business grows.
2 years later, I've started a new TH-cam channel and am taking art seriously again as a side job while I figure out how to make an art business work for me.
Wishing you every success in building up your art business and making it work for you this time round
@@finawatsonart Thank you so much!
Glad you found your way back to your practice and good luck with your art business! 🙏
@b.cormier I appreciate it Brooke :) your story helped to fuel my fire to figure out how to make art work as a business in my own way 🫂
This was really well done :)
I just left a message for Brooke and I saw your name in the comments, I have been watching your videos for many years!!
Best wishes to you
Tim
Thank you for sharing! Some big lessons learned.
As a film student I was hired to record a small orchestra concert and halfway through I realized the camera hadn't been recording the whole time. That's on me, but it meant I never went back behind the camera and became an editor instead. Glad you stuck around with painting!
Oh man, I know that pain all too well hahah 🙈
As soon as you said the worst experience was in 2020 I automatically moaned in horror and sympathy.
Same I knew something bad was about to go down.
I think everyone has a horror story or two to share from that year 🥲
STOP that is so sad 😭 Can’t imagine your stress while waiting for the post office… that is a true nightmare.
The older I get the easier to ignore negativity. It quickly becomes clear when someone is giving real, heartfelt advice and when they just can’t imagine a better life, like you said.
I do love your editing style, so thanks for another lovely video! Have a beaaaaaautiful week 🌙
True. I think the older we get the less we fall into the trap of having any kinds of expectations towards anything. Be it life or let alone post offices lol
Thank you so much! It's also becoming much easier for me to ignore negativity as well, it's much more damaging when you're young!
My worst experience of my art career….I never pursued it. I came from a family of artists….mom, dad, sister, all 4 grandparents! In my younger, more rebellious years I decided I WAS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT….fast forward to today. I am 50 years old and realizing that creating art is a big part of who I am. Better late then never I suppose ❤️
Stupendous, Brooke. You and this video. You asked. I was 24 years old (in 1984) and got a job as Deputy Warden of a community college. The Warden )my boss) was a bitter (that word again), twisted, malevolant who was itching for his retirement (he was 55). He took pleasure, daily, in destroying my confidence by shredding my work of the previous day / evening. I had not, until this point in my life, met a truly evil person, someone intent on getting his kicks by messing up other people (I was not the only one, but I was certainly his fave kicking bag, until I wised up). I thank that man. He taught me SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!
It’s horrible how people think they can do that! How awful you had to go through that.
@russellgibbon8621 What did you do ("until I wised up")? Generally curious; for science. Thanks in advance.
Ugh, people can be so terrible! I'm sorry you had to go through that!
This was a great video, you aren't only an amazing artist but you are so natural in front of the camera.
Thank you for sharing not only your art but your life
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that 🙏
Normally I just listen to TH-cam videos, but with your videos I can't! I have to stop and watch! Because the shots are so beautifully done, it's just relaxing to see. Congratulations 🎉🎉
I fell sorry for those experiences though 😢
Congratulations again and please don't stop making videos ❤❤
Big fan from Brazil
Brooke, your talent for videos is almost equal to your talent for painting. I am so impressed. My worst experience as an artist was in 2006 and 2007. I sold my house and made about $97,000 in profit. I moved into an Artist community and painted full-time and held gallery strolls each month. I sold paintings, but I also had a lot of people coming to my gallery stroll because I was offering free wine and food and spending lots of money. I got a lot of press, including being on TV and featured in our local city magazine and it was wonderful for a time. I was incredibly happy. Then the riff raff moved into the area selling drugs and doing drugs in the open, and it was a dangerous place for a single woman. People became afraid to come to gallery stroll because of these things. After a year and a half of being in the studio/gallery, I ran out of money. I had to move out of the Artist community and into a boring apartment with no room for a studio space. This was over a decade ago and in the interim, I have moved more times than I can count and owned and sold two more houses. I am currently in an apartment using my living room as my art studio space. I guess my biggest lesson from this is that everything changes and we must be resilient!
WOW...thanks for sharing....you are tough!..Janis
Thanks for sharing! In my 20s I had aspirations to do book illustrations and was invited to meet a published children's author. He told me flat out I wasn't good enough, no encouragement or advice. Does one invite people to see them only to shred them? I hung up my pens, and went out and got "regular" jobs for 35 years. Until last year I started painting and well blow me down, I might be quite good at it. Second career starting, 60 is the new 50. 💪
I had the same exact experience and I’m your age too! I was devastated and worked 9 to 5 jobs but got the courage up this year to start over. I wish you the best because even 35 years later, I still remember how I felt. You can do it!🙂
Could not have been easy reliving those experiences for this video so kudos to you for doing it anyway! And it's great to see that you bounced back well from each incident and didn't let any of them derail you. Awesome share!
Bruh…….😨🥺😭 That’s rough but being able to sell prints eases the blow.
I had a series of pieces selling at a local bar downtown for a month. The bar was great with handling payments since everything was cash only and I collected 100% of the profits. Only downside was the security of these pieces on the walls. When I picked up my work, 12 of 15 pieces appeared to have been sold. I was so excited, it took me awhile to count the cash and the owners of the bar also labeled each piece with the payment. A positive relationship and trust was always there. After I got home and put everything away, I did a recap and noticed 1 piece was actually missing. It was not labeled with the other payments and it was not with the remaining pieces. Unfortunately, it was stolen and I look at it as a lesson learned. It’s actually kind of flattering that my work is worth the demand of a 5-finger discount. But I can’t be mad at the bar either since they had been so good to me offering a spot to sell my work, they just needed to figure out a better system in keeping artist stuff secured. 🤷🏾♂️
Was this just because you had friends at the bar or do bars do this for artist? I’m wondering because I’m an artists but I haven’t gotten my art out there
@@jdos5643 Hey, it honestly depends on the bar. It doesn’t hurt to talk to the owners and ask about getting wall space to sell. The 2 bars I sell regularly at want artwork that fits their theme. It benefits you as the artist and enhances the atmosphere where you’re displaying. Some bars may charge for the space or take a percentage off whatever sells. My situations have been unique in a sense. My friends bar takes 10% of whatever I sold and allows me to sell at anytime. The other didn’t charge for anything but only allowed me 1 month to sell as they like to rotate artists giving others opportunities, but you can sell again every few months if available. It’s great exposure but it can be risky with how things are handled. I learned to document and get things in writing so you have some sort of insurance on your work since some places may not have tight security watching your stuff. Or make sure they are displayed in a spot where only the owners/employees can get to if a customer is interested.
But I highly suggest talking to your local bar and see if they’d like to set up an event you can participate and sell your works. That definitely helps and I’ve had other bars reach out and offer to give me space to sell as well. 🙂
At least only one went missing, I had an artist friend mine have an entire series destroyed in a bar& restaurant fire. Like you she had a nice deal with the owners, she had sold art there before with an exhibit. And then one night there was a fire, and worst was her insurance had a clause about the type of venues that they would cover, and they didn't cover restaurants.
@@TinaP1234 Oh my heart.. That is terrible. If it were a few damaged ones I could cope, but an entire series… Damn. I hope great pictures were taken
@@FtLoiterDale I think she did have pictures, at least for social media. She regularly posts her work. It was a bad fire, that burnt the two adjacent businesses. I felt pretty bad for her, she is a nice person and a terrific painter.
Thanks for taking the time to keep posting content for us. Im an artist that has been purposely avoiding any social media. This was very helpful for me given we havw had similar experiences unfortunately. Super shitty these things happened to you! Going forward, im glad your doing better now and hope you are maintaining well.
This is the first of your videos that I've seen and I appreciate all the work you've put in.
Your covid story was painful to listen to, I can't imagine!
I'm 52 and have had sooo many of the - people trying to tear you down at work - experiences. I've worked many odd jobs over the years, as well as persued an acting career in LA, so those experiences have been crazy, unusual and sometimes abusive and cruel.
In 2019 I started drawing in my free time and kept it up during covid.
Recently I shared some of my artwork with an in-law. She went to art school, owned a small gallery and frame shop for years, and I naively thought she'd be happy we would finally have something in common.
Wrong!! Her passive aggressive comments knocked the creative wind out of me. Thank goodness my husband recognized that she was acting out of jealousy. But, even with his encouragement, I haven't been able to work on a piece since this happened 3 months ago. I'm trying to shake it off but its hard.
After hearing your artist community experience, I'm glad I listened to my gut and turned down her offer to join a community she is a part of. I'm keeping my artwork far away from her from now on!
So important to surround yourself with people who lift you up instead of tear you down! I hope you can get your spark back soon and start creating again, I wish you all the best and lots of encouragement! 🙏
@@b.cormier So true! Thank you so much! 💙
Yeah, no that's wrong of them, always encourage. As an artist that's what I'd do. As an art student some critique is necessary, but as others have said, that gets taken too far. But for a beginner to be harsh is totally horrible of them, don't let it stop you. In fact take lessons, you can do that online these days, and show them something in a couple of years to see the look on their face 😅 all it takes to be an artist is persistence
@@ME-xq7lr all good points, thank you! I've been studying online as well as exploring my own style. I think that's partly what bothered her. She took it personally that I didn't reach out to her for help or for her to teach me, which is impractical as she's in another state and doesn't teach online. She's old school and thinks her way is the only way. I'm currently using my own photography as reference but she thinks that's "cheating". Thankfully I get constructive criticism from my husband, who's in media arts, but what she was offering was far from constructive. Anyway, I could go on but I'm sure you get the gist of it. Thanks for the encouragement, I need it and appreciate it!
11:33 one of the best and funniest transitions/self promo I've seen 😂 you can feel this video was made with so much love despite the tough life experiences that inspired it :O tysm for sharing / filming this ! 💗
Oh my gosh. I don’t think I’ve had one worth remembering yet. But, I’m just getting started as a professional. The tip about getting things fully insured is priceless.
Great job editing and filming this one, Brooke!
This video is a work of art. The editing, the music, the story-telling. 12/10 Brooke!! Thank you for sharing ❤
Your storytelling is so good, as well as the transitions, timing, soundtrack (seems like the ones from Snoopy, the cartoon). Thank you so much!
Outstanding Video Brooke, Lovely of you to share your rocky road of an art career on the road to worldwide success. Sorry to hear your originals disappeared. I think someone saw an opportunity and grabbed them. They are alive and well somewhere.💜
I litteraly cried when she told that last story. The canoe painting is litteraly on of my fav paintings of Brooke's and I didn't realize it was gone.. im so sorry and devastated for her ❤😢 as a fellow artist I know how hard it is to loose something u worked to hard at.
You are so captivating and talented. It's such a bummer that these things happened to you, but I'm convinced you'll continue to have a great career as an artist. And what an amazing career to have. You are your own boss, on your own schedule, doing what inspires you / what makes you happy to make a living. I'm jealous.
Excellent content.
Loved this video and how sassy it was Brooke! I'm a newer art business but I hadn't even thought about insurance. Thanks for the tip for the future!
My worst experience wasn't awful but just made me disappointed in myself. I couldn't get find a job during the pandemic so I opened commissions for my art just to scrape up any money I could. My aunt purchased one and I way undercharged for the amount of work I did (not just in a "oh you're a new artist so your prices will start low" kind of way, like $50 for a full commissioned portrait that took ages). My friend even messaged me immediately after seeing the rates on my commission announcement post and said "ma'am you are worth more." (true friend right there).
I also took wayyyyy too long to complete it (2 years working on it inconsistently) to the point where I felt bad even making my aunt pay the $50 I was charging. I also used a terrible quality photo that made it hard to complete the piece AND I screwed up the proportions and had to repaint half of her face. Just an absolute mess all around.
So now I'm gonna remember to include a timeline in my commission contract to hold myself accountable, not just my customers.
It’s not always rainbows and butterflies being an artist, that’s for sure! Thank you for your candid and funny way of sharing this with us. It gave me a fresh perspective on dealing with my own art career blunders and trolls. You are awesome! ❤
Beautiful video again, and wow i felt your pain !
I don't have a lot of experience in the artworld, since i can say i am getting serious since last year. In that year, i worked 21 hours in my other job, plus all the work i did as an artist, participate in 7 artfare, and sold for only couple hundred box of derived product and one art piece (that i sold for 100 box). I have two young children under 5. Also followed a course that was one day a week plus homework, for four months. So, i fell into depression for too much work in the past two years actually. So what i learned from that is to choose wisely my projects. To evaluate better my capacity and I will focus on one job now.
Before, i did not know that it was possible to live from your art. Now that i know, i have put so much work and effort in getting better and try to show my work to the world. It is hard work really, so i admire all that you do, it is impressive.
I think a lot of people don’t believe it’s possible, but it totally is! Good luck on your journey, I’m starting the path to being an independent artist myself.
Thank you for sharing. You make your worst experiences quit funny. Love to watch.
This channel is so underrated. The quality, your personality and the stories 👌🏼
Love your sense of humour😂. Thanks to share your experiences with us. I love your work and ignore toxic people and comments, they are the problem not you. 😊
Well done Brooke. Your integrity towards your collectors is to be commended and this story can be used to build trust at the very least. I know of an artist who was contacted by a collector wanting to know where his painting was. It turned out the gallery had sold his painting twice and shipped it to the second purchaser. They had been payed in full both times. The artist painted another painting for the customer and sent it over to him personally.
Your missing paintings looked great by the way.
Great video! $8k!!! Ouch. I was the president of a local art association for a few years. I loved it. I hope I was never like the one you met. In fact, I think it was my job (and the job of every artist) to be the exact opposite. We are here to inspire! Thanks for sharing. Like the great American philosopher Peter Cetera said, “You’re the Inspiration”.
Agreed! I am on the board of one as well. Especially when there are young artists starting out, I go out of my way to be positive, helpful and encouraging. From experience though I have seen some people behave so badly, when they feel threatened. It is such a shame
Yours is way worse I'm so sorry that happened to you! I watched your whole series with Tim and remember hearing those first two stories, so awful.
I recently learnt the importance of waiting long enough before varnishing! Was rushing to get a commission shipped in time for Christmas and went ahead and varnished it too soon. I came back to package it the next day and a whole section of the painting had literally disintegrated!! (the section had a lot of ivory black in the mix which I forgot dries so slow) long story short: had a breakdown, removed varnish, repainted, WAITED, revarnished and now it's safely with the customer thank god
Oof!! Lesson learned the hard way haha - I've made that mistake before too , it's rough!
Very nicely done on the video. Your work looks outstanding. It was fun hearing your stories. Here's one. After an art show, I got a call from someone who had come. She asked to buy a framed limited edition of one of my pieces, without the art. She only wanted the frame.
Oh my gosh, the rudeness! 🫢. Did you sell it to her?
Wow! The audacity
So sorry to hear about all these trials! I'd be willing to bet that the art is hanging in some creeps home. In any event, apart from the art "lessons", this was a brilliant and well done video. Good luck with the rest of your career - you are still quite young and have an entire life ahead of you. Wishing you all the best.
Thanks so much, I really apprecaite it!
having thick skin online is great practical advice brooke, thanks for sharing !
Wow the last one was terribly unlucky but can I just say this was filmed and edited flawlessly, you are an amazing storyteller.
Love the positivity from the back of this, great way to get your character across, keep up the positivity & beautiful work!
Absolutely fantastic…your humor ….keeps bringing me back for more 🤣🤣🤣🤣
You are amazing Brooke, in every sense of the word. Your art, your personality, your positivity and your semi snarky sense of humor 😅. That what doesn’t kill us indeed makes us stronger. You will grow and will continue to learn, but most importantly by sharing your experience you will gain more attention, work and followers. Good luck to you! You are a class act 💪❤
That is so sweet, really. Thank you Maria!
Adding a little something of my own to help with the dreaded algorithm & for the catharsis.
About 14 years ago I lost vision in one eye & that inspired me to take my illustration seriously. One of my first series were a set of 6x6 acrylics. I struggled to part with them because of how proud I was of their execution & that I also enjoyed having them in my home. But, I decided the grown up artist thing was to let them go, at least I could receive compensation & start to "get myself out there".
Found an odd little local business with an aesthetic I thought would give them a good position to take off.
Made an agreement with the owner on all the business details and went back home to wait in anticipation.
At one point I broke down & contacted them to confirm that they had all my information correct, and waited.
Then call went unanswered.
Then the number was disconnected.
...
Went to their location, empty.
I try to be sympathetic because I know having a business fail is devastating.
But to just be forgotten like that.
I hope they at least found a home, the alternative is just too sad.
Mega impressed with how well edited and thought out this video is, Brooke. You've inspired me to carry on making my TH-cam videos after giving up two years ago.
One bad experience was early on in my career accepting a commission from a horse veterinarian. She messaged me on Facebook to paint the view from her garden on a large canvas. I told her it would be £840. She was thrilled and so I got to work. Two weeks later it was finished. I sent her a photo of the finished piece thinking that she'd love it, and send me the money and I'd send her the artwork. But I had been naive - I didn't take a deposit before starting and I had sent her a photo of the finished artwork she could have just printed off and kept. I didn't hear back from her at all - she ghosted me and blocked me on all social media avenues! Lesson learned.
My first solo exhibition was held in a small local gift shop. I invited all of my friends and family to the opening. I bought all of the food and drink myself, but the owner said he'd be happy to split the cost with me. I sold five paintings! Totaling £980! The shop owner said that he'd pay me all in one go after my exhibition was over. Shortly after my show had finished he claimed for bankruptcy. That was nine years ago! He still owes me over £300 which I've now given up on chasing up. In hindsight, I was too trusting and should have written up a contract.
Hey, your videos keep getting better and better, especially from a production stand point. You're doing fantastic work here! Keep at it!
This video was so well made! Well done and sorry to hear all of that happened! Thank you for the message. I will try to remember it!
OH NO! What a horrific experience with the two missing paintings. And that "May" painting is my favourite of yours. So glad you had pro photos of them. That is utterly heartbreaking, and I cant believe the P.O. told you they were thrown in a dumpster. Whether true or not, that is utter irresponsibility. Totally heartbreaking. But sadly, a lesson well learned.
Incredible share. Thank you Brooke.
I've been following you for years, waaaaay before covid. I've been a long time fan of your art, I love your colors and technique, but may I say that what makes it better is the artist herself? You just have such a beautiful way to you, a sensational and elegant sense of humor and eloquence.
Anyway, art may come and go, but a strong character stays for the ages and will overcome any hardships as well as a foundation to keep creating. Never lose that part of yourself (and of course your sense of humor) and you will never lose your way. Best of luck always, warm hugs from Mexico.
I really admire artists that are able to make a living off their artwork. It seems like hell at times though!
I do artwork as a hobby, mostly for myself, and have only given away or sold a few pieces over the years, and I avoid commissions like the plague. (maybe this is why)
One time a guy I knew begged me to draw him a tattoo, begged and begged. I told him I don't really do that style of artwork but he said he loved my work that he had seen and really wanted a tattoo like some of the things I had drawn. He told me what he wanted and I finally agreed. It was just colored pencil but when I finished and gave it to him he looked at it for about 30 sec and then said, "You aren't very good at this are you." He then took a ball point pen and marked up the drawing more to his liking.
Another time I had a boyfriend who was always telling everyone how much he loved my artwork and how talented I was. He said it would mean so much to him if I painted him something, so I did. After he saw it he said, "Well, I guess I can hang that in my closet."
I try to think of something positive to take away from this but mostly I learned to be more careful who I share my passions with.
I think that is a lesson learned to surround yourself with people who will support you and lift you up! Those people didn’t deserve your art, I hope it doesn’t stop you from creating ✊
I feel for you on the loss of two paintings in that way, heard some horror stories of packages being left outside at the mercy of the elements in the UK in more recent postal strikes, thankfully I avoided sending any of my (way less valuable) art at that time. As for the AMA incident, oh WOW, people do love to think the worst and call anyone out on the basis of their speculation dont they! My worst experience has been mild compared to that, someone really having a got at taking over one of my social media accounts, thankfully unsuccessful but it has made me question whether I want to carry on trying to build up an art business online & via social media.
The video is SOOO WELL DONE, I just couldn't take my eyes off, so delightful to watch. THANK YOU for your thoughts! Wish these three situations be your the worst experiences ever and nothing worse would happened. Wish you all the best!
What a fierce you woman you are. It makes me proud to hear about young women like yourself (my children’s ages) who are focusing on meaningful things. These were bad situations. Not broken fingernails. You handled yourself masterfully.
Omg Brooke!! What?? This is truly an artist's nightmare, I can't imagine the emotions you felt at the time 😫
haha youre awesome and i appreciate your sense of humor...stay creative!
The best video I've watch in a long time! Very well produced! The details and the story.. Fantastic!
I feel like I really resonate with you and your life even thought I’m in a different career. Everything you’ve gone through I’ve gone through.
I cannot believe you had to go through these experiences. I learnt from this video that no matter how bad experience I have in my art carrier, I will never give up on my dream and keep on going and learning from those experiences. Very grateful to follow your social media as a little kid and now as a undergrad fine arts student. Hope to meet you someday and learn about being a fulltime artist and the business side of art. Keep creating and keep inspiring!
Hey Brooke - Thanks for sharing your stories. I"m glad to hear that you were able to turn your bad experiences into something positive.
...which got me to thinking about my own worst experiences... There have been a few over the years.
I had a portfolio review that was quite brutal and insulting. My ego was bruised, but I came away with a critical piece of advice: "If you want to be the best, study with the best teachers!" That, and my stubbornness, eventually led me to finding the most brilliant and wonderful mentor a few years down the road.
There was my entry into the Academy's annual student competition, a charcoal piece that was knocked over, marred, scuffed, paint spilled upon, and virtually destroyed several times during creation. Finally as it was being framed, I was called to the back and informed that the framer's tie had come loose and dragged across the surface - right in the middle of the face! As I grabbed my tools to begin one last repair, I turned to the framer (who was panic stricken), smiled, and said "Hey, I'm getting pretty good at fixing this piece!"
Then there was the large charcoal piece that I spent weeks on. I had procured a buyer in my hometown when I decided to move back to be with family. I spray fixed the drawing (3 times!), built spacers to protect the surface, protected front and back with foam board and several layers of bubble wrap. I shipped it off to arrive at my home shortly after my return.
When the package arrived, I opened the box to discover that all of the charcoal had come off the surface and was laying in a sooty pile at the bottom of the box. *sigh* It kinda broke my heart, so much so that I started looking into more permanent mediums and sealants for my work. That turned a disaster into a bonus.
And here is probably my favorite from a story viewpoint: I was working as a caricature artist when a man approached me and said this:
"You drew my mother a couple weeks ago. She just died. I'm very superstitious and I want my money back because - wait for it - *YOUR DRAWING KILLED MY MOTHER*.......
(Turns out the guy was not mentally stable, but how was I to know at the time....?)
I had no choice but to laugh and view it as the most bizarre experience of my art career - and the most scathing critique I had ever received to boot. I called my mentor at the Atelier and said "Remember all those times students got emotional during critiques? Well I've got a doozy for you...."
The good news is, I figured that after that there was pretty much nothing worse that someone could say about my art, and since then I can take any criticism that comes my way.
Plus it makes a great story. And I can always take solace when a piece doesn't go well.... "Well, this drawing didn't turn out as good as I intended... but hey, nobody died!" ;)
With each disaster and bad experience, I became more resilient and confident, and less afraid of the bad things that could happen.
Cheers and best of luck to you and your art!
Mikey
I can't imagine one of my pieces going missing! Your resilience is really inspiring, and I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I personally can't complain because my worst experience was my Newfie somehow managing to get near a commission and smear the final layer with his tail- an extra 3 hours later the dog was clean and the painting fixed
Your personality is adorable! This video was well orchestrated and edited...the time it must've taken! Kudos to you...I wish you much success over the course of your career!
Jfc on the last story, I'm so sorry ;; I mean they were all shitty, but the last one must have been so painful. A lesson I've learned from my own shipping nightmare: Keep a very detailed record of what's in the insured packages you send, and also take pictures of the package before you ship so you can describe what it looks like in detail to the post office. Also ask the recipient to immediately take a picture before opening the package if anything seems sus about it and to also keep the packaging for the post office to inspect in case you need to file an insurance claim if anything is wrong like something is damaged and there are missing contents.
Long story short I shipped some of my stock to a warehouse in a different country and the package was basically lost for a month and a half and when it arrived it was water damaged, a chunk of items had been stolen and a whole batch of expensive prints had been ruined. The value was not anywhere near what you experienced, but for a struggling small business owner it was devastating, especially because it delayed the reopening of my store for so long when I was dependent on income from it :'>
Omg so horrible, it's so terrible when stuff like this happens to small businesses, I feel your pain! Good that you're checking all your boxes now (even if it's more work to ensure safe arrival)!
well similar experience but a commission of a dog portrait done in pastel. Packaged and sent through Canada Post, with insurance and tracking and oddly enough also during the pandemic. It arrived after weeks of inquiries from me and the person who commissioned it BUT it arrived damaged. Because it was damaged and not lost, no compensation from Canada post or USPS .. nice. Someone had clearly stepped on it and left boot prints.... sigh 😞
Oh no, how awful. 😢 I was sure that the insurance covered damage also(you have to get a photo of the damaged package and the damaged contents).
They should have compensated you. ❤
That's crappy . I always thought the insurance with shipping covered damaged "goods" not just lost.
Great video! Thanks for sharing 😀
Ok may I just say this video is a work of art. I am so impressed with your filming and editing skills. Never have I ever hit a subscribe button with more enthusiasm than just now. Incredible work!!
I can't think of worst experiences I've had yet, seeing that I'm only transitioning to being a full time artist. Wish me luck. Thank you for sharing yours though so I can learn the easy way and wishing me to avoid bad experiences moving forward. Cheers! ;D
Such a crushing story for that number #3 but wow you told it all so well. Love the way you created this video and all of your vids! My worst art career experience has got to be when a friend commissioned me to create a HUGE painting ... in another artist's style. She had sent me her work and I said 'I can't copy her art but I can create a similar vibe using similar colours etc' then I made her several small paintings to show what I could do and she basically said 'Nope, I want it to be exactly like the other artsts work - never mind' It was so weird coz I am a portrait and animal artist mainly and she wanted an abstract landscape - wtf! Oh well. Learnt my lesson there - decline when they have something very particular in mind and are not after your personal work. x
So sorry you had to go through that but you have prevailed! Keep going girl‼️👏🖼🖌️
But that little cute doggy at 8:55 made the struggle worth it right? RIGHT?! So darn cute.
Yeah, I knew it 12:35
That suggar daddy comment resonate with me the most. I remember on my 3rd day as a stockbroker, I ask middle-aged man about books recommendation to learn more about technical analysis. His answer was: oh, don't be bother. You can just ask me. You just need to smile to your client and you'll get paid 🤯 I took a pity on unhappy people who slash their bitterness to others 😇
Wow how refreshing to have an interestingly made video that is art related. I’m sure there are others however I’m just very impressed with the overall production of your video. Bravo Brook for an informative video that is not boring, well scripted, produced/directed( to yourself?lol) acted, entertaining and very well done in general. Thanks for this.
Die Geschichte mit dem Postoffice ist ja echt hart...mein Beileid. Hatte in den letzten Jahren auch ein paar schlimme Erfahrungen als selbstständiger Illustrator und Maler, daraus wächst man, da hast Du recht. Ich finde deine Bilder schön und glaube du könntest einen höheren Preis dafür verlangen. Alles Gute Dir.
Awesome video. You can tell you are an artist by the amazing care a detail put into shooting and editing. Your video is a little art piece on its own. Don’t stop.
Such a nice video! I'm so sorry for your losses 😢
I've been working as a professional artist for the last 43 years and I have so much I want to say to you, Brooke. For the sake of brevity, the douche bag that told you to get a sugar daddy is on the edge of giving up himself. You'll be selling paintings long after he finally gains his management position at McDonalds.
Shipping artwork is always a risk. I've had forklifts driven through my paintings, frames cracked and broken, I've had galleries close up in the night and disappear with my artwork. I too have had to return money to a customer with apologies. This is all part of being a self-employed artist and, although these issues suck, I can say that I've had WAY more positive experiences and bad ones.
Anyone running a business of any kind has similar little setbacks. I still wouldn't have traded my art career for any other. Speaking from experience, you're on the right track. Stay tough, take your punches and keep going. It really is worth it.
wow this video was heartbreaking, funny, and heartwarming all at the same time. It's weirdly nice to know that other artists, and artists that are super successful, have had rough times too. It's always amusing when bitter people give bad and inappropriate advice, always more telling about them than anything else. Reddit is a WILD place and while I would have been horrified, it's awesome you got some solid business from that. And oh my god I about cried with you on the postal service experience, that is definitely every artists worst nightmare! I am soooo sorry that happened. Yikes!
Thank you so much h for sharing these terrible experiences!
I just went to your site, your work is outstanding! Congratulations on your hard-earned skills and fortitude! Much continued success!
So far other than not having any sales lol is when I was just getting back to my painting after my retirement. I was watching an interview with a prominent artist who runs an atelier and he was saying how basically if you’re not a teenager you’re not ever going to be any good. I actually let this get to me for some time but eventually worked my way past that stupid comment and am now quite happily painting and improving everyday. As you said, words have weight! Thanks for the video, terrible about your lost art. But I’m glad you’re able to at least sell the prints.
This is such a well planned, beautifully shot, and fantastically edited video! Wow wow wow. I love what you’re saying (the content and its honesty), but the video works so hard, and it’s got a life of its own. Love it.
Holy moly … the last one hit HARD. So sorry for your loss!
This video is awesome, love the style. I don’t have enough experience to say I have nightmares from my art career. But you know what I would love to see, is how do you cast goals/plan a day/stay productive and not lose track of time?
I make jewelry models for companies sometimes as a freelancer and the worst thing is having to make so many changes cause no one knows what they want and are doing! And getting paid is always a struggle!!! Love your work!
Aaaawww, bloody hell. 😥 Poor Brooke. Sending you love, hugs (and not bugs as I initially wrote), and many warm, comforting thoughts and energy. Thank you for sharing your hard learned wisdom and experiences. You are indeed an amazing artist ❤🙏❤🫂🫂🫂❤❤❤👍👍👍💪💪💪
Thank you so much!
You are hilariously funny @Brook Cormier and your video editing is top tier!
What a great video! So well made and the third situation really killed me - I am very sorry for you and your hard work!
I am a fulltime illustrator myself and I got a bunch of very bad advise when I started out. Also I had to learn the hard way that a lot of puplishing companies want the work done as fast as possible but will take themself all time of the world to pay for said work. Longest episode I had to wait for a big payment that was really needed at my end were 7 months.
Also I learned that a lot companies are very.. strange when it comes to the usage rights. A lot have very strict contracts but some refuse to do contracts at all - which is super wierd. There are some companys using my work without any usage rights for years and they still do not want to put effort into a contract - even when I ask them every half year.. whats wrong with them?
Yes, you need a contract. If a company refuses to do one with you, then they are shady!
They KNOW that by being evasive, most newbie artists will give-in and do the art anyway.
Then, they will just make use of your art forever, any way they choose and since there are no restrictions that you can hold them to, they will continue to do what they wan with it.
The Graphic Artist's Guild used to put out a printed handbook that had contract samples in it and I am sure they must be online now, and have newly updated tips, advice and prob artist's Contracts that can be used for presenting to the potential art buyer.
One company I did some freelance work for in my early days, had presented a Contract to the artists that we had to sign.
You can always request an amendment to something you don't feel comfortable with in the contract.
My very first freelance job was a huge amount of lightly detailed technical paintings (airbrush) for a small media company who was doing a slideshow for a large aerospace company.
The job's requirements were ridiculous and it was turned-down by several artist's they worked with in the past.
I heard of the job when by chance, another fellow artist who had paid them a visit to show his portfolio, could not do the job because of not having those particular skills.
But they were running late know with THEIR CONTRACT with the aerospace company, so the deadline was now stupid, but after seeing my portfolio, they offered it and I took it.
But it ended up being a painting per day (or more 😱), (following the provided technical drawings), for the agreed-upon price.
Then after I delivered the last painting to them (which of course they still had to photograph and add to the slideshow they were creating), they tried to pull a fast one on me and add-in 2 additional paintings AFTER the contracted amount was fulfilled, AND THEY EXPECTED IT TO BE FOR FREE! 🤬
I promptly referred them back to the contract that I had them sign in order for me to do the job.
One of the owners of the company tried to bully me into it, and the last straw was referring to me as an "inexperienced girl".
Well, that was it.
I told him if he wanted those 2 NEW paintings, that it would have to be a new contract for them, an I charged them 2X the amount as I did for the entire group of initial paintings.
They had spilled the beans that they had already promised the aerospace company that they would add the 2 new slides to the slideshow and had no artist to paint the images.
I had also found out that they were getting paid an exorbitant amount of $$$ for that slideshow and were definitely not passing any of it along in the offering to the artist.
Well, they learned their lesson. That not all artists will be bullied into taking offers of less than their time and skills are worth.
My advice is to have your contract ready (unless the company has one and they insist on using theirs), and don't ever be bullied into doing free work because you are newer to the industry.
@@pat4005 Wow what a stressfull situation! I am very sorry you had to go through that!
And yes - I should maybe mentioned that I am from germany. Here is the copyright extremly tight and I never lose my ownership and customers only get usage rights. So if companys do not have a contract with me but use my art - I am the one who is lucky. Thats why I am very chill about it. Guess I will write a contract myself with a fee ffor every year in which they used my art without usage rights~
My worst experience has been a combination of experiences. I've been trying to get my career off the ground for about 8 years and every time I have started to gain some momentum I've been forced to stop by some kind major health event. It's meant I've had to stop painting for years at a time but here I am - at it again, and with a diagnosed chronic illness. I have so much anxiety around my dream being ripped from under my feet again but I'm trying. I've started a TH-cam channel and I'm painting as much as I can, and I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it 💕
thank you so much for sharing this experience, it's relatable 🙌
Great video Brooke! Thanks for sharing your story 💕
Very educational. Sorry to hear about your experiences - but thank you for making us aware. Like+subscription.
Brooke, this is so well made! I love seeing how you get even better at this whole youtube thing with every new video :) I remember from your IG when the paintings went missing and think about this drama every time I ship a bigger piece overseas. Just had a little scare with a painting I shipped to India and what kept me sane was remembering I am not the only artist in this misery and it could happen to anyone ;) Love what you're doing here, keep up the great work!
I absolutely adore the way you filmed and edited this! Amazing job, Brooke!
I love you and your artistic personality truly fills brand with enthusiasm that pulls artist in me to come out of the area where i struggle to empathise now the areas where i couldn't make sense lead me to question and solve the senses that became senseless.
God bless your creativeness and passions!
I'm really impressed by the quality of your production. Such great story telling too. Big fan!
Putting your face on, is a work of art in itself. An artists life is a solitary affair. Thank you.
Awesome video. It's good you overcame those obstacles. I hope your art career continues to flourish.
My personal worst experience in art happened during high school. We had a teacher that was quite opposed to everything outside of her definition of art. When reviewing my work she was constantly calling me out for my simplification of objects or the fact that I would draw some more cartoony style drawing on some pages for fun indicated I wasn't taking things seriously enough to be an artist.
So I just quit. If the art world was supposed to be super serious without exploration I had no interest in it. What brought me in was the things I had fun with.
So I quit drawing for nearly 20 years and only recently started again last year.
Wonderful video! You just gained another sub!
I’m fairly new in my official art career, having sold stuff for years but only starting to take actual commissions last year, but my biggest (not that big)client made me run in loops to get his commission done in the way he wanted… I have learnt though, that every bad experience is definitely a lesson and helps more clearly define your boundaries in every individual career! Thanks again for the great watch!
Loved your stories and hearing about the struggles you’ve endured along your journey! I also thought this whole video was a lovely piece of art. We’ll soon Brooke, stay rad!
I had a somewhat similar story early on. In 2001, I was doing architectural illustrations while in school. I had been doing work for for a contractor in Hawaii when 9/11 hit. For 2 weeks, air travel halted, and I had been air mailed a check. This was before the time of Venmo and online payments just weren't very popular back them. I went to my dad's office and helped out designing homes. My dad was subleasing to an engineer, and I started doing civil drafting. By 2003, I took over my dad's company, and partnered with the engineer to do commercial civil engineering. I never went to college for engineering, but ended up a civil engineer. So art actually led to engineering. I still feel like I'm more artist than engineer, and someday I'll get back selling most likely aviation art.
I felt that last story so much ❤ Ugh. You’re unstoppable though. Loved this video.
I love your videos! You ability to look back at this with humor is a testament to your strength as an entrepreneur. Where did you get this embosser and gold sticker paper?
You rock!!! And your work is beautiful...💗