April has FLOWN by. But it has turned into May, which means our next installment of the SBS. So meet the talented Ms. Audrey Hicks!
So I've already broken my rule...I was going to ONLY do these in Black and White. But as soon as I walked into her studio (my very FIRST SBS shoot btw) Audrey's work is so colorful and full of life, I knew I was going to have to break my rules for this one.
Now, let's hear from Audrey:
Name: Audrey Hicks
Business Name: Audrey Hicks Fine Art
Website: www.audreyhicks.com
Favorite Dessert: donuts, churros, sopapillas…. Just fry some bread and put sugar on it
Favorite Artist/Album: The Shins/ Oh, Inverted World
When did you start your business? I just began showing and selling my paintings this year in January. My website has been active for 6 months or so, but I just added pricing to it this year.
What inspired you to start it? I was at Classen Grill one morning last year and I asked about the artwork hanging in the restaurant. I found out that Classen Grill, as well as many other businesses in Oklahoma City, allow local artists to display their work for free for a month at a time. I decided it was time for me to take my painting to the next level and start trying to sell it.
What would you say was your biggest challenge to overcome? The biggest challenge for me in selling my artwork is pricing, especially here at the beginning. Finding a balance between what the piece is worth to me and how much it might be worth to someone else is difficult. I have the tendency to think that I am pricing too high, but then they sell and I wonder if I may have priced it too low!
Who/what was your biggest encouragement and why? My husband is definitely my biggest encouragement. He’s the one who convinced me my art could sell and then helped me work up the nerve to ask businesses if I could display, he’s the one who tells me that I am pricing my work too low, and he is the one who compliments my work from start to finish. He is pretty much responsible for every scrap of self-esteem I possess.
What is your favorite part of your business: I can’t even describe how wonderful it feels to sell a painting. The fact that someone wants to pay me actual money for something that I created from my own imagination is such an incredible compliment. It just makes my heart soar.
Any advice to anyone who might be starting a business like yours? If you are wondering whether you should try to sell your artwork, just go for it. Don’t doubt yourself and wonder if your work is “good enough”. There are so many avenues for selling art now that there is just no reason not to try.
Anything else about your business that you’re passionate about? The whole process from concept to creation to completion of a piece is just so exciting. I love that I have no restrictions or guidelines as to what or when or how I can paint. I have no deadlines and I am not being graded or judged. It is a very free and flexible process that I truly enjoy. Painting is very rewarding, whether the piece sells or not.