Meet Preston M. Smith

We recently connected with Preston M. Smith and have shared our conversation below.

Preston M., we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from a deep sense of inner purpose. This has always somehow been ingrained in me. I feel like so much of my life has been overcoming and rising up out of darkness to show a light within. No matter how many times I have been knocked down, or my spirit has been attempted to be snuffed out, I have felt a powerful pull to express myself and connect with a creative source. This has always kept me going. My art and artistic endeavors have always functioned as a way to process, share and transmute my inner struggles. Even as a child when I was going through some heavy trauma, I would naturally dig deep inside to express my creative feelings. My art has saved my life more times than I can even count. I also use music, humor, movies and even books as a shortcut to accessing an inner joy and creative spirit. It has always been my sincere hope that these inner feelings would connect with and even inspire other people.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have spent the last 23 years working as a professional artist in Los Angeles. Over the years, my work has been showcased alongside David Lynch and at the Inaugural Purple Ball for President Obama’s Inauguration in 2009, where I was commissioned to paint 12 portraits of the President. These 12 paintings were distributed to celebrities attending the event, such as Ed Harris, Ashley Judd, Patricia Arquette, Josh Lucas and more. I am currently represented professionally by ShockBoxx Gallery in Hermosa Beach (where I also help curate shows) and have shown my work at the LA Art Show, La Luz De Jesus gallery, with Artspace Warehouse, the David Lynch Foundation, and currently through the Art In Embassies program, where I have two original paintings hanging in the US Embassy in Cameroon. I have over 600 original paintings collected in over 26 countries around the world. I am so grateful to be doing what I do and I love to connect with and inspire new collectors with my work.

I have also created and host an art podcast called The Living Artist, which is going into its 5th season in March! It is a true labor of love and I created this podcast as a way to entertain, inspire and help artists make a career in the art world. I wanted it to be the advice, inspiration and support that I wish I had when I was coming up as a solo artist in the big city. I am grateful that the podcast has made many Top Art Podcast Lists, including Audible, Feedspot and Artwork Archive, to name a few. Though a majority of the episodes are monologues where I share my own insights and experience, some interview highlights are with Warwick Saint, Kelly Huang, Brent Estabrook and the CEO of Artfinder. I am always overjoyed to hear when the podcast has inspired or helped artists from around the world.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the most important lessons that I learned along the way (and while I was struggling to get my work seen by a broader audience) was that you can’t wait for someone to do it for you. I was creating and showing my work for years, but it felt like I was treading water and not getting anywhere. It was when I decided to take the reins and approach my artistic career like an entrepreneur that it began to gain momentum and be successful. I think a lot of artists fall into the trap of creating the artwork and hoping that someone else will do the heavy lifting when it comes to exposure. I think understanding that we are in control of our own artistic careers is one of the most valuable lessons and skills that we can develop.

A practice of developing quality and consistency has also been of the utmost importance in my art and career. Not only does this help with showcasing your art both online and through brick and mortar galleries, but it makes you a dependable “brand” that collectors and viewers can always count on for inspiration or for hanging in their homes and businesses.

Lastly, I would say that developing a progress mindset is so helpful. Rejection comes with the territory as an artist. I have been rejected more times than I can count, ha ha. However, it is my ability to pick myself back up and get back out there that matters. I shifted my mindset over the years to see everything as progress. This goes for when you sell a large artwork or get into a big gallery, but also when you get a rejection. If you are not putting yourself out there, you are not making progress. It is a cumulative process, and the wins will stack up over time. It is important to not get discouraged. With this mindset, you will look back one day and say to yourself, “Wow, I can’t believe all of the big things that have been accomplished!”.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest challenge I am currently facing is a health challenge. My last three years have been riddled with debilitating chronic pain and injury. It is true what they say, “When you have your health, you have everything. When you do not have your health, nothing else matters at all.” It has been a period and process of facing a lot of the past head on, proactively changing habits, and above all else, being kind to myself. Luckily I have my art and creativity. I have continued to forge ahead and create my art and podcast and it has once again come to the rescue with giving me immense purpose. I have made leaps and bounds and am so excited for what life has to offer on the other side of this struggle! Coming very soon…

Contact Info:

Image Credits
All images are copyrights of PMS Artwork and have come through my wife (Magdalena Mendez-Smith) and myself/studio.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
What do you do for self-care and what impact has it had on your effectiveness?

We asked some of the most productive entrepreneurs and creatives out there to open up

Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
How do you keep your creativity alive?

Keeping your creativity alive has always been a challenge, but in the era of work