Episode 036
Paint Big, Live Bigger - The Art (and Business) of Reinventing Yourself with Susan Pepler
She failed accounting. Became a top storyboard artist.
Got booted by the industry. Painted 40 canvases in 30 days. Sold 11 in an hour. Susan Peppler’s story is what happens when you follow your joy and trust your gut – even when it’s covered in paint.
Susan Pepler didn’t set out to become a professional fine artist. She just kept following what felt almost impossible – and then doing it anyway.
In this vibrant and joy-splashed episode, Susan shares how she went from flunking business school (twice) to becoming a wildly successful painter, selling giant florals for $11K a piece, and eventually launching Paint Club, an online program that helps beginners create art that surprises the hell out of them.
Along the way:
– She was a top storyboard artist back when people still drew by hand
– She painted 40 canvases in a month with zero business plan
– She made $5K in a whole year and kept going
– She heard “hope is not a strategy” and built a new one
– She made her own damn path, big peonies and all
This one’s for the creative souls (especially women) who’ve been waiting for permission to go big. Consider this it.
“Your art is your handwriting. You’re the only one who paints like you.”
Connect with SUSAN:
- Instagram: instagram.com/susanpepler_floralpaintings
- Facebook: facebook.com/susanpepler
Timestamps:
00:00 – From Storyboard Artist to Fine Artist
04:15 – Why She Painted 40 Canvases in 30 Days
06:30 – Green Stuff: The Gallery Show That Started It All
08:45 – $5K in a Year – And the Business Mentor Who Stepped In
10:55 – “Hope Is Not a Strategy” – The Advice That Changed Everything
14:40 – Painting Big on Purpose (and Pricing Accordingly)
17:10 – Her First $11K Sale and the Collector Who Manifested It
21:07 – Why She Launched Paint Club
24:10 – Helping First-Time Artists Create Beauty in an Hour
25:45 – Students Who Shock Themselves with What They Create
30:06 – There Are a Million Artists, But Only One You
32:05 – Where to Start if You Haven’t Picked Up a Brush in 20 Years