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Local artist Sam Goetsch creates stunning water color paintings reminiscent of Normal Rockwell and offers video tutorials and painting tips. She’s amassed an online following with more than 400,000 fans on Instagram.
“Honestly, I don’t really know how I got that many followers,” Goetsch said. “It was a year and a half of posting every single day, sometimes twice a day, and getting nothing.”
Goetsch showed the perseverance of a working artist. “It just took one video to get viral,” she said. “At any point before that I could have quit.”
Getting Into Art
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a creative person,” Goetsch said. It started with arts and crafts as a child, and turned into drawing through school. But she eventually lost interest in art.
While pursuing an economics degree at North Dakota State University, Goetsch took a painting class to fill out her electives.
“I just fell back in love with art,” she said. The colorfulness and lack of rules in painting captured her interest. “I started my Instagram page in college, and from there it just snowballed.”
Goetsch’s Instagram posts started as an outlet to share her creativity. Then it gained traction and she got attention from brands and local galleries.
“That’s when I started to think, well, this could actually be a long-term career,” she said. “I could always go back to economics as long as I finish my degree, which I did. So I figured, might as well pay attention to this while it has direction, and then if it ever dies, I have a backup plan.”
That was March of 2022 and Goetsch has pursued art full time since.
Sketch Books: The Educational Approach
More than painting and selling her work, Goetsch has found success doing tutorial videos and offering painting tips and tricks. It wasn’t an intentional effort, it evolved from people wanting to learn her style.
“I also think it takes a lot of pressure off of me in terms of what I create,” Goetsch said. “I can do little sketchbook paintings in my free time, and do it in the morning and get a lot of them done.”
It’s a more efficient use of her time than creating and selling full-size paintings. She offers extra tutorials, long-form process videos, and more tips to members on her Patreon page.
The Creative Process
If that Instagram life sounds cushy, a look at Goetsch’s schedule is a wake up call.
“From four in the morning until two in the afternoon, I’m painting and doing art,” she said. In the afternoons, she does admin work, tackling the business side of being a successful artist.
Yes, Goetsch’s day starts at 4 a.m. She naturally wakes up that early and can’t go back to sleep. Plus, mornings are when she feels the most creative and energized.
“I get up really early every morning, so I figure I might as well spend that time instead of scrolling on my phone,” she said. That also means going to bed early: “I’m in bed by 8. I’m like an old lady, it’s super bad.”
That discipline came from school where she was committed to academics and band.
“A lot of things I did for school translated over into my art practice somehow with discipline,” Goetsch said. “I saw it as a long-term goal, and not so much as a short-term gratification that I would just post and be instantly famous.”
The Art of Social Media
Capturing the creative process on video is more about the editing process. Rather than planning specific shots, Goetsch sets up multiple cameras and does her thing.
“I would like to be the person who can get really cool shots and stuff, but I am not good at getting out of my flow state and setting up a camera,” she said.
That means going through hours of footage and picking out the right 20 minutes. Short-form videos are easier where she can take a few seconds here and there.
“Video editing has always kind of come naturally,” Goetsch said.
Social media still prompts nerves: “I’m always sitting on the edge of my seat every time I post,” she said. “I don’t think it’s ever gone away.”
But Goetsch isn’t phased by the negative reactions that can pervade social media. “I’ve always had a lot of confidence in my art abilities,” she said. “I don’t feel personally attacked, because I think art is subjective.”
Sometimes a lack of response is more about what the algorithm shows people. “I can’t take it personally if they’re not even seeing it.”
Goetsch’s Style
Goetsch’s work has a mid-century modern vibe, evoking Norman Rockwell. She remembers being inspired by cleaning out her great-grandmother’s cabin.
“We had to go through all of her things and I’d see a lot of all of these old advertisements, old comic books, old calendars and whatnot,” she said. “I always responded with this warm, fuzzy feeling inside.”
Rather than being nostalgic for a time period, it’s more about evoking certain feelings.
“We’re in such a disconnected world, I think that’s partially why I paint,” Goetsch said. “I’m seeking connection.”
Favorite Work
One of Goetsch’s favorite pieces is “The Bartender” that was featured at the Minnesota State Fair in 2025. “It was my most challenging piece,” she said. It took a month to make and she likes the feeling it evokes of solidness and isolation “Because he’s in a space where it’s mostly shared by people, but he’s completely by himself,” she explained. “I think there’s a lot of storytelling within that piece.”
Another favorite is one she made in college, “Layers,” featuring a man in a suit with an onion for a head. “That was the first piece I made where I just really let go of rules,” Goetsch said. “It widened my eyes to what I could do.”
West St. Paul Connection
Goetsch grew up in South St. Paul, but her grandma lived in West St. Paul and she spent a lot of time here. Today she lives in West St. Paul with her family.
- What do you like about West St. Paul? “It’s pretty quiet, there’s not much that happens,” Goetsch said, appreciating the quiet, expected nature of a first-ring suburb. She also likes the accessibility with everything available on Robert Street.
- Favorite place in West St. Paul? “Garlough Park,” she said. “I like that really long trail, but I also like the park in general, because I grew up going there with my grandma.” Goetsch also enjoys Wentworth Library. “Now that it’s closed, I’m pretty sad,” she said. “So I’ll be happy when that reopens.”
Bonus: West St. Paul Postcard
We commissioned Goetsch to create a West St. Paul postcard. We just sent the postcard out to our members, and here’s a video of Goetsch’s work in progress:
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