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The Art Biz

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.
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Now displaying: 2023

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist. https://ArtBizSuccess.com/podcasts/

Dec 21, 2023

This episode isn’t for artists who want to dabble and keep art as a hobby. I so respect your desire to enter and exit the studio whenever you feel like it, but this isn’t for you.

This isn’t even for artists who want to set up a side hustle of selling art here and there to make some extra cash. Again, I respect the fact that you want or need to do that, but what I share here isn’t for you.

This is for anyone who is serious about building and living the life of an artist.

This episode is also for you if other artists ask for your advice about how they can do what you have done. (All you have to do is send them here.)

I cover:

  • Why devotion to the work has to come above everything else in your artist life.
  • When you can call yourself an artist.
  • Why you shouldn’t be devoted to 1 medium.
  • The first 6 practical business steps:
    • Decide on your professional name.
    • Decide on your business structure.
    • Register your business.
    • Get a tax ID number.
    • Gat a sales tax license.
    • Separate your business and personal finances.

🔶 Just starting your art career? Please see my new program, ESTABLISH YOURSELF: Essentials for Artist Success 🔶 a training program full of tools and process you need to establish your professionalism and increase your visibility. For those with beginning and emerging art careers. YourArtistLife.com

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

How to Name Your Art Business (ep. 56)

Your Decision Filter (ep. 139)

Risk, Rejection, and Resilience with Christine Aaron (ep. 114)

How to Feel Like a Successful Artist (ep. 165)

 

📖 To read the transcript of this episode, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/starting-art-career

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

 

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Dec 14, 2023

My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Kamal X.

Kamal recently released his book, Black Astronaut, which is a collection of photographs he started after the murder of George Floyd. It was, as you recall, the height of Covid and like many, Kamal was hesitant to travel and be in crowds.

But, as he said, he knew he had to risk it all because the moment was bigger than him.

In our conversation, you’ll hear about how and why Kamal learned photography and how he approaches his subjects on the street.

What I enjoyed most about talking with Kamal is his message. Through photography, he learns about himself, and he shares his positivity through his words and deeds.

He says, “Remember you are the light and you can create and visualize something bigger for yourself.” And he encourages you to be true to yourself and avoid making art for the algorithms.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These are great episodes for positive inspiration.

7 Essential Verbs for Artists to Embrace (ep. 170)

How to Feel Like a Successful Artist (ep. 165)

Following Her Curiosity and Making New Connections After 60 with Jan McCarthy (ep. 158)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/kamalx

⭐️ Connect with Kamal X and see more of his art: https://www.instagram.com/iamkamalx/

🔶 Sponsored by my new program, ESTABLISH YOURSELF: Essentials for Artist Success 🔶 a year-long training program full of tools and process you need to establish your professionalism and increase your visibility. For those with beginning and emerging art careers. https://artbizsuccess.com/essentials

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Nov 30, 2023

Carol MacConnell has built a strong business foundation over her long art career. I was particularly interested in talking with her about how she works with interior designers.

You’ll hear us discuss:

  • Carol’s income streams, 30% of which comes from working with interior designers and the vast majority through open studio events.
  • How she, as an artist who is legally deaf, navigates conversations.
  • How she segments and uses her list of 2,000 interior designers and 2,000 other subscribers.
  • What the working relationship with interior designers is like.

You’ll also hear me plead my case for contracts that spell out the details of a relationship with anyone who sells your art.

My favorite thing about this conversation is that Carol doesn’t get anxious about missing out on [whatever]. She is focused on getting the work done and being authentic about what is going on rather than fussing over the algorithms and other mind traps.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Following Her Curiosity and Making New Connections After 60 with Jan McCarthy (ep. 158)

She Knows Exactly How Much Her Art Income Will be with Kelly Pelfrey (ep. 162)

Increasing Self-Sales by 400% with Sarah Becktel (ep. 157)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/macconnell-designers

⭐️ Connect with Carol and see more of her art: https://carolmacconnell.com

 

🔶 Sponsored by my new program, ESTABLISH YOURSELF: Essentials for Artist Success 🔶 a year-long training program full of tools and process you need to establish your professionalism and increase your visibility.

https://artbizsuccess.com/essentials

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Nov 16, 2023

As we learned when diagramming sentences in 4th grade, verbs are where the action is. No verb, no action.

The first iteration of my newsletter for artists back in 2002 included a specific art business action at the end of each issue.

My book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio, is broken down into 16 “actions” rather than chapters.

I’m all about action, but am no longer interested in it in the form of obsessive hyper-productivity. I’ll leave that to the bro motivators out there. Action at all costs isn’t healthy.

But action—even the tiniest step—moves the needle.

Look back on how your confidence as an artist has grown over as a result not only of reading about something or hearing about it, but of doing it. Making more art. Having more shows. Submitting to more opportunities.

With this in mind, I got to thinking about a few verbs to live by that you might not normally associate with your art career.

Listen to hear why I selected these 7 verbs and see if they resonate with you: Devote, Begin, Understand, Connect, Avoid, Investigate, Finish.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Ep 165: How to Feel Like a Successful Artist

Ep. 160: Overcoming Anxiety about Making Art World Connections with Heather Beardsley

Ep. 150: How to Project Confidence Even When You’re Not Feeling It

📖 To read a full transcript, find resources mentioned, see featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/essential-verbs-for-artists/

🔶 Sponsored by my new program, ESTABLISH YOURSELF: Essentials for Artist Success 🔶 a year-long training program full of tools and process you need to establish your professionalism and increase your visibility.

https://artbizsuccess.com/essentials

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Nov 9, 2023

In this episode I talk with David Sandum who was driven to take up art personally and then professionally after being hospitalized with depression in 2001.

His journey through depression led him to the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch—finding solace and a deep connection with their expression of raw emotions.

We discuss how art continues to be a lifeline in his struggle with depression and his memoir, I’ll Run Till the Sun Goes Down: A Memoir About Depression & Discovering Art.

David and I touch on the tension between making art for yourself and surviving in a commercial market, and, related, why he chose to focus on a series of Auschwitz paintings over seemingly more market-friendly paintings of beaches.

We also talk about how he organized a community of artists on what was then Twitter to begin an annual international exhibition and fundraiser that has been going on since 2010. The Twitter Art Exhibit has evolved into the Postcard Art Exhibit, which accurately reflects its contents.

Heads up that you’ll hear David abbreviate it repeatedly—and understandably—as PAE.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

The Art Biz ep. 168: Impacting Artists First in a Curatorial Project Focusing on Empathy with Nanci Hersh

The Art Biz ep. 112: Leaning Into Creativity in Times of Pain with Rich Simmons

The Art Biz ep. 52: Making Art While Grieving Loss with Jan Heaton

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/sandum-mental-health

⭐️ Connect with David and see more of his art: https://www.davidsandum.com

🔶 Sponsored by my new program, ESTABLISH YOURSELF: Essentials for Artist Success 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/essentials

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Oct 26, 2023

In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Nanci Hersh about an exhibition she organized with 25 artists from multiple states and countries.

The show used the central theme of tears to explore empathy, compassion, and understanding within a sacred space—a metaphorical chapel. She says, as artists “we are so fortunate that we can use our art to make sense of life experiences.”

Nanci and I discuss:

  • The ripple effect of art when it impacts the artist first.
  • The training she received to facilitate uncomfortable conversations.
  • The benefits of taking on such a big project and why it’s important that it aligned with her values.
  • How the exhibition was paid for and ideas she has for improving funding options in the future.
  • How she stayed organized.
  • The importance of clear lines of communication, accepting help, and practicing gratitude.

 

⭐️ ABOUT NANCI HERSH

Nanci Hersh is a contemporary artist whose work is informed by the experiences, relationships, and places in her life. Her two-dimensional work, as well as her sculptures and installations, are at the intersection of personal narrative, art-making, and community engagement—exploring the grace, beauty and fragility of our lives.

Nanci is also a curator, illustrator, educator, arts advocate, and former Executive Director of the Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education. She has one foot in Pennsylvania and the other in Delaware.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

The Art Biz ep. 160: Overcoming Anxiety about Making Art World Connections with Heather Beardsley

The Art Biz ep. 146: Remember The Many Opportunities We Have Because We’re Online with Barbara Muir

The Art Biz ep. 30: Multi-State Multi-Year Multi-Artist Art Project with Marilyn Artus

The Art Biz ep. 64: Knit Democracy Together with Eve Jacobs-Carnahan

 

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/empathy-hersh

 

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Oct 19, 2023

Dare you have a sale of your art?

I acknowledge that having a sale of original work might be unpalatable. It feels as if you are cheapening the work you put so much effort into. I get it.

In just the last episode of The Art Biz (#166), I talked with Bri Larson about the mindset around raising prices and why it was important to do so.

In this episode of The Art Biz I discuss the psychology and process around having a sale of your art or any products that you might sell. Products such as calendars, note cards, books, catalogs, or print

I cover 6 options for structuring a sale, although, as you’ll see, promotion is probably a better word because not all of the options are about offering a discount.

I also outline additional steps to take around your sale.

Stick with me to the end and I'll share 3 mistakes you don’t want to make when having a sale of your art.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Oct 12, 2023

In this episode, Bri Larson and I talk about her decision to raise her prices and how she overcame the mindset that her art needed to be affordable.

We also discuss:

  • The value of her artist community—how they have supported her growth as an artist and her journey into motherhood.
  • How she has been able to maintain a studio practice with a baby, including how she structures her days around the baby’s schedule.
  • What kind of work she would give to a studio assistant and how she’ll know when to hire.
  • The decision to focus on organic reach v. paid advertising online.
  • Bri’s #1 piece of advice for would-be artist-parents.

 

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Juggling parenthood also came up in these episodes:

The Art Biz ep. 162: She Knows Exactly How Much Her Art Income Will be Every Month with Kelly Pelfrey

The Art Biz ep. 84: Money Mindset Breakthrough Secrets with Lea K. Tawd

The Art Biz ep. 131: Injecting Personal Narrative into Your Art with Sara Lee Hughes

 

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit

https://artbizsuccess.com/larson-raising-prices

⭐️ Connect with Bri and see more of her art: https://brilarson.com

 

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

 

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Oct 5, 2023

There’s no neat way to explain what success is because it’s different for every artist. I hope this episode is the start of an ongoing conversation on the subject.

💡HIGHLIGHTS

  • Success for artists might include income (sales), exhibitions, leadership roles, achievements, collections, and studio production.
  • A few of the diverse stories of success from artist-guests of The Art Biz.
  • The importance of aligning the goals for your art and expectations of yourself with how you want your life to be.
  • Success requires you to be nimble—to adapt to changing circumstances and be open to risks and failures.
  • My best advice: Success doesn’t happen all at once. It’s the result of small wins, each of which must be acknowledged in order to stay motivated and focused on your vision.

📖 To read the complete transcript, see featured artists, and comment about the topic of success, visit artbizsuccess.com/feel-successful

 

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group to support you as you follow your vision and take successful steps along the way. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

🔶 Sponsored by the Create Opportunities Challenge 🔶 a 3-month program this fall to help you find and improve venues for showing, selling, and/or teaching art. It’s about being intentional rather than waiting for an email in your inbox. Find out more and see if it’s for you https://artbizsuccess.com/opportunities

 

🎧 MENTIONED EPISODES

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

 

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is a special invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Sep 28, 2023

Sally Hirst was born to teach.

Fortunately, she was also born an artist.

Like most of us, she adapted to the new reality that she was faced with at the beginning of the pandemic. Well, actually, she did more than adapt. She thrived. She took the challenge head on and has been thriving ever since.

Sally and I discuss what her income sources looked like before Covid and look like now. Specifically, we talk about her teaching:

  • The teaching platform she uses and why she chose it
  • The skills she had to acquire in order to teach online
  • Her video recording setup
  • What her teaching schedule looks like in terms of what is pre-recorded and what is live.
  • How she attracts new students.

Sally reveals how Brexit has impacted her goals—especially where she shows and sells her art.

And I wondered: How does Sally manage to maintain her studio practice with her busy teaching schedule?

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit artbizsuccess.com/hirst-teaching

⭐️ Connect with Sally, see more of her art, and find out about her art courses: sallyhirst.co.uk

✴️ NOW AVAILABLE: THE MONEY PLAN

You do have some control (plenty, actually) over how much money you earn, and it starts with getting real about your current situation and the vision. you have.

The Money Plan is my success workshop for accelerating your income and it’s now available on demand. In it, I lead you through a series of steps where you identify your income sources and set goals for how you will earn more from them. You’ll be able to clearly see which are worth your time and attention.

The Money Plan gives you a realistic, though hopeful and challenging, blueprint for increasing your income in the future. It’s a plan that only you could make with a tool that you will be able to reuse at every point in your art business.

Learn more and enroll now at artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan

🎧 RELATED EPISODES and POSTS

My Money Odyssey (ep. 161)

How Do Artists Make Money (ep. 159)

Creating a Monthly Report for Your Art Business (ep. 74)

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Sep 14, 2023

This episode is a remix of episode 36 from 2019. It is such an inspiring interview that I wanted more people to hear it.

Adele Sypesteyn has been making a living from her art for four decades. Listen in as she takes us through her journey of selling her art, from the traditional process of applying to galleries to a more strategic approach that involved teaching herself about business and pivoting in the face of economic downturns. Adele also shares how she transitioned from galleries to the antique show in Round Top, Texas, where she made excellent connections with hundreds of interior designers.

Adele discussed testing a new concept for teaching art to children and shares her approach to teaching herself about business, especially during the recession. You'll hear about how she embraced the concept of viewing her art as a product, combining creativity with research to make her work more marketable.

Finally, Adele shares how she has adapted her income streams, shifting from relying on galleries to events and online classes. She talks about how she used YouTube as a lead magnet to grow her business and shares her strategy of going out where people are to learn what they want and need from her art.

 

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Reinventing Your Art Career with Ali Cavanaugh (ep. 33)

Qualities Galleries Are Looking For in Their Artists with Jeremy Tessmer (ep. 123)

Leaving Behind What is Safe with Jan R. Carson (ep. 23)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/sypesteyn-leaving-galleries

 

⭐️ Connect with Adele and see more of her art: https://adelesypesteynstudio.com

 

🔶 Sponsored by the Create Opportunities Challenge 🔶 a 3-month program this fall to help you find and improve venues for showing, selling, and/or teaching art. It’s about being intentional rather than waiting for an email in your inbox. Find out more and see if it’s for you https://artbizsuccess.com/opportunities =

 

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

 

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is a special invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Sep 7, 2023

Lately, I’ve been diving into money on The Art Biz. As much as I do NOT want to talk about money, I know it’s necessary. I also know it’s more necessary for some artists to make money from their work than for others.

If you’re lucky enough to have outside support for your art business—even if it’s from a day job—count your blessings. Because the pressure on the work is real when you don’t have that extra source of income, which is why I will continue to bring up the topic of money.

Let’s continue the conversation in this episode.

Kelly Pelfrey’s goal in 2020 was to replace her $50,000 teaching salary, but she quadrupled that. Her income has allowed her husband to leave his job to focus on his doctorate, feel comfortable about taking maternity leave, and save for college for her children.

Kelly shares her income sources, which are dominated by sales of commissions, followed distantly by releases of small paintings. She also sells art for TV screens, has a monthly print release, and a coffee table book.

Kelly obviously has the pulse of her best collectors. Her work is strong for sure, but I also believe that people are buying into Kelly’s joy and optimism. When you hear her and detect that in her voice, I think you’ll know what I mean.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit artbizsuccess.com/pelfrey-commissions

⭐️ Connect with Kelly and see more of her art: kellypelfrey.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES and POSTS

My Money Odyssey (ep. 161)

How Do Artists Make Money (ep. 159)

Creating a Monthly Report for Your Art Business (ep. 74)

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Aug 30, 2023

In this episode, I’m doing something different and sharing my money odyssey from an interview with Parker Stevenson of The Bottom Line podcast by Evolved Finance.

I reveal:

  • How my dad taught me to balance my checkbook (and how it was quite different from my mother’s suggestion).
  • How I learned to ask for money by collecting money for charities as a little girl.
  • That I set the curve in my accounting classes at the University of Wyoming.
  • How I gamed the system to get cash because I knew the checks I was writing would take 8 days to process.
  • How little money I had when I quit my museum job to start my business.
  • How I came up with the income accelerator for artists, which I teach in The Money Plan success workshop and Create Opportunities.

⭐️ ABOUT The Bottom Line by Evolved Finance

The Bottom Line by Evolved Finance explores the financial journeys of some of the most successful educators, thought leaders, influencers, and service providers in the online space. Each week, Parker Stevenson sits down with a current Evolved Finance client to talk about their relationship with money and how their mindset has changed as their business has grown.

Parker is the Chief Business Officer at Evolved Finance, an accounting firm that specializes in helping online entrepreneurs to build more profitable and financially stable online businesses. They do all of the bookkeeping for Art Biz Success and I just love how professional their whole operation is.

They don’t just do the books, they also go to great lengths to educate their clients.

📖 Read more, see featured artists, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment

🎧 RELATED EPISODES and POSTS

How Do Artists Make Money (ep. 159)

Is Being Too Cheap Hurting Your Art Business?

Creating a Monthly Report for Your Art Business (ep. 74)

🔶 Sponsored by The Money Plan 🔶 a success workshop for accelerating your income.

https://artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Aug 24, 2023

Heather Beardsley’s art has been influenced by extensive travel and residencies in diverse cultures. This started with her year in Vienna as a Fulbright Scholar and then continued for several years until the pandemic shut down her residency in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Like everyone else, Heather had to pivot upon returning to the U.S. She used the downtime to her advantage by getting organized and shaping her career path.

In our conversation in this episode of The Art Biz, you’ll hear how she managed to transform her social anxiety into opportunities—realizing that real growth could only happen when she overcame the urge to play it safe by sticking to open call entries.

Heather has learned to navigate the complex art world with intention while connecting with institutions and curators to propel her career.

She shares her experiences of the following:

  • Securing exhibition fees, grants, and residencies while managing expectations.
  • The importance of being organized and ready for opportunities.
  • Using Microsoft OneNote to organize opportunities and deadlines.
  • Building authentic relationships within the art world where so much can seem transactional.

You’ll also hear about Heather’s current solo show at the Chrysler Museum of Art and how it came about.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit artbizsuccess.com/beardsley-artworld-connections

⭐️ Connect with Heather and see more of her art: https://heatherbeardsley.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These episodes have exhibition venues as a primary focus:

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Aug 17, 2023

In this episode, I want to start a conversation about one of those things that can get in the way of feeling successful: Money.

In particular, I want to dive into income sources for artists.

Where does the money come from?

I discuss:

  • Why you might want to branch out and sell more than originals.
  • How to categorize your income sources so that you can better understand the possibilities.
  • How to analyze where the money has come from in the past so you can plan for the future.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, including the 3 videos 🎥 that will help you visualize this process, visit

https://artbizsuccess.com/podcast-money-plan

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Aug 10, 2023

In this episode, I talk with Jan McCarthy, who wants you to know that there is plenty of life to live after 50. And even 60.

She describes herself as a maker because, in her eyes, that term encompasses more than the word “artist.”

Jan has started businesses, founded organizations, designed interiors, organized fundraisers, dinner parties, retreats, and workshops, and made plenty of products and art.

Jan and I discuss:

  • The creativity workshops she has organized for corporations.
  • How she has brought together monthly mastermind meetings of women, and why a casual dinner party was the best format for them.
  • Why her project Art for the Heart is important for her as someone who has lived with heart disease for more than 25 years.
  • How she makes connections with interior designers, what the best social media platforms are for designers, and some of their concerns.
  • How she gets such great photos of herself.

While I’m in the midst of discussing multiple income sources on this podcast and on YouTube, I don’t think Jan thinks of her efforts in terms of income sources. She just follows the themes that interest her. If they turn into income sources, well, that’s fine, too.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit

https://artbizsuccess.com/curiosity-mccarthy

⭐️ Connect with Jan, see her art and products: https://janmccarthy.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Aug 3, 2023

In this episode, I talk with Sarah Becktel about her sources of income and how she has increased her income by 25% in the last 3 years by being very deliberate about where and how she shows her work.

Sarah does sell through galleries, but she has recently increased her self-sales by 400% by focusing on 3 specific types of indoor shows every year. She breaks them down as follows:

  • One indoor art fair, which she considers her solo exhibition for the year
  • Two fine art and craft shows
  • One curated and juried holiday market

You’ll hear Sarah discuss the difference among these, including their costs and the type of work she brings to each.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/self-sales-becktel

⭐️ Connect with Sarah, see more of her art, and read about her Preparing for Art Fairs and Markets workshop: https://sarahbecktel.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These episodes have exhibition venues as a primary focus:

  1. Not All Online Galleries are Created Equal with Alex Farkas (ep 132)
  2. Seeking Validation and Earning Credibility as an Artist (ep 129)
  3. She's the Link Between Artists, Galleries, and Collectors with Maria Brito (ep 127)

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Jul 27, 2023

In this episode, I talk with Kimberly Santini about a variety of topics, including how she used Covid as a sabbatical to figure out what she really wanted from her art.

We also touched on her dedication to blogging and why she continues the habit after so many artists have given up or neglected their blogs.

The bulk of our conversation focused on how Kim uses Patreon to teach and build a community of artists.

We discuss:

  • What she charges for her Patreon patron tiers.
  • What each tier receives for their patronage.
  • What her workflow is like.
  • Why it’s important that what she shares on Patreon is closely aligned with what she is doing in the studio.
  • How she differentiates the content for patrons from the content she creates for her blog, newsletter, YouTube, and social media.

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren’t clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It’s only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I’ll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don’t miss it.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These episodes have teaching as a primary focus:

  • Making a Living as a Teaching Artist with Elizabeth St. Hilaire (ep 4)
  • Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86)
  • Gaining Marketing Skills Quickly by Leading a Creativity Challenge with Kristen O’Neill (ep 145)
  • The Key to Success on Social Media with Cathy Nichols (ep 154)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/santini-patreon

⭐️ Connect with Kim and see more of her art: https://kimberlysantini.com

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Jul 20, 2023

I can say with confidence that artists who happily embrace their role as CEO of their businesses do better than artists who fight it and wish they didn’t have to deal with the grind. Wishing won’t make it go away. It only makes you more frustrated, anxious, or resentful.

This doesn’t mean that you need to fake joy whenever you’re paying bills.

It means that you accept that it comes with the territory. You rise to the challenge because you know it’s a necessary step toward achieving your goals.

There are ways to be happier about running a profitable art business, but first you must decide that you want a business on top of making work in the studio.

Not every artist should turn their art into a business. But if you choose to go the route of earning money from your art, do it wholeheartedly.

You can be pouty and grumble about all of the hard work necessary for something you said you wanted. Or you can find ways to enjoy the journey.

How would you rather go through life?

💡 IDEAS

In this episode I expand on these 6 ideas to make you happier about running your art business.

  1. Go complaint-free.
  2. Raise your prices.
  3. Collaborate more often.
  4. Find your (artist) people.
  5. Encourage someone else.
  6. Get your art and yourself out of the studio.

💵 CHECK OUT THE MONEY PLAN

September 2023 live success workshop to help you earn more income.

Get your name on the interest list!

https://artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan

✴️ FIND YOUR ARTIST PEOPLE

If you have been missing that community of artists, but haven’t found your people, we’d love to have you join us. See what we’re all about and dive in today. ArtBizConnection.com

🎧 RELATED and MENTIONED EPISODES

Multiply Your Audience and Expand Your Show’s Impact with Jill Powers (ep 27)

Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86)

Play Tops Work, Connection Tops Solitude, and Confidence Tops Fear with Willie Cole (ep 126)

Putting Artists First in Curatorial Projects with Melissa Messina (ep 136)

Being Seen—Networking for Artists (ep 148)

Committed to Telling Native Stories Through Her Art and Activism with Danielle SeeWalker (ep 153)

📖 To read more, see featured artists, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/be-happier

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Jul 13, 2023

While not everyone will be interested in your art, you can choose to focus on those who genuinely love your work. To embrace what is rather than wishing for it to be different.

In this episode Cathy Nichols went from 5,000 to 107,000 Instagram followers in 3 years by researching who they were and why they were following her. She shares valuable insights about how she continues to grow her art business with joy and authenticity.

We discuss:

  • How Cathy researched who her followers were.
  • What she started doing differently to grow her audience.
  • How her teaching offerings changed as a result of what she learned.
  • What’s coming up next for Cathy.

✴️ BONUS FOR LISTENERS

Tired of trying to figure out the strategies for growing your art business all by yourself? Please join my coaching community, the Art Biz Accelerator. When you are one of the first 5 new people to sign up and mention you heard about it on episode 154 of The Art Biz, you will receive a bonus, private consultation with me.

All of the details are here: https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Growing Beyond Being an Instagram Artist with Sara Schroeder (#119)

Growing Your Art Business on Instagram with Jeanne Rosier Smith (#67)

Who Are The People On Your List and What Are They Doing There? (#102)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/nichols-audience

⭐️ Connect with Cathy and see more of her art: https://cathynichols.com

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Jun 29, 2023

In this episode, I talk with Danielle SeeWalker, a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Native American stories are too frequently told from an historical perspective, but Danielle and other contemporary Indigenous artists want you to know that they’re still here. They never left. We just silenced them for too long after stealing their land.

Danielle has beautiful stories to tell, from which we can all learn. And she’s dealing with the same stuff as other artists: balancing motherhood with her art and activism. We discuss:

  • The symbolism in her work that came from a dream.
  • The many hats she wears.
  • The variety of art forms she works with.
  • How she decides which projects to take on.
  • How the rest of us can serve as allies for Indigenous people around the globe.

One lovely takeaway from this interview is that Danielle doesn’t separate her art from her life. Everything is connected.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/seewalker-native-stories

⭐️ Connect with Danielle and see more of her art: https://seewalker.com

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes, which was stolen from them after many broken promises and treaties.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Jun 22, 2023

Every artist I have ever worked with would like to squeeze more time from their busy calendars. After all, you are overflowing with ideas. You’ll never have time to make everything you want to make, and that is incredibly frustrating. In this episode I share 8 tips for time management along with 2 truths to consider.

💡 HIGHLIGHTS

2 Truths about Time Management

  1. Time management is a lie. Instead, focus on self-management.
  2. The important stuff always gets done.

8 Tips for Time Management

  1. Make time for planning and use the brain dump when overwhelm creeps in.
  2. Understand your natural rhythms, and adjust your schedule to optimize your most productive hours.
  3. Honor your calendar and block out uninterrupted time for critical tasks.
  4. Turn repeated tasks into systems to eliminate decision-making.
  5. Group similar tasks together to save time and energy.
  6. Stop multitasking because it adds up to 25% more time to complete tasks.
  7. Automate everything possible, including follow-up for your subscribers.
  8. Learn to say No to invitations and opportunities that don’t align with your long-term goals.

📖 Read full transcript, find resources, see featured artists and related episodes, and leave a comment

💬 MENTIONED

(affiliate links)

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Organize Your Art Biz

Grow Your List

🧡 Sponsored by the Art Biz Accelerator a coaching group to support and remind you that you’re part of a global artist community.

Jun 15, 2023

Artist residencies, in whatever form they take, are invaluable to an artist’s growth. But there are barriers to doing residencies—primarily the time commitment and cost.

In this episode, I talk with Shannon Amidon, an artist who has created a residency especially for artists who might be parents or caretakers and can’t commit to a month or more that some residencies require.

In my research on artist residencies, I have discovered how helpful it is when the residency involves some kind of travel, during which you are slowly transitioning away from your daily life and toward a different mental and emotional space that opens up your creativity. The longer the travel, the better. Another plus is that the residency environment contrasts with your familiar surroundings.

Shannon’s residency is The Verdancy Project and while it’s easy driving distance from Portland, Oregon, it’s far enough out that you step into a new world. It’s especially for artists who want to be close to nature. As you will hear, it provides an experience distinctly different from the one most artists are used to. We discuss:

  • How The Verdancy Project is set up
  • What the facilities are like
  • What she looks for in her artists
  • Some of the mistakes artists make on their applications
  • How she learned the nuts and bolts of managing an artist residency

Shannon also reveals how she manages to run the residency while maintaining the commitment to her studio practice.

To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amidon-residency

Connect with Shannon and see more of her art: https://shannonamidon.com

Get more info about The Verdancy Project: https://verdancyproject.com

Related: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay (#149)

https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies/

Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator * a coaching group to support and remind you that you’re part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

Jun 8, 2023

There's no getting around the fact that you need confidence in your at and in sharing it with others. It's also true that you will be plagued by doubt and fear at points throughout your art career. 

It might be helpful to know you are not alone. It happens to everyone, and you're going to be okay. 

In the meantime, you have to get through the days. In this episode I talk about 6 tips to help you project confidence while you're trying to regain it. 

  1. Load up on experience.
  2. Spiff up.
  3. Work on the outside.
  4. Visualize the situation.
  5. Try the charm offensive.
  6. Never belittle your work. Never apologize. 

To read a transcript of this episode, get links, see my featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/project-confidence

Sponsored by Magnetic You, a program to help you create or freshen up your marketing materials and improve your professional presentation. Start now: https://artbizsuccess.com/magnetic 

Jun 1, 2023

If you are an artist who loves to travel and explore new places, this episode is for you.

I’ve been wanting to dig into the subject of artist residencies for a long time now. Fate put me in touch with Amy Clay.

In this episode, Amy and I talk about her life as a professional artist-in-residence. She’s gone anywhere from 4 to 6 months at a time, stringing together one artist residency after another to fulfill her lust for travel and build what she calls her visual library.

We discuss:

  • How this lifestyle started for her
  • The various formats of artist residencies
  • What she looks for in a location
  • How residencies have made her feel part of a global artist community.

To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies

Connect with Amy and get her free book: https://amyclay.com 

Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator, a coaching group to support and remind you that you’re part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

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