Elli Milan of Milan Art Institute: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist

Be generous: The more you give, the more you get. There is no lack in an artist’s life. Be generous with your heart, with your paint, your knowledge, your time. This will keep you from being jealous or competitive. Lavish your art friends with encouragement, and tell them what they did right.

As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Elli Milan.

Elli Milan is the founding owner of Milan Art Institute who has sold her work professionally for the last 24 years. Since opening Milan Art Institute in 2010, Elli has transformed the lives of hundreds of artists from all over the world, helping them find their voice, and turn their passion for art into a profession. She is passionate about the role of an artist in contemporary culture and is a leading voice of the current Art Renaissance.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in Woodinville, Washington with a Greek father. He taught us that “boys were better than girls” — men earned the money and women had the babies and kept the house. My mom is outspoken and a terrible housekeeper, so they argued a lot, but are still married today celebrating 52 years together. My dad is an engineer and wanted me to marry an engineer. He constantly talked to me about “my future husband” since I can remember. He told me that my future husband would have a difficult life trying to live up to the expectations I would have set by my dad’s standards. I would forever feel entitled to being well-stocked with fine chocolates and jewelry, owning a horse, and kept in my palace never needing to work. Whenever he bought me an expensive gift, he would say in a thick Greek accent, “I feel so sorry for your future husband.” He told me I was a Greek princess and deserved a Greek prince, but no one could measure up to him.

I also had a brother who was 2 years older than me. He was the BOY- didn’t have to do chores, always got a bigger allowance, never had a curfew and was the “best” at everything. We had a lot of sibling rivalry fueled by my dad because of his constant competitions between us, usually with unfair rules that favored my brother winning, so that my dad could maintain the “boys are better” narrative.

My dad was definitely my introduction into the art world. He took me to art shows at the Holiday Inn, called “The Starving Artist Show,” featuring cheap artwork. I thought I was seeing really famous well-known artists and didn’t realize these were commercially painted knock-offs imported from China. My dad told me he was an art collector and tasked me with discovering the next “Picasso.” My dad loved Salvador Dali’s artwork and talked about it often. It was the 80’s and he was really popular.

Growing up, I was encouraged in art and my mother told me I could be anything I wanted to be. My dad told me I could be an artist as long as I married an engineer who would take care of me. It was pretty much mandatory that I marry someone with a college education, who would make a bunch of money, and whose parents never divorced.

Long story short, I married an artist who eventually went to college and was raised by a single mom.

Can you share a story with us about the catalyst that made you want to pursue a career as an artist?

I was 15 years old and my parents were telling me to think about which colleges I would apply to, because my brother had started applying. I began thinking about career paths and what I actually wanted to do with my life. I was pretty good at most things in school — math and history were my best subjects — but I really wanted to be exceptional at one thing. I realized I was missing this exceptional quality, so I asked God for a talent. I wanted to be great at something and I didn’t care what it was.

The very next week at school in my 9th-grade art class, Betty Edwards had just published her book, “Drawing from the Right Side of Your Brain” and came to our school to give a workshop. Something inside of me woke up that week. A light bulb turned on and I could suddenly draw realistically, but before, I could not. I showed my mom my drawings but she didn’t believe that I had done them.

I was so excited and alive with my new talent, I converted some study halls to an independent art class. My teacher showed me how to stretch a canvas and the basics of acrylic painting. Then, she turned me loose. I painted a 30X40 canvas of two women with flowers over one of their eyes because I couldn’t get them even. The painting had deep purples among other jewel tones. It was my dad’s 41st birthday and I still believed he was an art collector. I remember feeling so nervous and sick with fear that he would think my painting was terrible. When he came home from work that day, I heard his steps come down the hall after he shut the front door. I had the painting turned around so he couldn’t see it. Full of butterflies, I flipped the painting around and told him “Happy Birthday.”

I saw his face light up and his jaw drop. I saw my macho Greek dad speechless with eyes full of tears. He was embarrassed and took the painting and went upstairs to his room. I went to my room and sat on my bed and sobbed. I was so incredibly empowered that I could make my dad cry; it was only the second time in my life that I had seen it. I told God that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. I wanted to touch people and move them emotionally.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career as an artist?

It was 2009 and we decided to sell our work at Art Expo New York. Our art work had been sold there for years through our dealer, but earlier that fall when the economy crashed, he stopped buying work from his artists. In order to survive, we decided to sell our artwork ourselves in the annual New York show. We invested close to 20K in the show and naively informed our dealer that we would be there. He simply told us “good luck.”

The show was 5 days and the setup was incredibly exciting. We learned that day how far our artwork had reached. We had galleries and designers from all over the world introducing themselves to us and telling us that they represented our work and sold our work very well and that they would be by once the show opened to stock up their inventory of our work. We left that day elated and uplifted knowing our artwork was so popular. For years, we were kept in the dark and didn’t know where our art went after we sent it to the dealer.

The opening day our hopes were quickly dashed as we saw the same gallery owners and designers pass by our space quickly with their heads down or avoid us altogether. One brave gallery owner from the UK told us that our dealer spoke to everyone he could that if they bought directly from us or were seen talking to us, he would never do business with them again. He was the top dealer at New York Art Expo in those years and we were being blacklisted.

After 3 days we had not made one sale. Money was tight after the crash, and we spent our last pennies on this show. We faced the possibilities of financial devastation and having to get menial jobs we probably weren’t qualified for. At the end of that day, our dealer came by and with a smirk said, “Your work looks great! I hope you sold a lot because the first 3 days represent about 90% of your sales in the show.” I sunk and hid under the table and silently cried my eyes out thinking about my future job at Walmart or Subway. I was angry and devastated.

The fourth day was our only chance at sales since the 5th day was expecting a blizzard of snow and no patrons. The last 2 days of the show were designated for retail collectors and not for the trade. We mustered some hope and aimed to sell directly to collectors. All-day our booth was full of people admiring our work and saying they would come back to buy art. The show ended at 5 pm and by 4 pm we still had not sold any work! I was desperate and frustrated. Finally, at exactly 4 pm, a gallery owner, named Heim from Haifa, Israel who was our show neighbor hosting the booth across from us, walked in our booth and said, “I can’t take it! You no sell! They come, they leave and they come back and you STILL no sell! You terrible salesman! MOVE! I will sell for you!”

In moments, he walked up to someone looking at a piece of artwork. He talked with them for a few minutes and then came over to me and said, “this piece is $5,000, you take $4,500?” I said “YES!! Of course!” a second later he nodded his head and pointed to the bubble wrap. As soon as I finished bubble wrapping that piece, he had another lined up for someone else. In just 45 minutes he sold over $20,000 in artwork! My life returned to me in that moment and I held back my tears of gratitude all the way until I made it to my hotel. The moment the door shut behind me, I threw myself on the bed and bawled into my pillow for a solid 15 minutes.

We learned a lot about the system of the establishment art world that week, and we learned a lot about ourselves. It was a turning point in our career.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on with Milan Art Institute now?

One of the most exciting projects we are working on is creating and establishing our own paint. We are in the process of developing a line of paint that challenges the status quo of standard oil colors and will expand artists’ ability to mix a full range of colors. The property of these new colors will be as intense, saturated and luminous as we can get. An artist can always dull down a color by mixing a complementary color, but they cannot mix a more intense or brighter color than the original. This is why we want to create bolder, more intense colors.

Another exciting project we are working on is creating our own art platform from scratch for artists and collectors. It will be centered around our social media and community, with social learning and social art patronage. This platform is revolutionary and will aid in creating a relationship between artists and patrons. The artist will know their place in culture, and significance in shifting culture forward by elevating beauty and painting themes that uplift and bring hope and life. The patron will also know their significance and purpose through art collecting and that their support of artists also shapes culture and brings our world into a better, new day.

The function of the platform will be really engaging and innovative with live portals into artists studios and auctions and reality show style learning showing art concepts and art marketing. There will be incentives and gamification for users in the community, and they will be rewarded for positive, encouraging critiques and support. The patrons will have the ability to invest in art in a transparent way- even reselling their acquisitions- and for the first time ever, artists will receive a % of the investment increase when their art is resold. Phase one of the platform is due to release in the beginning of September.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

We have met and interacted with countless interesting people over our careers as artists. We have dealt with some incredible, eccentric folks within the art world. Our various dealers and reps over the years have been interesting. Some have been honest with integrity, and some have not. One of our first dealers we worked within Atlanta, Georgia, had a thick southern drawl and always spoke of himself in the third person. When we showed him a new painting of a landscape, he would say, “Oh yes, Robinson likes sweet birds, throw me some sweet birds on there.”

One of the experiences we had was an art show in Las Vegas at the Wynn. We were invited to be a part of the “World of Art Showcase’’ in 2012. The top artists from all over the world were part of this show, and we met many of them. It was a showcase of extreme characters as well. They all were wearing and living their brand as they wandered the halls of the show flamboyantly being “themselves.” Some of the artists were Vladimir Kush, Hsin Yao Tseng, Nobody, Nelson Shanks, Leon Oks, Caesar Santos, Daniel E. Greene, and many more. We had a black-tie VIP opening with little hor’d’vours on a spoon, and an open bar that only brought out everyone’s vices and wildness. We felt extremely “normal” among such colorful people.

Above all the interesting people I have met in the art world, none compare to the authentic hard-working persevering artists I deal with daily. They collectively desire to change the world with their art. They love passionately and deeply and are willing to self-sacrifice by splaying their hearts on a canvas for the world to see and judge- all in the hopes to illuminate the hearts of their viewer or shift the mindset of their critique toward a hopeful future. They seek transformative experiences for their audience. They willingly position themselves to be influencers in culture, bravely and boldly sharing the depths of their heart in painting and in life. They have become the kings and queens of social media- rejecting the established art world system and working diligently everyday to make their creations of beauty available for all. They valiantly battle the systemic elitism and the corrupt agenda biased toward the vulgar and obscene. These artists know their role and aim to serve a culture that desires beauty, exceptionalism, hope, inspiration, and joy. These artists are proactive, not reactive. They live each day to paint from the overcoming side of their pain, fight through creative resistance and aspire to be their best selves.

Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?

I ultimately draw inspiration from a spiritual place. The spirit of God is the source that illuminates what I should paint, or gives me an inner need or desire to paint certain imagery. I’m really inspired by how paint is applied or how ink will run and bleed, or how the wet colors glisten on the canvas. I’m inspired by the freedom of being in the moment while creating, just watching what the paint does. Living the habits of a productive working artist keeps me inspired. Like Picasso said, “inspiration will find you working.”

I aim to keep my inspiration tank full by constantly experiencing the things that inspire me: being in nature, riding my horse on the trails in the forest, looking at other artwork online and in-person, traveling and being with people from other cultures, working out, listening to new music, experimenting with new art materials, and eating out in unique restaurants where the food is prepared with care and excellence.

While surrounding myself with activities that energize me, I work hard to avoid the things that deplete my tank: needless drama, people who are controlling, spreadsheets, google docs, emails, taxes, etc. I have found that if my tank is full, I’m more productive and inspired as an artist and mentor, allowing me to focus on the vision of my business.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I have used my success to bring goodness to the world by opening my life and home to others. As I have experienced success as a professional artist, I have shared my experience with others to help them also succeed as a professional artist. Many artists struggle with the ability to earn money through their art. I have shared everything I know to help them. Not only have I created a school that aims to help all artists become professionals, I have also offered a lot of opportunities to young individuals that express a desire to improve, elevate and succeed. I have given recovering drug abusers the opportunity to have a place to live, work and improve their life, offering a job with the Art Institute to learn new skills in media, content creation, copywriting, and more. We have trained these individuals and believed in them, and in return were given the joy of watching their lives blossom and take shape.

I think the number one way I use my success to make the world better is to help thousands of people find purpose. I have helped many people to walk in their destiny and live out their dream of being a professional artist. I teach them that art is their vehicle, but their purpose in life is found in knowing what their superpower is. They learn what their superpower is by identifying their worst pain. I learned this through my greatest personal success which was overcoming my deepest pain. As a young person, I didn’t believe I had worth or value. I spent my twenties and thirties overcoming this and allowing greatness to flourish inside of me, learning that I was valuable and my life had significance. I was worthy of a great life! My superpower has been to help others to know their value and worth. Once you know your purpose and why you are here, your life becomes incredibly enriched and fulfilling, and your ability to affect the world for the better is unstoppable.

I hope to reach more artists who will discover their superpower and share it with the world. When I opened the school in 2010, I learned that alone, I can only affect and influence a few thousand people in my lifetime, but through teaching and mentoring artists, there is a multiplication factor allowing me to potentially affect millions. Sharing my knowledge, mistakes, and victories with others has become incredibly rewarding.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a brief story or example for each.

1. Be militant to overcoming pride: Pride is our enemy and holds most artists back. It keeps us from trying new things or being open to suggestions. Pride makes everything all about YOU, but it’s so much bigger than YOU. It’s about them. Pride will keep you from being an incredible artist because you will create artwork from yourself, rather than being a conduit and allowing the muse to flow through you.
2. Be generous: The more you give, the more you get. There is no lack in an artist’s life. Be generous with your heart, with your paint, your knowledge, your time. This will keep you from being jealous or competitive. Lavish your art friends with encouragement, and tell them what they did right. When they succeed or sell a painting, celebrate with them. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. Share opportunities or contacts with other artists- in doing so, you will receive more opportunities and contacts. I remember the first time I taught artist marketing to a group of artists. I was telling them my secrets on how to get into a gallery, or how to contact publishers, or how to create sellable artwork, and at first, I felt worried. I thought I was creating competition for myself, and all these artists would take away my opportunities. I was thinking from a place of poverty, instead of abundance. Once I realized it and knew that the more I shared, the more it positioned me to receive, I just let it go. I felt great joy in sharing my knowledge and experience. This was about 3 years before I opened the school. The shift in my heart allowed me the opportunity to have an art school. How could I be trusted with an art school if I was greedy and held back my knowledge just because of fear?
3. Do not abdicate control of your business to others: When I was younger, I lacked confidence that I could do the business side of my art career and allowed others to “take care” of me. This was, again, not understanding my value and worth, or realizing how powerful I could be. I let my insecurities rule over me and looked to others “who knew better”. I learned the very hard way that giving my art business to others to manage when I didn’t know how to do it myself was a huge mistake. It caused me to be taken advantage of, stolen from, cheated, misdirected, and as a result, my success was slowed. I should have done the marketing pieces myself until I learned and understood the process, and then hired someone else to take it on so that I could at least oversee what they were doing and understand the direction my brand was going. After many setbacks, I learned I had to do things myself at first until I learned. For example, I learned how to create and manage my own website, set up e-commerce, and connect emails and shipping. Once I mastered those skills,I could hire it out. Knowing all the intricacies of your art business is crucial and we should not give control away to others.
4. Branding is dominion- you are your brand, not your art: Your art is only an expression of your brand. Always be true to yourself and put your authentic story out there. Don’t try to be someone you are not- instead, embrace the true you with boldness and wholeheartedness. Don’t shrink back. If you put yourself out there and stay true to your brand, you will attract the right audience. Your message will resonate with enough people. Don’t try to contort your brand to fit a mold or be who you think the world wants you to be. Be yourself truly, and you will do your part to change the world.
5. Hard work & perseverance, not talent: To be a successful artist, it takes consistent hard work, passion and perseverance- and that is all. I used to think it took talent and luck or knowing the right people. This is 100% false. It’s a deception to think that you are so talented and it only takes someone to discover you. Talent is overrated, and no one wants to discover you. That is just for the movies. Like anything else, success in art takes diligence, hard work, putting in the hours every week, painting when you don’t feel like it, knowing your WHY, developing good habits, and honing your skills. It absolutely is not, like the fairy tales make it seem, easy, luck, talent, magic, a gift, being discovered, or genetics. This myth just fuels the starving artist stereotype, because it causes the artist to languish in resistance as they wait for their savior to discover them and launch them into fame. Since it doesn’t happen, they are unsuccessful and then claim they are a starving artist, while the artist who works hard consistently and behaves like a professional will achieve great things just to be told they are lucky and talented.

If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I would like to inspire a movement to smash your TV, and replace TV/movie time with art, learning an instrument, studying a foreign language, writing a book or poem, inventing a board game, building a community, taking up knitting or sewing, reading a book, learning how to cook from scratch, building a treehouse, planting a garden or orchard, studying history, teaching others how to do a life skill, or many other important life-giving activities.

We didn’t allow TV, Netflix, or video games in our house when our four children were growing up. They had to spend their time doing something else. Some of things they did on a regular basis were of course art, but also music, writing plays and acting them out, building forts outside, swimming, riding horses, digging in the dirt, cooking, or making stuff like jewelry, hair clips, and crazy quilts. They learned how to apply their time to projects and activities, and developed a hunger for learning. My husband and I were allowed the opportunity to play board games with the kids, go for walks, do crafts and talk.

I believe the ongoing effects of a worldwide movement would have permanent effectual change, bringing people into a unified sense of purpose and destiny, and the collective creativity would restore us back to our true identity as humans who desire goodness, joy, peace, connection, truth and love.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.

There are so many people I would love to have a private lunch or breakfast with, and even more, I would love to resurrect from the dead to do so. I would like to meet with Banksy and find out if he is the real deal or just a hustler. Elizabeth Gilbert would be great to have deep talk about the life of a creative. Elon Musk, to ask him if he got his exotic technologies from aliens, and where he sees life going for the next 20 years. Wes Anderson, to find out where he gets his ideas and how he constructs a story. If he were alive, I could listen to Kandinsky talk about anything for weeks. John F. Kennedy, to hear all his secrets and what he found out. And finally, my Greek grandpa- I would have a lot to say to him and questions to ask, starting with “Why did you?”

Right now above all living souls, I would say I would like to have lunch with a man named Justin Abraham from Wales UK. He is a futurist, transformational coach and spiritualist who engages heaven and knows a lot about the realm of light. I think time with him would be fascinating and life-changing. I would expect to walk or float away from the conversation enlightened and full of new revelation. I know I would be greatly inspired and activated into a new spiritual level to better serve others. What could be better, right?

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

You can check out the Milan Art Institute’s Instagram and Facebook to get inspired and keep up with what we’re doing with our students. You can also find me on Instagram at @ellimilan.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!