Today we’d like to introduce you to John Howell
Hi John, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
At age five, I knew I wanted to be an artist. By the time I was in 10th grade I had won every local and regional art competition that I entered, including an art competition hosted by Disneyland. In college I studied illustration, and won a national art contest with the Society of Illustrators, in NYC at the Illustrator Hall of Fame. My goal was to someday be an artist doing artwork for book covers, magazine articles, etc. As college was coming to an end, I got a job offer to work for a video game company, which I turned down, because I didn’t play a lot of video games growing up. Instead, I moved to Southern California to pursue my dream of being an illustrator, close to where I grew up. I got a few art commissions early on to do paintings for Capital One Visa, book illustrations, and other jobs. However, I learned quickly that illustration was a very lonely career. Having little interaction with the outside world, I would paint and paint and paint all day long. Somedays I wouldn’t even talk to anyone.
That is when I decided to open up an art school in Temecula, California. I loved teaching and I loved seeing the look on my students’ faces when they left with a beautiful drawing or painting that they were proud of. Art taught me how to think outside the box. It wasn’t long before I was using my creative thinking skills in other areas. The art school in California was my first taste of what being an entrepreneur felt like… and I loved it. The business skills I learned at my art school, led me to become curious about other businesses. I became interested in real estate and started investing in small projects. Those small projects turned into big projects, and before I knew it, I had bought a few commercial buildings in the Austin, TX area. One thing led to another and I started a real estate development company with 3 other partners in Texas. We started building small neighborhood retail centers. Then we started putting together bigger retail centers, with national tenants like Wells Fargo, Bed Bath & Beyond, Hometown Buffett, gas stations, hospitals, banks, and all the “big” players.
And then 2008 came. The next 4 years were the hardest years of my life because I watched all of my success wash away with the economic crash of 2008. My family and I lost everything. At that time I had 4 daughters; the oldest was 8 years old. I was worried about how I would take care of my family. Fortunately for me, I have been blessed with the ability to adapt and to solve problems. Even though I had completely failed, I knew that I could start over…so I did. This time, I knew more about who I was, and what makes me happy. Art makes me happy. Working with people makes me happy. So, it was time to go back to being an artist.
I opened Cordovan Art School in Round Rock, TX in 2009. I taught all of the classes, and had students from ages 5-80 at the beginning. It was a lot of work but I felt like I was doing what I was born to do. As we grew we hired more teachers. In 2017, we opened up our 2nd location on the opposite side of town in Cedar Park, TX. The response was amazing. I realized that many people want to have a place to exercise their creativity. In 2019, we opened a 3rd art studio as we ventured into the Northwest Austin area, where we were met with the same type of enthusiasm from kids and adults alike. In February 2020, just 1 month prior to the Covid outbreak, we opened the doors of our 4th studio in Southwest Austin. By March we realized we opened this art studio at a really bad time, not knowing that Covid-19 was coming. In April the local governments forced us to shut down our doors for our businesses, as they grappled with what to do about Covid.
For me, it felt a lot like 2008 all over again, and I was scared for my family and our businesses. Fortunately, I had already been through the economic disaster of 2008 and had learned a few lessons. We made it through Covid, and all of our art schools are now back to servicing their communities, helping create the next generation of artists. In 2021, on the heels of Covid, we purchased an art school in The Woodlands, Houston. We are now bringing the joy of art to that community as well. That opened the doors to bringing more Cordovan Studios to the Houston area as we expanded into Spring, Katy, Sugar Land, and Atascocita over the next few years.
What makes me happy is to see the personal growth that comes to a student who learns a new technique or skill. We have partnered with local schools, arts councils, and local city governments to bring the joy of art to the communities where we live. We love spreading the joy of creativity of our students as they develop their voice as an artist. Together we share the joy of art.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wasn’t prepared for the financial crash of 2008, and lost everything, including my career. My family and I had to start from scratch find a way to overcome. However in the moments of failure come the moments of triumph. Cordovan Art School was founded during the financial crisis, as we were forced to pivot.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist, and the founder of Cordovan Art School where “we create artists”!
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Come take a class at Cordovan Art School! We provide a wonderful, creative experience for kids, teens, and adults!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cordovanartschool.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cordovanartschool.houston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cordovanarts.houston/
