There is often additional information on the recording that is not in this written interview. Inspire yourself and listen while you make art.
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Today I am again stepping behind the scenes in our series called " Sweet Equity: The Backstory of Art Couples." All artists put sweat equity into their work. A few, like Nicholas are lucky to have sweet equity as well in the form of a life partner who helps make the artist's success happen from behind the scenes. You've probably heard the expression "Behind every great man is a good woman." Today I have the pleasure of revealing Nicholas Petrucci's secret advantage - Connie Bransilver.If you've missed the two interviews I have done with Connie and Nicholas, you should stop and read them first: Connie Bransilver and Nicholas Petrucci. Over the years that Connie & Nicholas have been A.C.T. clients, I have been honored to watch two professionals, each in full action in their own career, and also working together on the Guardians of the Everglades project that brings the best of their talents together. Here's a partial list of what they have accomplished since our previous interviews:  | |
� Nicholas Petruccci "Father Michael of Trinity" shared space with "Dama Madonna", "Mombasa," and "Madagascar Burning," an award-winning photograph on canvas by Connie Bransilver
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- Naples Art Fair joint exhibition and Connie's panel presentation, "The Art of Seeing: Contemporary Photography and Developing Trends in Collecting," with Jim Lustenader and Stefan Andreev drew an over-flow crowd, stimulating insightful questions and a lively discussion.
- Nicholas is now the portrait artist for the New River Art gallery in Naples and Ft. Lauderdale, and two "Meet the Artist" weekends will be scheduled for each gallery per year for commissions.
- LIFE IN NAPLES Magazine, Feb 2011, 6 page feature article on Nicholas.
- PORTFOLIO Magazine, March 2011 - cover + 6 pages on Connie.
- PORTFOLIO Magazine, May 2011 features Nicholas.
- NAPLES DAILY NEWS, Easter Sunday, Perspective Section cover; - Connie's "Bolt on the Prairie."
- 239Spot - May, 2011 featured Nicholas.
- Added Museum Bookings: March 2012, Everglades National Park Coe Visitors' Center, Guardians of the Everglades + lecture.
- ASTA - American Society of Traditional Artists - invitation to Nicholas to be a charter member.
ACT: Tell me about the role you play in Nicholas' career.
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Nicholas Petrucci � Connie Bransilver
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"Nicholas has great talent. I know he needs the time to paint and I do my best to provide the time and opportunity for him to work. Not only do I handle most of the business, but I am also able to combine my extensive contact base for new opportunities."Inasmuch as I have a trained eye, Nicholas will often ask for my opinion about what I see in his work and I ask for his opinion concerning my work, as well. "Because I have experience as a businessperson, I can sometimes identify which ideas may work better than others. I know how to assess exhibitions and when it's worth taking a calculated risk." ACT: In terms of day-to-day tasks, what do you handle for the business? "I handle nearly everything except creating the paintings, framing, and when necessary, the transporting. I answer emails, handle social media, schedule meetings, generate ideas and media coverage, most of the Internet communications, the writing, and I manage the scans, delivering what is needed on time and in the right format - mainly the detail work. "We have a business meeting weekly, and I keep him advised of what's going on through email copies and at the business meeting."ACT: You mentioned a lot of diverse jobs. What is your background that supports these wide-ranging skills? "I have always been a 'Just Do It' kind of person. "I had a combination of great freedom to explore the wildness of outdoor New Mexico and the stimulation of a family pushing the boundaries of curiosity and intellect. My formal education was at Duke University. My parents insisted that I choose a university in another region of the country in order to broaden my understanding of our country and of other ways of approaching life. "Later, after two children and a few years on Capitol Hill, I went to law school in New Mexico, then we all moved to London, England where, again, I had to 'Just Do It' for myself. It was constant juggling of household and wife duties, childcare and a full time job. You get used to it. What I ended up doing was helping found two major organizations and work for Merrill Lynch as a Private Banker. 'Mother Merrill' taught me many of the selling skills I still use."After more than a dozen years in England I was back in the USA. Two years later I quit my day job and tried fine art photography, which has been good to me."ACT: What would you say is the single most important trait or talent you bring to the table? "Positive energy."ACT: What's the quality that's sometimes the most difficult, as you and Nicholas work? "Patience and intolerance - for my own failings; for the slowness of people to 'get it;' for ignorance; for others' fears."ACT: Please tell us about how you divided the work on the Guardians of the Everglades project.
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Franklin Adams and Nicholas Petrucci �Connie Bransilver
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"The idea sprang from a disappointment in answer to the question, 'How do we distinguish ourselves from the others?' Nicholas led, and I added, and back and forth, then we started testing the idea on others. The response has, surprisingly, been 100% positive, and many have contributed ideas and volunteered to help or join. "As the idea grew, we knew we needed to test it on an outside professional - that was you - Aletta. We talked for a couple of hours, brainstorming, working off each other, and finally leaving Aletta with advising us on the job of basic organization and division of time, energy and talent."Nicholas' main job is to produce excellence through paintings that come from his understanding of the people, from talking with them, taking many photographs for reference. The outcome is to produce ten full sized portraits of living individuals who have dedicated their lives to conservation of the Everglades ecosystem. Nicholas poses the individuals, prepares the board, draws and paints, then organizes scanning and framing. The painting is totally consuming for Nicholas - it's much more than throwing paint at the canvas since his paintings are highly detailed. He responds to media questions, usually through me in that I add scans as they are called for. He monitors his web site, making additions, and his words there and in any media coverage are his own. "I have the introduction - my contacts have opened doors; my whole knowledge of the area ecosystem from my books and poking around for years have identified the people or categories of people and opened the door for those Nicholas might like to paint.
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Connie Bransilver � Brian Tietz
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"Together we are assessing the balance to depict many different ways of contributing. My job is to coordinate the whole project, keep the project on time and do the media work - but I am not doing that alone. We have hired a woman who is an organizer and an event planner and who has a track record of raising money through sponsorships. I keep the organizer we just hired organized . . that leaves me free to deal with the 'big picture' and keep on top of everything so Nicholas can be freed to be creative, in addition to my own part in producing orchids on ten large silk banners. The latter have been in my head for 20 year and I am so pleased with them." ACT: You put in a lot of time and care to develop the Guardians of the Everglades project - not just into the conceptualization, but also into the project itself. "My strength is in knowing who can do what and how to approach them. I keep lines of communication open, and for some reason, I can juggle dozens of projects and parts of projects at the same time. As has been said many times, the CEO is not usually the smartest or most talented but the one who can motivate those who can do whatever job is needed. That's who I am and what I do."Nicholas is the Chairman, the idea person and the talent, as well as the image of the project and of our company. He has the 'Gravitas;' I have the 'Can Do.' He is the star; I direct the spotlight." | |
� Connie Bransilver & Nicholas Petrucci
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ACT: Clearly you and Nicholas have developed a very close, collaborative working style. Any advice on how you do this? "Yes, separate the work life from the personal life. If we forget, our code phrase is 'Oh wait, let me go get my sensible shoes and blue suit!' "We not only are equal partners in the business, but we also work within the same general workspace. His studio is in the big room with the northwestern light; mine is much smaller and faces southeast, with a large room between us. "For me, navigating wife/mother/professional for many years, I can decompress from work mode to wife mode fairly easily, but I get very stressed if work mode questions or controversy are injected into wife mode. "So, the advice is separate your roles clearly, and be diligent in not mixing work with personal time." ACT: Any final thoughts you'd like to share? "Final advice: HAVE FUN! If you are doing something and it's not fun, or you don't love it, do something else!"
If you don't have someone in your studio behind the scenes, don't let that hold you back. If you need an accountability partner for your art business or someone to roll up sleeves to produce art marketing materials or work on your web site, just let us know. We have a whole team to help you. Start with a complimentary 15-minute conversation. Sign up here: http://www.artistcareertraining.com/request-a-conversation |
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