Kathie and Buddy Odom were our latest guests on our BoldBrush Live! program. As a paid subscriber, we are happy to provide not only the video replay but the full transcript of the insightful session with the Odom’s below. Please keep in mind the transcripts are generated by AI so there may be some typos.
Creatively,
Clint Watson
BoldBrush Founder & Creativity Fanatic
PS - This email may be too long for some email programs. We suggest you watch/read it on the web by clicking the button below
Olya Konell 00:00
So welcome to BoldBrush LIVE. Today, we have an exciting pair of guests, Kathie and Buddy Odom. And I have Angela with me today. And Angela is our artist, relations director. And Clint isn't able to join us today. But he will be at one of our upcoming webinars. So we're excited to have a discussion today focusing on, you know, getting stuff done, you know, art and marketing, but specifically on, you know, working with another person that, you know, can help us execute our marketing tasks. If you have questions throughout the webinar, please feel free to use the q&a option at the bottom of your zoom window, you can put your questions in there at any time, we'll do our best to try to get through them. And then if it's a specific question for for Kathie or buddy, I will go ahead and forward them on if we don't get to it to them. So that way they can connect with you afterwards, we'll be sharing some links. So you know, if you need to get if you miss a link in the chat, and you are, you know, forget to copy it. After the webinar, we will have the recording available next week. So if you are a FASO or BoldBrush member, you're going to be able to log into your account. And you'll be able to access your account from the bulk access the recording from the BoldBrush circle of marketing. If you're not a FASO, or BoldBrush, or BoldBrush member, you can still get the recording for free, you just have to make sure you're subscribed to either the free or paid version of the BoldBrush letter, which is just our newsletter. And this newsletter, we send out basically tips and educational stuff about how to about creativity, marketing, your art, you know, stuff like that. But you want to make sure you subscribe to that, by the end of the weekend. And the link for that is found in the email that you clicked on, you know, to join this webinar, if you go back to that email, it'll say recording, and then I'll have the link on how to do that. If you're a FASO BoldBrush member, you don't need to do anything. It's already available through logging into your account. So a few basic kind of little announcements, and then we'll dive right in. So I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen. So this is the boldbrush.com. website. This is where we share our newsletter. And then for members, this is the BoldBrush circle of marketing if you're new, available by clicking on the marketing tab from your account, for anybody that doesn't know who BoldBrush is just a quick little blurb about who we are, we offer basically, solutions for artists. And so we offer education, inspirational content, we connect artists with other artists, we offer apps and media, we have free resources, which is the BoldBrush Show podcast, the BoldBrush Letter newsletter, this webinar that we do for free every month. And then we also have the BoldBrush contest, which is an art contest that you can enter for that I think it's first time is free, right Angela, or it's free to do this.
Angela Agosto 03:05
So if you're not, if you're not a FASO member, it's free for everybody the first time if you're a FASO member, depending on your plan, you'll get 2, 3, 4 depending on which plan you're on free entries every month. And
Olya Konell 03:17
what's cool about the BoldBrush contests is a lot of galleries actually look at that. And then they will actually that's we we've actually talked to various artists and gallery owners and they look at the contest who the winners are who the end who who entered. So it's definitely a great opportunity just to get your art out there, specifically to people that are in the art space. For products we offer websites. So we are a tech company we offer Fine Art Studio Online FASO, we have our own websites. And we also offer artful Squarespace by a FASO, which is a you can get Squarespace under our umbrella. For the best plan that is discounted at a lower price. You also get free, you know, ability to have a free email account and do all of that it's all included, you get access to all of our marketing resources. So if you're already a Squarespace member, you can actually bring your site under our umbrella. If you have questions on that, just shoot us an email. And that will help with your pricing and giving you these additional marketing benefits that you would not get just by going directly to squarespace.com. And we again, on our website, you'll find everything else that we have. So feel free to check it out. Yeah, Angela, we'll go ahead and share some links. So let's dive into the fun stuff. All right, welcome. This is Kathie Odom and her husband, Buddy. And they Cathy is an artist. You could see her beautiful artwork behind her. And I'm going to let Cathy to introduce herself and just give us a brief overview. Tell us a little bit about yourself
Kathie Odom 04:59
where Hello, I'm Kathie Odom. I live in East Tennessee and I paint. I started late to the game, as I say it, it started when I was 50 years old, I was an art major that kind of put everything away except for created jobs. But as far as doing my own work a little bit before that was given a birthday present at age 50. And it was an old painting class and it included plein air painting, and I've been hooked ever since. And I think that we pretty much developed a career out of it. You can have a second why. And I'm proof of that for sure. A whole lot younger to
Olya Konell 05:57
Oh, god. Yeah, age is just a number age is just a number that we it's all in our head. Yeah, but so this is what I love about your story is we have a lot of people that are like, Oh, it's too late for me. I'm already in my 40s I'm in my 50s I'm you know, it's not it is absolutely not. And and you are absolutely evidence of that, that if this is something that you love to do, you can absolutely turn it into a career. So. So briefly, before we kind of dive into the other questions, I would like to kind of feature Well, first of all, you just got back from Europe and did a lot of painting. And you have a lot of stuff on the calendar for this year. So I have your website up behind me you have workshops, and we'll share the link. So if you are having to leave early, we'll share these links once we'll share them at the end, and then we'll have them with the recording. But if you want to join a workshop, or you want to see what workshops are available, there's that anything you want to mention specifically about your events and workshops.
Kathie Odom 07:08
Well, I do think there's one spot black, maybe two for the Spain trip this fall. And I would love for somebody to hop on that. But we are really excited about that trip. Buddy and I are going a little bit early so we can feast on Sir Roy. Yeah. And then we're gonna go pain and Costa Brava with a lot of great friends. So
Olya Konell 07:35
Wow. And I want to mention something I've always wondered. So when artists do these getaway trips to paint a you technically turn it into a business event. So you get to write off stuff, right?
Buddy Odom 07:52
Government of the United States of America allows us to write that off. That's correct.
Olya Konell 07:57
Data. Awesome. That is just so cool,
Angela Agosto 08:00
I would say and the artists going can also as well, because it's sort of a continuing education for them, or it's to enhance their own art.
Olya Konell 08:09
So if you have Wow. Wow, that is really cool. What a perk to be an artist as you can. So for anybody listening, hey, if you have a trip you want to make find a way to turn it into an event of some sort, get some people to join you. And you could Wow, that's fantastic.
Buddy Odom 08:33
Yeah, one quick thing, or why we're on our workshops tab. You need to hear our voices to get used to our accent before we get even deeper here. But but we started this last spring just a couple of months ago at an event called home week with Kathie. So it is a it is a workshop slash paint out. It's a little bit it's less intense on the workshop. But it's an it's a few more people. And we're going to do that again. Next year just hasn't been posted and it will fill up. It'll be in the spring and may we may also do one in the fall. And it's one week here where everything is included lodging, every meal, every everything and it's for five nights, and it will be here at our place in East Tennessee. Immediately and every one of those folks is there. They're coming right back. So the only way to know when we announced this watch this people. The only way to know when we announced this is to get Cathy's newsletter that comes out every month. And it will be announced on the newsletter first. So if you have not signed up for the newsletter, that's how you do it right there.
Olya Konell 09:40
That's awesome. And I love and I want to highlight what you're doing right now for anybody. For anybody listening your special announcements, and your exciting news should go to your newsletter subscribers first and I know that we are we talk about new the importance of a newsletter a lot, but Kathie and Buddy are going to tell us It truly how important it is because they're, they're using it. And it's it's proving success successful. So we've, so yes, we are sharing the link to the newsletter. We have information on workshops. And then also one more thing, you have a book and I've had somebody email me they loved your book. So you've written a book, let the art speak, book by Kathie. And so we'll share the link to that. If anybody has the book, let us know. Back to Kathie and Buddy, you have a unique arrangement. Kathie's the artist, buddy, you are the business manager, the marketing manager, you kind of word the other hats that are typically need to be worn by someone. And so I'd really like to ask Kathie, how did you decide which business and marketing tasks to delegate to? Buddy? Can you walk us through this process? Or how did this all come about? You know, when you first decided that, this is the way it's going to be? Well, you
Kathie Odom 11:01
know, we we have done life together now for almost 43 years. It has gone from me being a support person for Buddy. And it's pretty much flipped. Now. He's a support person, and what I'm involved in, and it's been pretty much from the beginning, it took a little getting used to. And I think that would be true with for any married couple, putting this together. You you have found this, I have found this new life of creating and and then quickly found out that I'm not a technical person, I'm more of an art artistic person, which that can be both on No, but just to have that he's a writer, he's, he's good with all of this technology. He's, it just made sense. And then when it started when we started working with each other on developing this, I guess we call it it it. It gave us more like even as a couple. Yes to do together, which that can't hurt any of us that are in a strong relationship. But it certainly
Buddy Odom 12:32
is certainly sharpened our friendship is one way to say it too. And, but there is whether it's a married couple or not whether but when you interact with one another, there is a learning curve that you you have to hang in there with. But I guess it just started because of what's Cathy's saying is she's got some? Of course she does. I don't kind of the agreement is you paint you teach Kathie, and I'll do whatever else I can to make those two things happen.
Kathie Odom 13:08
I think the best thing I've ever heard that he say, as far as this art thing is, if I could keep you in front of the ease of doing what you love, I will I'll take on the other things. And we discuss everything. And he is so good to make sure that I'm in agreement that he's really fallen for this art thing. And in a lot of ways, and he's the first one to sign us up for going to a museum. That it's it's it's that makes it good to when we both love it. We have different roles, and it helps me do what I do best. And
Buddy Odom 13:54
her name is on the book. Her signature is on the canvas. Her name is on the website. And so she has veto power she has so everything it's it's Kathie, it's Kathie, this is just you know, this is just what's underneath Kathie, just kind of fanning the flame, if you will.
Olya Konell 14:15
So it would be an for an artist that is trying to arrange something similar with their spouse or maybe an older teenage child or an adult child or a family member friend, another student artists that wants to help them. It sounds like the important thing about arranging this kind of business working relationship is setting expectations early on. And the ground rules like who has veto power who do you know, establishing those boundaries is key. Because then you don't get somebody overstepping their boundaries out of helpfulness. Not that they're trying to be, you know, rude or as humans we want to help and we just don't know any better sometimes. So establishing those boundaries. And then like you said, you've discussed it You went through, okay, you'll do this, you know? So you'll focus on that. So if for artists that are looking to maybe hire somebody or find a person, buddy, what advice do you have as somebody that's doing it? You know, what are some characteristics for a good assistant or business manager or anything that you can recommend?
Buddy Odom 15:22
Well, I'll say one that is not let me do it that way. First is not necessarily a spouse, or a boyfriend or girlfriend, or whatever it might be, it's may not that may not work. As a matter of fact, the downside sometimes is, that's all your relationship might end up being built on. And that's, that's not necessarily a good thing. So oftentimes, we, we talk a lot about art, obviously, but it may not be a spouse or, or someone that you're just going to assume that, but but I would really, I think I would really find the person, look for the task, if you will, or what you need first, and then kind of go in that direction. But there's some questions underneath that that ought to take place first about, you know, what your hopes are, what your goals are. And, you know, a lot of times, folks, whether they're artists or not just hate to talk about, I don't want to know about goals, I just want to paint well, good, good. Paint, don't expect sales to come along necessarily with painting. But you want to, you want to figure out how to go hand in hand. So But first, you need to know, if you just want to paint just for fun, well, then you don't need any more, go enjoy it. But if you would like to pay for some of those tubes of paint that costly in the canvass or, or travel a little bit more, you need that, we'd like to say that a mortgage is a good incentive. Not Oh, damn, we got a mortgage, just so. So we really try to pay attention to that. And so one of the goals is of ours is to pay off a mortgage someday. So that's underneath there. So before you decide what your need is, decide, first of all who you are and what you the direction you want to go.
Olya Konell 17:17
I love that. That is such good advice for for sure. Like you said, it's not wrong just to pick because I do that to just
Buddy Odom 17:25
give you my top five, can I just yeah, let's roll. You ready to roll.
Kathie Odom 17:28
I'm ready to roll. Okay, people
Buddy Odom 17:30
get a pencil write this down. Here we go. You're ready. We okay, we go can go. We're rolling. Number one. Be genuine. Just be just make sure you're you make sure you want to paint like you're not like Kathie, or not like fill in the blank. You want to paint like you want to find you you want to grow, be you anything marketing wise, don't just do it because someone else has done and it's been good. We'll talk about the newsletter later, I will tell you to do that anyway. But But don't just do things because someone else is doing b beat you. And if anyone knows Cathy a little bit or a lot, she genuinely, she's Kathie. We're southern. She's kind. I'm not necessarily but but but she's, but she's Kathie and she wants that to work into her art. And I think it I think people she would even tell you to, that people know when you're being genuine, when you're being you when you're, it gets the DNA of the artists gets in there somehow. And don't try to analyze that, on how that works. Just be so unpack the word genuine, that's at the top of my five. Okay, be genuine. Okay, number two, these are in order. Get better. Just get better. Put, if you sell a painting or don't sell a pen you you've got a little retirement you want to pull out early or whatever it is whatever you can get some cash, go to workshops, expand, move more deeply into what that genuineness is so the first one, being genuine is about you as a person. The second one is about you, as an artist get better. Don't do any marketing unless you have deep in your bones that you want to be you and don't go into marketing if you don't plan on getting better. It just doesn't work. The third thing that I would say and so the first is about a person the second is about you as the artist and the third one it is even here's marketing ready get help. Just get get some help. And that's what you know you were beginning to talk about here a little bit is get some help. Look. I don't Okay, you ready? Go ahead and Kathie doesn't know how to spell baloney. Oh, no, I don't mean she does. She does not know how to spell No. Words like Xena Last but no, I mean, she doesn't know how to spell the word bologna. Go ahead.
Kathie Odom 20:08
Well, no, no, no.
Buddy Odom 20:13
She can't, she can't spell the word bologna. And listen, when you paint like she paints or she doesn't need to spell the word bologna. I know how to spell the word bologna. And so you need people around you that know how to spell Bologna, B, O, L, O G, and you need you need people around you that are going to help you do think you don't want to misspell a word. You don't want to. Here's just a few kind of basic sort of things. So she doesn't need to know how to spell bullet. She doesn't need to know how to get on the Google. She doesn't need to have you know, all those sorts of things. She does get on there, but she doesn't need to. So there's a lot of things marketing wise. So that's why that's what you do. So as an artist, you get help. And the fourth thing that I wrote down is, is on number four here is that E newsletter through fast so that that's jumping on here. That's the number one tool we've used. And you can even go there and oh, yeah, I don't know if you can pull this up on the for newsletter there. But you had the newsletter sign up. Underneath that, that red barn that she painted, there's a little button that says read past issues. Click that, would you can they see this?
Olya Konell 21:28
Right here? Yes. Okay, no nice scroll
Buddy Odom 21:32
every month for eight years. Wow, wow,
Kathie Odom 21:39
it's come out at the beginning of every month. And that's kind of what buddies may data has a list, he checks the list. I'm over here dreaming about the next subject matter in a painting. But I can't say enough about how having somebody beside you, that knows what your passion is. And can write can spell that. And, but we put this out every month and people look for it. Now they know it's not spam. Here's another
Buddy Odom 22:27
hint. All of these you can click on all of them. If you're bored out of your mind, click on all of them and steal your little heart out. Helper
Olya Konell 22:37
ideas. Yeah.
Buddy Odom 22:41
So these are all cotton, you can see newly released you can see there's a gallerist right there. There's just in love with Kathie more in love with her. You know, we share everything about that. But that goes back to being to being genuine, to getting help, to getting better, everything, all of those things will be included right there. And this is a most wonderful tool,
Kathie Odom 23:03
we say that your company giving us the opportunity to do a newsletter. And it's easy to do, even though buddy buddy does it for us at watched and, and to know that that's available, and that it can just come out every month and you're staying in touch with your collectors. With new people. I mean, I'm always saying go on my website, go to fast so and sign up for my newsletter. So we we're not saying that just because we're here today. We say that all the time.
Buddy Odom 23:45
She has a very hefty subscriber base that started eight or nine years ago when people started. So everyone that receives this has chosen to receive it. This is not some Instagram, Facebook that might happen to pop. This is an email that comes into their inbox they've chosen to we can then see on analytics, the analytics that FASO also offers, how many people have opened this newsletter, we get contacts through it, there's links, like if you push a link on one of those particular one paintings, it might send you to a to a gallery where that painting is at the gallery and things like that. So you have so here it goes to if I don't know if they're seeing this or not. Oh, yeah, but this painting is that the district gallery because you just click the painting, so okay, we can't say enough about it. But just find someone that you sit with every month, who's tech savvy enough who would like to start off and do this by their bagel? Right? You buy the egg or you buy the coffee, and this person is just a friend, just a friend of yours is so excited about you painting and trying to get have a deeper career. And by the way, not just you get their bank loan Coffee, you also have paintings, don't you? This is how you can pay, you can pay some of these folks is you can frame and give them a painting. You can pay them good cold American cash if you want to. But there's a lot of ways that you can get help.
Olya Konell 25:16
Yeah. And if you're an artist, too, that teaches, let's just say there's somebody in a that's experience that knows that, that has gone through your checklist they have, they've gotten better. They're being authentic, they're doing all that now they just need a person. If they can teach another younger artists, they can always exchange services be like, I will give you a free lesson. You know, we'll exchange you know, this is the value of my lesson, this is the value of the work that I need done every week, I'll help you get better. And so that's another, you know, idea.
Buddy Odom 25:46
Well said,
Kathie Odom 25:48
a recent thing that I had heard that a few artists are doing is they're sharing a person, they have gone in together, and they're sharing somebody that has the skills of organization of technology, all these things. And that that gives another person a good job. Yeah, I think that's brilliant. I think it's a really smart thing. See
Buddy Odom 26:16
how excited you can be when you get help? Yeah.
Angela Agosto 26:21
That's the best referral that you know, other another artist is using them, you're using them. It's like you've already and somebody was just asking about that. What do I do if I don't have somebody? I love that you brought that up, just as they said that?
Olya Konell 26:31
Yeah, you can share. So if you find a person, they're like, Well, I can only do it, if you keep me this busy. You know, and I come back to them Be like, well, I have one other person or two other people will keep you busy, you know, you'll have a job, especially if they have the skills of writing, and a little bit of tech savviness. And all of that. That's fantastic. For
Angela Agosto 26:51
Robin is asking, I guess reach out to another artist, and ask them and so on and word of mouth, that's how you can probably find somebody.
Kathie Odom 26:59
And that's what I was going to jump on. Because you all if artists do for plein air artists, we should be part of a group we, as helped start a group in our area and we go out and paint together, then you all need these helpers. And if you're already in a, in a relationship with other artists, that should come a lot easier. And it it's one of the greatest teachers I have is going out on a weekly basis with a plein air group. So all of this starts to come together and be good for each thing.
Buddy Odom 27:42
This will bring Joe bring up point number five, everybody writing these down, you got 12344 was do the newsletter number five. Number five, you ready for this? This is the air a ir for folks that are not Southern, the air over all the other four. Be generous, be generous. So I'm going to read you a quote that I carry around with me. It's by Annie Dillard. And she writes it about she's a writer. So this quote is about writing, that she's saying that it's really about life, and it's about this. So it's a long quote, but hang in there. It's great. Annie Dillard, one of the things I know about writing is this, spend it all shoot it, play it, lose it all right away every time do not hoard what seems good for a lighter place in the book or for another book. Give it give it all give it now something more will arise for later, something better. These things feel from behind like beneath feel from behind from beneath like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not freely and abundantly give becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes. So we look at each other sometime and say you're going to take that to the grave. How good is it going to be for you in the grave. So if you've got even even all the way down to techniques that I know artists, they like to hold on to those little special things that make their peak. Okay. How good is that if you take that secret all the way to the grave with you share it give it abundantly freely and so in doing so also charge accordingly. Okay, we will get into talking about price lists and so forth here but when folks get a piece of my wife's are they're getting a piece of Kathie Odom so in in the vernacular, the vocabulary is Oh, you have a Kathie Odom painting, right? It's a piece of Kathie. She paints by taking her herself and throwing her DNA into a painting. charge accordingly. Be generous give, let's go. Let's play. hire these people. You've got a nephew, you've got a grandson, you got someone who's tech savvy, get help. Get them be generous. And let's, let's roll the all this play. I mean, this is good. Not this. Who is now? So
Olya Konell 30:21
good, so good. Absolutely. And when you're generous, it's like generosity comes back to you, you know. And I mean, if you're teaching, be generous, if you're painting be generous. I just love that whole philosophy, because then it does. Imagine the experience those people have, if one artist comes to your workshop, and they just learned so much they had the most in a How could they not? They're going to come back and they're going to bring a friend. And that is the best sales referral is a testimonial. In my any commission I've ever done anything I've ever done. The best sale, that the best sales referrals, making one person really happy.
Buddy Odom 31:00
He's the one teaching me and so you can teach others by just being generous. They but generosity begets generosity, right? Yeah.
Olya Konell 31:08
Yeah, absolutely. And, and I want to ask Kathie, this. So if there's an artist right now, that's listening, and what advice do you have to them? If they're hesitant to delegate tasks? They're afraid, you know, maybe they're how do they overcome that fear of losing control over their business? Or their voice? Or maybe they're afraid of taking that first step?
Kathie Odom 31:31
I don't know. Yeah, I would say that courage, courage when you put a brush mark on your canvas, but courage when you decide to let somebody come in and help is a big part of how I go about it. Trust and courage, but stay involved? Don't take your hands off of the wheel. Be in it know what your who, who was representing you know, how they're representing you. And it takes time. So, you know, it's not something that you let go of, that's for sure. Yeah.
Olya Konell 32:15
I had somebody asking in the chat. And this kind of jumps into newsletters. And I want to mention this as an artist writing blogs and newsletters to promote my work. Can you recommend any specific content that would be of more interest to collectors and to artists, I would like to connect with more collectors, and what they would like to read here about re regarding art, and I was looking at your all of your newsletters. I'm going to say this, I think you what you write about will appeal to both. But tell me what your recommendations are.
Kathie Odom 32:46
I think you I think you share what art is giving you personally, and I don't I don't get into political stuff. I don't use it as something to get a how I think about some, ask the app, keep it in the art world. And I keep it in the creativity. And I keep it in the subject matter, and how I get to travel because of art. And it's open doors. And I am. I mean, I'm a pretty real tight person. And life is not always awesome. But I do stay positive. In most of our writing about my career. I don't think people want a lot of negativity. And I think art brings a lot of positive things to people's labs. And I like to stay in that realm. Yeah,
Olya Konell 33:59
and I think what you focus on grows. So if you focus on the positive, even for the intent of providing something positive to your audience, in a sense, you're actually facilitating more positivity into your life anyway. I feel there's a The other thing I want to mention. And we've shared this fact before, but art, our newsletters from artists have some of the highest open rates, by the way. So like, it's like government emails, and then like summer long in that top, like, you know, you want to make sure your taxes and bills are paid. And then yes, it's an email from an artist, but if their people genuinely genuinely want a little inspiration in their life, and we have the opportunity to offer that, which is what you guys are doing. Artists
Buddy Odom 34:46
are storytellers. You really, you're certainly you're telling the story of the scene that you're painting, but there's more to it than that. You're telling the story of the one who's painting it. And then if you can, again, In the within the vein of these newsletters if you can tell that story through there, so if the focus is on is on Cathy's story, and you can, not sure she would want, or I would want you to do this, but you can, you can go to the very first newsletter, and you can see the evolution over the last eight years of her story. And you can if you want to read or if you can see, just through the paintings, you can see the evolution of her story of her art career story that
Olya Konell 35:29
way. That's, that's Yeah. And that's cool for ourselves to to go back and look at it. One quick question, you have lovely photos on your of all of your work? Do you guys photograph your own art? Or do you hire a professional to do it?
Buddy Odom 35:44
iPhone,
Kathie Odom 35:45
wave, the iPhone, dismiss got it. But we have done both. It's one point, we started taking my work to a professional. And he did such an amazing job that it was actually him and buddy that said, we have to do more with these photos y'all paid for. And that's how the bar the book got started. So he would only use his professional photos for the book. And I'm so glad about that. I mean, it's it's so beautiful and done so well. That it it really just doing that made the ball roll in other ways.
Olya Konell 36:35
That's awesome. Yeah, I'm going back to the newsletter, this comment really caught my attention in the chat. We have somebody saying that's why I can't do a newsletter. I'm too negative about my work. And I know as artists, we have those moments. So Kathie, what advice do you have?
Kathie Odom 36:53
Well, I had said it earlier about something else, but courage. If we're not putting it out there, and we're not sharing what we're doing, we're missing out. And, you know, if you're working diligently on trying to get your art better, the process is a story, too. And it's worth sharing. Add just, and, gosh, that was what I went through at the very beginning on trying to trying to put the art out there and just, and the fears that go through you and you know, you feel like you're practically a dress and you feel it's very it is and it and but it has, it has paid off. I don't I don't know whether but I work very diligently at at night art and constantly striving to be better.
Buddy Odom 38:06
And that's the first thing that of my five things was just to be genuine. Kathie said at one point she goes, You will never see me on a webinar, or you will never see me video. And I will never be on film. You can forget that right now.
Kathie Odom 38:25
That has changed a little bit.
Buddy Odom 38:28
And so the so the the outflow that the goodness of that is you
Kathie Odom 38:34
can change. That's right. That's right. And that's a beautiful Good day. Yeah. And yeah, yeah,
Angela Agosto 38:40
I bet it's it with number two, right, buddy, where you said get better master your work. And then like Kathie said, thing, you're going to change your mind like, Okay, now I'm ready to do these things that I maybe want to,
Buddy Odom 38:53
or I'm ready to be a little more courageous. You know, we're, no one's ever ready. No one's ever arrived. No,
Kathie Odom 39:00
that's true. Or a sweet woman writes you back after a zoom class and says during COVID My husband is sick, I can't go anywhere. You're the brightest thing that's happened to me in a long time. I love that all of a sudden, you just melt and you don't care what you sound like. And you don't care that your speech teacher told you you had a disease of the voice. I don't
Buddy Odom 39:29
care if you can't tell me you.
Kathie Odom 39:35
If we're being generous and we're giving of ourselves, it makes it makes a huge difference. So all I can say to that person that wrote that is you just got to get some courage about you and do it. We're all missing out because you're not sharing. Yeah.
Olya Konell 39:53
And you can't and you can't build confidence without that initial step of courage and everybody I wanted to highlight that because I know I felt that way I kept the youth, we've all had moments where we feel vulnerable, like you said, like Ron dressing, because it's a part of our DNA. It's a part of us in our art. And and Yeah, another quote that came to mind was the this, a cemetery is just this the wealthiest place on Earth, because there's paintings that were never painted in there that were never shared in there that went down in people's minds and hearts with their grave books that were never written ideas that were never acted upon, you know, all of that. And it's, it's, it's heartbreaking. So we can change that we can make a little bit less wealthy in there.
Angela Agosto 40:40
And I gotta say, the title of cafe, you did a podcast with Oprah Show, and the title of it is the courage to pursue your joy. And I'm going to share that because that was
Olya Konell 40:51
good. It was such a good one. Yeah. For anybody that enjoys us, and wants a little bit more of Kathie and Buddy inspiration, definitely check that one out. No, these are amazing. Thank you, buddy. I love that you broke it down, I'm looking at my questions, you've actually kind of like nailed a lot of things, you know, a lot of the questions I sent, you guys would just kind of answered them through the, you know, just naturally. So I want to ask kind of a because you work with a lot of artists, what are some of the common mistakes artists make when they're trying to delegate business tasks? Or sell art or balancing business and creative stuff? You know? And how can they avoid those mistakes?
Kathie Odom 41:38
I can take that, first of all, do it. Um, I think one huge mistake is not respecting the gallerist not respecting the organizations that are out there trying to help us and let us be a part of what they're doing. But to barge into a gallery with your hands full of framed art and, and asked for you know, them to look at your art. They're human, they're just like us. I mean, you know, they're, they are people that are investing in us, they are paying the light bills, they're sitting at that desk in that gallery showing beautiful art. And they really are investing their time and, and monies. And I think we need to respect that. And always get in touch with a gallery or collector in the proper wet eggs, emailed him first, give them a call before you show up at their door. I just find that to be something that I want to do. And I've not everybody knows that. If you're a beginning artist, you're wondering, Well, hell, you know, and you you you barging in, you know or what, but it it really to respect their feelings and that they may not have a space for you right now. And may later if you treat them with respect, they will remember that
Buddy Odom 43:28
origin it's disingenuous. It's just not a very genuine thing that is just not really who you are or want to be. So just in in that, by the way, if you go into a gallery, or some of these other ideas that you have, like when Kathie goes into a gallery we we say, Can you Can we do this for one year, and at the end of one year, both parties can say yay or nay. So let's just kind of thank you for entertaining the thought of Karen, Kathie, but we try to do that sometimes is
Kathie Odom 44:03
this a good fit? You want to be in a gallery that's a good fit, and you want the gallerist? If they're not excited about your work? It's not going to work. It just didn't. So I want somebody that really wants to represent me. Not that I've pushed myself on them. So I would, those are things I'd recommend
Buddy Odom 44:29
I would recommend. Everybody needs a buddy. Not everybody needs buddy. Because a lot of lot of folks say Hey, buddy, can you so in other words, the way we're doing it is not it's it's not the answer. The best art marketing hasn't been done yet. You might do it, whatever that idea is whatever that might be. It's not necessary. We just kind of we just kind of liked each other in our in our interim Marriage. And then she started painting and I said, Well, do you want me to do this? And then it kind of snowballed. So that was a fit. But there's some more fits out there that haven't been discovered the best art marketing hasn't been done yet.
Olya Konell 45:12
Yeah, well, and also, I'd like to add up a big thing that we teach our BoldBrush we teach our artists is an Clint is very outspoken about this, he does not like the marketing guru that is pitching to artists, this is the only way you should market your art, this is exactly what you have to do. This is the only way that you have to do it this way, you have to post it this way. And so the idea is, is you know, a marketing is putting yourself out there and how you put yourself out there is going to fluctuate based on what's authentic to you. If you're a really good speaker, maybe you should speak more. If you're a really good writer, maybe you should, you know, have either you or have someone help you write more, you know, in putting yourself out. So that's going to fluctuate a little and you get to play into your strengths and your own quirks, you know, we all we should embrace those little quirks. And I want to mention, Kathie, you're, I used to have a speech impediment to I couldn't talk without stuttering. I never thought I'd be in here doing the webinars. So absolutely. You know, those? Yeah, don't? Yeah, for anybody that's in the same boat with something else. You know, don't let that hold you back. Since we're on galleries, one person asked any additional advice on approaching galleries? So you said email them first? Do you just how do you find your galleries? Because this is for those artists that are trying to get into one do you just like, go check them out first, you know, kind of visit them as a visitor,
Kathie Odom 46:39
I think it's a great thing to visit galleries just for our for learning, if anything, and you know, The Gallerist some will, you know, ask you why you're there. What, you know, when I'm an adult, I wouldn't know back then by saying, Well, I do art, you know, and I wanted to come see what, what you're up to. But it's, it's, you know, brag on them. If you if you if they're beautiful. I do care about where my art is shown. And I want to I want to be represented well. And I want to be represented by friendly people. Please, also, but you know, if I has a bad day, you know, you should give people you should give it even a gallery another chance. But I think even while you're in there, if it does come up to the subject of why are you visiting us? Then you're an artist, but just to say, would you entertain an email from me with this is my website, please visit it. And when
Buddy Odom 48:01
would you take my newsletter I send out every month that's how we got it, you got it in Atlanta
Kathie Odom 48:11
you got tools and things and they have a lot of time on their hands. Sometimes they don't always they're not always flooded with guest in the gallery. So they spend a lot of time on the computer.
Buddy Odom 48:26
Here's here's a couple of quick ones is get on the website, see which other artists are there and think, you know, up paint a lot similar to her. I don't know that I would actually fit so you can go and see who's already there. You might you may feel like it's not a fit. Another one is we have some are kids and grandkids, some of them live six hours from here. And there was a gallery halfway. And that was we went on there we visited it was kind of look like a fit. Well, that's a road we're burning up from time to time visiting the kids and the grandkids. So you can be a presence. You can rotate paintings over time, you can instead of being 14 hours from here, you can you can actually it can be on your road. You can you can stay in front of them as far as a presence and rotations of paintings. Just a couple of quick ideas.
Olya Konell 49:17
Yeah. And somebody else had kind of asked did you start with with your website or on Instagram? How did your followers find you? So I think what they're looking for is like, how did you get people onto your newsletter? How do you find these people? I guess what's that look like for Kathie?
Buddy Odom 49:35
best time to plant a Sequoia is when? Oh yeah.
Olya Konell 49:42
planted right away 400
Buddy Odom 49:44
years ago. Oh. And the second best time is today. So you just go ahead and you start and that newsletter certainly is a bit built over time.
Kathie Odom 49:56
You know, we did the website first and I remember thinking, you that was anybody looking at it? Is anybody contacting us through? Is it getting me anywhere? Am I selling anything off of it? It has taken everything. Everything to make this career happen. And it's it's building, you know, did that ad in an in a magazine work? Did we did, I don't think we've ever sold a painting off of an ad. But the name was there. And keeping keeping things simplistic, and bold and beautiful. And they. And all of those things have made, somehow this thing happened.
Olya Konell 50:53
Yeah. So what you're saying is the fact that you just started doing all of these things, you may not know where that collector came from, but they might have seen you there. Then they stumbled across this. And they're like, oh, yeah, I keep seeing this artist everywhere I'm going to, I see, she's having a show. And then they go to that gal, you know, so it could be a combination of things. It's not just one thing. I think the key is, you know, have a list of different ways to get yourself out there. And it's in person. And online. Sometimes younger artists, and I speak for that, you know, crowd like, we get too stuck in just Instagram. And it's not that I mean, Instagram is amazing, it is great. It's a great tool. It's free. That's the best thing about it. But it's not the only way and these in person connections and relationships, events, just going someplace being active traveling, all of that is a part of marketing, I think it's putting yourself out there and you guys do an amazing job at that BoldBrush contest
Buddy Odom 51:50
is Thank you. Contest is free. If you have a if you have a website through through FASO, so it's free. So they're not going to pick a painting you have to monthly so set an alarm on the 15th or the 25th of the month. Pick, it's easy. Enter that. And if you get any notoriety from a BoldBrush contest, capitalize because there are so many entries. So you could say you I was a downside, there's so many entries, well, if you don't put one in your entry to get in. But if you do, and Cathy's got a couple of them. And so then that goes in the newsletter, or that gets posted somewhere and capitalize on that. One other quick thing, if you're ever in an event at an event, and your piece is in the event, and the award are going on, or if you have the judge nearby that wants to say something about it on your on your cute little phone, during the awards every time you go over to the to the audio or recording whatever it's called. And you just put it down by the speaker and push play push record. And then you have a recording of the judge say possibly if you're chosen saying something that's a quote, that's, that you can use. Or if you want to go ask the judge, what do you think of my painting? And you say, may I record it? Or whatever? Yeah, those sorts of there's all sorts of opportunities for you to and it is it's a broad spectrum. Early on, Kathie said yes to almost everything. There were, there were some things that were were a grind. And she was she was genuine in the midst of it. Not like I would be but she was she was what she was and it and it's mounted up and some things have happened differently for different people.
Angela Agosto 53:43
Yeah, say going back to your saying about oil was saying and you guys were saying going here doing this trying this. I feel like just also make sure that everything is connected. And by that I mean like if you're in a live in person event, make sure you have your your phone with your sign up newsletter ready or old fashioned, you know, clipboard or whatever. And I love that you guys have on your Instagram, you guys have your website you have you know, everything by everything is linked. I also mean that you're including your workshops, your website, link, you've got everything in there. So everywhere you go, you make sure everything's up to date. And that everything is from your Facebook, to your Instagram, to your website to your events, everything kind of so that they can find you and your newsletters as well. You know I'm sure that you list all these things.
Olya Konell 54:33
Yeah. And what's cool is if you by doing that, and I don't know if you guys caught that I went to Google and I just put in Cathy's name and right away, which the FASO sites do a great job of being like the first thing if you have one we passos put a lot of effort into that. But like you put in your name, especially if you have somewhat of a common name, but you're an artist. Like by connecting everything having your your your links ever We were having a social media account for your art indifferent, whatever, whichever ones you decide to use, being featured in articles and all of that it populates on Google. And eventually Google knows this is who they're looking for. And all of this is all this is Kathie, this is not some other, Kathie Odom. But this is the copy. And so that's, that's how this works out. So by putting yourself out there, you meet people. And then they might not go to your website right away, but they might think of it later. And if you don't, a lot of artists asks about optimizing SEO on their website. This doesn't benefit artists, the way we optimize, we optimize is we we put ourselves out there give people a reason to search our name, because people don't just go and look for plein air art and hope that they find you that that's not how that's not really how it works. It's like you have to meet them somewhere either on social media, in person online somewhere else or in person somewhere else we actually have. And for those of you that aren't members, we do have speaking of newsletters, we actually have a couple eBooks about how to grow your newsletter list. And we have a little checklist and a lot of the things that you guys are talking about are actually on that list. So I love that you're doing all of that. And you're connecting with people. And it's showing, and it's that consistency. So I I love that. And somebody did acid Kathie ever saw her paintings on her website? Or is it usually through a gallery?
Kathie Odom 56:35
Well, now I would say we have had sales through the website. And it takes it takes it all. Yeah, it takes the website, it takes the galleries, it takes going to events, doing workshops and selling some pieces there. All of it works together. Yeah,
Olya Konell 56:57
all of it. And I think too, in 2024, if you're an artist that wants to sell art, if you're just an artist that you don't need to do any of this. But if you actually want to sell art, not having a website with your name.com or something, it not having one makes you less legitimate, it's almost like having a online resume. So when you email a gallery, because you want to connect with them, or you participated in an event, you can link and people can click on it, and they can look at all of your art. So even if they don't buy through the site, it's a very simple way to him a business card or a link that they can click on and view all of your information because everything is just going into that direction. I mean, everything. It's almost like it just validating your existence.
Kathie Odom 57:49
I want we all want to talk it what I would say is that, that if you're not keeping it up to date, I love one of you mentioned that, the that that's this guy. I mean, he's on it out, you know, he'll be sitting over in his chair on the computer and all of a sudden just go what are you up to what's going on. And he's constantly looking, have we have we put that painting on, have we you have to stay on it and up to date with things and it takes it this takes both of them because
Buddy Odom 58:31
she she sails through through galleries, when you go to her website, you click on a piece, it'll take you to the gallery. So that's the sales through the websites, it'll it'll take you or if it's hanging here in her gallery, like some of these pieces, that piece on the website will take you to contact us and let you know how that piece is available. That kind of thing. But mainly she sells through the galleries. But she's right. The website's got to stay up to date. And you can get help doing that.
Olya Konell 58:58
Yeah, absolutely. I know that for anybody that, you know, let's just say you hire a person, you might feel a little disorganized and not know how to assign them tasks to do you because you yourself haven't mastered that. I do want to mention this buddy, you are offering marketing consultations. So if somebody wants to have a consult, you know, pay for your time to meet with you to help them kind of get a little organized on that end, maybe with whoever their helper is, they can do that. And can they do that virtually with you. It's really simple. And
Buddy Odom 59:35
you can contact me through contact the artist on site. So you go to go there contact the artists say dear buddy, and so and it's $100 an hour, and it's FaceTime or Zoom each other. Talk about anything you want, you can bring up the subject or I can send you questions in advance. We can talk about everything. We talked about developing a price list or anything or we can talk about this so oh Yeah, you need to smile right now here we go. Hi smile. So see, always carry your camera with you. And then you can be at an event or a gallery and hand it to someone and go, would you take my picture, buy my painting, and you get that. So always have this available so that you can get them then you develop a list of, of photos of you, so that you can put them on your newsletter or your website, you can always keep that. Keep that always going, take a picture of what's happening. But yes, you can you can get a hold of me that way. And I'm here for you.
Olya Konell 1:00:36
That's awesome. And I want to mention one other resource for members or non members, if you join this is available, we actually have a marketing calendar, it's obviously not customized specifically to your needs in a sense. But you can actually, it gives you reminders to update your website every month. So I'm just going to click on the so you can add this to your Google Events, but it has you know tasks to update your sales goals for the month. I mean, if if if if you have any, you can also upload any new art you have. So it's just like little reminders, because sometimes that's what we need. The other cool thing that I that I like that we have is for if you don't know what to write about, or post about on social media, we have a little just fun idea that you just took inspiration every day of the month. So it's it's a resource, it's available for all of our members. And it's available. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, but it mean, what we're I guess the point we're trying to get across to everybody is, there's lots of options available for you guys that are listening, there's lots of options. And you just have to find the one that fits best for you. And I hope you guys took notes, I'm going to include those those five things in the notes that are going to go with this recording. So if you just didn't have anything on hand, you can get the recording later. And that document will be attached with all the links and the five points. And anything else that we had. I feel like we had a lot of good nuggets in this conversation
Angela Agosto 1:02:16
them in here too, because I wrote them down. Oh, good. Get ready. So I did. Yeah.
Olya Konell 1:02:22
I and I feel like we could talk forever. You guys have been so fun. I would love to have you first of all back again. But you know, and we talked about a lot of different things. I'm sure you have some things you didn't get a chance to mention. And I know you told me to remind you in the email, but I can't find my notes on my screen right now. Here we go. Yeah,
Angela Agosto 1:02:44
one because I've got that in there about a meeting with Kathie. Yes, home wiki. We
Olya Konell 1:02:49
got that in contact with the artists. Yeah, if so what final kind of advice or final thoughts that you would like to offer the our audience,
Kathie Odom 1:03:03
work hard at it. Don't Don't, don't go to workshops, and then not pay in between going to workshops, work hard at it. Invest in yourself. That I think most of them any sales that I had, at the very beginning all went right back into investing in the art and an art career. And that took a while of doing that. I would say that I would say we're all artist, and we're doing it our way. And we're getting nuggets from several people. And if you're trying to go and paint like the instructor you got a wombat. You want to paint like you. And Holly, I would just really put that really how Malleus is that? We are trying to do art in our own art. So how would Kathie paint that? I hope she learns how and I hope she does it well. And I hope that for all of you.
1:04:20
I love that. Thank you that
Buddy Odom 1:04:24
kind of genuine right there.
Olya Konell 1:04:26
That's what I would say. Yeah. And I don't know whoever said anything about your voice cuz I could listen to you all day you have the sweetest are good. 230 I know. I bet you she even if she's mad, she can't sound mad.
Angela Agosto 1:04:41
You guys are just so just sweet and things you've shared and just your enthusiasm. It's so contagious. The person from earlier said thank you for your advice, being vulnerable and just courage. Yeah, they left already but yeah, I think I mean even I feel like you were talking to me. I APA as you said, Kathie, you started. Yeah,
Olya Konell 1:05:03
thank you, everybody for your genuine sweet comments as well. I'm going to make sure I forward your comments to Kathie. So if you have anything you want to drop in the chat, feel free to do that. Before we all sign off, I will pass it on.
Angela Agosto 1:05:16
They loved her books that we have. They said, Well, we have it we have and we have
Olya Konell 1:05:21
Oh, good. And you know, I'm first of all grateful to everybody that joined us. Thank you guys so much. We appreciate you. We love these monthly gatherings. We do these once a month we feature a different artists. And so we have another one for next month in the email, you'll get in a couple of days, they'll be or tomorrow will be a reminder about the recording how to access it, and then it'll tell you who the next person is. And if you ever want to email me, and you know, pass something along to our amazing guests. I'm happy to do that for you. You can just respond to those. Because I know you guys would love to get that feedback as well. So thank you. Yeah, so it's a beautiful day, I assume. Are you going to be doing more painting? After after this? Are you going to log off and head outdoors or
Kathie Odom 1:06:12
I am in the middle of a little jetlag. But it won't be long too. I'll be outside painting that's for sure.
Olya Konell 1:06:23
You need a nap some some a little bit of iced tea sitting in the backyard enjoying the beautiful weather? Yeah, I bet. Well, I am so grateful for you for taking the time out of your busy day and jet lagged or not you read here and I would have never known. So
Kathie Odom 1:06:42
yes, we think the world. Thank you so much.
Olya Konell 1:06:47
Thank you everybody and to everybody that joined us. Thank you. Thank you, wishing you all a wonderful and creative rest of your day and we will all see you at the next one.
1:06:58
Thank you. Bye. Thank you. Bye bye
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