This video is made with the support of NZ on Air Public Interest Journalism Fund. 

Sebastian Gower is living the dream. 

Passionate about painting from childhood, Gower has found a way to turn his talents into a full-time career. 

His skill set is traditional but his approach is a modern one. Across all social media platforms, Gower has amassed a following in excess of 350,000 - with Instagram (164K) and TikTok (132K) his biggest follower base.

But it all happened by accident.

Gower told The Big Idea “I was trying to set up a live stream for my brothers in the second COVID lockdown. I classically didn't quite know how the internet worked and set it to a public stream. 

“I looked back to the camera at one point and there's 20,000 people there watching me and I just I froze,” he explained, “then it just rocketed.”

He’s gained a reputation for his impactful social media style, invited to be one of the featured panel speakers at the packed-out NZ CreatorCon in Auckland earlier this month. The capacity crowd of Aotearoa’s leading content creators soaked up Gower’s charm and energy - as well as his tips on how to make an impact online.

Picturesque Aotearoa locations are the norm for his live painting sessions but the other constant is Gower being unapologetically himself.

“(At NZ CreatorCon) people were talking about their own social media followings and how they talk to their audiences. Authenticity came up for every person - actually being yourself and figuring out ways to actually remove barriers, smoke and mirrors from the picture, how can you put your real authentic self in front of people?

“Real recognises real - that's a fact.”

Gower sells much of his art overseas, with the United States proving a lucrative market for both commissions and his ever-growing social media presence. He states that by showing his process from the outset - rather than just the finished product - he is taking his audience and potential clients along for the ride, getting them invested in the artwork emotionally and allowing them to trust that both the mahi and the artist are real.

For Gower, it also makes the process more enjoyable, and brings a togetherness he craves.

“I felt like art was an isolated pursuit and I felt like loneliness can be built into art accidentally,” Gower muses. ”I wanted art to be connecting, collaborating, fun and vitalising. 

“Commission requests come in and connections formed in rooms of about 20 to 30 people. A lot of the time, you think ‘Oh I need big numbers to be watching’ - no, no. no, no, no. You need people that you're actually connecting with.”

Gower recommends acknowledging your regulars and answering questions quickly as a key way to build trust with an art-loving audience.

But more than anything - enjoyment is the key for this artist. Not just his own, but the audience’s as well.