How to Price Your Art and Why Art Is Play with Laurie Smithwick

How do you put a price on something you create? And how do you keep making art when the business side threatens to take the fun out of it?

In this episode, I sit down with Charlotte artist Laurie Smithwick, a painter, photographer, and former graphic designer, to talk about the business and creative sides of making art.

Laurie's career took her from studying graphic design and photography at Parsons School of Design to building a successful design business and eventually returning to her own artistic practice. Her work explores color, texture, possibility, and the moments when life begins to change.

We get practical, too. Laurie explains two approaches artists can use when deciding how to price their art: the square-inch method and the linear-inch method. If you've ever struggled to figure out what your work is worth, this conversation offers a useful place to start.

But pricing isn't the whole story. We also talk about why art needs room for play, experimentation, and the occasional happy accident. Laurie shares her experience with open studios, monotype printmaking, and finding ways to make creativity part of everyday life—even when screens and technology compete for our attention.

We also revisit her Flatten the Curve series, created during the COVID pandemic, including the ideas behind her Balance and Portals work.

Whether you're a professional artist, an emerging creative, or someone who simply wants to make more room for creativity in your life, this conversation is a reminder that making art isn't only about the finished product. It's also about what happens along the way.

Listen to the episode: How to Price Your Art and Why Art Is Play | Laurie Smithwick

Connect With Laurie Smithwick

Laurie is a Charlotte-based artist whose work explores painting, photography, printmaking, and the possibilities of the creative process.

• Website: https://lauriesmithwick.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriesmithwick

• Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lauriesmithwick

• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lauriesmithwick

• Visit her studio: VAPA Center, Charlotte, NC. Open studios take place on the first Saturday of each month, with a night market on the second Saturday. Learn more about VAPA Center open studios.