Transcript of Episode 159 – Painter + Entrepreneur, Ashley Longshore (New Orleans, LA, USA)

Recorded February 19, 2021
Published March 30, 2021

Full recording here: https://wisefoolpod.com/painter-entrepreneur-ashley-longshore-new-orleans-la-usa/

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Matthew Dols 0:12
Today’s guest is painter and entrepreneur Ashley longshore, I want to start off with apologizing for some of the beeps and the bongs that go off. It’s not your email it was in our recordings. So sorry about that. But in our discussion, we talked about things about like being a brand, learning from partnerships about how creativity is not necessarily a solo practice, anxiety, living with it, dealing with it, using it in our artwork, my issues of self limitations and her opinion on on my issues, and how collectors really want to have relationships with living artists. So it’s not just to the artwork, but it’s actually building those relationships that will help your career grow.

Ashley Longshore 1:04
Okay, let’s go let’s rock and roll. Let’s jump right in. I gotta I gotta get painting. My time is money. My money is time, baby. Let’s go.

Matthew Dols 1:11
Fair enough. Where are you located right now?

Ashley Longshore 1:13
I’m actually in my farm about an hour north of New Orleans. So I’m in the woods. And I’ve never been happier. I’ve got space around me and little creatures and it’s it’s magnificent.

Matthew Dols 1:27
Marvelous. Okay, jumping right into it. Trial childhood. How did you even come to being creative?

Ashley Longshore 1:35
Well, I was grounded a lot. You know, I’ve always been very high spirited. I always felt weird and different, and was raised to be like a little Southern lady, much to my mother’s chagrin. I ended up being this foul mouth to wild little Raven haired just Spitfire. I got in trouble all the time. First time I got in trouble for cursing was in kindergarten when I was five years old.

Matthew Dols 2:01
That’s pretty early.

Ashley Longshore 2:03
Yeah. Well, I my mother drove me to school. And somebody tried to cut her off on the interstate. And she called them like, cop juggling motherfucker. So I went, it was my day to play my record it kindergarten. And so I went to put on my little record of the Muppet Show, and the needle had broken. And so I was like, juggling motherfucker. You know, and it just felt light. And so, you know, uh, you know, you find out who you want to be. And you, you know, then you just you just go for it. So, Alright, so, before we got started recording,

Matthew Dols 2:38
I told you that I had admittedly, I’m a bit intimidated to talk to you in many ways, because as I will state again, like I’ve been, I’m properly trained through academic rigor, and I’m also a professor, so I teach in the academic structure, and every single thing that all of my professors and all the stuff that I’ve been telling students for years, is the absolute opposite of what it is that you’ve done. And yet, in realistic terms, you are more financially successful than almost all of us put together.

Ashley Longshore 3:14
Well, I mean, I don’t I don’t know that because we haven’t compared our bank accounts. And success is very subjective. I was told that I wasn’t marketable, I was told that I couldn’t do it. And, you know, that just pissed me off. And I realized I had something to prove. So I was like, I’m gonna fucking do this my own way. You know, I think also being an American woman, you know, I want that dream, I don’t want to have to suck a dick to go buy a handbag, I don’t want to have to ask my daddy for money. So you know, being a person that’s creating, taking thoughts and creating tangible items. And then being able to make money from that, I mean, look, I mean, that that’s that that’s a high that no drug or deque will ever give you. I love that. And look, the sky’s the limit, there’s an infinite amount of money to be made out there. There’s no limits on that. And it’s not just all about money. You know, I mean, I can tell you, in the beginning, Success to me was making $500 in a month because I could pay my rent, and then order pizza and drink beer with my friends. You know, now, you know, pulling in a strong double comma every year and having to refer to one of my clients is her excellent. See, that’s exciting. But so was making $500 and having pizza and not worrying about it. You know, all success is very, very relative very subjective.

Matthew Dols 4:34
Absolutely. I mean, I, you know, I have things like I know people that say they want to be in museum exhibitions, or they want to have monographs of their work. I mean, there are all kinds of different.

Ashley Longshore 4:42
You know what, listen, here’s the thing, when you’re an artist, your career is not just while you’re living, your career extends after you’re dead. So I figured galleries and museums can have all of me that they want when I’m fucking dead. Right now. I’m going to work directly With my clients, I’m going to have that intimate relationship. And I’m going to fucking keep 100% of my goddamn profit margins. I’m going to have my own fucking team in my own fucking company and I’m going to control it. Okay.

Matthew Dols 5:11
Which begs the question, what was sort of the catalyst? Cuz you mentioned a little bit about like, they told you you weren’t marketable and all this kind of stuff is like, what was the thing that means

Ashley Longshore 5:20
looking broke, the hotter the fire, the stronger the steel. And the thing about it is we put limitations on ourselves. Fear is such a huge blocker. And I think when you’re creative, there’s many different levels of fear that you have to go through. It’s like It’s like a fucking video game. First is, Oh, no, look at this big white canvas. What the fuck am I putting there? Oh, no, I’m not inspired. Oh, no, I’ve painted something. Are they going to hate it? Oh, no, I’m going to post it. People are gonna hate it. Oh, no, I’ll never I’ll never sell this. Oh, no, I’m not good enough. There’s all of this fear. How am I going to pay my bills? You know, I’ve got to get more supplies. How do I find my audience? How do I get out there? It’s a fucking video game. You literally wake up in the morning, you have to tell yourself all the reasons why you are going to be successful. Why you can paint something, you fucking just go for it. And you just, you know, you have to wipe those negative thoughts like a windshield wiper. Just slaps rain off the windshield. And you just go for it. Because at the end of the day, the most valuable thing we have creatively is our fucking time. Time is not is our most precious commodity. People whine and complain about prices in the art world. You want to know why some arts really fucking expensive, because that person is going to be dead one day, they only have so many days in their life to fucking create. So now is the time now is the time.

Matthew Dols 6:50
All right. Yeah. I want to I can’t afford to buy paintings. I trade as what I do, actually, as an artist. I do

Ashley Longshore 7:01
your trade. Because then we get to fuck the government. Yeah.

Matthew Dols 7:05
No trade note no taxes, no nothing. You just, you know, barter for each other certainty of basically your other services.

Ashley Longshore 7:14
Exactly.

Matthew Dols 7:15
Okay. So walk me through a little bit of the process of like, when you’re when you started out, see a start that you went to school in Montana, and then you went got out of school? And then so like, what were some of the trials and travails that you’ve gone through that you went through that were that sort of led up to the point because I mean, to a certain extent, at this point, Europe, you’re a brand you know, and it’s like

Ashley Longshore 7:38
the brand, every artist is brand new or something you’re creating your life, you’re putting your own life energy out there you are a motherfucking brand, right?

Matthew Dols 7:47
But the differences between the other million brands in the world that are not as successful and I’m not saying financially, I’m just saying like the popularity or you know, influence over the the mark.

Ashley Longshore 8:02
People hate the fuck out of me. They love me they hate me. Look, it’s not easy. We are in battle right now. When you put yourself out there. It’s like you’re like a warrior out there in the middle of a Greenfield taking arrows. You don’t know who’s hiding in the forest. who’s who’s a wolf and who’s a fucking dog. Who’s gonna shoot you who’s gonna hug you or give you a fucking clock upside the chin? You know, this ain’t easy.

Matthew Dols 8:27
No, it’s not. I mean, most artists battle with some sort of drug addiction, alcoholism, depression, something like this over the course of their lifetime.

Ashley Longshore 8:36
destructive yet? I haven’t hit that phase yet.

Matthew Dols 8:39
I’m past that phase. Mine was in my late 20s, early 30s. So not dealing with that anymore. I hope now, okay, so your work? Alright, from what I researched Now bear with me because of course the internet not always 100% truthful. So, from what I researched on the internet, from what I tell about your work, you were generally you have been very accepted into the fashion industry and sort of creating cross pollinated sort of products and, and cross and you’re doing things at Fashion Week and things like this. Have you been accepted equally in the art? Art slash gallery, institutional kind of realm?

Ashley Longshore 9:25
I haven’t sought them out.

Matthew Dols 9:27
Fair enough.

Ashley Longshore 9:29
that that would be like you asking me How’s it going? Looking for girlfriends? I ain’t looking for a girlfriend.

Matthew Dols 9:35
Okay, so like so you intentionally chose to do this.

Ashley Longshore 9:40
Again, the artworld can have me when I’m dead. That’s when they’ll prefer me actually, because they’re not going to want me to talk about giving up 50% and clients not knowing that they’re not going to want to know You know, my opinions about how when people buy from galleries, they’re investing the same amount of money into a middleman mortar as they are into the artists themselves, how I think that completely fucks with the value of artwork, why most collectors have no idea that that’s the split, because they think that they’re fueling the arts. I mean, nobody wants to hear my shit about that, which is why I went and did my own thing. Now, all that being said, there’s a lot of artists and a lot of incredible galleries that are amazing. Look, 50% that is what it is, it doesn’t work for me. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for other people. I there are moments when I’m very envious of just studio artists that just get to paint all day and other people get to make all of their business decisions and deal with the clients and the shipping and the certificates of authenticity and managing a team and PR being on airplanes and all that I just love the challenge of juggling that right and left brain all at the same time.

Matthew Dols 10:53
And that is a special kind of person. That’s the thing. The most people who go into the creative industries don’t want to deal with business. And that’s why they go into the creative industries. So you have this strength of yourself that you have some business mind and some creative mind sort of that you can send out find some magical balance that most of us don’t possess, sadly.

Ashley Longshore 11:15
Well, no, I mean, it’s not it’s not sad, because to be honest with you, there are lots of people that have a lot more money than I do that would consider the way I live just destitute. So I mean, it’s it’s all very relative.

Matthew Dols 11:28
Yeah, I don’t know those people. Actually, I do know those people. But yeah,

Ashley Longshore 11:32
yeah, I actually know a lot of them and very few of them are. I wouldn’t say that they radiate joy necessarily.

Matthew Dols 11:40
It isn’t I grew up outside of Washington, DC and and I had senators and congresspeople as our neighbors, and, and there were these very, very wealthy people. And they they were some of the worst alcoholics and abusive relationships and very sad households, because of course, I knew the kids of these people. And you know what they need to do more weed,

Ashley Longshore 12:02
you know, they need to have an orgy immediately.

Matthew Dols 12:07
Having sex alleviates many problems in life.

Ashley Longshore 12:10
I just finished a new series of Confessions on the at the disco. And I just posted a few minutes ago, a painting that says orgies don’t start themselves. It’s text layered on top of the big disco ball. Because I’m just right now everybody’s all you know, they’ve been in their house for a year. People need to party they need to get out there. But back to the senators and whatnot. I find a lot of those people to be the wildest motherfuckers on the planet.

Matthew Dols 12:37
My father’s a priest and so like I hear I heard you have nothing to apologize for

Ashley Longshore 12:45
a disco ball that actually says the Lord is testing me. No, no.

Matthew Dols 12:48
So you got to understand. My I am back in the day when I was doing like lots of heroin and cocaine and stuff. I had a silver BMW, and it was nicknamed the disco ball. So like I’m all good with it.

Ashley Longshore 13:00
Nice. Wow. You did go through a self destructive phase.

Matthew Dols 13:04
You know, I was a roadie. I was toying around with rock and roll bands. So like, you know, it’s what you did. I hear you I generally worked from New York to Washington, DC. My home base was the 930 Club in Washington DC. And so like I would I would only toward that area because I was actually in school at the time. I was in art school in Washington, DC and I scheduled my classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, so I could tour Thursday through Sunday.

Ashley Longshore 13:31
Nice. Well, that sounds fun. I’m glad you made it through it. Okay. And

Matthew Dols 13:36
stories. Oddly enough, it was the only time I got straight A’s in all of college.

Ashley Longshore 13:42
Wow, the irony of that balance, I guess. Hmm.

Matthew Dols 13:45
I don’t know what it was. Yeah. Maybe I was just more relaxed. Not as anxious. I guess. In the end. I have no idea. Maybe. Yeah.

Ashley Longshore 13:53
What else? Me Down about?

Matthew Dols 13:55
Oh, my God, everything. You’re the first guest I’ve ever had where I literally have like two pages of questions like that. I was like, Oh my god, I want to know about this. So, but you brought up certificates of authenticity. Now I’m obsessive about this. I do like this massive thing. I do like the hologram matching numbered stickers on the back of the the work and the odd thing. Am I being too obsessive? What do you do?

Ashley Longshore 14:18
No, I would never judge you on how you do something. You’re allowed to do whatever the fuck you want to do.

Matthew Dols 14:24
Okay, let me rephrase the question. When it comes to certificates of authenticity. What do you do?

Ashley Longshore 14:29
Well, I have my team takes because all of my work is I have a photographer on my staff, Why can I not speak? We photograph them. So the photograph is there. It has a statement of authenticity. It’s signed, we have all of the insurance forms, but as far as like stickers and all that, I mean, to me, the art speaks for itself. It’s in an archive. But you have to know too. I’m a perfectionist about some things, but with my art and other things. I’m kind of loose with it and very prolific. So, you know to me like it also is an art collector like it is what it is, you know?

Matthew Dols 15:09
Okay. What are you a perfectionist about?

Ashley Longshore 15:13
goals? goals, I wake up in the morning with meal. Almost like a warrior that fell asleep under a tree and you wake up and you hear something and you think there’s like a herd of people coming after you. I go as hard as I can all day. I paint until I can’t move my wrist or my shoulder. I don’t know what it is inside of me what spirit it is inside to me. Whatever it is, I’m very aware of time. I’m very aware that I’ll never have enough time in my life to create everything I want to create. They’ll never be enough time in my life to see everything in the world that I want to see. And you know, look when they build like a Bugatti or a fucking McLaren are a goddamn Ferrari. That thing is built to be in fucking fifth gear. Not all the time. But you want to hear that fucking engine running man, you will just want to earn it.

Matthew Dols 16:05
That’s how I roll. All right. Okay, when it comes to your business practices then so because he said just some things you’re obsessive about some things are not that. How do you make the decision of like, what to put out as an original painting versus what to create as a print versus what to create as a

Ashley Longshore 16:26
big prints?

Matthew Dols 16:27
Oh, I thought you did.

Ashley Longshore 16:30
Well, they can make fucking dead.

Matthew Dols 16:32
Do limited edition things. Sorry.

Ashley Longshore 16:35
Like, like, yeah, like little trays that I’ll make 35 I’ll make beautiful silk scarves that I’ll make 50 of I’ll do little deco posh trays, they’re more collectibles, limited edition collectibles. For a lot of people that for example, at one part in one point, look, and at one point in my life, I couldn’t afford to buy original art. But I’m not the kind of person that ever really had prints hanging in my house. But I wanted artful, cool, curated little things. And so, you know, I had, I still get so many emails about prints. That, you know, I didn’t want to do that print to the ultimate insurance policy. And I get so frustrated when I see artists where like, their most expensive piece of art is like 20 $500, which is less than a handbag that most women carry. I mean, a Gucci, a baseline Gucci handbag is $3,800. So when I look at artists that are creating new art, and they’re trying to get out there and they’re like, Oh, I don’t know, it’s $2,000 I don’t know if anybody will buy it. I’m like, it’s less than a fucking handbag. It’s less than a fucking handbag. When I see artists that then have their price point that low, and then they go and they’re selling prints for $75 that’s like going to a bar looking for a husband and stuck in everybody’s dick at the bar on the same night.

Matthew Dols 18:03
Yeah, I would imagine that would not be good. I have not personally done that. But I believe you. Well, I

Ashley Longshore 18:09
mean, it might be good if that’s what if you really like sucking dick that would be a fucking blast. But I think in terms of finding a husband, you know, you’re gonna have to find a real fucking freak nasty motherfucker to lock it down after that. So for me, you know, releasing prints and doing all that right now. It’s kind of blowing your wad I mean that that’s an insurance policy. What if I get in an accident? I can’t see anymore. What does that’s all gonna fly to steps and I’m a fucking quadriplegic. What do we do? We release fucking friends. We keep the money train rolling, maybe. This I want to have a career like Andy Warhol leave a legacy like fucking Peggy Guggenheim. Goddamnit I’m

Matthew Dols 18:48
gonna do it. I read that I also noticed you’re doing charitable works. So like, and you’re starting, you’re creating programs to help disadvantaged or under advantaged people to be able to have access to produce or learn about art.

Ashley Longshore 19:03
I’m doing scholarships. Yes. And last year, we were going to launch the scholarships. But I ended up doing most of my philanthropic work directly in my community because of you know, the food bank and obviously, so this year, we’re trying to ramp that back up again. And I’m doing scholarships in the names of several close friends of mine that I’ve lost that were incredible photographers and in the theater and artists and want to carry on their legacy, but also some scholarships for people that are in underrepresented communities. I think that’s really important. I mean, when we see art, and we find art that we love that speaks to us, we share a life force with that person. And no matter what area you live in, you know, there’s a lot of people that need opportunity to get out there and have their work seen because that human connectivity of our It is so important. When we look at the past, what do we do we go to the fucking Metropolitan Museum, we go to these we go to the loop, we look at artifacts, we look at Egyptian artifacts, how did people live back then it’s all about creativity and art that defines the time that we’re living in. That’s really the good part about being in a position to be able to chase my creative dreams, but also put money back into the industry that I really love and believe in that has helped me thrive.

Matthew Dols 20:29
Alright, my previous guests, this actually was a curator and gallerist in Uganda. And he was talking about the interesting sort of goings on in East Africa,

Ashley Longshore 20:40
where man is so corrupt there that that’s been very interesting. It’s true. Rand and Doctors Without Borders, that worked over there with HIV and AIDS patients, and she would smuggle medication in her pants. And on her bra. She didn’t wear Spanx, and stuff them because the government wouldn’t legally let her bring that in.

Matthew Dols 21:02
Yeah, we had problems keeping an internet connection, because doing a facetiming kind of thing. Like this was considered social media, and they locked down social media in the country. So that was interesting in and of itself.

Ashley Longshore 21:15
So again, this is what I was telling you, me being a woman in America, as much as I’ve traveled around the world, and I love the world, and I’m inspired by the world. When I come here, the best thing about this country is that I have the ability to go out there and make my own way I can be an entrepreneur, I can take it as far as I want to fuckin take it. You know, that’s why it’s important for me to use that opportunity. I mean, there’s a lot of people that have died for me to have the opportunities that I have right now. So it’s just kind of disrespectful, I think, to sit around and not use those opportunities, not go for it, you know,

Matthew Dols 21:51
Okay, perfect world scenario, you just said, like, go for it, as far as you can take it? How far would you like to take it?

Ashley Longshore 21:59
I mean, I feel like taking it just means lots of opportunities, you know, having chosen London, being able to do a residency in Japan and China to, you know, be able to travel across the whole world to sit in the White House during a state dinner and, you know, meet incredible leaders. I

Matthew Dols 22:20
mean, are you listening things you have done or things you wrote?

Ashley Longshore 22:25
I mean, I traveled a lot. But I mean, you know, when, when you think about opportunity, and what’s really out there, when you get to that level of being able to have connectivity with very hyper creative, successful people. When I get around those people, I shut my mouth and I’m like, tell me everything. Tell me tell me about the first time when you were really afraid that you might fail. Tell me about how you handled managing your company while you had to put out all this creative output and tell me how Tell me about your time management. I mean, being able to meet people like that, and also being around people that have found great success, but also peace and joy. That’s what I want. Dammit.

Matthew Dols 23:07
Oh, yeah. I mean, my wife works a 40 hour a week job and she’s miserable. And I work a well, it’s a less structured life, and I’m much happier. And so I’ve always tried to follow the path of finding some finding happiness in some sense of a balance in life, rather than chasing the almighty dollar or chasing fame and glory and whatever other kinds of things people want.

Ashley Longshore 23:33
Those things. The thing about fame and money is is that there’s no cap on them. You can’t ever have enough it’s like blow. There’s never enough.

Matthew Dols 23:41
Or dick indeed,

Ashley Longshore 23:42
it’s true. So Oh, oh, I remember when I was like, Oh my god, I want to do is have $5,000 in my bank account. I had $5,000 in my bank account for like six months straight. I I am like, Oh, well, so what happens once you’ve got 5000? I went 10 I wanna have 10,000 You know what? I’m gonna get a fucking $100,000 in there. You know what Fuck that. I’m gonna get half a million. I want a million I got a million I want fucking five I got five I want fucking today. I want to say I’m gonna get the damn video when I get to 20 do I need to go Do you know what I mean? Like, it doesn’t end.

Matthew Dols 24:17
I do know I grew up around a lot of those kinds of people that were just like literally chasing the almighty dollar. And I i and because of the way I was raised, having seen these people be miserable. Like, because people always say like, oh, money buys you happiness. And I’m like, No, no, no, no, it really doesn’t buy you happiness to buy because the more money you have, the more concerned you are about losing it. Like some of the happiest people I’ve ever met in my entire life are people that never had money in the first place. So they don’t know what that means.

Ashley Longshore 24:47
Well, that’s like when we started out this podcast and you’re like, you know you’ve got more money but that is you know, Mo Money Mo Problems. you plant your printing, you plant the seed you hope your tree grows. You hope Your tree produces fruit, the minute you’ve got fruit, you’ve got rabbits and squirrels and rats trying to steal all your damn fruit, you know, you got to protect it. It’s harder to keep it than it is to make it. So I think the goal is being in the moment, having enough of what you need to buy the canvas you need buy the materials, you need to create your art, to have enough money in the bank to go, you know what I really enjoy going to the mountains once a year, okay, I’m going to work hard. So I have enough money for that. I want to have enough money to have a beautiful holiday party for my friends at my house. And I working hard for that I’m working hard for that. It isn’t, if you’re just chasing that dollar, there is no joy in that at all, at all, at all. Yeah. And I think that’s the good part about having a business mind and also a creative mind, because creative people are sensitive, mostly and empathetic. And, you know, we’re here to observe and learn. And there’s a lot of solitude and introspective energy that goes into all that. And I think we’re all just trying to be happy.

Matthew Dols 26:20
Oh, yeah, don’t get me wrong, my whole thing about like you been more successful financially just is just that, what you’ve been able to pull off that sort of hat trick of some amount of success, financial success, that most artists now I don’t care if they’re writers or musicians or visual artists, we are all seeking that stability, that that ability to say I have enough, I’m not saying wealthy, but like, I don’t need to worry about where I can get him to be able to afford my next canvas or buy my next guitar or whatever, like that. And you’ve you’ve been able to achieve that. And so I’m, I’m really quite amazed.

Ashley Longshore 27:00
I want that for artists, I want artists to realize that they do have the ability to if they want to, to represent themselves to understand that there is a business model here and with all the social media, and the digital opportunities, you know, combined with having shows and meeting people, because digital, social media, things are just not the answer. They’re just the cherry on top, you know that you can go out there and make money. And there’s a way to learn how to talk about money. There’s a starting point on pricing your work. I mean, like with my work, I followed the laws of economics for the last 27 years, if someone calls $200.27 years ago, and now it costs 35,000 last because that’s what the market allowed. People kept buying it at the other prices. So we fuckin You know, when they sell out raise the goddamn prices, the laws of economics?

Matthew Dols 27:56
Well, I mean, the general law about like art is art is valued at whatever somebody is willing to pay for it. No. Okay, but wait, you said business model. I love a business model. Give me What’s your business model? How are you doing this,

Ashley Longshore 28:10
you know, the more lines in the water, the more chances you have to catch a big fish. My dad taught me that. And I think, again, there’s so many different types of artists out there. And I don’t criticize art that I don’t understand. You know, there’s art that I wouldn’t necessarily live with. That isn’t for me, that doesn’t reflect my own life energy. But I I love to paint. I’m a crazy person. I’m fucking prolific as hell. So I paint lots of different types of art that I think draws in different types of collectors. Because, you know, I mean, I’m multifaceted. I’m wild as hell, I’m foul mouth. But I also love glamour, I love fashion. I love things that are beautiful. So I reflect that in my artwork, as much as I might paint a painting that says, you know, orgies don’t start themselves or you could get higher. I also paint a beautiful portrait of Audrey Hepburn with flowers and beetles, and all of these things that just delight me. So I think, as far as a business model goes, if I don’t paint it, I can’t sell it. I feel like using social media as a tool to stay connected to your clients is really amazing. I think emailing people directly is incredible. I think having shows, maintaining incredible relationships with your mentors, I think working harder than anybody else. I think ambition, enthusiasm and gratitude will put you over the edge in the business world. I know the countless conference rooms that I’ve walked into in New York City, where I’ve got a table full of men and I’m like, Hey, yo, what’s up? We’re like, Oh, this girl, whatever. What they don’t know is I leave in that room. I got the money baby fucking closing that shit. I think this is why me making the limited edition little products from my artwork, taking on these collaborations from huge billion dollar corporations where I’m learning how they’re working. It’s I’m learning, I’m growing, I’m getting paid from that I’m realizing, oh, wow, you can do something that way. My team and I are like, oh, whoa, we never thought about that when we can implement that into what we’re doing. It’s like it’s all this growing learning process, then all the while I’m making paintings I’m painting. So we’re selling paintings. I’m doing two smalls releases twice a year, creating a huge amount of urgency for that. I mean, the urgency is, and it’s morbid as fuck is that I will be dead.

Matthew Dols 30:51
Are you trying to share something? Are you dying that we don’t know about?

Ashley Longshore 30:55
We’re dying every day. So are you? Today’s the youngest you’ll ever be motherfucker. We’re dying right now.

Matthew Dols 31:02
It’s true.

Ashley Longshore 31:04
It is true. It’s morbid, and nobody wants to fuckin talk about it. But you want to know why I’m so fucking full of piss and vinegar. I’ve got more kicking me than an old mule. I am not done. I am not done. There’s a lot to be done. So business model, the business model is there’s work to do. The business model is nothing feels better than a day of work. You know, and I’m trying to teach these fucking millennials and Gen Z’s that

Matthew Dols 31:28
I’m older than you. So you’re trying to teach it to me now as well?

Ashley Longshore 31:33
Well, I’m also a very anxious person. I’ve always had lots of anxiety.

Matthew Dols 31:39
Oh, yeah, I took a Xanax before I got on here. I don’t,

Ashley Longshore 31:42
I don’t take pills or anything like that. I can’t when I’m creating. But that’s that’s awesome. There’s nothing I love more than a Xanax and three glasses of champagne. That’s a blast. I think I found in all of my nervousness and anxiety about being an adult. And how I was going to provide for myself, you know, that anxiety creates energy. Right? you’re anxious, your brain is racing, your heart rate goes up your breathing changes. Do you know what fixes it for me work. If I sit in front of a canvas, even if my mind is racing, which as we create and we paint, people that aren’t creative, don’t know this, but there’s a little line between your brain and your arms and that Canvas. And at one point. It’s like your mind sees exactly what you want to paint and it takes over and then your arm is working doing this. But your mind is a million a million miles away. And it’s meditative. You think through things. So while my mind is racing, I just figured well, at the end of the day, I might as well have something to show for that time. And that’s really when I started creating artwork. And I saw these things, paintings lined up against the wall. And I said, Whoa, I made all this book. I want to sell this, like this could really be a career for me. So very early, you know, my anxiety, I just thrusted it into jet fuel. Yeah, I

Matthew Dols 33:11
mean, I’ve my studio is the one and only place that I feel calm in my entire life for sure. I mean, yeah, I mean, even if whatever I’m doing in the studio is not working well. It’s still nowhere near as you know, anxious or, or concerning to me, like, you know, like, if something goes wrong in the studio, fuck it, I’ll just make another or fuck it, I can fix it, whatever. But if something goes wrong in your business, it’s like, oh, shit that I got to deal with Fuck, and suddenly you’re all stressed and nervous and whatever. But which actually brings up an interesting question. When you’re making your works, how what, like, what’s your percentage, like, of successful works works that way you finish up and you’re like, that’s great is 100% 50% of the words,

Ashley Longshore 34:00
of course. 100%. And I’ll tell you why. No, I’m going to tell you why. And you’re going to understand it and I’m not being an egomaniac or thinking that my shit doesn’t stink. I am not going to have a mentally unproductive, abusive relationship with myself. I am not going to sit there and list a bunch of things that I hate about a creation that I’ve made. Now, of course, some pieces speak to me more than others. Some pieces are exactly as I intended them others, it’s like shit, I got to rework that. But I will not sit there and be thoughtfully abusive to myself about a place of joy and creation. Now,

Matthew Dols 34:52
fair enough, maybe I yeah, I do intentionally, like do that to myself, I’m sure yeah, it’s just a me thing. I guess.

Ashley Longshore 35:00
Will the same as me, you know, as a woman if I’m like, I don’t look like Bella Hadid. Oh god. Oh, I bought a pair of size for jeans. I still don’t fit. I hate myself. Why can’t I wear them? I’m not gonna do that. You don’t want to fucking jeans don’t fit, I’m gonna go buy a pair of fucking jeans and put I’m gonna put on a bunch of fucking jewelry and I’m gonna go out there, pinch my nipples and smile, and I’m going to give them all I’ve got. And I’m going to do the same thing with my artwork.

Matthew Dols 35:25
Speaking of that, got a question for you. Because my wife and I, we were talking about you before I got on. And I was mentioning how it was very interesting that you work with a lot of penis imagery, sex imagery, but the penis imagery is the one that sort of stuck with me. Because for example, if I as a male, white American, were to paint vaginas, I would be sexist, you know, all kinds of horrible things. Oh, yes, I will. To whom to the art world as a whole. But, but that’s fine, but you are able to pull off painting penises? Like do you get any grief for that kind of stuff?

Ashley Longshore 36:06
No. Are you talking about this silly little watercolors that I did?

Matthew Dols 36:09
I am talking about the silly little watercolors.

Ashley Longshore 36:11
I mean, I like pay that goes on an airplane or something. You know, I’m just dicking around.

Matthew Dols 36:15
No pun intended.

Ashley Longshore 36:16
Yeah, exactly. I mean, okay, let’s just talk about the fact that you just put a huge limitation on yourself creatively based on what you think society will allow you to do. That is bullshit. You gotta probably stop that crap right now. because let me tell you something. Right now everybody’s coming after everybody. And if you don’t stand your ground creatively, and know yes, sometimes impact is different than intention. Sometimes things are, you know, look, if you and I listen to the same song, alright? And that song makes me cry for God Only Knows whatever reason, and you’re like, Oh, I like this song. was, is that the musician’s fault? No, you put art out there you paint pussies. Maybe you’re painting pussies? Because you know what? The first house we all had was a fucking uterus. Maybe that’s why you fucking paint pussies. Maybe, maybe, you know, the second strongest muscle in the human body is a uterus next to the fucking human heart. Maybe that’s why you fucking paid fuzzies you should not put limitations on yourself. Just because you’re a fucking white man. Period.

Matthew Dols 37:27
I appreciate your vigor on that. That’s good. Yeah, yeah.

Ashley Longshore 37:31
I mean, look, so so I paint penises. Okay, well, guess what? Don’t look at me. unfollow me. Go blast me on the internet. You fucking hate me. Okay, I paint penises? Well,

Matthew Dols 37:45
no, no, no, I am not blasting you. I am in no way negative. As mentioned, I’m, I’m very envious that you can get away with painting penises, and it’s fine, but I can’t paid vaginas.

Ashley Longshore 37:58
I think that you can pay vaginas. But what I’m saying is, also I’m not the kind of woman there’s lots of people out there that wouldn’t ridicule you as a man for painting of vagina. Are there people that would do that? You got them, right? They are. But why is that going to shape your creative journey? I think right now, especially in this culture that we have going on where comedians can’t make jokes. And we have to protect the sanctity of creative expression in the world. Somebody may paint something that I don’t like. But you know what art is supposed to bring about a conversation art is about being reflective art is subjective. Art is this thing that is very godly, it is anything that we want it to be. I mean, I could go outside and like this bottle on fire and take a photograph of it and not have made art. Why did I do that? Well, because I’ve had enough of these plastic bottles, and the plastic bottles are toxic to the to the planet. So nomina lighted on fire, and I’m going to melt it and I’m going to make a fucking thing about it. God dammit, I’m an artist. It is so important for me right now as an art collector, to see what other artists are putting out there to the world. to other people feel the way that I feel. This is how we connect. This is how we connect without words, a picture paints 1000 words. paints, the footsies

Matthew Dols 39:31
great fun. Yeah. Well, okay. Art also can work as like a cultural thing. You know, it’s like certain cultures will appreciate certain things. And so Amy, I’ve recently had this conversation with a lady in Australia about how the the art is often the thing that like diplomats will come and that will bring a gift to the Emperor the king or whatever of art of their home country. So like art is the the currency that is often defining your cultures. But unfortunately, we are looked down upon by most cultures in most ways. Like, you know, when when your children are growing up, you don’t go Oh, I really hope they become an artist you go, who I really hope they could be a doctor or

Ashley Longshore 40:14
who I do I do. I do. I do. I do. I do I do. I have parents that contact me all the time. And they go, Oh, my God is obsessed with you. And I’m like, oh, does your kid make art? And they go, yes. And I say, Oh, that’s so wonderful. because the world needs more artists.

Matthew Dols 40:26
It does. Yeah, absolutely. So an

Ashley Longshore 40:29
infinite amount of money to be made. So we don’t have to hate each other about it. We can celebrate each other when we have a huge success. When we sell our when we make a big deal, because there is no cap on how much money we can all fuckin make.

Matthew Dols 40:44
Okay, I want to ask you this, then Have you ever thought about basically sort of representing other artists?

Ashley Longshore 40:51
No, because I want to inspire other artists who represent themselves. Because nobody can sell your art like you can. Nobody can explain it like you can. And I promise you, just like me, when I buy artwork, people that love art, and that are collectors of art. They want to know you it is a very intimate relationship, to live with the artwork of a living artist. To be friends with that person to live with their spirit every day. To have that energy around you is a very intimate, amazing relationship. The connectivity is incredible. I love to promote other artists, I love to buy other artists. And when I buy art, I go in and I buy art the way that I wish everybody bought art from me. I’ll be like this, I’ll come in with a stack of fucking $30,000 and I’ll be like, pick me out $30,000 with the art. Pick me out your favorites right now. I want them.

Matthew Dols 41:48
I love it. Okay, well tell me a little bit about your art collection. What what are you know, what are some of the what, what are some of your favorite pieces right now?

Ashley Longshore 41:57
Well, I can’t say that because I love all of them. Oh, God, where do I start? Okay, I especially love the artwork of an artist named Mark Dennis. He’s absolutely incredible. I just bought two of his pieces. Actually from a gallery in Paris. Erica le Sears about two of her paintings last night. Nora Martin is an incredible realist painting in Los Angeles, I bought two of her I tried to buy two to three pieces of each of the artists that I collect. So that when I have my big building that’s like the frick, when the public gets to come in and see all of my stuff, they can see a very nice, you know, array of the art. I mean, it’s countless. I’m actually about to hire an intern to put together a full blown portfolio of my art collection, because I think it’s worth a couple million dollars right now.

Matthew Dols 42:49
Nice. That’s lovely. I mean, I think this Yeah, part of the thing that like when when an artists become successful, I love it when they hear that the basically they’re giving back. So like, this is your way of also giving back.

Ashley Longshore 43:00
somebody buys art from me, then I take that that money and I buy art from them. Then they take that money and they buy canvases and supplies and they make more art. So I’m just fueling the fire. In

Matthew Dols 43:15
your a lot of your imagery you use famous people famous brands, things like this. And I often wonder like, do people who do that in their artwork end up getting lawsuits against copyright infringement and this kind of stuff? Have you run into any of those problems?

Ashley Longshore 43:29
You know what knock on wood I have not, but I also think I’m going with the river not against it. I love to paint things and people that are recognizable because it feels safe to me. I’ve tried to paint series of just like imaginary people, and it feels very uncomfortable for me. I don’t know why there’s a comfort in the familiarity of these things. I mean, I you know, I painted all of those presidents and Gucci and all that stuff. And then Gucci reached out to me and I, I saw I had an email from them and I’m like, Oh shit, but they actually wanted to do a collaboration with me. So, I mean, isn’t it kind of an honor to have artists like like, I have lots of artists that paint portraits of me and all that kind of thing. And I’m It tickles me to death, the thought that they could sell something like that make money. I love that.

Matthew Dols 44:18
Well, unfortunately, America has a very litigious society. So that’s why I wonder. Well, I wonder too, okay. And that’s marvelous. All right. Last things that I’m asking people so this is sort of wrapping it up here. Three artists that you think needs are designed to should have more people recognizing them.

Ashley Longshore 44:42
My friend Big Chief demand Milan song in New Orleans. He’s actually a Mardi Gras Indian is a big chief of the young Seminole tribe, and he’s the first Mardi Gras Indian to go into the contemporary art world. He He’s absolutely magnificent. And I have I think I have like 15 of his pieces. He does bead work. He’s He’s any such a beautiful human being and his wife, Alicia, I love him. I want him to be so fucking famous. My friend Andrew offered, who might be one of the most creative people I’ve ever met in my life. He actually used to design massive hotels, and he would design 20 hotels in one year that were all incredible. It would literally be like Rianna doing 20 Top Albums in one year, and he’s just broken out into the art world. And he has so many ideas. He started this project yesterday in Portland, Oregon, where he took his little canvases and he only painted half of them. And then he wrote on the back of them. You did not find this by mistake. I’m an artist, and we’re going to do a collaboration together. You found this, you complete the art and then tag me on Instagram. Like it’s just, he’s so interactive with people. Okay. You really got me on the spot here because I,

Matthew Dols 46:02
I like putting people on the spot with this question. Yes. Because if you have too much time to think about it, then you overthink it.

Ashley Longshore 46:10
Okay, my friend Emmanuel de Sosa. He’s actually in London. Actually, he’s right outside of London. He moved from there. This man. He’s classically trained. His ideas are incredible. I think I have 10 of his pieces. Now in my collection. He’s just magnificent. His work is dreamy, and deep. And his figures are amazing. actually took my whole family to his house to meet him and his wife one day, about an hour and a half outside of London. And God, he’s also a tattoo artist, so fucking cool. And then again, my friend Nora Martin, she’s so talented. She’s so amazing. My friend Tiffany Turner makes these massive, huge paper flowers that look like pennies and roses. And they’re, you know, like, I love things big because I feel like it’s very humbling like the same way you’re supposed to feel in charge. And these, I bought one of her massive, it’s actually a rose. And the edges of it are brown. Like it’s like starting to like fade out. And the whole idea is that this is still so beautiful, even though it’s a little brown and older around the edges. I just I absolutely love her. I mean, you know, I could send you over a fucking list of 100 people.

Matthew Dols 47:28
I would gladly put it in the show notes for you. Yeah. Okay. And last question really is just any advice even though you’ve already given some good advice, but like some some advice for the business person going into the arts?

Ashley Longshore 47:45
For the business side, not the artist, the business side?

Matthew Dols 47:48
Yes,

Ashley Longshore 47:48
I can tell you this. You know what, you better find your audience. Go find your audience. And when you find your audience, and people come to you in one artwork, figure out how to make it happen. Close that deal. Coffee is for closers. Every second that you have of your life to have a connection with somebody that once your artwork, you figure out how to fucking sell it. Don’t shortchange yourself. Don’t put things on sale. Don’t forget that one day you will be dead. And get that money close that deal. Get your artwork out there into the fucking world. Find the people that get you find the people that love you. When you find that frequency, fucking put it in fifth gear and ride it baby fucking ride it into the sunset.

Matthew Dols 48:40
Fabulous. Thank you very much for taking the time to be with me.

Ashley Longshore 48:44
Thank you so much.

Matthew Dols 48:50
Thank you for listening all the way to the end. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we would appreciate a five star rating and a nice comment would be greatly appreciated. Please tell your friends to listen and subscribe. Also, you can subscribe on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’re looking to get you more involved in the process of the podcast. So if you have any recommendations or people that you admire or respect that you want to hear more from, please send us a message through Instagram and I’ll do everything in my power to get them as a guest on the podcast. Also, if you have any questions that you want me to ask future guests on your behalf, like why or how they choose their subjects or how logistically store all of their extra artwork this didn’t sell or isn’t on exhibition will send me those questions and I’ll ask them on your behalf. Additionally, please be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook and tell your friends to listen as well. In the near future, we will also be starting a newsletter. So if you want to be more involved and more in touch with what we’re doing and what our future plans are, please be sure to go to our website wise fool pod.com and sign up for that newsletter. And regardless of whatever you’re doing right now, have fun

The Wise Fool is produced by Fifty14. I am your host Matthew Dols – http://www.matthewdols.com And the audio for this episode was edited by Jakub Černý. The Wise Fool is supported in part by an EEA grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – https://eeagrants.org in an effort to work together for a green competitive and inclusive Europe. We would also like to thank our partners Hunt Kastner – http://huntkastner.com in Prague, Czech Republic and Kunstsentrene i Norge – https://www.kunstsentrene.no in Norway. Links to EEA grants and our partner organizations are available in the show notes or on our website https://wisefoolpod.com