- Should we do that again, I forgot my name.
- [Skye] Sure!
- You did?
- Yeah, I panicked.
- It is a tough one.
- It's a tough one.
- Carrie Beth, her.
Sean, me.
Okay.
- You go for it.
Okay, these two are as insightful as they are adorable.
Carrie Beth McGarry, the owner of {9} The Gallery
and her husband, Sean McGarry, the sales director
of {9} The Gallery, one of the coolest galleries
here in Phoenix, Arizona,
have some amazing things to say
about what it takes to become a professional artist
and how you can bump up the game
so you can become a professional in your field.
What they look for in artists when they're looking
to work with new people, as well as,
some amazing and insightful
words about fear and creativity.
They also have an adorable story about how they met.
Stick around.
(upbeat music)
Hi, creatives, my name is Skye Lucking.
I'm an artist and muralist here in Phoenix, Arizona
and the host of Courageous Creatives,
the YouTube channel that elevates you
to your highest self using inspiration,
education, courage building and community.
Today is Who's Who Arizona, wahoo, where I interview
the movers and shakers in the creative
industries of Arizona.
I'm so excited for my guests today,
Carrie Beth and Sean McGarry,
the owners and operators of {9} The Gallery,
one of my favorite galleries here in the city.
If you're interested in what's happening
in the creative landscape of Arizona,
be sure to hit the subscribe button
and the bell notification so you never miss a video.
I am always setting up interviews
with some of the most interesting,
interesting people in Arizona
and you'll see those right here.
I was fortunate enough to work with
Carrie Beth and Sean on the Deck'd show.
I was one of the artists who designed
one of the 50 custom designed skateboards
for the Deck'd show.
I also did a time lapse video of some of these skateboards
being designed and you can see that right here.
They always have something super cool going on.
I sat down with them to talk a little bit
about the gallery itself, where they see it going,
and how they operate it.
Also. what they look for in artists
when they're looking to work with new people.
As well as, their thoughts on fear and creativity.
And it is poignant and insightful
and really beautifully said.
Let's check it out.
- High school.
So I was a sophomore in high school,
- [Carrie] I was a freshman.
- and she was a freshman.
And we were in
Anything Goes. - Mention of Anything Goes.
- And again, in high school.
And I'll never forget,
I had the biggest crush on her immediately.
- And I did too, I had the biggest crush on him.
And we were partnered together
and at the end we were, like, married.
- Uh huh, yeah.
- That's how it all started.
- Exactly, and I,
she was, obviously, way too cool for me,
for the entire span of high school.
So we were friends,
but I never asked her out or anything like that.
Because she's, like, the coolest.
And then, fast forward, years and years forward.
Separate careers.
Separate everything, and then-
- We reconnected.
- We reconnected.
I sent her a message on Facebook,
believe it or not,
saying I was going to be back in Buffalo
where she lived, where we're from.
And, um.
- We crashed a wedding together and the rest was history.
- We crashed a wedding.
Yeah, exactly,
and that was it. - We've been together
ever since.
- Yeah, right, the butterflies were gone
and I finally asked.
You just don't know.
- My name's Carrie Beth McGarry.
I'm the owner of {9} The Gallery.
- And I am Sean McGarry,
the sales director at {9} The Gallery.
- So, {9} The Gallery was founded back in 2012,
by Laura Dragon.
And the gallery's been here for about six years now.
And over that time it's just grown and grown.
And then, we got involved with the gallery
with the addition of the nine collective,
back in September of 2017.
We joined the collective and started working closely
with Laura.
As a lot of people in the community know,
Laura was, unfortunately, diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer
back in April of 2017.
And so,
in January of this year,
she approached us and asked us if we would be interested
in taking over the gallery from her,
so she could focus on just living her life.
And not have to be burdened with all those day to day
tasks of spreadsheets and contracts, and whatnot,
and so it was a dream of ours to take over and run
a gallery someday.
So we jumped at the opportunity
and it's been a great ride ever since.
What we're trying to do here,
as gallery owners,
we're not in it for the glory.
'Cause we're working 24 hours a day on this.
But we do it because we love it
and we're passionate about it.
And we want to, we both have a deep passion
for helping artists.
Helping them succeed.
Helping them brand themselves.
Helping them brand their shows.
Helping them develop cohesive bodies of work.
We want to break away from the mold,
what's been going on,
where gallery owners just call up an artist and say,
"Hey, what do you have?
"What do you have in your closet?
"I need an artist for next month, can you bring your stuff?"
And that's what we want to step away from,
and we really want to start working with artists
and helping to educate them.
And just realize it takes a village to do this.
- And this area's been overlooked.
- Yes.
- It's always been overlooked.
Yeah, there's more than enough talent here.
There are enough artists that can be full time artists
and do really well for themselves.
We just have to figure out how.
And we, actually, started
in the collective as an artist team,
actually, and the name FunWOW.
That's how, that's kind of tied into everything, too.
Kind of, come from this position
from the entry road of artists.
So we kind of know both sides of it,
which gives perspective to the gallery position.
- 'Cause my background is in Arts Management
and I got my Masters degree in Arts Management.
Used to teach with a graduate program in Arts Management
over at the University of Buffalo.
And then, to also have that artistic background
and working with you as a partner,
for the last five years, together,
as an artistic team, kind of seemed like a natural fit.
- FunWOW was started as, kind of, just,
well, it actually had to get started,
because
we submitted a design for Global Inheritance.
Which is a non-for-profit that works
for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
And they commission artists to create recycling bins
that are real unique and cool,
that they actually donate to schools.
But for the first one, after they're made,
they're actually displayed on the grounds
of Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
- We, on a whim, submitted.
- Yeah.
- And happened to be accepted.
And so,
it was a huge jump for us because we had just been painting
pretty much for ourselves and our family, at that point.
And when we were filling out the paperwork,
we couldn't be, we could be a team, but we couldn't
submit both of our names.
So the bin would either have to be listed
under one of our names, which wasn't going to work for us.
And so, I looked at him and said,
"What do we have?"
And he said, "FunWOW."
- Yeah.
- I said, "Perfect."
He's the fun, I'm the wow.
- [Sean] From there it just kind of fit.
- Yep, we've been working with Global Inheritance
and the Coachella Music and Arts Festival
for three years now.
And, yeah, started establishing ourselves
in the Phoenix art scene at the same time.
- Yeah, you just never know.
- What do we look for in artists?
- Primarily, we look for drive.
It's something that you can't teach
and it's something that is either there or not there.
So, those intangibles are really important.
That's going to be a big differentiation between
who'd work with the, who's really not ready.
- I mean, we also look for, obviously we look
for composition.
For me, execution is a big one.
But we also want someone who is open to being guided.
Because, believe it or not, creating a work of art,
a body of work, or a branded body of work,
and building a branded artist is not a solo endeavor.
It's a group effort and that's the approach
that we take with our artists.
Is when we're looking to put out a show,
we like to sit down with them six months,
eight months in advance of their show
and ask them, "What are you?
"What do you have to say?
"What do you want to say next?
"Where do you see yourself going?"
And then, kind of, working with them over the span
of that time to create a branded body of work.
That's cohesive, that will be recognized
years into the future.
By other, by viewers, that that work came from that specific
series, by that specific artist.
And so, a willingness and an ability for an artist
to be open to that sort of guidance.
And working in a collaborative effort like that,
is also something, a big key factor for us.
- For sure.
I think self-awareness of style, too.
So sometimes, people don't really understand where they fit
in the spectrum of art.
Where they kind of fit.
And having a self-awareness, of where their best fit,
or even maybe kind of a range.
I think that's important.
Gives a self-awareness for what you're doing.
To be able to, kind of, focus.
And I also think professionalism.
People that know how to answer an email.
Just not to be unprofessional.
- And meet deadlines.
- Yeah.
- That come pick up their work.
Pick up is as important as drop off.
Believe it or not.
Just an artist that really takes their craft seriously,
in terms of, how they're going
to manage themselves, as well.
Common mistakes that artists make in their work or career?
- One of the biggest mistakes that we've seen artists make
and really, subconsciously, is the failure to take their
artistic career and run it like a business.
- Yeah, just because you make something,
doesn't really mean that someone out there
is going to buy it.
Or even discover it.
- Just because it's made, that's not the end of the story.
It's a very, kind of, a mantra around here
that being good isn't good enough.
So that means treating it like a business.
How are you going to market yourself?
How are you going to brand yourself?
What is your target market?
You know, understanding where they are differentiated
in the market, in the scene.
These are tough soul searching questions.
And that's why a lot of people don't do it.
Because it takes time.
These are things, like any business book you'll ever read,
is that page one of book one, lesson one of marketing,
is what's your target market?
And that takes a lot of self knowledge.
It takes a lot of soul searching to know this stuff.
So a lot of people would rather paint
or create something,
than really do the soul searching part of that.
That's a big mistake.
- I also like to just remind artists that no one is going
to knock on your door and know what you're creating
inside your apartment, inside your studio,
inside your home.
We encourage artists to submit.
We actually love going through submissions.
And we go through every single submission
that comes across our desk.
We look at that.
We look at the artist.
We look at their potential
and so, that's the way,
if you want, if you're creating,
you need to take that leap and put yourself out there.
But I would say, for me, another mistake that I see
a lot of artists make,
is not finishing their work.
And that means a lot of different things.
So let me, kind of, explain.
Sometimes it's still an unfinished thought,
where the composition is almost there, but not quite.
Sometimes it's a matter of the execution
and the cleanliness of the execution.
Sometimes the idea has to emerge on the canvas
or in the sculpture.
But the attention to the details,
of just finishing, just taking that extra day,
two days and going in and looking at the fine details
of the work and making sure those are completed.
And then, also, the presentation of the work itself.
If it is a matted piece, mat it and frame it properly.
You can't have a beautiful work,
and then put it in a dollar store frame.
You have to, the framing, and the matting,
and the presentation of your work
is as much a part of the work as the work itself.
So how you showcase your art says a lot about you
and says a lot about your brand and about your value
as an artist.
- Couldn't have said it better myself.
- Thanks.
When you speak with collectors,
what do you notice they're looking for?
- Oh, collectors.
Collectors are looking for value.
They-
- They're investors.
- They're investors.
- They're investors.
- They're looking for something that is going to have
inherit value and will continue to grow value.
That's a big thing to understand.
And that's why these little things are so important.
- Well, they are also, I agree 100%,
that value is, I mean, it's like you invest in stocks.
They're investing in an artist.
They don't want to see that artist disappear
in six months or 12 months, or three years.
They're making an investment into the artist
and the work.
And that the work is going to accumulate value
over time.
And that's where those little details and where I'm
such a stickler for the execution of art work.
That's another thing that they're looking for when they're
looking at a work.
It's how it's executed.
It's how it's framed.
And then I would say, probably, the third thing
that they're looking for is, obviously,
is a connection to the piece.
It has to mean something, ultimately, to them.
Or if they're purchasing it for somebody,
it has to mean something to the person who will
actually be on the receiving end of it.
- What are your thoughts on fear and creativity?
Creativity is an exploration.
So, like any other adventure, Lewis and Clark style,
going where nobody's gone before,
there is, definitely, an element of risk.
And of fear.
And courage could not be understated, as really important.
It's okay to be scared.
- [Carrie] Yeah.
- It's okay to be afraid.
- You always tell me that if you're not afraid,
you're doing it wrong.
- You're doing it wrong.
Right, exactly.
You have to be able to challenge yourself.
You have to be out of your comfort zone.
And you have to have that fear and risk,
but that's where the pay off is.
- About four years back, the actor Charlie Day,
did a commencement speech
at Merrimack College.
And it's something, that ever since it first
went viral on the internet,
it was something that we go back to all the time.
We actually painted an image from that on our wall.
Right over our work desk, our work space.
Just to constantly remind ourselves of the one part
of that speech, where he talks
and he says, and I'm paraphrasing, but he says,
you don't have to be fearless, just don't let fear stop you.
- Now, listen up.
You cannot let a fear of failure,
or a fear of comparison,
or a fear of judgment
stop you from doing what's going to make you great.
You cannot succeed without this risk of failure.
You cannot have a voice without the risk of criticism.
And you cannot love without the risk of loss.
You must go out, and you must take these risks.
And I don't think you should do just what makes you happy,
I think you should do what makes you great.
Do what's uncomfortable and scary, and hard,
but pays off in the long run.
Be willing to fail.
Let yourself fail.
Fail in the way, and the place where you would want to fail.
Fail, pick yourself up, and fail again.
Because without this struggle, what is your success anyway?
Look, as best we know it, we have one life.
In it, you have to trust your own voice,
your own ideas, your honesty,
your vulnerability, and through this you will find your way.
You do not have to be fearless,
just don't let fear stop you.
- And we go back to that continuously,
we continue to remind ourselves of that.
And it helps us take those brave leaps in life
and, I think, we've ended up in a lot of great places
because we took that leap.
Back when we submitted to Coachella as artists,
we had no background or framework for taking that leap.
It was on a whim, we did it.
And we didn't know what was going to come of it,
but we knew the worst case scenario was nothing.
- Yeah. - Could come of it.
- And that's important.
- So it could only go up from there.
And because of that, we've had a great career
and built, kind of, a name and a brand for ourselves.
Both here and in LA.
- Yeah, and just 'cause you take risks
doesn't mean you don't fall flat on your face and fail.
- Yeah.
- Like that is absolutely part of risk.
There's no way around that.
Just because you're courageous doesn't mean you won't
fall on your face in front of everybody,
and they'll all point and laugh at you.
That's part of it.
But if you can quantify the worst case scenario,
and you're okay with that,
then you go.
Bear Grylls, like, another one of my heroes,
you take a look at what your situation is,
assess the risk, if you're ready for this,
and this is the only way to do it,
you have to fully commit.
There is no,
you have to fully commit,
that's it.
But that's the rub.
You can't, kind of, commit.
You have your way out.
If you're going to do this, you have to assess your fear,
assess the worst case scenarios and then fully commit.
- [Carrie] Yeah.
- And then what happens, happens.
- And all of the artists that we have worked with,
that have made the transition from having a day job,
and working as an artist in their spare time,
to transitioning to working
as a full time professional artist.
None of it happened overnight.
They all went in with game plans.
They all went in with three year plans,
five year plans, so they could wean themselves
off of their day jobs.
And start, at the same time, allow themselves
the time and to actually build a career
and create work to get themselves out there.
They've promoted themselves.
They took that leap,
but it did take a period of time.
It wasn't overnight.
- Lot's of little leaps
- Yeah, lots of little leaps together.
And every leap, was always scary.
They all had that moment where,
when they finally did step away from their job,
it was,
oh, oh I did this.
I now- - Right
Some of them have even said, they work more,
and they work harder
and they worry more now,
because they're working as full time artists.
But that drives them.
And that dedication, and they use that kind of fear
and uncertainty of what tomorrow brings.
Because then you're your own boss.
And that's exciting and terrifying.
And they use that to drive themselves forward,
every single day.
They use that to make sure that they're posting
on their social media and promoting themselves.
They're using that to go out, into galleries.
Meeting with gallery owners,
talking about shows,
planning shows.
All of that energy just goes right towards that.
And that's what's making them successful,
as full time artists.
- You know, show up.
- Yeah, you know-
- There's no mystery to it.
- Most galleries
if you go on their website,
they'll have a way to submit.
They'll have information.
I would always recommend artists
start at the gallery's webpage.
Look for how to submit to that particular gallery.
And follow that channel.
Do not approach gallery owners on opening nights.
Or during artist receptions.
Don't just bring your portfolio down during a show.
That's the worst way to do it,
because then it, already,
you're kind of presenting yourselves as unprofessional.
There's a reason that we put it on our website
and have a tab devoted to submissions.
And it's a form you can fill out,
you can link it to your work,
and then, those come in.
And then, that gives us the opportunity to give our
full undivided attention to going through each and every
single one of them.
So, that would be my recommendation.
- Yeah.
- It's just go through the proper channels
and normally, the gallery will just outline and define that
for you.
You'll find us at 9thegallery.com.
And that's the number nine.
Our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter handles
all @9TheGallery.
- Just, yeah, go to your favorite search engine,
type in 9 The Gallery, we're there.
- It's there.
Whoo.
Whoo.
Whoo.
- Thank you so much, Carrie Beth and Sean.
I love what you said about fear and the people
that you reference.
And a lot of the things that you said about what an artist
needs to do, were things that I hadn't actually thought
about before.
So I learned so much from this interview, as well.
You can find {9} The Gallery in the description below.
Just like Sean said, you can't throw a rock on Google
and not find them.
So, definitely, check them out.
They always, always, have something interesting going on.
So, there's probably an amazing exhibit opening,
closing, or in the process right now.
Do you own a gallery?
Or know of a gallery that is super cool,
that should be spotlighted on Courageous Creatives?
If you do, let me know in the comments below.
Also, have you exhibited at {9} The Gallery,
in any shows coming up or in the past?
What are your thoughts on {9} The Gallery?
Are you a fan?
If you are, put that in the comments below, as well.
As always, subscribe for good times.
I have videos every week, related to creatives,
creativity, interviews, advice, tech tips,
all kinds of fun things.
I have two videos related to {9} The Gallery,
the Deck'd time lapse videos,
which are amazing.
You can see those over there.
As well as, a time lapse from Alana Christine.
She'll be showing in {9} The Gallery down the road.
And she was also in that Deck'd show with me.
Check out her video, as well.
And remember,
if you are a creative or artist
trying to make it and overcome your fears,
you are courageous.
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