It Costs $19,000 Just to Show Up: The Real Price of Being a Professional Artist

It Costs $19,000 Just to Show Up: The Real Price of Being a Professional Artist

A $14,000 booth. A $5,000 box truck. Spray paint shipped across America. Mowing grass in July to fund a December art fair in Miami. This is the actual dollar-and-cents breakdown of being a professional artist at 50. 💸🎨 Jason Sauer (Most Wanted Fine Art) opens the books — landscaping schedules, demolition derby gigs, screen printing millions of shirts, and why the art world's gallery system is designed to keep independent artists out. Plus: the moment a teenager finally bought his first painting after years of waiting. In this episode: → The real cost of an Art Basel booth in Miami ($14K+) → Why Jason mows grass 8 days a month — and exactly what it funds → How demolition derby spray painting across America pays the bills → The gallery investment system that freezes out independent artists → 99% of art never resells — and the 1% Jason is chasing → What it means to build a fan base year after year in one spot → Why "Covid Pornhub money" is now his biggest competition in the art market ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 – Intro: "It's expensive" 0:25 – How does Jason finance being an artist at 50? 1:10 – Chasing Art Basel: the $14K booth + $5K truck breakdown 1:55 – The landscaping hustle: why mowing ends by Thanksgiving 3:25 – Screen printing 3 million shirts & bad shoulders 4:00 – Writing grants for ex-prisoners to help with landscaping 5:00 – The demolition derby spray paint circuit across America 6:00 – Being the "originator of original content" in an uncreative world 7:00 – How the gallery investment system really works ($250K in, locked out) 9:00 – The secondary art market: the 1% dream 10:30 – The teenager who finally bought his first painting 12:00 – "The art road is designed for F1, not demolition derby" 13:30 – "Covid Pornhub models" are beating him in the marketplace 14:30 – Outro: the grind continues Follow Cash On The Hood Website - https://pittsburghartcar.com/ [https://pittsburghartcar.com/] Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/ [https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/] TikTok-https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart] Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood [https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood] Contact Cash On The Hood Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com [Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com] Crew Produced By Brian Cottington- @briancottington/@psychosshow

I Built Without a Permit and Spent 6 Years in Court (Here's What Happened)

I built a carport during COVID... and spent the next 6 years in court over it. Here's the full story — the permit mistake, the geology surveys, the 120 hours of community service, and how it finally ended. 🏗️⚖️ Jason Sauer (aka Most Wanted Fine Art) breaks down the 6-year legal nightmare that started with a wrong dropdown menu on Pittsburgh's grant-funded permit website. If you've ever thought about building something without pulling a permit — watch this first. In this episode: → The COVID-era permit portal that buried his drawings → Why getting a permit NUMBER doesn't mean you're approved → Geological surveys, core drilling & hoops no one warned him about → 120 hours of community service for a shed roof → The real lesson: "The gunslinging days are over" ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 – Intro & "Have you ever been to court?" 0:31 – The art gallery / museum dream 1:42 – COVID changes everything 3:30 – The wrong dropdown menu mistake 5:00 – Getting a permit number ≠ getting a permit 6:15 – Core drilling, excavators & geological surveys 8:10 – 6 years of feeling like a criminal 9:50 – Community service & jumping through every hoop 11:30 – The sculpture that needed its own architect 13:30 – The lesson: pull the permit, hire the contractor 14:20 – Outro Follow Cash On The Hood Website - https://pittsburghartcar.com/ [https://pittsburghartcar.com/] Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/ [https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/] TikTok-https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart] Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood [https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood] Contact Cash On The Hood Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com [Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com] Crew Produced By Brian Cottington- @briancottington/@psychosshow

We're Back! & I Just Got Ghosted Out of $12,000 | Being an Artist in 2026

We've been gone a while. Here's why. Jason Sauer is back on Cash on the Hood after months off the air — and he's coming in hot with the story of how he drove through a blizzard in West Virginia, hauling a sculpture on an open trailer, to deliver it to a woman who never answered the door. A $12,000 sale. Fully negotiated. Family approved. Hotel rebooked. And then — nothing. This episode is the real economics of being a professional artist: the 90% failure rate, the $8,000 Miami booth gambles, the cycle of highs and lows that makes this life look insane from the outside. If you've ever bet everything on something and had it pulled out from under you — this episode hits different. CHAPTERS: Introduction: Being an Artist in 2026 [00:00] Podcast Intro and Shoutouts [00:37] Trials, Tribulations, and the Artist Grind [00:55] Setting Up Life for the Highs and Lows [01:44] How I Broke into Miami Art Scene [03:38] The High Cost of Art Fairs [05:02] Sacrifices: Selling Building and Going Mobile [06:38] Competing Against Global Wealth [08:58] Why Risk Miami Over Local Galleries [12:30] Chasing the Legacy of Greats [14:53] The $12,000 Sculpture Ghosting Story [18:22] Ongoing Struggles and TV Show Tease [26:40] Follow Cash On The Hood Website - https://pittsburghartcar.com/ [https://pittsburghartcar.com/] Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/ [https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/] TikTok-https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart] Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood [https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood] Contact Cash On The Hood Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com [Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com] Crew Produced By Brian Cottington Recorded in Pittsburgh, PA

From County Fair to NASCAR: The Business of Combat Motorsports | Dustin Woods & Todd Cioppa

On this episode of Cash on the Hood, we dive deep into the high-octane world of professional demolition derby with two of the sport's biggest names, Dustin Woods and Todd Cioppa. They're rebranding the sport as "Combat Motorsports" and taking it to a whole new level. We discuss: 🏁 The Vision: Creating a path for kids to dream of becoming professional demolition derby drivers. 💥 The Business: The challenges of promoting, organizing, and writing the rulebook for a growing sport. 🎪 The Evolution: How the sport is transcending its "county fair" image and landing major events at venues like Bristol Motor Speedway and on NASCAR race weekends. 🤝 Heroes & Villains: The importance of storylines and entertainment value in building a fanbase. FEATURED GUESTS: * Dustin Rhodes - Founder of Demo Combat Motorsports * Website: Demo-Motorsports.com [http://demo-motorsports.com/] * Todd Cipooa - Iron City Promotions & Psyop Racing * Website: IronCityPromotions.com [https://www.ironcitypromos.com/#/] MENTIONED EVENTS: * Florida Southern Nationals: Feb 7, 2026 at Mosaic Arena, Arcadia, FL * Atlanta NASCAR Weekend: Demo show in the Peach Pit (Late Feb) Follow Cash On The Hood Website - https://pittsburghartcar.com/ [https://pittsburghartcar.com/] Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/ [https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/] TikTok-https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart] Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood [https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood] Contact Cash On The Hood Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com [Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com] Crew Produced By Brian Cottington- https://soundsolutionspod.com/ [https://soundsolutionspod.com/]

Inside Demolition Derby: NASCAR, Big Shows & Pro Drivers (w/ Dustin Woods & Todd Cioppa)

From county fairs to NASCAR weekends, demolition derby is evolving fast. In this episode of Cash on the Hood, Jason Sauer interviews Dustin Woods and Todd Cioppa about building a national stage for derby drivers, running massive shows, and what's next for the sport. Demo 3- Bristol Motor Speedway - October 1-4th - https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/events/demo-3/ [https://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/events/demo-3/] Florida Southern Nationals [https://www.ironcitypromos.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawM3E39leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFQbnhqTUMxdnIyMUZ0Nnd1AR4D1DIg-PhjJ-dbJOYh6Qzev6uGjy-KLh0PdIR_6lqlHeHseNoVzKhwL_FRRg_aem_VbHXhioHdgQPyqhSfIAy_w#/] - Feb. 7th, 2026 Follow Cash On The Hood Website - https://pittsburghartcar.com/ [https://pittsburghartcar.com/] Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/ [https://www.instagram.com/cashonthehood/] TikTok-https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart [https://www.tiktok.com/@mostwantedfineart] Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood [https://www.facebook.com/cashonthehood] Contact Cash On The Hood Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com [Email-mostwantedfineart@gmail.com] Crew Produced By Brian Cottington- https://cinemapsychosshow.com [https://cinemapsychosshow.com] Recorded at Harris Event Group - Pittsburgh, PA