Growing Beyond Being an Instagram Artist with Sara Schroeder (#119)

Have you ever experienced success in any area and then realized it
wasn’t exactly what you wanted after all? My guest today
experienced unexpected and surprising growth as her Instagram
following quickly grew from 10,000 followers to over 70,000
followers in just a few years. In this episode of The Art Biz, I’m
talking to Sara Schroeder. We talk about the creative way that she
overcame her fear of selling and what she wishes she had known to
do differently while in the throes of that success.

For more than a year, Sara has been using tools like journaling
and the Enneagram to discover more about herself and explore
where she wants her work to go, and now she's looking for more.
She knows there's a deeper level of fulfillment beyond posting
and looking for sales online, so she has stepped back and
reassessed. You'll hear Sara mention her upcoming solo show,
which is part of a challenge that I issue to students in my
seasonal programs. We also discuss why her Instagram strategy has
changed and what her new approaches for Instagram and marketing
in general.


 


Highlights




“I fell in love with making art all over again.” (2:00)




The value of finding a dedicated space for your art. (7:11)




The difference between Sara’s maximum and minimal art.
(10:18)




Sara’s success on Instagram took off and quickly became
overwhelming. (12:20)




When app demands take over making artwork. (18:55)




The evolution of Sara’s work since pulling back from
Instagram. (24:07)




The process of self discovery through journaling, meditating,
and the Enneagram. (28:01)




Details of Sara’s latest 100-piece collection. (32:00)




How Sara would have handled her initial success and systems
differently. (34:49)




Sara’s modified Instagram presence and increased in-person
collaborations. (39:47)




Sara’s typical work week and why she starts work at 11 AM.
(46:32)




 


Mentioned




Lisa Congdon’s illustration classes




Andy J. Pizza




Art:21




Enneagram




Natalie Goldberg’s Freewriting




Artist Planning Sessions




 


Resources




Show notes, images, and listener comments




How to Price Your Art free report




Art Biz Connection artist membership




First posted: artbizsuccess.com/growing-schroeder-podcast


 


Guest Bio


Sara Schroeder is an abstract painter using gestural movement,
intuitive marks, and saturated colors to convey energy and
emotion. Works on canvas and paper feature drips, swipes,
scratching, and subtraction methods, which build upon one another
to form abstractions of nature. She finds inspiration in the
potent hues of tropical plant life and the subdued pastel motifs
of the Art Deco period preserved in Miami. Identifying with
Kandinsky’s belief that color influences the soul, Sara's process
incorporates the psychology of color, intuition, and chance.


 


Integrating into her work what psychotherapist Carl Rogers called
“unconditional positive regard”, she aims to inspire rich
revelations and encounters of the human spirit. Her works are
held nationally and around the world in hundreds of private
collections.