#PowerArtists Interview with Abstract Painter Matt LeBlanc

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…

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