Community Highlights: Meet Grant & Noah Brady , Taxman of Unfiltered Expressions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant & Noah Brady , Taxman

Hi Grant & Noah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started Unfiltered Expressions with the humble and eager hope to do things differently. We crossed paths at the University of Denver and slowly stumbled into the art space after connecting with a ton of artists who wanted to digitize their art through NFTs (that ‘fad’ has long passed). But the more artists we met, the more we realized how many barriers there are that prevent talented people from bringing their physical artwork from studios to galleries. Because not only is it hard for artists to get into galleries without a stamp of approval from big-name collectors or celebrities, but once inside those galleries, creators are subjected to high commission rates (industry standard of 50-60%) and rigid contracts. And, creators are rarely given the opportunity to share their stories and inspiration with buyers, either.

This realization was fueled after Will Day shared his incredible life story at a DU entrepreneurship event that not only touched on the obstacles he had overcome in the art world, but that also left us inspired to chase after our own dreams. A few weeks later, we reached out to Will to discuss the creation of Unfiltered Expressions; an online art gallery that would do away with so many of the challenges Will had spoken of. With his support and enthusiasm toward being our very first artist, Unfiltered Expressions was born.

After countless positive responses from art enthusiasts of all walks of life (artists, collectors, sellers ie. interior designers) and making our first sale, we realized the true potential of this idea and sought out a brand designer to help us turn our vision into a reality. We are now in the final stages of developing our website with the incredibly talented Frog Studio, and couldn’t be more excited to launch our Online Art Gallery in the next month.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Finding artists that want to sell their work through us has been a relatively smooth road but it’s been a long process of finding a good brand designer that is capable of developing a website that aligns with our brand. It is very difficult to get someone to feel comfortable enough to even consider purchasing a piece of artwork online, whether it’s a $100 print or $20,000 original, most people want to be able to see the artwork in-person.

That said (+ our mission to disrupt) our website can’t be like every other online art platform – minimalistic, white & black (trying to replicate the ~art gallery feel), doesn’t share much about the artist, etc. WHILE also not being too busy that it takes your focus away from getting to know the artist and viewing their art.

After connecting with the incredibly talented Gracie Mcnabb of The Frog Studio and Alethea Tyler of Copy With Spice, we are confident that our website will deliver on everything we’ve sought out on and more.

The other obstacle we have faced is that Noah and I both work full-time jobs and are only capable of selling so much art just the two of us. To truly scale this business and follow through with our mission of giving these artists the spotlight they deserve, we needed to think out of the box.

Our solution to that is a referral partner network.Whether you’re a luxury interior designer, insurance salesman or stay-at-home mom, our referral partner network is open to all art enthusiasts. When you join, you’ll get access to our full available inventory, be the first to learn who our upcoming artists are, and earn 15% commission on any artwork you sell through us. An attractive commission structure given that the industry standard for gallerist or art gallery employees is typically 10% on the net profit of a sale.

Our goal is to grow this referral partner network as large as possible because at the end of the day our goal is to multiply the potential of as many individuals as possible.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Unfiltered Expressions?
We’re disrupting the traditional art market, one unfiltered expression at a time:

BY PRIORITIZING ARTIST EMPOWERMENT, REAL HUMAN CONNECTIONS, AND FAIR COMPENSATION.

That’s why creators take the spotlight, artists make 70% instead of the industry standard of 40-50% and aren’t bound by limiting contracts, collectors have the opportunity to speak with artists directly, and—with every piece of artwork you purchase—you receive a personalized video from the artist explaining the heart and process that went into that original piece.

To artists, we dedicate ourselves to giving exposure to those who have been undervalued and unseen, to paying creators 70% instead of 40-50%, to doing away with contracts that limit artists to selling through one gallery, and to building a digital space where creatives can share the inspiration behind their creations.

And for buyers and referral partners, our goal is to provide an experience void of gallery snottiness, to open the door to deeper connections with artists and artwork, and to create an online market where art enthusiasts of all backgrounds can share their love of creativity.

The above mentioned referral partner network is another thing that sets us apart from the rest, you no longer have to be a gallerist to make commissions selling other’s artwork. With us you make 15% (opposed to the industry standard for gallerist or art gallery employees is typically 10% on the net profit of a sale) while being able to sell 100% remotely. Not only do you have the opportunity to make commissions but you are also delivering your clients/friends/family the opportunity to meet the artist, understand their inspirations and process, and feel a different level of connectivity to their art than ever before.

Our website will be live by the end of June and there you will be able to meet our artists, purchase artwork, become a referral partner to earn commissions selling through us, and become our next artist.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
We are young but our networks have grown substantially over the years from being consistently passionate and curious in our own endeavors as well as everyone else’s. Developing the mind of an entrepreneur – having ideas and actually acting on those ideas. Being genuinely curious about other people’s ideas and passions and wanting to learn more about them without ‘asking’ for anything. A lot of successful people have found their success from having that same mindset, so when you authentically emulate that energy, like-minded people are often lit up and energized by that.

We always try to deliver value to our mentors and network, whether that’s just being the young person that’s curious and acts as a sounding board, by actively connecting them with other people we think they’d mutually benefit from, or simply by being a good friend.

With us both being people persons, we thrive on collaborating and leveraging our skills to bring out the best in others. We believe in the power of networking and the transformative impact it can have on people’s potential. Once again, our goal is to multiply the potential of as many individuals as possible.

Pricing:

• Pricing will vary from prints to originals, as we roll at more artists we will have options from $200 to $30,000 and a lot in between. We hope to bring in lower price point limited prints as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Unfilteredexpressions.com
• Instagram: @unfilteredexpressions.art

Image Credits
Brianna Brady