An Inspired Chat with Cedar Lee of Portland

Cedar Lee shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Cedar, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I’ve studied Spanish for the past 5 years. I have a Duolingo streak of 1,900 days! I’ve worked my way up from watching cartoons for babies in Spanish, reading first children’s books, then adult-level books, and listening to podcasts and audiobooks in Spanish. It is really satisfying to see my progress over time.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Cedar Lee, and I’m an artist specializing in large-scale nature-inspired paintings of forests, flora and fauna. My original paintings as well as fine art prints hang in hundreds of individual homes and businesses.

My business name is Art By Cedar. In 2006, I had recently graduated with an art degree from Goucher College, and I was starting to show my work in galleries. My family collaborated to surprise me with a website to get my art business started. ArtByCedar.com ended up being the domain that was available.

Thankfully, my first name is so unique that this has worked out well for me, as people easily find me when they Google “Art by Cedar.”

My art combines peaceful nature imagery with glowing light, so that my paintings appear to be lit from within. People often tell me that hanging my painting on the wall is like bringing the outdoors inside!

Every year, I create more original paintings in my small backyard art studio. Since launching that simple website in 2006, I’ve created more than 800 paintings. In recent years, I’ve expanded the selection of images available to order as fine art prints, making my art accessible at many price points.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I remember riding my bike as a child, speeding fast with the wind in my face. Aside from the joy of being able to skillfully control a bicycle, I think riding my bike made me feel powerful because of the independence it gave me. While I was just exploring the area near my home, having my own transportation made me feel like I could do anything that I pleased!

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
Earlier in my career, I believed for a long time that as a professional artist, working with art galleries was the be-all and end-all of professional success.

I definitely learned the hard way not to count on relationships with art galleries as my primary source of income. If the bulk of your sales are coming from a gallery, and that gallery unexpectedly closes, you get put in a precarious position.

Artists who work with galleries as their primary business model solve this issue by working with a larger number of galleries. But then they need to churn out enough originals to keep all of their galleries continually supplied with fresh work. Of course, galleries also take a cut of the artist’s sales, often as much as 50%.

Don’t get me wrong: I am seriously impressed with my fellow artists who have managed to make that arrangement work. But I found it did not work for me.

I do still show my work in galleries, but it’s always on my terms, and it’s not my Plan A for how to make money with my art. I also don’t work with galleries that demand the exclusive right to sell my art. By representing myself, I’m able to set up multiple income streams, and to pivot when needed.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is the real me, but not the *complete* me. It’s one slice of me that I am choosing to share, but ultimately, I’m a very private person. I share the part of me having to do with creating and sharing my art with the world, and supporting other artists.

If I need to give a short bio about myself, I might briefly mention all the other things that make me a complete person: I am married to my high school sweetheart. I am the mom of two teenagers. I love my dog. I’m a nerd who reads constantly, who has hobbies like teaching myself Spanish. I love to travel, and my travels have a strong influence on my art. I’m into fitness, and have lifted weights regularly for the past two decades. I’m passionately interested in personal finance. I believe in social justice and activism. I’m community-minded, and I give a lot of stuff to my Buy Nothing group.

Do I speak publicly about all of those things, or share those journeys in a public way? Very rarely.

So, you could say that my public persona is authentic, as it is very aligned with who I am, but it is also curated to be focused on only one aspect of my identity.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
A burning intensity, that when you look closer, is based in a desire to make things better than they were before, and love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artbycedar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbycedar/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artbycedar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtByCedarFans
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-by-cedar-portland
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/cedarlee

Image Credits
Cedar Lee