When Stephanie Brown’s son is old enough to answer “What does your mom do?”, she wants him to see someone building a sustainable life around work they love.
In part two of our conversation, Stephanie gets specific about the day-to-day reality of running an art practice: the money, the decisions, and how motherhood changed everything.
Stephanie is transparent with her income breakdown: 20-25% consulting and speaking, 20% art sales, 20% workshops, and 35-40% grants. Knowing these numbers lets her make better decisions about what to grow and what to let go.
Her current approach includes:
- 5-year goal of being a full-time artist, obtaining gallery representation, and participating in international exhibitions
- Saying no to shows that don’t align with where she’s headed
- Consistent newsletters and direct outreach
- If forced to choose one income stream? Speaking, because it takes the pressure off making sales from her art
When Stephanie became a mother 17 months ago, people expected her to slow down. She accomplished more. Being home put her in more of a creative space, and the new demands made her realize she no longer had time to “goose around.”
She wants her son to see her doing work she loves while being financially stable—not so he’ll become an artist, but so he knows it’s possible to build a life around your passion.
That’s the example she’s setting.
Listen
STEPHANIE’S ACTION FOR YOU
Make a list of the top ten things you’re most scared to do in your art career. Then do the scariest thing on that list.
Maybe it’s reaching out directly to a gallery you admire. Maybe it’s raising your prices. Maybe it’s applying to that prestigious residency you’ve been bookmarking for years. Maybe it’s finally having an honest conversation about money with your partner or family.
The scary thing is usually the thing that will move you forward the most.
Stephanie Brown Quotes
“[A child is a] strain on the finances, that’s for sure. It’s just another thing to pay for. But for my art practice, it’s really pushed me harder.”
“Things that I’ve accomplished [since my pregnancy] is crazy. Like I’ve done so much.”
“I’m feeling my time left more. That’s just the reality of it, because it’s one thing to celebrate your own birthdays, but now you’re celebrating the birthdays of somebody else that depends on you.”
“When he’s old enough to articulate, what does your mom do? What do I want him to say? And I feel like these are the years where I get to hone what it is that he’s gonna end up saying. I wanna be a living, breathing embodiment of that.”
“There’s a freedom, I think, to seeing adults in your life do what they want to do and do what brings them joy and be financially stable.”
“I am more focused on myself. And being more focused on myself has been more fruitful, because I’m spending more time writing newsletters and reflecting and just talking about what I wanna talk about and sharing what I wanna share.”
Related Episodes
These episodes touch on juggling parenthood with an art career.
About Stephanie Brown
Stephanie Brown is an Atlanta based photographer and interactive installation artist. She is also the host of IN BTWN ARTIST, a podcast about navigating sustainable creative careers. Her conceptual artwork explores how people of African descent construct their identities through social, cultural, and systematic confines.
Stephanie identifies as an interdisciplinary artist interweaving mediums to narrate a greater contextual story rooted in historical research and contributes contemporary perspectives that empower people of African descent to discover themselves and take control of who they choose to be and become.
Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @createdbrown and @stephaniesquared_
