Blog - Art Biz Success

January 13, 2022 | Alyson Stanfield

Risk, Rejection, and Resilience with Christine Aaron

Memory project art installation artist Christine Aaron | on Art Biz Success

You’re going to make mistakes. You will absolutely make the “wrong” decisions from time to time. And you’re going to be rejected from shows and opportunities. Count on them. Prepare for them. You’ll survive.

You may be a bit black and blue. But you’ll use courage muscles you never had before.

You’ll become more and more resilient every time you take a risk that doesn’t work out as you had intended. You’ll bounce back. And you’ll be stronger for it in the long run. Promise. Listen to how this plays out for Christine Aaron.

December 30, 2021 | Art Biz Success Team

Self-Care for Caregiving Artists with Shimoda Donna Emanuel

fiber art Shimoda Emanuel | on Art Biz Success

How do you take care of yourself when so many others are demanding your attention? Whether it’s kids or older adults, you feel a sense of obligation. And you truly want to help. But you’re no good for others if you aren’t in good shape for yourself.

In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Shimoda Donna Emmanuel. Shimoda has been the caregiver in her family, primarily for her mother Izola who recently passed after living with Alzheimer’s, but also for an ailing sister. Her book, Sacred Stitches: The Art of Care Giving, has tips for stitching yourself together when caring for someone else. We discuss her routine, how she keeps her home to maintain a high vibration, tools she uses to de-stress and to stay calm, and how gratitudes and “the rage dance” fit into all of this.

December 16, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

Leaning Into Creativity in Times of Pain with Rich Simmons

Street mural rooftop romance artist Rich Simmons | on Art Biz Success

We need art. Some of us need it more than others. For some of us, it’s as necessary as the air we breathe. Rich Simmons insists that art saved his life. Rich has struggled with depression and was eventually diagnosed with Aspergers. The realization that making art could make him feel better was life changing, and he wanted other people to know about this. In 2008 he started Art Is The Cure to inspire people to turn to creativity in times of pain.

December 9, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

Focusing on Self-Care to Increase Productivity with Maria Coryell Martin

Watercolor painting guillemot eggs artist Maria Coryell Martin | on Art Biz Success

You can’t focus on your work if you are unwell or not taking care of yourself. In this interview I talk with Maria Coryell-Martin, a busy mom with a thriving art career and companion business that supports her family. With all she has going on, Maria makes time for activities that help her maintain her energy.

December 3, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

My Famous Eggnog Recipe

Cheers to those who look forward my recipe for Bert’s Eggnog each year! I’m a little like Susan Stamberg who annually recites her cranberry relish recipe on NPR and, despite its ghastly Pepto-Bismol coloring, swears it’s delicious. (I’ve had it and beg to differ!) Anyhoo . . . I PROMISE my eggnog recipe is the nectar of the gods and goddesses.

November 22, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

Why Artists Should Embrace Galleries

Virginia Folkestad Exhibition at Sandra Phillips Gallery in Denver | on Art Biz Success

The way we promote, sell, and buy art is rapidly changing, but there are still many good reasons to consider gallery representation. Here’s a list to remind you of the upside of working with a gallery. . . . A gallerist acts as your agent. A good gallery will be your advocate and business partner. They will work to manage your career and help you raise your status and prices.

November 18, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

An Unusual Path to Finding Art Commissions with Leisa Collins

Independence Hall painting artist Leisa Collins | on Art Biz Success

A lot of artists make a good living, or at least a significant part of their income, from commissions. You know how it goes. Someone approaches you to repeat that piece you’ve already sold, but they’d like it in more neutral shades, 40% larger, and vertical instead of horizontal. Don’t judge.

Or they want a drawing of their beloved pet, and you consider yourself an abstract artist. Leave the pets to Sema Martin who, in episode 68 of The Art Biz, walked us through the exact steps she repeats for each commission—steps that ensure she stays organized and meets her deadlines.

What would happen if you turned the whole commission process on its head? If you got to make whatever you wanted and found the perfect buyer in advance?

In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Leisa Collins, who started her art business by targeting people whose homes she wanted to paint. Her attempt at the flyer-on-the-doorstep thing was met with crickets, save for some abusive language by one recipient.

Then she got more specific and went to direct mail. That’s when her career as a house portraitist took off. To date she has painted more than 2,500 house portraits and has a waiting list for commissions. She no longer has to send direct mail, but maintains that the personal relationships with clients are paramount.

I’ll let Leisa explain how she did it. She’ll also share her quest across the country to paint a house in all 50 states, that following up with prospects results in 85% more sales for her, and how she has partnered with realtors to provide closing gifts for their clients.

November 11, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

Lessons from a Wildly Successful Pop-up Art Gallery Event with Mai Wyn Schantz

oil painting deer and blue bird artist Mai Wyn Schantz | on Art Biz Success

So many art venues shut down during the pandemic.

Many of them undoubtedly mourned not only what might have been, but also the fact that there wasn’t an opportunity for closure.

My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Mai Wyn Schantz, artist and former gallerist. When she shuttered her gallery at the beginning of Covid, Mai Wyn was thrilled to be able to spend more time with her daughter.

But she hated to lose the relationships she had build over the years as the gallerist overseeing her eponymous space. Not only the relationships with her artists, but also the relationships with loyal collectors.

She needed closure, and she was determined to do right by her artists.

As soon as she felt it was safe, Mai Wyn organized a pop-up farewell exhibition with her artists. Her goal was to break even, which, as you’ll hear, was far too conservative a goal. Her “little” pop-up was more successful than she dreamed of.

The success of the event is due to Mai Wyn’s determination and commitment to the relationships she has nurtured throughout the years.

We discuss: the timing of the pop-up, the details for pulling it off, including the space she worked with, and what she learned from the experience. Mai Wyn is quite open about at least 3 things she would do differently next time. And they’re BIG important things.

November 4, 2021 | Alyson Stanfield

Boldly Reaching Out to Art World Influencers with Laurence de Valmy

Laurence de Valmy Painting on Art Biz Success

People. You need them.

You need people to buy your art, people to show your art to, people to attend your shows, people to write about your work, and, let’s face it, you need people to support you emotionally along the way.

You need other artists around who “get” you. It’s in these friendships that you will find understanding as well as ideas that challenge you to be a better artist.

The relationships you nurture can sustain you, but you’ll never know to what extent until you start taking them seriously. Until you believe with all of your soul that you can’t do this on your own.

This month on The Art Biz podcast, we’re emphasizing the value of 1-on-1 marketing. I almost hate to call it marketing because it’s really about building authentic relationships. Relationships with other artists, gallerists, writers, curators, buyers, students, collectors, and agency administrators.

Let me just say that you aren’t alone if this type of personal relationship building doesn’t come easily to you. Many of us were born without that gene, and if this is true for you, it’s not too late. It’s a skill that can be practiced and improved upon over time.

As I said back in episode 107, the not-so-secret secret to higher level growth for artists is in personalizing your marketing. Really caring about humans and having private interactions rather than broadcasting to social media or a large list all of the time.

But what do you do if you move to a new place and don’t know anyone? Or if you’re just getting started? Where do you begin?

In this episode I talk with Laurence de Valmy about how she has used her bonus talent as a writer to make connections in all arenas of the art world. It all started with the thought that there were people out there who knew more about how to “be” an artist than she did. She trusted that she could learn from them. Even if you aren’t a writer, I think you’ll be inspired by her boldness and creativity.