Tracie Eaton

Summary:

In this episode of Biz Bites, hosted by CommTogether, visual artist Tracie Eaton discusses her journey and goal of using art to enact cultural and social change on a global scale. The founder of Art for Rescue, Tracie aims to leverage the power of visual arts to raise awareness and funds for rescuing children from sexual exploitation. Her innovative approach involves storytelling through art, where rescued children’s stories and drawings become the inspiration for her pieces. These artworks are then exhibited and sold in Australia and the U.S., with events like an upcoming gala and exhibitions, including one in LA in March 2025 aligned with the Oscars, to attract global attention. Tracy’s efforts extend to personalising art for Hollywood celebrities as part of their Oscar gift packages, aiming to engage them in her cause. The podcast delves into Tracies motivation, the challenges of balancing art and business, and the potential impact of her work on both the art world and social causes.

00:03 Welcome to Biz Bites: Engaging Stories in Business

00:20 Introducing Tracy Eaton: Artist Making Global Impact

00:46 The Power of Art in Cultural Change and Global Movements

01:57 From Personal Challenges to Global Initiatives: Tracies Journey

02:11 Art for Rescue: Combating Child Exploitation Through Creativity

03:39 Hollywood and Art: Tracies Unique Approach to the Oscars

09:45 Balancing Art and Business: Tracies Dual Role

14:05 Networking and Building Connections as an Artist

18:10 The Essence of Tracy’s Art: Colour, Texture, and Emotion

30:00 Art for Rescue: Making a Difference Through Creativity

38:24 Closing Thoughts

DESCRIPTION:

Dive into a realm where art transcends the canvas and becomes a force for global transformation. Join us in this captivating conversation with Tracie Eaton whose brushstrokes are not just creating stunning visuals but are also challenging and reshaping cultural narratives across the globe. Discover how her unique approach to personalising mesmerising art pieces for Oscar nominees goes beyond glamour and serves a deeper purpose

TRANSCRIPT:

Anthony Perl: Welcome to Biz Bites brought to you by CommTogether. Helping businesses like yours build their brand through telling amazing stories to engage and grow audiences on multiple platforms. Well, hello everyone. And welcome to Biz Bites. And today’s guest Tracy Eaton is going to be one Fascinating discussion.

We already discovered we’ve got lots of things to relate about. She’s a visual artist who’s making cultural change and she’s really creating a massive movement on a global scale. So I’m very excited to hear more about all of this. So Tracy, firstly, welcome to the program.

Tracie Eaton: Thank you so much. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Anthony Perl: So we had a quick discussion beforehand about how best to describe what you do. And I loved the idea that it’s, that you’re trying to use art to make a huge change, that it’s not just art for the sake of art.

Tracie Eaton: That’s correct. I mean, art and artists, whether it be visual arts or writers or performers, we have a unique opportunity to really engage, connect with people and make them, and get them to feel something.

So, for me, my use of visual arts, I love colour, so my use of visual arts is a way of making sure that people reconnect with what’s important and we can do that on a global scale, which is fantastic. Even more exciting.

Anthony Perl: So we’ve got lots of things we’re going to explore and discuss. I know. But give everyone a bit of a, uh, a bit of a landscape of what you’re doing, because I think there’s so much going on.

I know I’ve had a bit of an insight into it. So give me a little bit of a, of an understanding of all the things that you’re involved with and how this is actually happening on a global scale.

Tracie Eaton: Okay, so before I get into the very short synopsis, how about that? That’d

be

great for many, many years. And, uh, last year, uh, following some quite significant personal challenges, I really had to sit back and go, okay, where am I taking?

Myself, what am I representing? And how do we create some, do more and create some change? So I created a organisation and a movement called Art for Rescue. Now, Art for Rescue has multiple different projects within it. Uh, we have galas, we’ve got exhibitions, we are traveling around for two months, and we’re going to LA in March 2025 to do another exhibition as well.

But at the core of what we’re doing. As we’re telling stories, we’re telling stories of children who’ve been rescued from a life of sexual exploitation. We’re telling stories of people in Australia, actually internationally, whom have dedicated their lives to helping other people, and also people who have triumphed despite adversity or challenges.

Um, and we’re telling those stories visually. And that every, every single story becomes the inspiration for a piece of art. And that art is being exhibited both here in Australia and, as I said, and in the U. S. So we have the, uh, with the Oscars in 2025, incidentally, because I’m also, I’ve also been gifting to Hollywood celebrities for some time now.

So the Hollywood celebrities will receive, uh, prints of these, these artworks, and we’ll be exhibiting them, as I say, the U. S. and Australia. Uh, It’s all about raising awareness and raising funds for Disney Rescuing.

Anthony Perl: So there are so many things there, it’s like head spinning. So, so let’s, let’s, let’s start at the one that’s going to get the most curiosity for people as well.

So how do you get into the, into the Oscars? How does that happen?

Tracie Eaton: Well, there is, as far as I’m aware, there’s about five, four or five, uh, organisations who provide gifting to Oscar nominees and, um, the Golden Globes, the Grammys, all sorts of things to celebrate creative success, which I think is amazing.

Obviously being a creative person, I was, um, provided the details of one of those, those organizations a few years ago. Gave them a call, they researched me, I researched them, and they said, look, we would love to have you engaged in this, this, um, this project. I was like, well, I’ve been a bit cheeky, and I’m like, well, okay, I’d love to be involved, but I want to have exclusivity.

So whilst I am contracted and involved with you, no other artist from Australia can be so. And they were like, Okay, and I chose this organisation because they have a, um, a founder here in Australia and in the U. S., so I really love that we were showcasing Australian arts and culture and Australian products to international, um, people.

So yes, and so it began. So we are very targeted with the way that, um, this company gifts. We, we provide celebratory gifts to the Oscar nominees for Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Best Director. They get delivered to their own home, um, or the night before to the, the, the place that they’re staying for the Oscars.

Uh, and I really work. I create, I normally create 30 pieces of original artworks and then I send the celebrities a hand embellished print which is, I paint, I paint sections of the print and that is sent to the celebrities and I personalise that and match the celebrity as much as I can to the artwork so it feels like it’s for them.

That’s kind of, and I’ve been doing that since 2019, excuse me.

Anthony Perl: Wow, that’s, that’s amazing. Um, and, and so tell me about like, what’s the, what’s been the feedback from that? Obviously you, you keep doing it. So there must be positive feedback from us. And

Tracie Eaton: it’s interesting when I kind of, I did have a break in 2022.

I was like, no, no, I’ve had, I’ve done my three years. That’s an amazing, amazing journey. Let’s move on to the next one. But I just, I love the fact as I said before, I love that we. showcasing Australian visual arts. And I love that we are in contact with people who have the opportunity to create such influence.

And it’s, it’s fun. Like, Oh my God, it’s fun. Like I can. I went to the Actors Awards here on the Gold Coast last weekend because Margot Robbie and Kate Blanchett were going to be there and I know that both of them are receiving a piece of my art this year. So I’m like, I so have to be there. So it’s a, it’s a, it allows me to kind of walk this beautiful kind of line between everyday life where I’m working and hugging my puppy dog to Dressing up in black tie and potentially meeting some fantastically successful creatives

Anthony Perl: yeah. I mean, it’s, it’s, um, that’s the, that’s the interesting thing. How do you take that? Cause the celebrity part is, is, is fantastic, but how do you actually take that into a profitable exercise? And, and turn it into more business.

And obviously then you’ve got your, the cause that you’re driving as well, which becomes the next step, but, but how do you get it firstly into that business? Look,

Tracie Eaton: that’s why, so the first year I did it, I painted original artworks for everybody. And I sent all the originals over. I was so excited. I just like, yes, you must have an original painting.

Let’s do this. And. Of course, at the end of that first year, I sat back and went, oh my god, why am I exhausted? Because there were so many paintings that we did. And you’re right, the financial return from a business standpoint wasn’t there in terms of sales, because they’d basically just given the work away.

So I very quickly sat back and went, all right, Trace, thanks for being so creative. How about you put your business hat back on? So that’s when I came up with the idea of, of creating a body of work. The originals stay with me. We, we do the hand embellished prints, as I said, to the celebrities. And then every year we have a private, um, Oscars unveiling for these artworks and the originals get, um, sold to whomever, you know, wants to purchase them.

So that’s how we were able to very quickly. Monetise that because the reality of this is it’s potentially up to it, you know, eight or eight to 10 months worth of work for me to create these pieces. So that’s, that’s a, that’s a huge chunk of work out of my year. So there is a definite need for it to be obviously have some level of the reasonable return for me as well.

So that’s how I immediately decided to do it. And

Anthony Perl: do they all sell in that? I mean, who’s goes to those auctions and do they all sell?

Tracie Eaton: And the last, I’m forever eternally grateful, and the last three, three events, because I only started doing this, as I say, the first one, and the last three events, I only have three pieces.

So each one essentially has sold out every time, which is, it’s mind blowing. It’s beautiful that people are so getting behind that. And initially I was like, oh, maybe they’re purchasing because of the celebrity. Not at all. They may, that may be a component, but at the end of the day, they’re purchasing a beautiful piece of art because they love it.

And it allows me to showcase my work in a very unique way. Uh, and who’s coming to these events to answer that question. I do a lot of networking and chatting to people and my, my clients. Um, my clients tend to be, I do sell in the luxury sector. So they do tend to, to share their luxury experiences with other people.

And, and I just have been building this, this massive, fabulous minds, actually. I really love going to these events and having, you know, there’s many people. Whatever time in the room because it’s it’s inspiring because we’ve got so many people who are so successful and so fabulous and focused and I don’t know, broad minded and it’s brilliant.

I love it. So that’s the people who come along.

Anthony Perl: Yeah, it’s, it’s amazing to be able to have that. And I think that’s a, a business skill on its own. Uh, you know, I think for, for people that are listening in, I think we’re going to get into some of the details and some of the amazing other things that you’re doing that you’ve touched upon before, but I think being able to, you know, I know as someone who, who lives with an artist trying to turn that.

into something that is profitable on its own is very difficult. To take it to the next level where it’s international, um, is not an easy thing at all.

Tracie Eaton: I completely concur. It’s two very distinct parts of your brain. And I feel very fortunate that prior to me being an artist full time, I did run my own company and I did spend a lot of time within the corporate world.

So that allowed me to, um, build a set of skills that has, has been fantastic for me to have now, and I can tell you the work for me, for me now is still that administration, that business, the strategy, all that. stuff that it almost hurts my head now because I’m, I’m so, so excited to be in my studio. And so I’m, I am, you’re right, I’m constantly walking this balance between being the business owner and being the artist because the reality of my business is one, if I don’t have artwork, I don’t have any products to sell.

Two, if I don’t continue to To, to look for opportunities and meet people and go out to events and put myself out there. I also don’t have a business to sell the artwork that I produce. So it’s this constant balance and I do have to give myself permission on any given day. Okay. I’m not the artist today, I’m the business owner.

Well, I don’t have to check my emails today, I’m not going to answer my phone, I’m painting. Um, and I, I fall away from that sometimes, but that is always my intention is to go, okay, Trace, you’re the business person today, you can be the crazy artist, go live it. So that’s important for me. Because yes, it’s hard.

It is.

Anthony Perl: It’s, um, and I think it’s, it’s something that most business owners relate to as well, because whatever you’re passionate about that originally drove you into, into a business and your particular skill, invariably, you end up having to do all of these other things. There is a level of support when the business gets to a certain level where you can bring in other people to try and support you and do that.

But you’ve still got to keep on top of it and still have to switch those hats. I know here we are talking in a podcast sense. This is my passion. I love talking to people. I love hosting podcasts, but you know, I recognise that away from this, you know, later on today, there’s a whole bunch of administrative type stuff that I have to do, not as fun to me, but, um, it, it needs to get done.

And I think it’s, it’s a really challenging, um, really challenging for artists because. Most artists have this very creative brain and the whole idea of having a business sense is very foreign to them. I know my wife, who hopefully is not listening in right now, runs a mile from all of that stuff. She’s, uh, she’s, well, you can do all of this.

I’m like, hang on, I’m running my own business. Run your business.

Tracie Eaton: I certainly want to run a mile from it now. I, in fact, my husband, uh, because I used to be in sales or corporate sales, as I said, when I first moved into this, he kind of, He kind of looked at me after about six months and he’s like, Babe, where did the salesperson go?

What happened? Like, I used to be able to, if someone looked at my, initially, and would look at my work and life, I’m like, Oh, here you go. Whereas six months before, I’d be like, So, this is the process. Like, this is the process and how it works. And even he saw the change. So, I get why your wife wants to run away.

Um, However, we have a choice of everything, right? So, and I do say to a lot of artists that if you truly, truly want to live your passion and have this as the core of what you do, so there is no plan B, we have to find a way to do the things that we’re least excited about. And even if that means dragging yourself into an office, I put my music on loudly, so I’m in my little zone.

Whatever it is for you that you need to do, we need to find a way to do it. Um, yeah. We do. You could be really tired and you have to go to a networking meeting. And sometimes I, I don’t, but other times I’m like, Trace, this is what you need to do to, to continue to grow. And I

Anthony Perl: love the fact that, that, um, you’re thinking about a networking meeting because I’m sort of, you know, I’ve, like many people have been to many networking meetings over the, over the years.

And I don’t recall seeing any artists. So we’ve got a networking meeting? Which means that there’s a, there’s a great opportunity there. But B, how do you actually get, how do you actually get traction in that environment? Because traditionally a lot of networking like that works on the basis of people collaborating together.

so it’s easy to go and do that. Um, you know, if they’re, you know, for example, um, you know, some sort of massage therapist or, you know, those kinds of hairdressers and those kinds of people and electricians do really well in those kinds of environments traditionally because they’re services that people pick and choose all the time.

How do you, as an artist that presumably you’re selling your art for higher numbers, um, how do you actually get traction in that environment? Uh,

Tracie Eaton: I did struggle because when I first, once again, started full time, uh, I had a network that was small to medium business because I spent years doing that every week, exactly what you said, doing what I needed to be doing, speaking, having great conversations and collaborating.

Uh, so I, Very quickly realised that my existing network, my existing database was no longer able to serve me in the way that I needed for my business to grow. So I became a lot more targeted about where I spent my time. I was started, I started to attend things like black tiger, black tiger, and fundraising events.

And we’re my target audience would be more likely to be sitting. I started to look for opportunities where I would be able to have more. Casual engagement. So I, you know, I would, I would hit a lot, but it was the business networking in Brisbane that I’d never been to, but I knew it was all C level and business owners.

So that’s where I need to go. So we’d go and have a glass of wine. So I found myself walking this interesting line again and breaking into a network that I hadn’t been before. What surprised me about that is I also realised very quickly that being authentic is the only way. And the industry and also in the networks that I, that I have in my circles, because there is so many people who will come in and go, here’s my business card, do this, do that.

That is not what we’re about. We go out for dinner, we have a bottle of wine, you know, we create a relationship and The reality of an artist is we need that. If I’m going to be painting for you, I need to know you. I need to understand you. So it took me a sec to get my business hat, my old business hat off and find this the real way.

Um, and this, and it fits perfectly because authenticity and real and being real is exactly what creativity is all about. So it makes sense now that these networks that I have found are so like that, uh, and it’s great. But yes, less than more now. I don’t need Hundreds and hundreds of people. I need the right people.

So I become very specific and targeted about my time and where I spend it.

Anthony Perl: And I imagine it’s more about the connections rather than going, than going in and say, Hey, buy my painting.

Tracie Eaton: Oh my God. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. And I, uh, a sale, uh, you know, if I’m going to use typical terminology, a sale might take me a couple of years.

Because they might be looking at renovating and it’s down the track or they really want to get to know me or they want to make sure that I’m I’m what I say I am and what where’s that where’s the proof what it’s a level of investment so how do I know that that’s it’s the right place to invest there’s so many different questions that people will have in their mind when they meet with me so it’s time

Anthony Perl: yeah yes and and The one thing is, of course, you can, I imagine, is you dazzle them, if that’s the right term, with your art, and I, you know, when you talk about authenticity, and that’s, you know, what true artists, I think, are about.

So, I know we’re here in a very, um, in an audio environment, so. If you can try and explain a little bit about your art, what does, what, what is your, what makes your art unique? What does it look like?

Tracie Eaton: Okay. So to do that, bear with me. I would like to take a quick step back to when I first became obsessed with colour.

If I may, because my artwork is beautiful. Very colourful. Um, right back from when I was a kid, and I’m going to tell you some quick little, little wee snapshots so you understand. I grew up on a farm, right, and we are surrounded by colour, and I always thought that I saw the world in a very, I don’t know, it was a vivid colour for me.

It was bold, it was fabulous, it was beautiful, it was joyous, and I was this very happy little optimistic person bubbling away inside. And on the farm, I had a pet cow called Lavender, and she had the most beautiful brown soulful eyes, and I remember the way that made me feel every time I looked at her and gave her a big hug.

I remember how the grass I was, made me feel when the sun was sparkling on a Jew in the morning because I felt so alive and happy. And I, I kind of thought, I need to figure out how I can show people how I’m feeling so they can experience life through my eyes. Fast forward quite a few years to when I was not studying occupational therapy and um, We were told about this exercise that was done with children who were blind from birth.

So they have no conscious understanding of colour, right? No idea. So they put all these little kids, they were aged between six and eight, in different rooms, So they couldn’t hear each other, and they had silk scarves all dyed a different primary colour. So the scarf fabric was the colour was different.

What blew my head, and does to this day, is that every child, when the blue scarf was draped on them, described it in the same way. The red one was described in the same way. Like the blue was cold, or it was, it felt safe, or, um, the red was exciting. They literally described the colours. The way that it made them feel in the same way as each other.

So I was like, okay, there’s got to be something in this. So fast forward to now, I paint using a lot of strong colour and Texture, because the vibration of colour, because colour is light, the vibration of colour is what makes us feel something. I care less about what, um, the image is, but more about how it feels to the person who’s viewing it.

And on top of that, I also want to make sure that it’s textured, because if you look around our world, there is nothing. Um, there’s always little bumps and crevices and dips and I want to incorporate that into my artwork as well because that is our real life. So people want to touch, literally want to touch my work.

all the time. So if you can think of texture, colour, and a little bit of sparkle, because as I said, life is about being happy, um, that’s what I paint. So it is abstract, very contemporary, but it is all about making you, it forces you to feel it. You can’t not. One of the, a curator said to me years ago, um, how would I, he would describe my work as passion art, as in everyone who sees it falls in love with it.

And I think that was beautiful because that was my intention.

Anthony Perl: I love that. And is it, is it, is the Kind of what you’re painting and what you’re, you’re bringing out with all of the textures and things that you’re doing is that is, is there a consistency to that or are you taken in the moment and inspired by different things?

Is it, is it people, is it backgrounds, is it, is it just colour? Is it what, what is it that you’re doing?

Tracie Eaton: All of the above because life is a series of moments, right? And we don’t know from one second to the next what a moment can bring. So for me, I. Only usually only create original artworks because this is for the Oscars, as I said, because the moment’s never repeated.

We can’t ever repeat the same moment in the same way. So, when you’re coming back to being authentic and real, I read my artworks represent these moments, these feelings, these nuances, the sparkle in someone’s eye, the beautiful blue of them, the curly hair that they might have, I might like the texture. So, I would paint that.

If I was painting a portrait of you, I would instantly choose a defining feature and that’s the focus. So as opposed to being the whole identical photographic version of you, because it’s the essence that counts for me. So all of the above, I literally, I create, I get inspiration from anything. I know I took a photo the other day of a golden cane because of the whole tree.

There was one, one, um, frond that was brown, only one. And it stood out and it looked so beautiful. I’m like, wow, that’s really cool. Now most people go, oh my God, I need to cut that down. I’d be like, oh, that’s so pretty. Look at that. So every day, every moment. And if you have a wife who’s an artist, I’m sure you’ll understand that.

I think we do see the world in a very unique

Anthony Perl: way. Yeah, absolutely. And, and, and similar to you, she does like playing with different textures and things. I know she’s doing a lot of work in resin at the moment. And, and it’s just that, you know, and making it very three dimensional. So I totally understand it’s that whole idea of wanting to be drawn in and wanting to also touch and feel, um, it’s, which of course, You can’t do because you don’t want to put your hands all over a piece of art.

But, um, but it is being able to, to, uh, to draw you in, in that way is, is huge. So just to round things off in that part of it, because I want, there’s some other stuff I want to explore with you, but I’m, I’m interested then in, you talked about personalising then for In the, in the case of the Oscars for four different people.

So how do you take something that you’ve done and personalise it? What does that actually look like? What do you change?

Tracie Eaton: Okay, so if it’s. If I’m painting specifically for you, we’ll start with the easy way to explain it. Uh, which I love to do. So commissions are beautiful because I see myself as the conduit.

I’m literally just bringing your vision to life. My hand’s doing the painting, but it’s your concepts and your energy that I’m painting. So that’s, that’s. That’s relatively straightforward for me because I spend time, as I said, we’ll have a coffee, we’ll have a wine, I get to understand who you are as a person and that can be done over or, you know, over Zoom or whatever as well.

Uh, and then we paint. So that process is we will look at colour tones, we’ll look at the style, like the style, I don’t change my style, but it could be, oh look, I love, I love my view from out my front window. Oh my God, show me, okay, let’s have a look at that. So we can, and I’ll bring aspects of those things in.

That’s, that’s relatively straightforward. When it comes to things like the Oscars, I mean, I haven’t sat down and had a cup of coffee with Margot Robbie yet.

Anthony Perl: Yet. Margot, if you’re listening, we both want to have a coffee.

Tracie Eaton: Yeah. Uh, so not that I’ve done that, but I, as much as I can from what we can get from online, I will sit there and research these people, what they, uh, what they stand for, whether they support, causes, movements, charities, whether they are married or where they, where they originate from their latest movie.

I’ll, I’ll, I’ll just look at as many of those components as I can. And with the Oscars, we don’t, we don’t normally get notification of homes receiving until the end of the year or very early. So I’ve already done the majority of work. I hadn’t, I have to. So then I can take a step back and go, okay, Let’s have a look at what my intent and my inspiration was for these pieces, and then I’d batch them.

It takes me a little while, but, and sometimes I’m sure I’ll get it wrong, but I can only do what we can do based on not seeing them and hanging out with them for a bit. Yeah,

Anthony Perl: well, we, we, we’ve got to change that. We had to come up with a way we can hang out with them. We’ll talk about that afterwards. Um, so, so.

I want to just explore as well a little bit, you know, you talked about your, your inspiration and your journey as far as growing up on growing up in the, in the country. Um, tell me a little bit about that as well. Um, you know, what was, were your parents artists? How did, where did the art part come in? Was it just a natural thing or did it, was it inspired?

Tracie Eaton: I think it’s a natural thing. You know, I was one of these kids and you look at my science books and my math books, they had beautifully coloured in pictures. They, the titles were all in different colours and different fonts. And I think it was just something that was, well it’s not a thing, I know it was just naturally in me.

Are my parents artists? No. As my, they were all really good at sport. I was terrible. I was terrible. Um, But yeah, my mom is creative. She loves like craft, but for me, it was, it was, it was just my being. It was just a part of me. And if I, and I didn’t even think about painting until my mid teens, uh, when I actually came to Australia on a student exchange, I fell in love with Australia.

Hence why I now live here. Um, but I knew it was inevitable. It was going to happen at some point, but I always maintained that you have to be ready to be an artist and I wasn’t ready until my thirties because for me, artists are so full. We feel everything deeply married to one. We’re like, we’re all over the place.

We’re up, we’re down. We, there’s, there’s not much consistency with us in terms of that Every day we are excitable. We, and we, we need to be vulnerable. We need to be open because if we’re not open, we can’t be seen, then we can’t create with you. Um, but to be ready for that. But I wasn’t ready for that. I needed to be.

So yeah, now I am.

Anthony Perl: And so, and so, but was that the plan? Was it, was it, was it, did you always want to try and make that the, you know, what you did or was it because you, you know, you talked about being in sales. That’s so polar opposite to this

Tracie Eaton: when I was 13, I was going to be a brain surgeon. Thank God. My husband says, thank God you didn’t go that path because you’d be looking at the lights and see the focusing on what you were connecting.

Um, so no, I, I didn’t know. I knew I wanted to get, like I said earlier, to find a way to get people to feel something and to create. Some change and a shift in people’s minds and their lives, but I didn’t know how to articulate what, how that was going to occur. Uh, so I, I studied occupational therapy in a way thinking that would be it.

And I used art and art therapy and I’ve worked in forensic psych and in pediatrics and I used art therapy and colour therapy in both of those, those sorts of genres. Um, still wasn’t fell into sales. What do you do? I was always looking for the plan B, because I had in the back of my head, Art isn’t a real job.

Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not going to make any money being an artist. That’s just crazy talk, you know. Artists are crazy. They’re stoners. They don’t do anything with their life. It’s not real. Get a real job. So that was always in the back of my mind. So hence, I had the plan B. So I worked the plan B jobs, until I couldn’t anymore.

And I literally, literally finished um, um, I walked into a, like my last corporate job, I walked in one day and I was like, I can’t, I’m out. I can’t do this anymore. I cannot do this anymore. So I quit. And I went shopping. And then I walked, as I was leaving the mall, I walked past an art store and clearer than anything ever in my life was the words that you need to paint prolifically, go do it.

So I went and bought whatever I bought, can’t even tell you now, and the rest is history. Here I am 17 years later still painting.

Anthony Perl: It was going to happen. Well, I love it. And thank goodness. And thank goodness you are. Now, the next part is the interesting one, because we’ve talked about the journey for getting you to the artist.

We’ve talked about what you’re doing as far as the art and the business side is concerned, but now we bring in the part that, um, to me is amazing is, is how do you get to the Um, and, you know, the point where the art is supporting the cause, and indeed, how did you find that? Why, why that cause? Oh,

Tracie Eaton: such a big question.

Such a big question. Um, I, when I began, when I, particularly when I started full time professional art, I realised I needed to use my, my genius as a way of creating change. It was very important. Um, I’ve always believed that I’ve always wanted to make people feel good and bring some joy and some beauty into life.

And, um, art is a beautiful way of being able to do that. As I said before, we’re in a unique position to be able to do that. Uh, so, um, I sold a piece of original artwork to our clients about four years ago, and immediately they donated it to a charity auction. And I was like, whoa, that is a very selfless act.

I need to understand who this charity is. Like, oh my God. Uh, so I bought a ticket, went along and it was Destiny Rescue. Destiny Rescue, uh, their sole mission in life, they’re a Sunshine Coast based, um, charity, but their sole mission in life is to eradicate sex trafficking and exploitation of children globally.

And I, the more I heard that day, the more I was like, I need, I need to find a way to be involved in this. And for anyone who’s ever been through experiences that so many of us have where your power is forcibly taken away from you, you realise just how, like the impact of that is profound. It’s like, you feel it in your soul.

Like it’s not just a momentary thing that you can escape from. It’s so deep. Um, And that’s what these kids, these kids are experiencing, and their children, nobody deserves to feel that way, let alone a child, so I was like, okay, I’m in, I need to support this, so for the last four years I’ve been donating a percentage of my Every single painting I sell to them.

Now, last year, I had a very significant, um, surgery, and which meant that I was, I was incapacitated for quite a period of time, and I really, I, I, may, I, forced me to think about where to from here, and how much more impact I needed. I felt like I needed to make, uh, so, consequently, at the end of last year, I created another side Five businesses become, it’s become who I am, um, called Art4Rescue.

Now, Art4Rescue is an authorised charity, uh, um, for Destiny Rescue. And my mission in life is to use art as a way of creating change, raising funds, raising awareness so that we can rescue more children. Now, how do I do that? Uh, we, I alluded to it earlier on, we have This year. Oh, my goodness. We had starting in June.

We had the very first fundraising gala we’ve done. And I think Disney Rescue have done in this nature where we are incorporating so many different creative brains and minds, both business people and performing artists, visual artists, musicians, like it’s, it’s I was gonna swear then, it’s damn amazing.

It’s like, it’s super amazing. That’s like, it’s happening in June. A few days after that’s completed, I travel for two months around Queensland, me and my dog, and we are interviewing people and sharing our stories and raising awareness. Now those stories along with the children stories from children who have been rescued and incidentally their drawings because they use art therapy in their rehab.

I’m getting all of those and each one of those becomes the inspiration for a painting. Those paintings will be sold in November. And as I also said earlier, uh, we will then be exhibiting those in LA in 2025. After the Oscars, we’ve also just been approved that we will be having a private gifting lounge the night before the Oscars for the celebrities to receive their works.

And this excites me knowing because not only am I now able to take through the use of art and this creative process, my message of helping uh, eradicate sex trafficking around Australia. We’re now going global and in front of A list celebrities who have the most amazing opportunity to create significant impact.

So fingers crossed, we need one or two of these guys to come on board and assist us and Destiny Rescues to achieve the goals and we’re good to go.

Anthony Perl: It is such an amazing thing to be doing and to be able to connect all of those pieces in that way. Um, I love the impact that that is going to make, and it’s going to be so fascinating watching that journey, um, and what comes out of that because, you know, you can see the fact that the, The value that people will place on the art is going to be so much better because that’s the, that’s the point as well, isn’t it?

That the stories behind it are what is going to inspire people as well. And, and being able to capture those from the beginning and take them out and, and see that that can make an impact. That’s where I think art really goes to another level.

Tracie Eaton: Absolutely agree. So every single painting has an inspiration.

We said that earlier. People want to know what that is. They want to feel it. They want to understand it. And they love it when we share it. When I share it as an artist. What we’re able to do with Art for Rescue is not only have my interpretation of someone’s journey, but also people get to hear and that person’s own voice.

Um, I think it’s important to say that risk is focusing on the triumph is focusing on the hope and the optimism because even at our darkest times, so if we can still, if we choose, hold on to a level of hope, sometimes it’s pretty hard to get back, but it will reignite when you’re given an opportunity and that’s what destiny rescue do.

It takes 2, 000 to fund an individual rescue, 10, 000 to fund a raid which rescues multiple people at once. So our goal for Art for Rescue is that we raise sufficient funds over the next 12 to 18 months to fund 250 individual raids and, sorry, 250 individual rescues and 50 raids.

Tracie Eaton: That will be mind blowing and I’m so excited. In fact, I’m more excited than I’ve been in years about this because finally we can see that art is really going to be instrumental in creating that really authentic change. so much. I love

Anthony Perl: this whole journey from the perspective that it’s a business journey.

It’s an art journey, but it’s an impact journey. And, um, you know, and I’ve certainly my business has always been built on the basis that the way to change the world is to do it one person at a time. And it is by making little impacts. And I think that, and I know that by even just you telling your story here today, that it’s going to impact.

People that are listening in and let alone what you’re doing with the art and what’s going to happen. So, I’m going to be fascinated to watch where this goes and we’ll all be paying attention to the, uh, to the Oscars a little bit more this year. Let’s hope there’s a couple of Australians in there who can champion it as well, because that will be exciting.

And, uh, and, and we’re definitely going to catch up again, because I want to hear more about when you’ve been through this journey, uh, through Queensland and, uh, and hearing some of those stories, because there’s so much more to fill in. And I think anyone listening in today will appreciate not just the, uh, the, the story of what you’re trying to achieve and wanting to jump on board with that.

But also I think just the business acumen to get there. It is anyone who knows any artists will appreciate. How hard it is to make an, a business out of art. It is a very difficult thing to achieve. And the fact that you’re doing it on a global scale and making impacts like this is absolutely massive. So huge kudos to you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for being an amazing guest on, on the program. We definitely going to have you back again and, and best of luck with the, uh, with the trip around Queensland and, and of course the Oscars, but we’ll try and talk in between.

Tracie Eaton: Perfect. You can join me. You can, you can, we can, let’s hook up when I’m in the middle of nowhere somewhere.

I’ll make sure we’ve got the connection there and you can join me on my journey.

Anthony Perl: Fantastic. Thank you so much for being a great guest and to everyone. Stay listing of course, to the next episode. Don’t forget to subscribe to, uh, Biz Bites and we, uh, look forward to your company next time.

Tracie Eaton: Thank you so much for having me be See you everybody.

Anthony Perl: Biz Bites is brought to you by comm together for all your marketing needs so you can build your brand, engage audiences on multiple platforms. Go to commtogether.com.au, follow the links to book an appointment for a free consultation.