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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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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/

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

Apr 27, 2023

Meeting people and building relationships is the most important thing you can do for your art career, especially when your goal is to be a full-time artist. This means you have to get out of the studio and socialize.

In this solo episode, I discuss:

  • Why everyone you meet is a potential buyer, collector, friend or fan.
  • Where you can network, and why you shouldn’t bother with artist organizations that aren’t a good fit.
  • There are many art worlds. You have to decide where to build your relationships.
  • Why it’s critical to network in real life, not only online.
  • Why it’s important to be authentic and genuinely interested in people.

I leave you with a challenge of meeting 1 new person a month. If it’s true that everyone knows about 150 people, imagine the potential from 12 new people a year.

To read the transcript, see featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/being-seen

Sponsored by The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

Apr 20, 2023

My utter bliss is to help artists make business systems that streamline their lives so they can spend more time in the studio. So when Skip Hill said he needed a system for following up with his collectors and important relationships, I knew I wanted to help.

In this episode of The Art Biz, I walk Skip through the steps to create a plan for nurturing his relationships.

We go through these steps to create his plan:

  1. What do you want to happen?
  2. By when does it need to happen? Or … How frequently does it need to happen?
  3. What do you need to have/acquire/learn to make that happen? And/Or what tools and technology will you use for the process?
  4. Who do you need to enlist to help?
  5. What are the exact steps needed to make this system hum?

The steps in that last question provides the fuel. Miss a step, and your system crashes.

To read the exact steps we created for Skip, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/skip-hill-systems

Sponsored by The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

 

Apr 13, 2023

Before the internet, artists were completely dependent on others to show and sell their work. We need to take a moment every now and then to be grateful for having the world at our fingertips. For being able to instantly send images of our art out into the world. For friends around the globe we would never have met 30 years ago.

In this episode, I talk with artist Barbara Muir, who is unabashedly happy about being online. She reminds us of all the good things that happen because we are so connected. Key topics:

  • A brief rundown of the opportunities that have come Barbara’s way through her blog.
  • Commitment to a blogging habit—now boasting more than 3,000 entries.
  • Her practice of making a daily list of 6 things.
  • The sweet ritual of leaving nightly letters to her husband.

To see images, full show notes, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/muir-online-podcast 

Want to make sure you stay connected online and off? Check out The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

Mar 23, 2023

In this episode of The Art Biz, I’m joined by Kristen O’Neill, a team member of mine and an accomplished artist who recently created a 30-day daily art lesson challenge for her online followers. But in the end, it may have been more of a challenge for her than it was for the participants. Kristen and I discuss what she hoped to get from this challenge, how she organized it, how much of it was planned ahead, and what her workflow was like—including all of the platforms she used to share the content—and most importantly, what she would do differently if she were to do it again.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/challenge-oneill-podcast

 

Highlights

  • Details of Kristen’s 30-Day Art Challenge and what she hoped to get out of it. (1:29)

  • How Kristen shared the challenge while honoring her email list expectations. (6:10)

  • Creating and organizing a workflow that worked all month long. (10:42)

  • The time commitment and unexpected challenges behind the challenge. (16:35)

  • Lessons learned from the challenges of this challenge. (22:25)

  • Staying motivated and accountable throughout a challenge. (27:52)

  • Tracking the participation, success, and results of the challenge. (30:15)

  • The value of Pinterest for artists. (38:30)

  • What Kristen would do differently next time. (41:07)

This Week’s Action

Your assignment this week is to consider how you are stretching yourself in and out of the studio these days.

Mentioned

Related Episodes

Quotes

  • “I’m always looking for different opportunities and ways to reach out to more students and interact with more painters.” — Kristen O’Neill

  • “It’s really important to honor what you say you’re going to do with your list.” — Kristen O’Neill

  • “I picked up lessons more quickly than had I done the same amount of work spread over a longer period of time.” — Kristen O’Neill

  • “If you haven’t figured out your system ahead of time, it’s going to be harder than it needs to be.” — Kristen O’Neill

  • “Often we spend so much time guessing what is the right way to do something, and we could put that energy into just doing it.” — Kristen O’Neill

About My Guest

Kristen O’Neill paints the essence of landscapes based on real locations, including those from recent collaborations with long-distance hikers. Her Oregon Coast Trail series was featured in a solo exhibition at the Grants Pass Museum of Art.

Kristen graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and now lives in Southern Oregon where she has become passionate about teaching art. She teaches both online and in-person, leads a field trip program that has taught art history to thousands of 5th graders, and is an Artist Mentor for Alyson Stanfield’s community since 2018.

 

Mar 16, 2023

With nobody going anywhere in the spring of 2020, I contacted artist friends Lisa Call and Janice McDonald to see if they wanted to gather regularly to discuss art documentaries. Our little “club,” such as it is, was in business.

To date, we have met 57 times to discuss the art documentaries together. It’s important that we are reminded we’re part of something bigger than ourselves and what goes on behind the closed doors of our studios.

In this solo episode I talk about why we do this as a group, where you can find art documentaries, how we stay organized, why it's important to diversify our selections, and how our conversations work. At the end I mention some of my favorite films.

Read the “almost” transcript, find all of the links, and leave a comment

 

Highlights

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed was nominated for an Oscar this year. (1:24)

We need to be reminded that we’re part of a global art world. (2:57)

What art history has taught me. (3:42)

Why do this in a group? (4:52)

Where to find art documentaries. (5:38)

Why Kanopy is our top resource for art documentaries. (7:19)

Our 2 lists for art documentaries. (9:24)

Why diversity is important to us. (11:16)

How our regular conversations work. (13:14)

Good v. Bad documentaries—there is always something to be learned. (15:17)

Some recommended art documentaries to start with. (17:19)

 

Mentioned

All films are linked on the accompanying post

Lisa Call

Janice McDonald

The Art Biz Accelerator

Artnet’s list of top museum shows for 2022 and 2023

Mar 2, 2023

Four years ago on a beautiful January day in Colorado, I attended an art destruction party. Two artists were slowing down in their production and wanted to ensure that subpar work wasn’t left for family to deal with. Nor did they want their names associated with that work. Although I’ve been imploring artists for decades to get rid of work they think isn’t of the highest quality, it was still difficult to smash that first pot and tear that first watercolor.

In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Heather K. Powers, an artist and professional organizer. She and I wanted to start a dialogue about planning for your legacy. It’s a tough conversation because it means confronting your mortality. This conversation is especially important for artists, who make things that take up physical space. How do you categorize those things? What kind of records need to be kept? And what, if anything, should be destroyed, reworked, or donated. These are difficult questions and will vary from artist to artist, but it is such an important part of planning your art legacy. My conversation with Heather can help you get started.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/death-powers-podcast

Highlights

  • Normalizing conversations about your death and legacy. (2:10)

  • Heather’s coaching process includes getting more comfortable talking about death. (6:48)

  • What do you value in your legacy? How can artists better prepare their legacy for after death? (10:28)

  • Finding the value of clutter requires understanding and compassion. (15:27)

  • Destroying the artwork that you don’t want to be known for. (19:19)

  • Define the value of each level of your work so you can better process it. (24:55)

  • Tools and resources to help document your art. (32:32)

This Week’s Action

Your assignment this week is to start thinking about your legacy. Eventually you will need to prioritize the tasks necessary, but you can’t do it all at once. Take one of these steps: Sign up for Artwork Archive, update your inventory, finally recycle that work you don’t want to show up under your name, have a conversation with your family about your wishes, or declutter a space.

Mentioned

Related Episodes

Quotes

  • “Death is a normal part of life, but the more we put off thinking or talking about it the more uncomfortable it becomes.” — Heather K. Powers

  • “We can take into our own hands what is important to us as a generation and pass it on to the next generation.” — Heather K. Powers

  • “What do you value in your legacy? And what do you perceive might be of value to others? Those things are often not in alignment.” — Heather K. Powers

  • “Start early and keep good records. It doesn’t have to be that complicated.” — Heather K. Powers

  • “When we get rid of work one way or another, we make space for new work to come in.” — Heather K. Powers

About My Guest

With a BFA in Fiber from Savannah College of Art and Design, Heather Powers has had a productive career as a textile designer—collaborating on worldwide projects in various capacities.

In 2010, she launched her design and professional organizing business. Her work as an organizer places her among artists, craftspeople, and collectors, which gives her an intimate understanding of how individuals retain use and live with material culture.

In 2021, Heather graduated with an MFA in Critical Craft. She continues to research textile history, weave, and use natural dye techniques in which her work investigates memory, place, and identity themes through discarded vintage ephemera and materials.

Please visit her website to find out how she works with her clients in person and online and follow her on Instagram @hkpowerstudio.





 

Feb 23, 2023

The vast majority of the marketing we do is passive. We send emails, post to social media, and broadcast podcast episodes. Then we wait and hope for positive results.

For better results, activate your marketing by thinking of all the ways you can communicate on a personal level. Yes, active marketing requires more work, but I promise you’ll get better results and enjoy it more.

In this solo episode, I walk you through how you can activate your marketing for 5 art business scenarios.

Read the "almost" transcript, find links, see featured artists and leave a comment

Highlights

  • Personal note about your kindness the last couple of weeks. (0:00)
  • Your list is more than people who have opted in for your emails. (3:04)
  • Ensure you’re not wasting time on social media. (5:11)
  • Action: Create a reliable content calendar for a framework that provides direction. (6:36)
  • Improve exhibition and sales venues. (7:09)
  • Action: Make a spreadsheet to track potential venues. (7:30)
  • Receive more benefit from your exhibitions. (8:33)
  • Boost relations with your galleries. (11:03)
  • Do you teach? Fill your classes and workshops. (14:06)
  • We need both passive and active marketing. (15:38)
  • Please email me your questions and concerns: alyson@artbizsuccess.com (16:13)

 

Mentioned

Grow Your List on-demand learning program at Art Biz Success

Creating a Content Calendar short $30 workshop at Art Biz Success

Create Opportunities on-demand learning program at Art Biz Success

Elizabeth St. Hilaire on sending cookies to her gallery

Dancing Deer Baking Company for sending baked goods in he mail

Feb 16, 2023

We’ve spent many months worried about inflation and a possible recession that may not ever happen. It would be terrific if we didn’t have to concern ourselves with such things, but the economy affects everyone’s business in one way or another.

Today’s guest on The Art Biz is Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. We recorded this episode several months ago when the economic landscape seemed a little bleaker than it does now. This is a lesson in economics and how your art business is affected by the larger economy. We define and discuss inflation, recession, the Consumer Price Index, and Gross Domestic Product. We talk about your revenue mix, why selling lower-priced items might not be the way to go right now, bundling, and raising your rates and prices.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/economy-luttrull-podcast

Highlights

  • Defining inflation and its effect on every aspect of pricing. (1:50)

  • What exactly is a recession and what role do rising interest rates play? (5:35)

  • The impact of these economic factors on artists. (12:48)

  • Combating uncertainty with effective business strategies. (15:32)

  • Your target client in times of economic uncertainty. (20:05)

  • Opportunities that are presented in challenging times. (24:16)

  • Consider potentially terrible ideas to get to the good ones. (33:03)

  • Seven strategies for artists to use during inflation and recession. (33:04)

This Week’s Action

Your first action for the week is to look at your expenses and see where you might be able to save. I suggest keeping a list of all ongoing subscriptions as well as regular expenses and reviewing it every so often.

Your second action is to check out Elaine’s $15 course on inflation and recession by following the link below.

Mentioned



Resources

Quotes

  • “Inflation is not always a pleasant topic. It’s scary, it takes up our brain space, and it’s a distraction from what we really need to be doing creatively in our businesses.” — Elaine Luttrull

  • “All of the strategies we typically think about for coping with the uncertainty of the arts are suddenly being impacted too.” — Elaine Luttrull

  • “Think carefully. Do your research and talk to peers about how things feel in the art market right now.” — Elaine Luttrull

  • “When the market is doing interesting things is the moment to really focus on the community aspect.” — Elaine Luttrull

  • “Anything we can do to reassess and tighten our spending without compromising quality or making our lives harder is a really good strategy right now.” — Elaine Luttrull

  • “Artists are better than pretty much anyone else at navigating uncertainty, so we’ll navigate all of this as well and keep making really incredible work too.” — Elaine Luttrull

About My Guest

Elaine Grogan Luttrull, CPA-PFS, AFC® (she/her) is the founder of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. Her workshops and presentations have been featured nationally by groups that support the arts, a variety of state and regional arts councils and commissions, and colleges and universities where creative students thrive.

Elaine spent 10 years in academia, teaching at the Columbus College of Art & Design and serving as the Department Head for Business & Entrepreneurship from 2014-2018. Before that, Elaine served as the Director of Financial Analysis for The Juilliard School and in the Transaction Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young in New York. Elaine is the author of Arts & Numbers (Agate, B2 2013), and she contributes regularly to industry guides, including those from the Center for Cultural Innovation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation. She also serves on the boards of the Short North Alliance and Healing Broken Circles.

 

Jan 26, 2023

The sales process is rarely discussed in artist circles. We often think of sales as a single step. Either someone buys your art or they don’t. There’s’ so much more to it. Yet, many of us think of sales as a dirty word, which is a bit ridiculous if we want to grow our businesses and careers. Artists need to adopt a new mindset surrounding sales in order to be successful.

My guest on this episode of The Art Biz is Miriam Schulman, artist and founder of the Inspiration Place, where she helps other artists learn how to profit from their passion or become better artists. Miriam is the author of Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living from Your Creativity. In this conversation, Miriam and I review her Artpreneur Sales Playbook and 10-step sales process.

Highlights

  • Miriam’s struggle with sales, despite her background in finance. (3:30)

  • The evolution from general sales and marketing to effective art sales. (6:56)

  • Curating your valuable contacts list. (9:05)

  • The importance of mindset in sales success. (12:30)

  • Developing a confident belief in the value of your art. (14:47)

  • The first 5 steps of selling your art. (21:05)

  • Body language, previewing the process, and establishing the decision maker. (27:37)

  • Sell with stories, not facts, and selling happy endings. (33:10)

  • Overcoming objections with the right language. (40:07)

  • Close the sale by asking for it. (42:45)

This Week’s Action

This week’s action has two parts. Part 1 is to download the free chapter of Artpreneur at schulmanart.com/believe.

Part 2 is to write out Miriam’s 10 steps in the sales process and post them somewhere so you’re reminded that it is a process. You need to be invested in the steps of the process in order for it to work.

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • “Once I started making the connection between sales in general and selling for art and understood that there wasn't a difference, I became a student of marketing and sales, and that has made all the difference.” — Miriam Schulman

  • “Marketing 101 is investing in human relationships.” — Miriam Schulman

  • “My art, going out into people’s homes, became ambassadors for me.” — Miriam Schulman

  • “Mindset is everything. Mindset trumps talent.” — Miriam Schulman

  • “Overcoming objections is about having compassion for the buyer and knowing where they are coming from.” — Miriam Schulman

About My Guest

Miriam Schulman is an artist and founder of The Inspiration Place, where she helps other artists learn how to profit from their passion or become better artists. She’s helped thousands of artists around the world develop their skill sets and create more time and freedom to do what they love. Her art and story have been featured in major publications including Forbes, The New York Times, Art of Man, Art Journaling magazine, What Women Create as well as featured on NBC’s “Parenthood” and the Amazon series “Hunters” with Al Pacino. Schulman’s forthcoming book with HarperCollins Leadership Artpreneur is scheduled to be released on January 31, 2023.

First posted: ArtBizSuccess.com/sales-schulman-podcast

 

Jan 20, 2023

Your Decision Filter: 8 Considerations for Making Decisions for Your Art Business

With host Alyson Stanfield

 

Read the “almost” full transcript, see featured artists, and leave a comment:

https://artbizsuccess.com/marketing-mix

 

~ 8 CONSIDERATIONS ~

  1. You understand WHY you are doing it. (3:04)
  2. You are willing to devote the time and energy to it. (3:32)
  3. You enjoy it or are excited about starting. (7:09)
  4. You have the systems in place to support it. (7:40)
  5. You are already doing it and are seeing results. (9:15)
  6. It plays to your strengths. (10:10)
  7. It has potential for the biggest long-term pay-off. (12:07)
  8. It has the potential for the biggest immediate pay-off. (13:26)

 

How Human Design has helped me make decisions. (15:07)

 

~ MENTIONED ~

Please join me in the Art Biz Accelerator coaching group and community: https://artbizaccelerator.com 

Human Design resource: https://jovianarchive.com

 

~ ABOUT ~

Alyson Stanfield is the host of the Art Biz Podcast, founder of Art Biz Success, leader of the Art Biz Connection community of artists, and author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.

https://artbizsuccess.com

Jan 5, 2023

There are so many ways you can sell your art and so many different avenues for earning money from your talents. I’ve highlighted a wide variety of options for earning money from your art on The Art Biz podcast, but today’s conversation is a first. I’m joined by Katie Hunt, the founder of Proof to Product, to learn more about wholesaling. She has helped thousands of brands get their products on the shelves of large retailers like Target, Nordstrom, The Container Store, and Starbucks, as well as independent boutiques around the world.

In this episode, Katie shares basic basic information about wholesaling your art. What is it? Who is it for? Who is it not for? What’s the difference between wholesaling and retailing? Where does licensing fit in? Katie is a wealth of information, and generously gives four considerations for wholesaling. And stay with me to the end of our conversation, where Katie reveals the four things she takes into account when making business decisions.

Highlights

  • Key differences between wholesaling and retailing. (4:20)

  • The importance of selling in larger quantities at a lower price in wholesale. (6:53)

  • How is licensing different than wholesaling? (12:20)

  • What type of artists are a good fit for wholesaling? (13:41)

  • Focusing on one revenue stream at a time — before wholesaling. (17:58)

  • Foundational checkpoint number one — Is your product line strong? (20:20)

  • Are your sales tools in place? (26:20)

  • Outreach and marketing — detailing your artwork and your terms and conditions. (29:18)

  • Step number four — solidifying your operations and systems. (31:07)

  • Handling criticism and rejection when wholesaling. (32:38)

  • Paper Camp and other resources for artists considering wholesale. (35:52)

  • 4 considerations Katie bases every decision on. (40:50)

First posted: https://artbizsuccess.com/hunt-wholesaling-podcast

This Week’s Assignment

This week’s assignment has 2 options. Option 1 is to review Katie’s 4 considerations for wholesaling to decide whether or not it’s a direction you want to go. If you want to see those again in a list, visit this episode at artbizpodcast.com. Katie’s format is so straightforward and she is clear that wholesaling isn’t right for everyone. If you know that wholesaling isn’t for you, go for option 2, which is to write out her list of considerations for making business decisions and keep it nearby. Adjust it to your needs and revisit it often to stay on track.

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • “There are so many ways we can sell our art, and each one requires a different foundation.” — Katie Hunt

  • “With wholesale, we’re talking about a very different system of the sales process, the marketing process, even the fulfillment process.” — Katie Hunt

  • “Artists don’t have to wholesale everything they make. They can create a special segment of their product line that is for wholesale.” — Katie Hunt

  • “Before you take the plunge into wholesaling, you need to know you have an audience.” — Katie Hunt

  • “The more we experience with the pitching process and putting ourselves, our art and our talents out there, the stronger we become.” — Katie Hunt

About My Guest

Katie Hunt is the founder of Proof to Product, the host of a podcast with the same title, and a business strategist who supports product-based business owners. She has helped thousands of brands get their products on the shelves of large retailers like Target, Nordstrom, The Container Store, and Starbucks, as well as independent boutiques around the world. Katie’s work has been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Entrepreneur as well as dozens of business podcasts. She brings experience, education and a love of learning into her programs. Her strengths lie in connecting people & bringing ideas to life – brainstorming, making a plan and implementing.



Dec 22, 2022

This episode is a solo episode in which Alyson Stanfield, of Art Biz Success, reveals the details of the new Art Biz Accelerator program.

It was recorded during an info session for members of the Art Biz Connection community and includes:

  • 3 Success Workshops during the year
  • Open office hours with Alyson
  • The Salon, a group for discussing art ideas and happenings in the art world 
  • Full membership in the Art Biz Connection community
  • Additional training as needed

First posted: https://artbizsuccess.com/podcast-accelerator 

A video, complete with slides and the PDF download of all the information is available at artbizaccelerator.com right now.

And if you’re listening to this later in the year, chances are good that much will still be applicable.

 

Dec 15, 2022

Putting Artists First in Curatorial Projects with Melissa Messina

Today’s conversation on The Art Biz is packed with tips and insider info. In my conversation with independent curator Melissa Messina, we discuss what an independent curator does, how Melissa finds and works with artists, and what happens during a studio visit to an artist she is (or might be) working with. You won’t want to miss the insights she shares about common mistakes she sees artists making, as well as how to correct them. Above all, Melissa shares the empowering reminder that the artist is at the center of all a curator, a museum, or a gallery does.

First posted: https://artbizsuccess.com/curator-messina-podcast

Highlights

  • “I think that curator gene has always been in me.” (1:55)

  • Melissa’s work as an independent curator. (5:32)

  • How does a curator find their artists? (9:00)

  • The importance of your network. (14:37)

  • Insights from the details of Melissa’s standard project. (18:46)

  • Scheduling projects and finding funding with fellowships. (23:55)

  • Curating an artist's estate is the joy of Melissa’s life. (26:53)

  • What piquesMelissa’s interest in the artists she encounters? (32:01)

  • The cities, websites, publications, and galleries where Melissa looks for artists. (35:00)

  • Working with galleries as an independent curator. (38:04)

  • The role that studio visits play in a curator-artist relationship. (40:54)

  • What curators are looking for from a studio visit. (48:51)

  • Correcting the mistakes that too many artists make. (50:54)

This Week’s Assignment

Research my guest Melissa Messina and start following her on social media. Then start researching independent curators in your area and start following them. Consider inviting them into your studio for a low-stress visit—and don’t forget to offer them a drink.

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • “I’m constantly making calculations to see where an exhibition or project might percolate out of my experiences and relationships.” — Melissa Messina

  • “Your network is everything.” — Melissa Messina

  • “There are some really good artists with bad attitudes, and I would much rather give the opportunity to someone who is a joy to work with.” — Melissa Messina

  • “I think artists would do better to let go of their expectations in a studio visit.” — Melissa Messina

  • “Without the artist and their work, there wouldn’t be anything for us to do.” — Melissa Messina

About My Guest

Melissa Messina is a nationally recognized arts professional who has developed thought-provoking exhibitions, dynamic site-responsive projects and engaging educational public programming both independently and in leadership positions at museums and non-profit arts organizations. For 20 years, her work with regional, national, and international artists has been presented in the U.S. in Atlanta, Kansas City, Miami, New York, New Orleans, Richmond, Savannah, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Bermuda, France, and Hong Kong. She has lectured extensively and published widely, and her research has been funded by Creative Time and The Andy Warhol Foundation, as well as by fellowships at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Library, Atlanta, GA, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR.

In addition to serving select public and private clients, she is the curator of the Mildred Thompson Estate. She has also recently served as guest curator at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, and was the co-curator of the 2018 and 2020 Bermuda Biennials. In 2017, she co-created Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960s to Today, an intergenerational exhibition highlighting 21 Black female abstract practitioners that traveled from Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City to The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

Nov 28, 2022

Alyson Stanfield walks you through her thoughts on reviewing your year.

There are 3 reasons to bother reviewing your year: (1) To honor life, (2) to remind yourself of what you have accomplished, and (3) to prepare for the New Year. Look at the year holistically in terms of personal, art, learning, and business.

Your written account of the year will be something you can return to in the future as a reminder of what you accomplished, what you experienced, what you learned, who and what you encountered, and more.

Mentioned
The Artist's Annual Review

Resources

 

Nov 17, 2022

Today’s conversation is a first. In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Rebecca Welz, an artist who claims she’s not all that interested in the art business. But Rebecca, with her many accomplishments, still had plenty of wisdom to share. Our discussion centers around how she sees her art as part of the continuum, and how she encourages her students at Pratt Institute to think holistically about their careers. We discuss meditation, biomimicry, her projects in Guyana and Guatemala with her students, why she’s uninterested in the art business, and what she thinks artists would benefit from focusing on instead.

Highlights

  • “It’s like drawing in space.” Rebecca’s sculpture and gallery representation. (2:44)

  • Teaching art students and exploring the unknown through meditation. (6:22)

  • Thinking is the most important part of the creative process. (11:15)

  • Finding art inspiration in Guyana and Guatemala. (17:04)

  • Biomimicry—innovation inspired by nature. (22:10)

  • The importance of experiencing inspiration from cultures outside your own. (25:35)

  • Taking a holistic approach to your art. (31:13)

  • Rebecca isn’t all that interested in the art business. Here’s why. (36:24)

This Week’s Assignment

Consider how your work is connected to forces outside itself. How is it connected to art history and to other artists? Think of all the people who make your art possible. Who made your supplies? Not the companies, but the people behind the companies. Who gathered natural pigments or precious metals? Who mixed the paints, spun the yarn, stretched the canvas, stocked the paper, or assembled the camera?

Who are the people supporting your efforts?

Mentioned

Resources

Quotes

  • “Meditation gives me a lot of peace and equanimity and helps me deal with being a human on the planet.” — Rebecca Welz

  • “Good artwork comes from that place of the unknown.” — Rebecca Welz

  • “I can’t just focus on my art career because there are so many other things that I’m interested in.” — Rebecca Welz

  • “How are you tapping into your own continuum and how’s that working for you?” — Rebecca Welz

About My Guest

Rebecca Welz makes steel sculptures inspired by natural wonders and ecological processes that combine to give us biodiversity. She is represented by June Kelly Gallery in New York City, where she has had numerous solo exhibitions. She has also shown at Grace Borgenicht Gallery and Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, also in New York.

Rebecca’s sculptures have been in solo and group exhibitions in venues such as the Oakland Museum of California, the Heckscher Museum of Art (Huntington, NY), Butters Gallery (Portland, OR), the SciArt Center (Easton, PA), the Cherrystone Gallery (Wellfleet, MA), and Sculpturesite Gallery (San Francisco, CA). Her work can also be found in private and corporate collections, including those of Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, Merck, Prudential Life Insurance Corporation, and Sabre Corporation.



 

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