WTF is Renegade Art Co.?

Essentially, I finally got my shit together

Let's face it: being an artist isn't always easy. Society often casts doubt on our abilities, dismissing our passions as mere hobbies or impractical pursuits. But here's the truth: your talent is powerful, unique, and worthy of recognition. At Renegade Art Co., we're here to help you harness that power and build a business that truly reflects your artistry. But first, lemme tell you how RAC was born.

The story goes like this…

I wasn't always proud of my roots. In fact, there was a time when I felt embarrassed about what I perceived as a lack of culture in my home state. You see, in Texas, football is king.

Every weekend revolved around the game:

who won,

who lost,

who’s playing next week,

koozies,

igloo coolers,

defense,

offense,

tailgates,

all that. Nobody gave a damn about art, especially my parents.

Because that’s just what people do…

My parents ran their own business and spent most of their time keeping it afloat. Money worries consumed them, and the notion of happiness was never a topic of discussion in our house.

The path they envisioned for my two brothers and I was simple: grow up, get jobs, work, break your back, pay bills, repeat.

The word "passion" was absent, and the phrase, “self-discovery” would’ve probably ended in a dirty joke.

Our destiny was predetermined, and shaped by the expectations of previous generations. This is what we’ve always done. What makes you so special?

Always a troublemaker in the group….

I've never been one to conform. Even as a high-achieving student, I got good grades so that my parents would leave me alone.

I wanted nothing more than to be independent, live by my own rules, and go out and see what the world was about. Yeah, I did that and I dove head-first into a big pile of trouble.

You see, I was caught between societal expectations and my true self—a creative soul yearning to break free. In the eyes of many and my parents, my life as an artist meant I was going to stop shaving my armpits and sell paintings down in Austin and become a broke hippie or destined for failure. To them, a broke hippie = loser.

When I announced my decision to attend art school, my parents were shattered, tears streaming down their faces and into the drain of doom, the same place my future was destined for as far as they were concerned. True story.

For years, I dabbled in various pursuits without fully committing to anything, except for a continuous onslaught of, “I told you so’s,” and, “You just had to do things your way,” from my parental units.

I found myself stuck in limbo, torn between who I was expected to be and who I truly wanted to become. I waitressed in nudie bars (I worked for Pantera for 6 yrs. and had some GREAT times), drowned my sorrows in gallons of Crown Royal, and did copious amounts of drugs. I even had a few encounters with the law, spending eighteen months behind bars.

Fuck it…

Even after my release, the struggle continued. As a convicted felon, believing in myself became not just an uphill battle but, sort of like that fire of pain that you feel when you’re on the Stairmaster for too long.

It became easier to just say fuck it and fall into everyone’s worst opinions of me.

It's hard to find the strength to embrace your talents when the world views you as a loser, or worse, a felon. I was trying to figure out what it was I wanted to do when I grew up, except this went on well into my thirties. I was grown.

Hell-bent…

I refused to settle and I refused to settle down. I knew deep down that I had something extraordinary to offer—a gift that far outweighed the mistakes of my past.

But what the hell was it?

I was surrounded by countless other troubled souls, each uniquely gifted but unable to recognize their own worth because their demons spoke much louder than any sense of self-value.

The idea that they possessed importance or talent seemed unfathomable to them. I had to find a way out of this vicious cycle of self-induced, vacuum of negativity.

That was my life,…. battling the monotony and rules that suffocated me and my artistic fire.

The conventional wisdom preached about starving artists and the myth that true creativity can't coexist with a thriving business. The idea that successful businesses were only successful because they had a physical product, something tangible to sell was the norm.

The internet grew and became more prevalent in the economy. I spent all of my time researching, creating, learning, and consuming art of all kinds.

I completed a photography program, went on to get two degrees in creative writing, and I’m currently pursuing a master’s in business.

Trust me when I tell you that my education did not end in the classroom. I was fascinated by the correlation between people who possessed creative talent and their lack of acknowledgment of those talents in themselves.

I was like a sponge, soaking up any information I could find on artistic techniques, monetization, e-commerce, marketing, and how-tos on forming a business.

I found myself, without realizing it at first, being the go-to person people would call when they couldn’t figure out Photoshop, or how to get an EIN number. I was constantly answering technical calls about software or marketplace insights on sites like Etsy or Shopify.

Silence the negative bullshit…

Eventually, I stopped believing people when they said I couldn’t do something. Phrases like, “That’ll never work,” started to serve as fuel and determination.

I surrounded myself with people who just let me be the introverted weirdo that I am and believed that whatever I was working on would be successful, even if it wasn’t tomorrow.

Finally, I began to embrace the wild and untamed part of me and began to see myself as a badass who could quite literally do whatever I wanted.

I realized that putting myself and my ideas out into the world was the answer and that I needed to show up every day to deliver that message on a platform, thank’s Substack.

Absolute, all-out, defiance…

Renegade Art Co emerged from my defiance, fueled by a burning desire to lead the way and empower emerging artists to claim their spot in the entrepreneurial arena. I realized that embracing our artistic rebellion is the key to unlocking a world of endless possibilities.

There is no amount of technology that can replace your creativity. As Ash Ambirge say’s, “Trust your craziest idea.”

Fuck anyone who doesn’t believe in you.

You can quote that.

In a society that tries to fit us into molds and conform our creativity, Renegade Art Co is our sanctuary—a place where we dance to the beat of our own brushstrokes and sculpt our own unconventional paths to success.

RAC is a safe place to fuck up, learn from it, and move on.

They aren’t scars, they are battle wounds.

We're here to shatter the glass ceiling and prove that artistry and business are not mortal enemies, but badass partners in crime.

The economy simply could not function without art or the people who create it.

This Substack newsletter is our starting place, blasting away outdated notions and feeding you with the strategic know-how to conquer the art business game.

Get ready for a wild ride, my friends, because we're about to delve into branding secrets that will make your art pop, marketing wizardry that will magnetize your audience, and pricing mastery that will have your bank account doing a victory dance.

But it's not just about the strategies and tactics.

Oh no, Renegade Art Co is all about embracing our true selves, unleashing our inner rebels, and giving the middle finger to anyone who tries to stifle our artistic brilliance.

We'll explore the mindset shifts, the unapologetic authenticity, and the sheer audacity it takes to build a thriving creative business on your own terms.

Stay tuned for our next missive, where we'll dive deep into electrifying techniques to amplify your brand and magnetize your tribe. Until then, remember this: you're not just an artist; you're a renegade armed with your craft and fierce determination.

Let's make some noise, defy expectations, and unleash our rebellious artistic spirits!

With fiery passion and unapologetic creativity,

Jacklyn Miller - Chief Rebel at Renegade Art Co