Meet Judi Mitchell

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Judi Mitchell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Judi below.

Judi, so glad you were able to set aside some time for us today. We’ve always admired not just your journey and success, but also the seemingly high levels of self-discipline that you seem to have mastered and so maybe we can start by chatting about how you developed it or where it comes from?

I have been largely self-employed most of my life. In my mid 20’s I began my career as a commercial real estate appraiser joining my father’s established business. You learn quickly that in order to get paid you had to get your jobs done and start on the next. I ended up divorced with 4 children to support. I had to have very good self control to do this on my own, especially when I took over the company after my father’s retirement.

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 have done art my whole life. About 22 years ago I decided to venture out of my safe bubble and try to start selling my art in galleries. I started in a friends gallery, but she closed down after a short period. Another gallery approached me and asked to handle my work. Before I knew it I had been approached by numerous galleries. I was still working as a self employed appraiser but handled being in a few galleries. I was diagnosed with terminal cancer in January of 2025 with a life expectancy of no more than two years. I decided then and there that I would slow down as an appraiser and pick up more galleries to make the most of my remaining life. I had already began to teach ceramics and after Covid I grew a studio from less than 20 students to 100. I was also able to start my own gallery. I believe staying busy, looking forward to more, and having a positive attitude about enjoying life has extended mine. Plus I have gotten the opportunity to help others in their ceramic and art life.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Positive attitude, appreciation, and helping others

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Well I am sort of living this actually. I do immunotherapy every four weeks and continue to pack the most I can in my life. My kids and grandkids ground me and are the most important thing in my life. Art is very important as well as is helping others realize their artistic potential

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Judi Mitchell

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