There are only a few things that break my heart more than seeing an artist give up her career when she has children. And it is usually a her.
My sadness isn’t just for the artists who gave up a part of themselves, but for their children who never saw their parent, usually mother, following their dream.
Bri Larson is my guest for this episode of The Art Biz. We discuss:
- The value of her artist community—how they have supported her growth as an artist and, equally important, her journey into motherhood.
- How she has been able to maintain a studio practice with a baby, including how she structures her days around the baby’s schedule.
- Why having pockets of time rather than a blank schedule makes her more productive.
- Her decision to raise her prices and how she overcame the mindset that her art needed to be affordable.
- Her #1 piece of advice for would-be artist-parents.
Listen
Mentioned
Bri Larson Quotes
“I was still stuck in that mindset that a pot had to be affordable.”
“If I wanted to continue being an artist, I had to raise those prices.”
“It’s really important for me to prove that I can do this as my income and show my daughter that you can also do something creative and make money.”
“I am the sole caregiver because my art business gives me that flexibility where I can care for my child and do my art.”
“We’re doing it as a family, we’re doing it as play, we’re doing it as an activity to bond together, and so that kind of also frees me up to do that art and to keep going.”
“I was almost too afraid to get focused on the art and actually do the things that I find interesting.”
“I don’t really want to give Meta more money.”
Related Episodes
About My Guest
Bri Larson earned her BFA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, majoring in ceramics and minoring in painting. In 2018 she moved from Minnesota to Rhode Island to start a two year residency at The Steel Yard in Providence, RI. Being among blacksmiths, welders, jewelers and potters was transformative for her work.
Her studio is currently located at the Nicholson File Artist Community, in Providence, RI along with a small home studio she uses for short periods of time while her baby sleeps. Her work is an invitation for people to build connections and celebrate the objects and themes that reflect the things we all love.
Follow her on Instagram @brilarsonart
6 thoughts on “The Art Biz ep. 166: Raising Prices on Your Art, Valuing Community, and Balancing Motherhood with Bri Larson”
So much valuable information. Thank you both.
Thank you for listening, Nicole.
Hi. Great podcast. My 2 cents. When you boost a post with FB you’re just throwing it away. As you said, in the podcast, there was relatively no difference in performance.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Bob.
Loved listening to this.. I just made the move to Austin and am in the process of (re)writing my business plan for the next 3 years… As part of thinking through the next few years, I’ve also been thinking about what it would mean to have a baby and it was SO ENCOURAGING and inspiring to hear Bri speaking about navigating that and the realities of what that structure looks like. So much food for thought! Thank you
Malti: Sounds like a big move for you with changes ahead. You might also listen to episode 162 with Kelly Pelfrey who was just about to have another baby when we spoke. She’s a force!