Alyson Stanfield, Author at Art Biz Success

How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off

If you want to teach, you need a pool of potential students.

You need a following. And a following suggests there is a leader. If you expect people to sign up for your classes or buy your how-to book, you must step up and be the leader.

You’ve got to position yourself as an expert.

Becoming known for your skills is not an overnight process. It’s a process that you must be dedicated to and in it for the long haul.

I built Art Biz Coach using all of the tactics I share below. I think it would be harder to start my business today because the market is much noisier than when I opened back in 2002.

Your market is also robust. There are more people seeking instruction, and there are a lot more artists who are teaching in their own studios, in art centers and supply stores, and online.

In business terms, this presents both a threat and an opportunity. The threat is that more people are competing for students. The opportunity is that you can differentiate yourself.

The distinguishing characteristics of a successful, independent art teacher are:

How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off Read

Art Exhibition Checklist and Timeline to Customize

There is so much to think about when you’re getting organized for an art exhibition. Above all, you should be making and finishing the art.

An exhibition checklist will keep you on task for your show without having to spend unnecessary brain cells wondering what you should be doing.

The tasks on your checklist, and the deadlines you give them, will depend on the following:

The type of exhibition (juried, self-curated, open studio)
If the venue is in charge of sales and refreshments or if that’s up to you
Whether you’re showing with other artists
The amount of time you have to plan

With this in mind, you can use the list below to customize your own timeline.

Do It Now

Set a goal. What would you like to have happen at this exhibition or as a result of it?

Plan your budget. How much can you afford to spend on materials and framing? How much can you allocate to promotions, printing, and a reception?

Identify a theme and curate the work accordingly. Your exhibition should make sense. What will hold the works together?

Give it a title because titles distinguish one show from another on your résumé.
Titles with your name in them

Art Exhibition Checklist and Timeline to Customize Read

How To Attract More Followers to Your List

These are the 3 steps to attracting people to your list if they are followers on social media …

How To Attract More Followers to Your List Read

Content Crimes: How You’re Misbehaving Online

As I wrote last week, you could waste a lot of time online if you’re not paying attention.

Let’s look at this subject a little closer so that we’re not just looking at where you’re wasting time, but at how you’re harming your art career goals.

My friend, Cynthia, calls them content crimes. Nobody is going to throw you in jail for committing these transgressions, but you might check yourself into rehab when you decide to do something about it.

Here are the top 4 content crimes you might be committing.

Content Crime #1: You’re inconsistent.

You sent a newsletter for a few months and then nothing. Nada. The big zippo.

You tried blogging for a while … um … whenever you felt like it.

You heard that artists were selling art from Facebook, so you built a business page and put a few pictures up. It’s just not working for me, you claimed. Waste of time.

If you are truly excited about your art, you’ll share it repeatedly, even if you think nobody is listening, because you believe in yourself. You don’t give up.

If you do give up, I’m led to believe …

Content Crimes: How You’re Misbehaving Online Read

34 Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference

It’s a Memorial Day tradition at Art Biz Coach to offer a list of reminders for your art business.

This is a twist on that tradition.

With inspiration from the stage of Copyblogger’s Authority Rainmaker conference, I opened up my notes and share my biggest takeaways with you.

The thing to remember about live events, books, and even online classes is that not everything shared is going to apply to you. You’re either not ready to receive it, you’re past its relevance in your growth, or it doesn’t match your business model.

You have to look for the nuggets in these situations. I find that there is usually at least one thing from each talk, lesson, or chapter that is worth the investment.

Here are some of the highlights worth remembering.

34 Marketing Insights from the Authority Rainmaker Conference Read

The Case For Focusing Your Creative Energy and How To Do It

You have so many ideas. You’re full of creativity and ready to apply it to any material you come across.

You paint for the pleasure, you paint commissioned work, you make jewelry, you snap photos, and you teach. You know who you are. You’re going 90 miles an hour in every direction with your hair on fire.

People say you should focus – pick one thing and get on with it.

There’s that “s” word again: should. Beware of this word. I’ve been guilty of using it a lot myself, but I’m becoming increasingly aware of how dangerous it is.

The only thing you should do is to be in integrity with your goals, your purpose, and your vision. How this manifests itself in your life is a delicate negotiation between you and the Universe.

There is, however, a reasonable argument to be made for concentrating your creative energy in one area.

The Case for Focusing Your Art

When your work is moving in multiple directions simultaneously, at least four problems arise.

The Case For Focusing Your Creative Energy and How To Do It Read

Behind the Scenes: Rebranding Art Biz Coach

Ta da! We did it!

We have a new look at Art Biz Coach, and I’m using today’s post to give you the inside scoop on how all of the pieces came together.

Back in January, I asked if your brand was missing you because I had concluded, with the help of my mastermind buddies, that my personality was a little absent from the Art Biz Coach brand, especially in the visual manifestation of Art Biz Coach.

So I hired Rachel Dunham of Brand Therapy to work some magic on me. We’ve been working on this for more than two months.

The First Steps to a New Brand

I didn’t pay Rachel $75 to come up with a quick logo. I wanted a much deeper process for a more profound transformation.

Behind the Scenes: Rebranding Art Biz Coach Read

22 Social Media Updates That Won't Bore Your Followers | Art Biz Coach

22 Social Media Updates About Your Show That Won’t Bore Your Followers

You’re having an exhibition of your art. Congratulations!

The promotional postcards are designed and ready to be sent. Check! You’ve planned a couple of emails to your list. Check!

Now … what can you share with your friends, fans, and followers that is more interesting than “Come see my show!” but relates the message that they’re really going to miss out if they’re not there?

How do you tweet, post, shoot, and pin your exhibition without boring your followers and yourself?

22 Social Media Updates About Your Show That Won’t Bore Your Followers Read

Say No Without the Guilt

When someone asks something of you, there are a couple of ways you can respond: Yes or No.

When you say yes to everything, you are probably saying no to yourself and many of your art goals. You are saying that what someone is asking or offering is more important than your agenda.

You can’t even do everything that’s on your list right now, so how do you ensure that your art business remains a priority when so many people are asking for your time?

Say No Without the Guilt Read

Alyson Stanfield

How to Build a Student Following – Online and Off