In this insightful conversation, artist and arts professional Kelly Olshan shares her journey of founding the Arts Career Incubator and her approach to helping artists build meaningful, sustainable careers. We discuss strategic planning, relationship building, grants, entrepreneurship, and the importance of defining success on your own terms.

Here’s what we discuss:

1. How to define success and strategically plan your creative career
2. Building and maintaining meaningful relationships in the art world
3. Navigating grants, professional development, and creative entrepreneurship
4. Kelly’s journey from working in arts organizations to founding the Arts Career Incubator
5. Creating opportunities by making your goals and interests visible to others

Kelly Olshan is an artist and arts professional and the founder and director of the Arts Career Incubator, an initiative providing accessible professional development programming for artists and creatives across disciplines and career stages. Throughout her career, she has worked with organizations including the New York Foundation for the Arts, Queens Council on the Arts, Creative Capital, and Art21, supporting artists through professional development and career-building programs. As a practicing artist herself, Kelly brings firsthand experience to her work with creatives, including her recent museum commission with the Long Island Children’s Museum. Through the Arts Career Incubator, she offers intensive programs, workshops, and one-on-one support designed to help artists develop the practical tools and strategies needed to build careers on their own terms.

Website:artscareerincubator.com
IG: @artscareerincubator

Registration link -
Click here to register for “So You’re a Full-Time Creative Entrepreneur” Panel Discussion on October 1, 2026

Instagram: @visionaryartcollective / @warnescontemporary / @newvisionarymag
Newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter

In the first episode of Season 4, Victoria reflects on a summer of unexpected challenges, creative growth, and important realizations about how she wants to live and work moving forward. She explores what it means to do less but go deeper, from simplifying her business and making space for rest to reconnecting with her studio practice and letting go of fear and control. This episode invites artists to consider what they want to protect, what they’re ready to release, and how small acts of creativity can help us stay connected to ourselves during seasons of change.

To learn more about Victoria's 1:1 Mentorship Program, visit:
visionaryartcollective.com/mentorship

To enroll in The Visionary Community, visit:
visionaryartcollective.com/visionary-community-enroll

Victoria J. Fry is a New York City–based painter, educator, curator, and founder of Visionary Art Collective, New Visionary Magazine, and Warnes Contemporary. She has supported thousands of artists through exhibitions, publications, and mentorship.

Instagram: @visionaryartcollective / @warnescontemporary / @newvisionarymag
Newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter

Victoria reflects on the themes that emerged throughout Season 3, including self-trust, staying connected to your creative practice in small ways, expanding possibilities, and taking initiative. She shares why these ideas are deeply interconnected, offers encouragement for artists navigating uncertainty, and reflects on what it means to continue moving forward without having everything figured out. Victoria also shares updates on her 1:1 Mentorship Program, upcoming opportunities, and what's ahead for Season 4 of the podcast this September.

To learn more about Victoria's 1:1 Mentorship Program, visit:
visionaryartcollective.com/mentorship

To access Victoria's signature Artist Statement & Bio workshop:
visionaryartcollective.com/artist-statement-bio-workshop

To enroll in The Visionary Community, visit:
visionaryartcollective.com/visionary-community-enroll

Victoria J. Fry is a New York City–based painter, educator, curator, and founder of Visionary Art Collective, New Visionary Magazine, and Warnes Contemporary. She has supported thousands of artists through exhibitions, publications, and mentorship.

Instagram: @visionaryartcollective / @warnescontemporary / @newvisionarymag
Newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter