Interview with Tracy Verdugo
Tracy Verdugo offers insights into how she built her successful art career and has become a top online art class instructor and offers popular in-person art workshops around the world.
Tracy Verdugo Bio
Tracy Verdugo is an inspiration instigator, prolific painter, singer/songwriter and
lover of the written word, smitten traveller and soaker up of all that is
beauty-full. She teaches her Paint Mojo and other creative workshops
all over this amazing planet and reminds her students of the wonder
that already resides within them.
Her works are vibrant and filled with joy, inspired both by family travels in Mexico and the beauty of everyday life. Since 2000 Tracy has held 16 successful solo exhibitions and her works are held in collections both in Australia and overseas.
Mostly though she is mama bear to two gorgeous, zest-filled daughters, Santana and Sienna, and co-adventurer in life with her amor of 30 years, the talented and brilliant Marco.
Please tell us what you do?
I consider myself a creative entrepreneur, inspiration instigator, idea gatherer, creative catalyst and storyteller (visual, written and verbal;through speaking and song).
I am grateful to earn my full income from multiple creative sources; from painting sales, online and in-person workshops, book royalties, music royalties, affiliate sales and also income from our eclectic hand built back yard Airbnb Studio.
Tracy Verdugo Art Background
I am largely self-taught but have attended weekend workshops with talented and inspiring artists like Orly Avineri, Jesse Reno, Peter Sharp, Judy Wise, Idris Murphy, Flora Bowley and Jo Bertini as well as online workshops with a range of different artists. I have also almost completed a bachelor degree in Fine Arts through Curtin University,
although my recent biz workload has prevented me from finishing the final few units.
Please tell us about some of the courses and
products you sell.
I have several Mini classes available on my site which present the themes of “Luscious Landscapes”, “Animalitos” and “Pattern Color Texture” in a fun, colourful and informal style. My personal style of teaching is very hands on, very loose and totally open to embracing happy accidents! I love to put myself in new and problematic situations
and rather than hide or edit these “mistakes” I highlight and work my way through them. My belief is that students need to see the good, the bad and the ugly and to know that there is always a way through with art.
My latest online class release is Abstract Mojo which is available as a self-paced option on my site. Between my signature online class Paint Mojo, my bestselling book of the same name and my other in person and online classes I have been privileged to help more than 25000 students around the world expand their creative abilities.
Please tell us about your live workshops.
I hold my workshops and retreats all over the world. Since 2012 I have taught almost 100 workshops in Europe, Australia, the U.S, the UK, Ireland, Bali and Mexico. Workshops can be anywhere from a two day format up to longer all inclusive week long retreats. Student numbers are generally between 8 and 24 depending on the format and venue and we usually work around 7 hours per day. Shorter workshops are very paint intensive, working across large canvases and trying to squeeze in as much as we can. In longer retreat style classes, we take time to explore cultural aspects of our surroundings, eat together, have discussions across a variety of creative topics as well as paint, paint, paint!
You’ve done many art workshops in different cities,
how do you typically find customers for those
classes?
In the early days of 2009-2011 without even knowing it, I was building a loyal and like minded following on Facebook. I started a group called Magically Mixed Art Community and it grew to a few thousand quickly. Many friendships were formed and it was a place to share our work, encourage and inspire each other. When the day came that I was accepted into a major art retreat to teach in the US my Facebook friends were just as excited as I was and instantly I had a dozen or so invitations to teach in privately hosted venues across the U.S. Everything just built from there. Word spread, my teaching seemed to strike a chord and I am thankfully able to fill classes by word of mouth and from my interest lists. This group has now been archived but you can find me in our new thriving Facebook Community “Abundant Creative.”
Can you contrast the benefits and drawbacks of
online classes versus in-person workshops?
I think that there is definitely a revolution occurring in creativity and that it is a great time to be involved in creating this kind of educational content. I feel the most important thing you can do is figure out your “why” “what” and “who” before your “how”. Why do you want to do this, who are you trying to reach, what do you have to offer? And are you ready yet to offer your best? Or at least far enough along your own path that you can offer value from your experience.
Do you sell your art as well?
Yes, I do. For the first few years, I was teaching like crazy and I would say the ratio was about 80-20 teaching income to art sales. I have set an intention to balance that out and eventually one day perhaps even flip it. When I make the time to work on my various painting series, especially smaller affordable works, I am able to sell them within days,
sometimes minutes via Facebook and Instagram.
Do you think there are opportunities for artists to
sell their artwork?
I think it has a lot to do with self-belief and self-worth. You can be an amazing artist yet not have the confidence to show anyone your work or you can be a mediocre painter with a whole lot of confidence and a drive to succeed. There are so many different personalities on the spectrum but yes, it’s definitely possible!
You seem to be popular online and offline, can you
share some of your marketing secrets?
As I mentioned before, for me it has been all about connection and community. Being genuine and real and sharing myself in that way. When I see disingenuous, hyped-up marketing I want to run a mile!
For the past ten years, I have spent time building relationships online and many of those have now become real life friendships when I meet students at in-person events. My best advice would be to just BE YOU and your tribe will find you.
Tracy Verdugo’s advice for aspiring artists?
As I mentioned before, for me it has been all about connection and community. Being genuine and real and sharing myself in that way. When I see disingenuous, hyped-up marketing I want to run a mile!
For the past ten years, I have spent time building relationships online and many of those have now become real life friendships when I meet students at in person events. My best advice would be to just BE YOU and your tribe will find you.
Tracy Verdugo’s Most Popular Art Class: Abstract Mojo Art Class
In Tracy Verdugo’s most popular online art class you’ll:
- Work across multiple mini canvases to generate cohesive series and color palettes.
- Use Tracy’s “embracing the contrast” approach to help avoid those frustrating STUCK PLACES!
- Translate emotion through color and mark into your work.
- Take your own photos OR images found and abstract them using a whole variety of apps and other exercises.
- Be inspired by nature to create stunning evocative abstracts.
- Create more narrative in your work through the exploration of figurative abstraction and the use of symbols.
- Go BIG in the last unit together with LARGE sheets of paper and canvas.
Tracy Verdugo Links
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