Kevin Murphy went from barely graduating high school in the Bronx to painting the cover of a Rolling Stones album and building a global art education empire.

Founder of Art Academy Schools and Evolve Artist, Kevin shares the raw, inspiring journey behind his evolution from construction worker to internationally recognized fine artist and educator. In this conversation, Kevin unpacks how tenacity, clarity, and brutal commitment created a career that changed his life—and now changes others.

If you’re an artist (or a dreamer) wrestling with doubt, this one’s for you.

5 Key Takeaways

Why grit beats talent every time
How to go from broke to booked solid
Why most art education fails creatives
How to build an art business that scales
The power of burning your plan B

Guest Bio:

Kevin Murphy is an internationally recognized artist, illustrator, and founder of Art Academy Schools and the online education platform Evolve Artist. Raised in a working-class family in the Bronx, Kevin left a stable union construction job to pursue art—a journey that led to high-profile commissions including the Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon album cover. Over the decades, Kevin has worked with top brands like Sega, LucasArts, and National Geographic and has since transitioned to mentoring the next generation of artists through a groundbreaking fundamentals-based curriculum taught in over 20 schools worldwide.

Link: https://lp.evolveartist.com/headsmack/

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Paul Povolni, the founder of Voppa Creative, has been a creative leader for over 30 years, with clients around the world. He’s led teams in creating award-winning branding and design as well as equipping his clients to lead with Clarity, Creativity and Culture.

Headsmack Website

Bridges to Babylon

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