7 Truths About the Mind That Hold Us Back | Tim Packer
Tue Feb 03 2026
In this week's episode, I am joined by Tim Packer!
Tim is a celebrated Canadian artist and former police detective who walked away from a stable career to pursue a lifelong creative calling.
Since making that leap, he has built a thriving, multi-million-dollar art business—selling original works, self-publishing prints, and running a top-tier online art academy that has helped thousands of artists grow both creatively and professionally.
Through the Tim Packer Art Academy and his upcoming book, You Can Sell Your Art, Tim teaches artists how to master not only the creative side of their craft, but also the business fundamentals required for long-term success.
Passionate about demystifying the art world, he challenges the myth that success is reserved for the "naturally talented," breaking down what actually works, what doesn't, and how artists can build sustainable careers doing what they love.
Key Points
• Growth mindset unlocked art career success.
• Talent grows; it's not just bestowed.
• Overcome fear and step into uncertainty.
• Your potential talent is virtually limitless.
• Impactful art goes beyond "good enough."
Best Quotes
03:46 - 03:53
• "And as soon as I kind of came across the idea of the growth mindset, I thought, first of all, I thought, I don't really believe this."
04:48
• "And then January of 2000, I quit my job, walked away from my pension, and started my life as a full-time artist."
06:30 - 06:47
• "The very first thing you have to change is your mindset and the idea that you are not limited by the skills, competencies, whatever you have now, that you can improve on anything and that your potential talent is really unlimited."
09:17 - 09:27
• "It takes courage because you have to be okay with the uncertainty that comes about. Because a lot of the times, the choices you're making, they're not the logical, safe choices."
10:02 - 10:09
• "I mean, for me, I was, I was making my best year ever. I made like $280,000 from the sale of my art."
11:26 - 11:36
• "You have to have the courage that things might fail, but you also need to be smart about taking risks where failure's not gonna take you out of the game."
19:44 - 19:49
• "Once you have enough money to live the life you're comfortable with, well more money is just zeros in your Bank account."
23:18 - 23:29
• "If the more people that love your work and love it to the degree they actually make poor choices financially when they shouldn't be buying your work and they actually spend money on it. 'Cause they just have to have it."
40:08 - 40:13
• "Frustration comes about when the, what happens in reality doesn't meet our expectations."
More
In this week's episode, I am joined by Tim Packer! Tim is a celebrated Canadian artist and former police detective who walked away from a stable career to pursue a lifelong creative calling. Since making that leap, he has built a thriving, multi-million-dollar art business—selling original works, self-publishing prints, and running a top-tier online art academy that has helped thousands of artists grow both creatively and professionally. Through the Tim Packer Art Academy and his upcoming book, You Can Sell Your Art, Tim teaches artists how to master not only the creative side of their craft, but also the business fundamentals required for long-term success. Passionate about demystifying the art world, he challenges the myth that success is reserved for the "naturally talented," breaking down what actually works, what doesn't, and how artists can build sustainable careers doing what they love. Key Points • Growth mindset unlocked art career success. • Talent grows; it's not just bestowed. • Overcome fear and step into uncertainty. • Your potential talent is virtually limitless. • Impactful art goes beyond "good enough." Best Quotes 03:46 - 03:53 • "And as soon as I kind of came across the idea of the growth mindset, I thought, first of all, I thought, I don't really believe this." 04:48 • "And then January of 2000, I quit my job, walked away from my pension, and started my life as a full-time artist." 06:30 - 06:47 • "The very first thing you have to change is your mindset and the idea that you are not limited by the skills, competencies, whatever you have now, that you can improve on anything and that your potential talent is really unlimited." 09:17 - 09:27 • "It takes courage because you have to be okay with the uncertainty that comes about. Because a lot of the times, the choices you're making, they're not the logical, safe choices." 10:02 - 10:09 • "I mean, for me, I was, I was making my best year ever. I made like $280,000 from the sale of my art." 11:26 - 11:36 • "You have to have the courage that things might fail, but you also need to be smart about taking risks where failure's not gonna take you out of the game." 19:44 - 19:49 • "Once you have enough money to live the life you're comfortable with, well more money is just zeros in your Bank account." 23:18 - 23:29 • "If the more people that love your work and love it to the degree they actually make poor choices financially when they shouldn't be buying your work and they actually spend money on it. 'Cause they just have to have it." 40:08 - 40:13 • "Frustration comes about when the, what happens in reality doesn't meet our expectations."