Why Artists Should Embrace Galleries
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.
The Art Biz ep. 107: Personalizing Your Marketing to Improve Results
We’re all about the quest for more followers, more likes, more shares, more views, and more comments these days. It feels good when more people respond to your art because, as I’ve said for too long to remember, art is a form of communication. It’s the means you use to share your ideas … your soul … with the world. You can say your art is a form of self-expression and you might be right.
The Art Biz ep. 102: Who Are The People On Your List and What Are They Doing There?
I want to make sure you understand just how important a mailing list is. Your mailing list is the #1 marketing asset in your art business, but only if you continue to develop it and keep it warm.
The Art Biz ep. 100: Qualities and Tools That Lead to Achievements Worth Celebrating
When I started thinking about the 100th episode of The Art Biz podcast, I had very little enthusiasm around marking the milestone. The podcast exists to talk about artists’ challenges and the strategies they use to improve their results.
Celebrating 100 episodes didn’t seem aligned with that mission.
Fortunately, my good friend Cynthia Morris helped me find the lesson in this occasion that would help you. Cynthia is a rock star coach and podcast host herself who was the guest on the first two episodes of the podcast. In this episode, she says:
And I think that what I’ve seen in the people that I’ve worked with is when we don’t acknowledge the milestones—when we don’t pause to savor and appreciate and see what we did that brought us here—we really lose out on a lot of the benefits that we’ve accrued in the course of making our way to that milestone. It’s almost like running past the finish line and not high-fiving the people.
I agreed:
I do know how important it is to see that you’re making progress. And every milestone shows you that you are making progress. I know how hard it is to look at to-do lists (without the DONE list) and see what you haven’t done.
More than just a self-congratulatory episode, together we discuss the value of acknowledging your progress, however imperfect it may be. We share what it takes to do the work, create the content, and develop the tenacity that results in milestones worth celebrating.
It’s not unlike the tenacity it takes you to make your art and run a business. Listen to see if you agree.
The Art Biz ep. 99: A Realistic Strategy for Increasing Your Income
Don’t be content to break even when running an art business. You need money to survive and shouldn’t be ashamed to admit it. Everyone needs an income to put a roof over their heads and food on the table.
That means you need to make a profit. You need for your expenses to be lower—far lower—than your income.
One of the best things you can do to improve your chance of success in any area is to create a plan. If you’d like to make more money—especially if you’re trying to make a living from your art—you need an income-accelerating plan.
I’m going to tell you exactly what that looks like and how to go through the process. I think it’s helpful to start with an income-accelerating plan before you make other plans. It helps to know how much you need and want to make and then you can select the projects to support that goal.
If you’ve been listening awhile, you know that one of my super powers is to help artists make plans. It’s not affordable for most artists to hire me to walk them through the planning process. But you can make a business plan customized to your own goals during my Artist Planning Sessions, which are very affordable.
So what if you’re hyper focused on profitability and need that income-boosting plan before you join me in the planning sessions. How do you do it?
I developed a process that we use in my programs called, conveniently, the Income Accelerator. We actually make a plan to increase income.
I know what you’re thinking because I’ve heard it many times before. It goes something like this: How can I plan for more money when I don’t know when my art will sell or who will buy it?
I get it. You make a plan because you’re the CEO of your art business and that’s what CEOs do. They make business projections. They have to in order to attract buy-in to their products and services.
While you don’t have any control over results, you do have control over the actions you take (or don’t take) to get the results. Take charge, like I said back in episode 96. Be the CEO of your art business and of your life.
Here are the 4 Steps to accelerate your income.
The Art Biz ep. 96: Ensuring a Profitable Art Business
Are you seeking a profitable art business?
This is the Art BIZ Podcast on the blog at Art BIZ Success. I assume that, if you’re listening, you are interested in an art business, not just an art hobby.
There’s nothing at all wrong with art hobbies. I highly recommend them. But it’s a whole new ballgame when you turn your art into a business. When you begin asking for money in exchange for your talent.
I want to talk about being a profitable artist. What it takes to not just make and sell art, but to also make money. To ensure that you have a positive net income in your art business. Stick with me.
I’ve talked with many artists who try to make a little money here and there, and then find they no longer enjoy making art after trying to sell it. The pressure to make money in a business is real.
Businesses, by definition, seek profit. Breaking even with the numbers can only work for so long. If you’re claiming deductions on a business here in the U.S., the IRS is going to come after you if you continue to operate at a loss. See the “hobby loss” rule for the details and talk with your accountant. Look for similar rules if you are outside our borders.
As I said, this episode isn’t for hobbyists. It’s for you if you are ready to step up and be the boss of your art business. To be the CEO.
The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is the person at the top of a company’s hierarchy. The buck ultimately stops with the CEO.
You must BE the CEO of your art business. Because, like it or not, that’s exactly what you are.
Let’s break down what that means.
