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Fiona Valentine is a business coach and the creator of Business School for Artists, a program for aspiring artists who want to paint for fun and for profit, even if they’ve never sold any of their work before. Fiona has over 30 years of teaching, painting and business under her belt that includes her own transition from an admin manager and painting hobbyist into a profitable business owner and passionate artist. Now, she helps others do the same.
Today, she joins the show to talk about early impactful financial lessons she learned, the important role that faith plays in her life, and the difference between artistry and creativity.
📺 Watch on YouTube
Key Takeaways
00:49 – Jonathan introduces today’s guest, Fiona Valentine, who joins the show to discuss her earliest memories of entrepreneurship, breaking the cycle of financial trauma, and raising children to be responsible with money
08:09 – Faith and money
11:52 – Fiona’s career arc and what led her to help artists
17:55 – Fiona’s program: Business School for Artists
22:30 – How an artist finds their niche
26:08 – Artistry and creativity
30:11 – Bringing creativity to the forefront
32:43 – The impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence) on human creativity
35:36 – One piece of advice to heed as an artist and one thing to completely ignore
39:01 – One thing Fiona would like others to know about her and Fiona’s idea of a perfect day
40:59 – Jonathan thanks Fiona for joining the show today and lets listeners know where to connect with her
Tweetable Quotes
“So those [financial trauma] lessons in a man who decides, ‘That’s it. I am not doing that to my wife and children,’ and they’re prepared to work hard, and do whatever it takes to provide. That’s a powerful thing to be the generation that grows up blessed with a loving, balanced, responsible parent and spouse.” (03:58) (Fiona)
“In Australia, you’ve got to be fifteen to go to work and draw a salary. So, once we had part time jobs that were drawing a salary, that was the guideline. As long as we lived in the house, we contributed to the house. And so that taught us to be really careful about making sure that there was something to give, something to save, something to spend, and something to contribute to the household.” (06:56) (Fiona)
“It takes a significant amount of connection, and messaging, and pricing, and getting all of those things to come together so that the right people – your ideal collectors who are people who love what you do, they can’t wait to buy it, and they can afford it – making sure that they know who you are, they know when and where your work is available and there’s been enough connection to build that trust so that they’re ready to hit ‘Buy.’” (17:03) (Fiona)
“So if you spent all your time working on the skills of drawing, painting, observing, contemplating your view of the world and how you bring that to life, unless you actually have a job on the side or you’ve done a double degree, or something like that. If you haven’t been exposed to the business world, through family or training, you probably do not have those skills.” (20:45) (Fiona)
“I do believe that everybody is creative. And, I think the thing with creativity is to follow your interest. If you have no interest in becoming an artist, then don’t worry about it. If you’re really excited about becoming an artist, don’t worry about whether you have enough talent. You have more than enough talent and creativity. What you need are skills. You’re creative because you are human.” (26:34) (Fiona)
“Art is a wonderful way to prove to yourself that it’s not just about talent, it’s about skill. And your creativity is able to be developed.” (31:22) (Fiona)
Guest Resources
Mindful Money Resources
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