For some artists, being asked why they make art is unfruitful—even debilitating. A better strategy is to focus on the people who will be viewing, talking about, and living with your art.
How does your art make people feel? Bernadette Jiwa says, “People don’t buy why you do something. They buy how it makes them feel.” If you think about it, this, ironically, leads to your Why: Connection.
How Your Art Makes People Feel (ep. 184) Read
When I teach about collaboration, I’m usually talking about an exhibition or event. Lori Sokoluk and Susan Purney Mark took collaboration to the next level by collaborating on the artwork itself—resulting in a two-person exhibition.
We discuss finishing a piece on top of someone else’s marks, how they titled the pieces, how they divided up the work, how the exhibition was organized, and what they learned from the process that they’ll carry forward.
A Collaboration Between 2 Artists that Led to Creative Growth (ep. 183) Read
Your artist mailing list is your most valuable marketing asset. It is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. It’s your #1 marketing asset.
Let me emphasize that by saying it a different way: There is nothing more important you can do to build your art business and career than to nurture your relationships.
In reality, most artists have 3 mailing lists, not just 1. Here’s what I mean.
Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists (ep. 182) Read
This episode is about coming to art later in life—an under-explored topic to date. Janice Mason Steeves shares the realization that the students in her workshops tended to be in the 60 to 80 age group, which piqued her curiosity and led to the book Bloom.
We spend the first half of our conversation talking about how the book came to be. Then we discuss the advantages, benefits and challenges of becoming an artist after age 60.
Spotlighting Artists Who Bloom Later in Life with Janice Mason Steeves (ep. 181) Read
I believe in the power of daily affirmations. I first used them a number of years ago to increase my income and it worked. My income shot up 40% that year.
I do not believe that reciting affirmations alone will move the needle. You must have the commitment to your goals in the first place and take appropriate action to move forward.
Try them and adapt to your needs.
Video included.
The Art Biz ep. 180: Affirmations for Artists to Keep You Motivated Read
If you’ve ever wished you had help with your art business, this episode is for you.
Hallie Edlund, a virtual assistant for artists, talks with me about how she helps artists with social media and their websites, how she uses A.I., and her unique system of keeping everything for her clients in Gmail folders.
From her new Instagram course for artists, Hallie also shares tips and trends for that platform.
Hiring an assistant for the sake of hiring an assistant is just asking for trouble.
You must be very careful about the hiring process and who you let into your studio and office.
I wrote this article immediately upon hiring my first employee, with tips for how I made it happen.
How to Hire An Assistant to Help with Your Art Business Read
You are absolutely right to do whatever you can, legally and within reason, to protect your intellectual property (your art).
But what I can’t seem to reconcile is when artists aren’t taking precautionary steps to claim ownership in the first place.
I’m talking about giving yourself credit whenever and wherever you show your art—with your name and a complete credit line—even on Instagram.
Checklist for Crediting Your Art Read
We are each unique in our gifts and our approach to life and business.
What works for one artist might not be *just* a bad idea for another—it could also be a huge waste of time. Or even damaging.
Since learning Human Design, I’ve changed much of my approach to teaching and coaching to reflect the differences among artists—differences that they were born with. I wanted to share this tool with you.
The Art Biz ep. 178: Every Artist Is Designed Differently and What It Means with Jahje Ives Read
Two things are clear when it comes to pricing.
First, it’s a struggle for most artists. And, second, there’s a good chance that your prices are too low.
The difficulty with pricing art is legendary. You’re not the only one who doesn’t have it all figured out.
Fear not! In this post and podcast episode, I give you 5 reasons to raise your prices and then thoughts on how to do it.
The Art Biz ep. 177: Why You Should Raise the Prices of Your Art and How to Do It Read
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