Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Casey Droege. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Casey, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Like many artists, I’ve always had a day job plus a side hustle plus some artmaking on the other side. I watched my parents, all self employed artists, do the same thing. They’d create artwork for fun and for clients, while also managing to do some other gigs to pay the bills. I think part of it comes from my nature, of having lots of ideas and wanting to make them all happen. The other part comes strictly from survival- you have to eat!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I founded Casey Droege Cultural Productions (CDCP) in 2016 with the big idea of supporting the arts community by creating financial opportunities for artists and arts workers. The business has two arms, one which is community focused arts programming and the other offers commercial art consulting services. Our community oriented arm offers distinctive and accessible art experiences to artists, art enthusiasts, and the general public through public programming. CDCP’s initial programs included SIX x ATE, CSA PGH, and PGH Photo Fair. Since then, the organization has expanded to include an arts concept shop (which has recently been sold), a residency program, and collaborations with other art organizations, neighborhoods, and the city of Pittsburgh. Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, we have been able to pivot and adjust CDCP’s plans. In 2022, CDCP embraced change and rebranded its commercial art consulting wing as The Art Supply Co. (TASC), which connects real estate developers, architects, and interior designers with local living artists, helping them integrate art into their projects and create unique and dynamic spaces. This work in the private sector and diversification of clientele ensures CDCP and TASC remain resilient. Our approach is unique because we aim to bridge gaps between industries while adding significant value to the projects involved. Through these partnerships, we provide economic opportunities for artists by facilitating their connection with commercial businesses and mentoring them if they have not completed a project of a similar scale before. This mutually beneficial arrangement allows for the creation of innovative, aesthetically pleasing projects while simultaneously supporting the artistic community.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The qualities and skills that have gotten me here are: – a willingness to fail
– the ability to listen and take criticism
– my true joy/ability to thrive on new experiences
I think it’s incredibly important to put yourself in a mindset where you see mistakes not as failures but as moments where you’ve learned something didn’t work. It can be disheartening to feel like there is a constant string of mistakes or a huge learning curve when you start out with something. So remember that the knowledge learned during those moments is invaluable and worth the time you spent on it.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
As someone who runs a business and is a parent and wears any number of other hats, I can get easily overwhelmed. Stopping to breathe is the best thing for me. I try to make time to start my day with my planner and figure out my priorities for the day. My to do list will never be completely finished, and so it’s best to set aside time for myself to come back to just being me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theartsupply.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theartsupplyco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartsupplyco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseydroege/
Image Credits
Image credit to Sean Carroll, Cam Brown, Kitoko Chargois.
