Whit Whitley is a queer non-binary artist, entrepreneur, and teacher. Whit recently relocated to Long Beach, California where they maintain and share an artist studio at The Vault with their partner and fellow creative Sam Hopwood.
Whit’s current projects include releasing 5 singles this summer on East Broad Records, finishing their book Do What You Love and Pay the Bills, and completing their latest watercolor series Bandages and Bottles for Long Beach Open Studios in October.
Recently, Whit and Sam facilitated a 12-week Artist’s Way Sacred Circle and hosted a creative salon for fellow artists at The Vault.
Another Artist’s Way Sacred Circle is being planned, so stay tuned or reach out for more details!
More About Whit
Whit was born on January 7, 1969 and grew up in Spring, Texas. As a child, Whit took private art lessons at a local art studio and showed lots of promise winning prizes every year in the annual Houston Rodeo art show competitions but soon traded in their paintbrush for a pick after falling in love with the guitar.
In middle school, Whit joined the band on trumpet and quickly garnered attention in high school by winning regional competitions that resulted in a coveted spot in the Houston Youth Symphony and private study with the Principal Trumpet of the Houston Symphony.
Whit attended the University of Houston on music and Honors College scholarships graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English with Honors and a Minor in Applied Music Performance on Trumpet. For many years, Whit balanced a day job as a high school English teacher while pursuing a career in music until the Internet changed everything.
In 2000, Whit became fascinated with coding and founded Start Smart Now, which began as a side-hustle building websites but quickly grew into a full-service digital marketing agency that Whit still runs today!
On this new journey, Whit earned a Master of Science in HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) at the University of North Texas and quickly completed their doctoral coursework in TC&R (Tech Comm & Rhetoric) at Texas Tech University but ditched the dissertation to dedicate all their attention to their fast-growing business.Â
While living in Lubbock, Whit made friends with many artists and reconnected with their own love of art. This sparked an international art adventure that included a studio class at the historic St. Ive’s School of Painting in Cornwall, England along with visits to the Tate Modern, National Gallery of London, Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery of Ireland, Scottish National Galleries, and countless art galleries.
Shortly after returning home and amid the pandemic, Whit bought a home in Savannah, Georgia to have some solitude while the world went crazy but that ended with a divorce. Music came blaring back into Whit’s life as they unraveled in the aftermath and turned to music for healing, recovery, and self-discovery.
The silver lining is that Whit recorded and released their first solo studio album ever Love Lost, Love Found and founded East Broad Records with a mission of helping creative rebels get their music out into the world. The label is celebrating its 4th year in business, and Start Smart Now is celebrating its 25th year in business.
All of Whit’s experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm is going into their upcoming book Do What You Love and Pay the Bills: A Practical Guide for Building the Business and Life of Your Dreams. Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming book, the release of new singles, and a Guided Artist’s Way Course.
Be bold, be brave, and always go in the direction of your dreams. -Whit