100 Women Project: Anne Zimmerman Briand, Painter
Anne Zimmerman Briand, Modern Landscape Painter
Anne Zimmerman Briand has always been a creative professional, but after two decades as a graphic designer and marketer for brands like Gillette and Mercedes Benz, she left her corporate career for a second chapter as an artist.
I recently interviewed Anne for The 100 Women Project. She was fresh off her showing at the Mainsail Art Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida where she was selected as the Poster Artist for the 2025 season (and the festival’s 50th anniversary). Check out the excerpt below for tips on how you can be more successful in business as an artist:
What made you decide to embrace becoming a painter? I felt I was on the planet to express myself more authentically and share the things that truly make me tick. I wanted to live my own dreams rather than spend my life working for others to support their dreams.
What are 3 things that helped you to become a successful business owner? I invested in myself, since my business is so dependent on me. This meant paying for coaching (both business coaching and coaching specific to artists), reading and listening to self-help books, and digesting anything that helped me overcome imposter syndrome and believe in myself.
What advice would you give to a woman who is pursuing big goals and wanting to make a difference in the world? Confidence is everything. If you don’t have confidence in what you are doing, get started strengthening those confidence muscles. Passion and confidence are a great foundation. Also, it’s important to find mentors in your industry who are open to sharing information. Spend time asking advice. Approach them with curiosity and you will learn so much!
Do you have any advice specifically for women pursuing a career as a painter? Create multiple income streams, so that you have time to experiment and grow your business. Also, it’s great to develop passive streams of income to provide a financial cushion without requiring a significant amount of your attention or energy.
What specific books or tools do you recommend? I loved Art, Money, Success by Maria Brophy, which includes a lot of how-to steps to legitimizing an art business. I also recommend the course, You Are a Master Painter: 180 Days to a Better Art Business by Roos Schuring. It changed my life and helped me get my sh*t together when I was just getting started. I spent a year as a coaching client of yours, Valerie, and that was paramount in helping me set bigger goals and attain them, which helped me level up my business.
Click here for glimpses of Anne’s artwork and inspiration and follow her on Instagram for breathtaking landscapes.
To apply to be part of The 100 Project or to nominate a mentor, click here.
-Valerie
P.S. If you’re ready to start your business, embrace bigger goal-setting and bigger success, check out the free 45-minute coaching session. You’ll leave with big goals and action steps to start you on the path to more freedom and success!
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