As she presses the publish button, senior Andrea Kaiser smiles and relaxes. A new TikTok video will help boost her following and her rising art business. Although her new video is only half a minute, her heart and soul went into the creation of the video, and even more of her went into her art. Andrea is on a rise towards fame. 

The beginning of Andrea’s art

Andrea’s business started off of one encounter with another person. This encounter was so meaningful that it led her to gaining over 190 thousand followers on TikTok and a strong passion towards creating meaningful pieces of art. 

“In tenth grade I had one of my paintings hanging up in the school hallway. A teacher liked it so much she bought it from me. For some reason, that sparked confidence and motivation for me to sell art,” Andrea said.

Usually, art for the first time starts out with crayons and lined paper. In kindergarten, Andrea’s parents noticed her doodling all over her homework. First it’d be an eye, then an ear, next, she started drawing detailed faces and heads. Her art started to progress over the years until she became a very talented artist.

“I really didn’t start noticing Andrea painting until around eighth or ninth grade. Since then, her passion for art has significantly increased,” Andrea’s father Charlie Kaiser said. 

After becoming interested in art, Andrea sought out ways to sell her art locally. Smith and Trade Mercantile in Downtown Stillwater hosted her art and showed it to potential buyers and other artists.

“I had my paintings in a store Downtown Stillwater that tenth grade summer. It honestly didn’t do well. I only sold around eight paintings. By the end of that summer, I left the store,” Andrea said. 

Both Andrea’s mother and father said she was reserved as a child. Yet now, her TikToks are shown to thousands of people every day.

“Andrea was very shy when she was little, even if it’s hard to believe now,” Andrea’s mother Robin Kaiser said.

As a child, Andrea was shy and kind hearted. She is definitely still as kind as she is today, however, she has thrown out her shy habits and embraces herself through her art. It took a few years for her to show her passions, but when she did, she started gaining traction towards being an outgoing and popular girl.

“Andrea was polite, shy, and a great kid who loved playing outside. I never would have thought that she would have sold art in stores or have an Etsy account selling things or having 192 thousand followers on TikTok!” Charlie said.

An inspiration: Bob Ross

“Andrea was definitely influenced by Bob Ross,” Robin said.

Bob Ross was an American painter, art instructor and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting. In each episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, and in every episode, he completed a painting.

“From what I can tell, I think watching Bob Ross videos is what really influenced her passion for art,” Charlie said.

Although Ross was the main inspiration for Andrea’s art style, her art now takes on some of her own interests. Now, she incorporates the style of Ross with her own style and ideas. 

“When I first started painting, I got almost all my inspiration from Bob Ross. Now, I get all my ideas from memes or weird thoughts I have late at night,” Andrea said.

Accelerating her career through TikTok

After leaving the store, Andrea took on as a freelancer. She painted beautiful landscapes and portraits for her own enjoyment. However, her passion surged inside. She wanted to show the world what she was capable of, and eventually, she managed to get her name out through TikTok.

“It wasn’t until my TikTok gained followers when I started to sell art again. People were actually asking me to sell my art. I started an Etsy account around May of this year. I advertise everything I sell by making videos on TikTok. I use photoshop and my friend’s scanner to make prints and stickers of my art. I’ve also made birdhouses and painted hearts that sold out in a day,” Andrea said.

Andrea isn’t only inspired by Ross. Her family also plays a big role in her motivation to pursue art.

“It’s kind of cliche but my family is my biggest supporter, especially my brother. My dad runs his own business, too, so he helped me a lot when I got mine going,” Andrea said. “We love spit-balling new product ideas with each other. He also made a TikTok just to watch my videos – and stalks my account frequently.”