Today, I am pleased to introduce to you an abstract painter and one of the major influencers behind the #PowerArtists series, Matt LeBlanc. Although Matt and I have never met in person, I consider Matt a dear friend and colleague…thanks to social media.
Not only is Matt a talented artist, he is also a savy businessman, and a loving family man with charitable heart. When Matt feels passionately about a cause, he puts his whole heart and soul into it. Read on to learn more, you wont regret it…
“PowerArtists are the social media ‘rockstars’ of the art world! Not only are they talented creatives, but they understand how to harness the power of social media and use it to promote their art careers. #PowerArtists are inspiring and freely share their knowledge with others.”
Matt LeBlanc lives and works in the city of Dieppe, New Brunswick, Canada. Having worked at an advertising agency for close to nine years, he’s constantly surrounded by creativity. Being exposed to colours, textures, and shapes every day; these all become inspiration in his art.
Matt’s ability to design a unique piece of art based on his client current décor has been a big asset in developing his strong brand as an artist. His art is also owned by reputable people like Sir Richard Branson, Kevin O’Leary, Clara Hughes and Ron Buist just to name a few.
All of Matt’s success wouldn’t mean much to him if he didn’t give back to his community. In 2010, he launched an impossible mission called the Art for Life campaign and ended up amassing $38,000 for the fight against cancer.
Describe a typical day in the life of a #PowerArtist:
This is a tough question to answer, as there’s no typical day in the life of Matt LeBlanc.
First thing I have to mention is that I have a full time job as an account director in an advertising agency. If you know anything about that industry, you’ll agree that it’s a very high pace environment. The hours can be long but it’s an industry that is a lot of fun. It thought me a lot of things over the years but the most important one is probably the importance of being creative. It also gave me all the tools I needed to bring my art career where it is today.
Does this mean I’m a part time artist? Not exactly! I have two full time jobs actually. Very often, I will packaged paintings, fill out shipping slips, respond to emails or take photos of my paintings well before I actually leave home for my day job.
This is on top of getting two young kids ready and out of the door. I will also schedule meetings with clients, deliver paintings or head to the post office to ship a few pieces over lunch.
When I get home, I reserve from 5.30 to 7.30 to spend time with my family. That’s very important to me. After that, I’m either meeting with clients or creating the next masterpiece. I usually go to bed around 11pm and start all over again the next day.
You can image how excited I get when the weekend hits. A full day to paint? Not really. I always try to divide my day in half. Half of the day is for painting or meeting with clients and the other half is dedicated to family time. It’s not always easy to have the right balance but we make it work.
Give an example of how you use social media to promote your art career:
I always tell my clients at my day job that using social media doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about relationships and content. If you fail with one of those two, you will fail with social media. It’s that simple.
I see many artists who only post their latest work. How can you expect to build a following by just pushing pictures towards potential clients? That’s not a relationship. Make sure that you provide more then just pictures. Provide blog posts about how you create your art and how you do everything else in life and buyers will be more interested to follow you. Most of the time, people buy the artist. They don’t buy the art.
When I started my Facebook group, I decided I was going to give away one small painting a month. My idea to generate interest and form relationships was to get my fans to submit a name for the painting.
The best entry wins it! This strategy quickly grew my group to over 2,000 members in less then 6 months and I get over 200 entries per contest. Don’t copy others. Create your own unique approach and it will bring gold to your business.
If you could meet any artist: past, present, or future, who would it be and why?
Future? How about Matt LeBlanc in 20 years? That would be cool wouldn’t it? All jokes aside, I’m more about the present then the past. I’ve met so many great artists around the world with social media that I would love to meet them in person. I’ve exchanged so many emails, tweets & posts with them that it would fun to actually meet in person … including you Lori!!
If your art could be displayed anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I actually get great satisfaction to see my work in so many people’s home all over the world. There’s close to 1,200 Matt LeBlanc’s Originals hanging in various locations and there’s something so cool about that. It’s way cooler then being in a fancy gallery.
I had the privilege last year to hand over one of my painting to the multi-billionaire Sir Richard Branson so that is definitely a great place to be. Donald Trump likes abstract … I’m just saying!
What sage advice would you give an artist who is just starting out in his/her career?
- The best advice I can give to other artist is stop being an artist and be an artist/entrepreneur instead. No one will sell you. You have to sell yourself.
With the technology that we have these days, you don’t even have to step out of your home … but you should. My local market is a big market for me but it’s not by luck. I’ve hit the pavement and talked to everyone about it and it’s working.
Artists are good at what they do but they are typically not business people. Yes it’s art but it’s still a business. There’s a price, a demand and a sale in every business. Make sure you’re on top of it.
- My second advice if I can give two, would be to spend the time. Spend the time promoting yourself. Spend some long nights online and send emails, post on blogs, post in Facebook and tweet. Don’t go to bed at 9pm and say you’re tired.
You have to work hard to be tired and be very successful. It’s those little things that count. Most successful people have spent the time and they keep spending the time. I know a lot of people who keeps complaining and don’t do anything about it. Don’t be a dreamer. Be a doer!!
As a #PowerArtist, what do you do to ‘give back’ or ‘pay it forward’ to your community:
I always felt that people who have a talent should use their talent for the benefit of their community. This could be very small or big depending on the type of person you are but you should definitely consider giving back.
For my part, I’ve been supporting various charities since I started my art career. Last year, I wanted to make something big and shake the art world a bit. I’ve created something that hasn’t been done in Canada before. I set out to create and sell 200 paintings in 6 months and give 100% of the profit back to charity. My goal was to raise $25,000 and I ended up raising $38,000.
The response was overwhelming and I’m so happy I did it. The project was insanely hard as you can imagine but it was totally worth it. I’m already planning my next venture!
*****
Matt, I knew your interview would be worth the wait! Thank you for freely sharing your inside tips. You are an inspiration to me and to the Twitter and Facebook art communities. We all look forward to your next venture!
It is ironic that I am writing this interview while on the opposite end of your beautiful country, Canada. Someday, I hope our paths will cross. ~Lori
For more information, please check out Matt’s website, blog and social media channels:
http://www.mattleblancart.com/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17581116319
http://twitter.com/mattleblancart
*****
PS. Let’s meet on Facebook and Twitter! ~Lori
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I like Matt’s work and I love his website. For an artist, it’s a great example of how to display your work beautifully.
Hello Cory, it is great seeing you here! Yes, Matt has great artistic taste and it shows through in his work and website. Thank you again for acknowledging that on your blog!
Best-
Lori
Matt is the most sensational artist that I know, his work talks to me. His website is fantastic because he takes care of all his fans. We do appreciate his E-Mail. What a great guy and down to earth artist. Keep on doing a great job as a artist and human being.
Yes, Matt is a wonderful artist and person. I am glad you enjoy his newsletter – he does a great job with it! Thanks for taking time to share your comment.
Cheers-
Lori
Wow !!!! Thank you sooooo much Carole & Gary !!! I’m blushing here !! You are so right when you say that I care for my fans !! Without fans, there’s no art !!! Thanks again ! This post made my day and more !!! 🙂
Matt
You deserve the kudos Matt!
Lori 🙂
Thank you so much Lori !! I’m really happy to be part of this project. You’re awesome !! Thank you Cory as well for your kind words. Much appreciated !
Matt
You are welcome Matt. Thank you for including ME in your awesome newsletter!
Hugs-
Lori
Great article. Matt is an awesome artist and is so down-to-earth to work with too. I was fortunate to work on his idenity and I’m so excited to hang the painting I chose!!!!!!! He deserves all accolades coming his way because of his talent and all he’s given to Art for Life, campaign to fight cancer.
cheers
Joce
Obviously, I totally agree with you Jocelyne! Thank you for sharing your comment here. I am glad you enjoyed Matt’s interview.
Cheers-
Lori
Great interview with a great artist 🙂
I “met” Matt online about 5 years ago, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet him in real life last September at his Art For Life Gala. I didn’t tell him I was coming, and I literally had goosebumps sitting in the audience listening to Matt speak and watching the awesome video he made about his campaign. It was such an amazing evening, and I’ll always cherish the moment when we finally got to meet 🙂
I own five of Matt’s paintings, and love them all 🙂 And I just received two of his paintings today that he’s donating for an art auction to raise money for Children’s Wish. Matt has the biggest heart of anyone I know. He’s definitely a PowerArtist!
Kelly, I hope to meet Matt in person someday too! I bet his presentation was amazing and wish I could have been a fly on the wall, or better yet – there in person! Thank you for stopping by this blog to comment.
Cheers-
Lori
This was a great article!! Not only is Matt a superb artist but an all around inspiring person! I’m always learning new things from him thanks to his generous spirit. Power artist is a perfect description for him! A family man holding down two full time careers and still makes time to help fellow artists, truly a great guy!
Hello Laura, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I knew Matt’s interview would be inspiring and educational to others. He is a great guy!
Happy creating-
Lori
Great interview Matt!! I’ve known Matt for a long time and he’s always been and still is such a down to earth guy. That’s what makes him such a POWER ARTIST. We’re so proud of you Matt!! He cares about you and everyone.You work so hard. Having a family with 2 kids, 2 full time jobs…….. you’re a TRUE INSPIRATION TO ALL OF US. Not only that you do what you love to do…but you give back so much to our community. Keep up the great work and can’t wait to read your next newsletter, next interview and other future projects …that I know you have in the back of your mind. LOL.
Hello Julie and thanks for stopping by for a comment. Matt’s great energy shines through in this interview. I am glad you found it inspiring.
Cheers-
Lori
Thank you sooooo much Julie !! You’re too kind !!! 🙂
I wish the interview was a bit longer Lori. :] Great none the less and inspiring to be sure. Thanks Matt and all the best.
Thanks Serge. If you have a specific question you would like to ask Matt, please let it here in the comment section. Matt responds to his comments. I am glad you enjoyed the interview.
Best-
Lori
Thanks Lori. I do have one: :]
Matt, I was told some artists don’t like so much you sell your art so low as it makes their work look too pricey compare to yours. I don’t mind myself but locally I keep hearing this around. To each his own I know but on that note what do you think constitute a great price of art and how do you evaluate yours?
Thanks and again, all the best,
Serge
Interesting comment Serge. I will pass it on to Matt and make sure he answers this.
Best-
Lori
Hello Serge,
Do you know the biggest satisfaction I get from being an artist? It’s seeing the joy from someone’s who just bought his or her very first piece of art. That’s what art should be all about. I would trade this any day of the week with selling to someone who owns twenty pieces of art already.
A great piece of art should make someone’s happy regardless of how much it cost. It’s about the art … not the cost. A few years back, I posted my son’s very first painting in my newsletter. I received many emails from clients who wanted to buy the piece because they fell in love with it. It was so simple but also it was made by a 3 year old. I didn’t sell it of course …
I’ve been working in Marketing for close then 10 years now. Something I learned very early is that companies don’t set the price in a market. The market sets the price for them based on demand and competition. When I first thought about selling my art, I took 6 months to research the market. Something I realized quickly is that most art buyers in our area were over 40 years old. My art appeals to a younger market. Most of my buyers are between the ages of 20 to 35 so we’re not even swimming in the same pool. A young market will not pay $800 for a piece of art. They won’t even consider it. With my affordable art, they love the fact that they can own original art. They think it’s cool and they are very happy to own it. They will grow up with the art and buy more and will eventually pay the $800 price tag when they’re older.
A second thing that’s important to look at is how we sell our art. 80% of my sales come from online activities and most of those sales are not in my local market. If you research online art sales, you will see that the competition is huge and the prices are lower. This is due to the fact that those artists are not selling in galleries so they are avoiding the high commissions taken by galleries. The consumer that’s visiting galleries is not the same one that will look to buy art online. A fundamental principal of marketing is to not generalize your clients and target them individually for their own needs. Just because one artist is selling his art for a price, it doesn’t mean all artists should sell in the same price range because not all clients are the same. Does Sears tell Walmart to lower his price because they are not the same? No way …
Of course other points to consider are the experience, the popularity and the demand for the artist. I’m only starting my forth year as an artist so my price will grow at the same time as I grow as an artist.
Thanks again for your question and please pass my answer to the other artists to educate them and hopefully they’ll stop spreading wrong information about my art career.
Matt
Thanks for your reply Matt.
It’s pretty well given a low priced item is mostly (not always) for a lower income clientèle and perhaps to build one’s demand, profile and own emergence. We both agree on that no doubt but fact is; Its not about one artist telling another one to lower his price because they are not the same? No, :] it’s about Sears Lowering his prices thus Walmart has to lower his price so as to stay competitive. The points are worlds apart.
Anyhow thanks again, I was curious to hear you side of the story and since I’m not interested to be the middle man passing and educating my fellow artists, I’ll leave that up to you if interested.
All the best,
Serge
Correction; I meant “piece of art” in “…What do you think constitute a great piece of art and how do you evaluate yours?
Matt,
Your above comment is so well said!! I’ve had similar questions and it is so true, the online market is completely different! Not only is there a different customer base but the with all competition online and leaving out the middleman, I think your prices are bang on! You’ve so obviously researched your target market before just jumping in with a price and I have no doubt that your success comes from careful research, you expertise in marketing and how seriously you take your art career!! I know myself and many others look to your example when conducting ourselves online. To me you are a trusted source of information!
Thanks for following up on Matt’s comment. I totally agree with you Laura, the online art market is totally different and needs to be handled as such. Thanks for your comment.
Bes-
Lori