The local business development center helped me find spaces to rent downtown
My initial plant for my career was not starting a business.
I wanted to go into engineering but I hit a wall taking physics and calculus in undergraduate school.
I realized fairly quickly that I was miserable doing the things an average engineer does on a daily basis so I changed course as a sophomore. Doing difficult calculations and formulas on a computer for most of my day didn’t exactly seem like a fun career for me, especially if much of my work involved endless paperwork. Instead, I started taking art classes and immersed myself in all of the visual arts from sculpting to painting and digital design. There was always going to be more work in the graphic design industry, but my true passion was with oil painting. I took a risk by going to an art school after finishing undergrad, but I was able to network while I was there. Now I have my work in galleries all around the country, but I’m trying to open a private gallery downtown in my city. I didn’t even know where to go or who to ask about renting spaces downtown. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to contact a local business development center for help securing a space to rent downtown. Getting into a location like my city’s downtown district is important for an artist like myself looking to get regular commission work. You need to give people an excuse to visit your gallery; if it’s along a busy road next to other frequented businesses, it’s easier to get people in the front door. Thankfully the local business development center was able to help me find appropriate spaces to rent downtown for me to build my art gallery.