Area Voices: How Kent Estey turned his art into a business

NAYTAHWAUSH — It takes more than just being good at art to be a successful artist today. You have to be good at networking, promoting yourself and navigating social media to get your art in front of as many eyes as possible.

Kent Estey has learned that, and he’s happy to share his knowledge with other artists.

Estey is a member of the White Earth Nation and lives in Naytahwaush. From a young age, he seemed destined to pursue art one way or another.

“We were musicians. We were textile artists. ... We made things out of wood, or we gathered. We did a lot of basket making from birch bark and black ash," Estey said on Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show. "So, you were going to probably be some kind of artist."

However, it was painting that truly interested him. He knew it as early as 6 years old.

“We grew up with pretty minimal resources in our home, and I remember wanting to paint, so I found an old bucket, an old house brush, and I was thinking, ‘What should I use for paint?’" he recalled. "Well, the only thing I could think of way back then was maybe dirt, sand, gravel and some water. So, I mixed that up in a bucket, and I started painting the side of our barn with that.”

He had to use his imagination for the colors, and this memory is something Estey thinks a lot about to this day. He could see color back then at 6 years old. He said he feels that confirms he was always meant to be a painter, and he’s been doing it ever since.

Contributed

/

Kent Estey

Estey works in oils, acrylics, pastels, inks, stone and metals, all self-taught. He didn’t think that would be the case growing up.

He took every art class he could in high school and thought he would pursue being an art teacher while attending Bemidji State University.

“I remember walking into the hallways of BSU and walking into the art department. I looked in and I just went, ‘Oh no, I can't,’" he said. "All of a sudden, all those dreams became a frightening experience and too real. And so I left the art department.”

Instead, he pursued a degree in mass communications and education. Sometimes he does think it would have been nice to have taken some art courses and gotten instruction from professors, but it’s not something he dwells on.

“I feel okay about where I am. Self-taught is good because I think you have to learn to trust yourself,” Estey said.

“Not everyone's going to like my work. It may not fit in everybody's home or preference. But you know what? That doesn't bother me today because I'm kind of past that stage where I'm worried about what everybody else likes or thinks I should be or thinks I should paint. ... I'm just going to paint what I want to paint."

Estey is a strong believer that the first person you need to convince you’re doing the right thing in art is yourself. Artists must enjoy their work because it’s up to them to promote it to other people. It takes a strong network to support a career in the arts.

Estey credits organizations like the Region 2 Arts Council for being a strong support system in his career. It has a small staff but does a lot to help promote local artists. He also appreciates places like the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji.

Contributed

/

Kent Estey

“Places like that really help regional artists and Native artists be seen," he said. "... There aren't a lot of places that feature Native artists and Native work, and any place that will do that is really, really special, and we appreciate that so much.”

A new career: Artist

Estey retired from education a little early when he and his wife, Becky, decided to attempt to make a business from Estey’s artwork. They knew they would have to make changes, like getting into networking and finding financial sources.

He gets revenue from selling artwork at studios and art museums across the country, art fairs and applying for artists' grants. He said being active online is a big part of spreading the word.

Estey said he doesn’t believe turning his art into a business affected his creativity.

“We didn't go into this saying we need to generate so much income from the business on a yearly basis," he said. "Whatever we do is going to be supplemental and wonderful, so we don't have this pressure.”

Fortunately, it was a successful venture. The money they made was able to cover the cost of constructing a studio, travel expenses and hiring people to take a look at their finances. Knowing this is his career also helps motivate him to keep creating as well.

“It's just a beautiful honor for people to come to my studio or find us when we're at a street fair or in a museum or gallery and purchase an original piece of artwork,” Estey said.

An artist puts a lot of themselves into their creations. When asked if it was difficult selling those pieces of himself, Estey credits his wife for keeping it in perspective.

“My wife said the best thing to me. She said, ‘Of course, you want to sell that. Just paint another one.'" he said. "And so I said, 'Yeah, you're right. ... Just do version two of that.’”

Estey was recently awarded the Region 2 Arts Council's Anishinaabe Arts Initiative Fellowship, and he said he was incredibly honored to receive it.

“Being pulled out of the group and honored in this way is such a privilege and unexpected because you never know who the readers are reading, you know, or what others are saying," he said. "So, you just kind of put yourself out there, you answer the questions as best you can, and you send them the best examples of your artistry that you possibly can.”

Estey received a Region 2 Artist Fellowship back in 2023, and he was told he was the first artist to have ever received both fellowships. He encourages other people to apply for these grants. Even if they don’t get it on the first try, they should keep applying.

The fellowship gives Estey financial freedom to get a little experimental with his upcoming projects. He said he's hoping to create more three-dimensional work and to work on big pieces of paper.

“I'm talking rolls of large paper and large pieces of color so it's going to be different," he said. "I don't know how that's going to fully evolve. I have the paper. I have the paint. It's just time now.”

Creative schedule and inspiration

Finding time to create is an important aspect of an artist's career. Estey said some good advice he got was to devote at least two to three hours a day to artistry.

Sometimes that means experimenting or learning new techniques, and sometimes it can mean doing the business side of things. The important thing is that he does it every day. However, he also noted how important it is to learn to rest as well.

“If you're overtired, if you're stressed out, it's probably going to show up in your work, and you may not necessarily want it to show that. Give yourself a break. I don't want my art to become a burden,” Estey said.

Estey has also found different avenues to market his work. People can buy original paintings, but they can also get reproductions on paper, canvas or aluminum prints. People can even get his work on scarves, shower curtains, cups and totes.

Contributed

/

Kent Estey

People ask Estey all the time where his inspiration comes from for his work. He said it comes from where he lives.

He still lives on the same property that he grew up on, in the heart of the White Earth Reservation. He gets inspired just from walking outside on the same trails his ancestors walked on.

“I think this is the most beautiful place to be," he said.

Estey said he feels it’s his job to encourage people to feel good about living in their community.

“Sometimes the only news you hear about these little towns on the reservation is bad news or tragic news," he said.

"I think my purpose is to say something positive about this beautiful community that I live in, and that's ultimately what I'm trying to do. That's the story I want to tell.”

Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.

Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.