Meet Annika Koser | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annika Koser and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annika, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I sometimes joke that starting my business was accidental, because when I started selling my paintings it was just a hobby that I posted online because I was proud of it and it turned into friends asking me to paint them things and offering to pay me for my time. After long enough of doing that, word started to spread across social media and a lot more people were asking to buy paintings and prints of paintings. It seemed silly not to put the time and effort into making a business out of it. If it’s possible for me to turn my favorite hobby into a career, why not give it a try!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The thing I’m most proud of about my art is just how close to the reference photo I’m able to get the painting to look. I spend a lot of time (a painting typically takes around three weeks of full time work) packing every last detail into a piece and that leads to a lot of “oh, I thought it was a photograph” once people see them for the first time. There are some paintings that I stand back after it’s done and even amaze myself at how well it turned out! I’ve been practicing photorealism for almost six years now so it’s been a lot of hours of practice and it definitely hasn’t been a fast or incredibly easy process. The business side of it has been much more difficult, though. I paint because I love it and I’d do it even if nobody paid attention so it can be hard for me to put a price on my work and value it where I’m really compensated for my time. Even still I feel like a lot of pieces go for less than what I think they’re worth so I’m still trying to find the balance between what I feel my level of talent deserves and what people are willing to pay for a piece. Everything has been very trial and error and I do my best not to stress about the little things too much and take situations on as they come up and learn as I go. That also means not convincing myself that I don’t deserve an opportunity because of all the longer I’ve been doing this full time and taking the chance. Reminding myself that the worst they can say is “no” but that at least I tried and going for it has lead to some big moments in my career so far, like having my work sold out of the gift shop at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m from a very small town in the middle of Pennsylvania and if I’m being honest there isn’t a whole lot going on! But being a race fan, I’d have to take them to Port Royal Speedway on Saturday night! We’d have to take a tour of some local coffee shops like Stan’s Coffee Co. and East End Coffee Co. , then hit some antique shops around town. And I’d have to dedicate a day to Harrisburg and visit Little Amps Coffee, Broad Street Market, Midtown Scholar, and Found Collab vintage. Hopefully they’re in town a weekend of the 717 Vintage Fest so we can head to that too! Any day that starts at a coffee shop and involves some form of antique or record shopping is a good day to me!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my boyfriend, Kyle. Since we met three years ago (and before then, even!) he’s been the biggest supporter of my art and I truly don’t know where I’d be without his help and encouragement. From helping me pack orders to deciding what drivers to paint, encouraging my first vendor shows then helping me plan a layout, set up and hang out at all of my events with me or just giving general business advice, he really cares about every aspect of my business and what’s going to make it as successful as possible. He’s been my push behind a lot of opportunities that ended up being huge for me and without that I probably would have been too intimidated to even try. So I’d love to thank for him for every ounce of effort he’s given over these past few unforgettable years!

Website: https://annikakoserart.com

Instagram: @annikakoser_art

Twitter: @annikakoser_art

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