Paddy Johnson

We're going to talk about what it actually takes to get into these major exhibitions and

and how to build the kind of career that gets you noticed.

You can register at the link in the show notes.

Today, I'm talking with Yuko Oda, a Boston-based artist who joined Network just over a year ago, feeling like she'd been treading water for decades.

Despite graduating from RISD in 2000 and working professionally for 23 years, she felt confused about her trajectory, overwhelmed by saying yes to everything, and uncertain about how to turn opportunities into meaningful career progress.

And my guess is that a lot of you may relate to some of this.

So what changed for Yuko?

Well, in just over a year, Yuko sold her first major piece directly to a collector, secured a three-piece commission for a downtown Boston high-rise, exhibited in Rome, and found a rhythm line

lets her balance her teaching with her ambitious studio goals.

We talk about overcoming the hesitation to invest in yourself, how accountability groups helped her navigate everything from invoices to artist consultant splits, why the second time through goal-setting workshops,

is when it all clicks and what it feels like to finally know where you are and where you're going, instead of like you're just sort of floating without any control in a bubble.

This is what momentum looks like.

So let's dive in.

Yuko, welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me, Patti.

Yeah, so I wanted to have you on the show because you've been a Network member for how long now?

It's been a little over a year.

Yeah.

So you've been a member for a while and I wanted to do first like just a trip down memory lane.

What brought you to Network?