The People Already Here
A painting I’d been meaning to make for years
By Sue Pendleton, Founder
I recently finished a painting of Crockett’s Cove Church, an old church tucked into the mountains of southwestern Virginia, near where my husband grew up.
We were married there, and I’ve wanted to paint it for years.
When I finally shared the finished piece, the response surprised me. Friends who had been at our wedding commented. People from the area recognized the church immediately. Some shared the painting with other locals.
It traveled because people already had a relationship with the place.
And, in many cases, with me.
The names we start to recognize
At the same time, I’ve been working on my own art marketing a little more intentionally. I recently sent my first newsletter and have been thinking about ways to grow that list.
But while I was looking outward, the response to the church painting made me notice something much closer.
There are people who show up for my work again and again.
I recognize their names in the comments. Some have followed my art for years. A few own paintings. Others know me personally, live near places I paint, or simply seem interested in seeing what comes next.
None of this is especially flashy. Which may be why it’s easy to overlook.
Something I already knew
The funny part is that this is advice I’ve given clients for years.
Our existing and previous customers are often our best opportunity for future business. They already know us. Trust has been established. And when they tell a friend about us, that personal endorsement carries a kind of weight an advertisement rarely can.
Apparently I needed to paint a little brick church in Virginia to remember my own advice.
Finding someone new takes work. We have to get their attention, introduce ourselves, give them a reason to care, build trust, and then stay connected.
With the people already here, much of that groundwork has been done.
Growth isn’t only about adding
I’m still going to work on growing my email list and introducing my art to new people. That matters.
But I’m starting to think differently about where most of my energy belongs.
Maybe growth isn’t always another name on the list. Sometimes it’s a past buyer becoming a collector. A casual follower becoming someone who looks forward to hearing from us. A local supporter sharing our work with a friend.
Those relationships don’t stay strong automatically. They need attention. And I don’t want to treat the people who already care about my work as if they’re simply the audience I collected on the way to finding a bigger one.
Taking better care of the circle
The church painting reminded me that there is already a circle around my work.
My job isn’t only to keep making that circle larger.
It’s to take care of it.
Because when the people already here feel connected to the work, they tend to stay. Sometimes they buy again. Sometimes they tell someone else. Sometimes they simply keep showing up.
And when someone new steps into that circle, they’re joining something that already has life in it.
That feels like a much better kind of growth.
