Art Business Practices Archives

The Art Biz ep. 59: My Best Practices for Working with an Assistant

Four and a half years ago I hired the best assistant I have ever had at Art Biz Success. She has been loyal, prompt, 200% dependable, and absolutely indispensable.

She was 21 years old at the time—about to turn 22—and had just graduated early from college.

I hit the jackpot.

In this episode of the Art Biz Podcast, I tell you exactly how I hired the perfect person for my business at the time. I also going to give you the steps I put in place to make sure that we maintained a good relationship and that, above all, she enjoyed her position.

I’ll touch on the hiring process, setting up an assistant for success, working together, and keeping her happy.

I’ll also share my mistakes. I’m sure there are more that I’m unaware of, but I can tell you about those I know.

I’ll be getting a little vulnerable and a lot sentimental. I’m sharing the story because I don’t know of a single artist who wouldn’t like a little more help with their business. Perhaps you’ll benefit from my experience.

I’ll start at the beginning, when I first began looking for a new assistant in early 2016.

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Similar works are distinguished by titles, such as these in Jane Guthrie’s exhibition.

How to Find Anything When You Need It

I subscribe to the theory that less clutter and a more organized mind and workspace mean more room for creativity.

How can you make really good art when you’re worried about where you stored the image the reporter is requesting or wondering what you did with that exhibition contract that’s due tomorrow?

The solution to this problem might be as simple as how you name things.

Naming Conventions in Your Art Business

I suggest using these five naming tips to help you find anything when you need it.

1. Title your artworks.

Titling your art differentiates this piece from that piece. This keeps you sane whether you’re trying to identify a piece for someone, organizing numerous works for an exhibit, or updating your inventory records.

Titling isn’t just for you, it’s also helpful to collectors and writers who want to refer to your art.

Referring to the piece titled Tense Moments is much easier than calling it “the one that’s mostly orange with a little green line about one-third of the way down” or “the fourth one from the top.”

2. Title your exhibitions.

Like the titles of your art, the titles of your exhibitions

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Overcome Decision Fatigue by Automating and Systematizing

Every day takes too much thought. – Gwen Meharg

Gwen left this comment in our Art Career Success System private group. I was struck by her insight because I had been reading about this at the time. “Decision fatigue” is a real phenomenon in contemporary society.

According to researchers, we make over 200 decisions per day about food alone. Just food decisions! I don’t know about you, but all of these decisions wear me out.

As an example, I spent 3 months last fall researching espresso machines – dreaming of holding the perfect cup of coffee while still in my jammies. But I could never click the button to buy.

My husband took me out of my misery. He decided on one, bought it, wrapped it, and put it under the tree. Best. Gift. Ever. No decision (on my part) was required.

Don’t get me started on making travel reservations. I can’t stand to make plane reservations or to find a hotel. What if I book “the wrong” flight or land at the wrong airport? Don’t laugh. I recently did this when I was confused about a small airport name, and it cost me a lot of extra driving time.

I contend that we’re happier when

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Handwritten Thank-You Notes for Artists

You can set yourself apart from other artists by sending handwritten thank-you notes using real mail.

Every Thanksgiving I try to write something about gratitude. This year I want to remind you of the value of writing a note, addressing an envelope, attaching a stamp, and sticking it in the mail.

My friend Cynthia likes to say that a handwritten note in the mail “blows people away.” It’s true.

Aren’t you delighted when you fish out a personal letter from a pile of junk mail?

And isn’t it always the first thing you open and read?

You do this because you know that someone went to great effort to send real mail.

And it looks infinitely more interesting than

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Productivity for Artists Isn’t About Doing More

Productivity for artists doesn’t mean that you work harder or take on more than you can handle. It means that you work smarter—that you use your time wisely.

If you want to be a more productive artist, you must embrace your role as the CEO of your art business. In that capacity, you understand that every decision you make impacts your income, influence, and legacy. Every decision.

When you are productive … when you are fully in charge of your art business … you know which tasks are most important and which can wait.

A Productive Artist’s Profile

Before I get too deep into this topic, I have to fess up to having more than my fair share of unproductive days. My productivity seems to come in cycles. Maybe it’s the change of seasons or the promise of the New Year, but, lately, my productivity has soared.

I am still trying to figure out the productivity puzzle. I read plenty about the topic. I listen to productivity podcasts. I, like you, want the secret sauce that will help me eke out one or two more tasks in a day. (I’ve also discovered that one can, ironically, be incredibly unproductive while researching productivity.)

I’m in the process of holding individual video conferences with every single member of my coaching programs to reflect on their year with us. After asking about their accomplishments, I want to know about the challenges they continue to face.

Those who have been working with us longer have higher level and focused challenges. Those who are newer consistently list time (lack thereof) and prioritizing as their biggest challenges.

You are not alone in your drive to become a more productive artist. But the good news is, it’s a skill you can learn.

How You Spend Your Time is a Reflection of Your Priorities

Becoming more productive is a process you need to put in place and, here’s the clincher, follow for months and years. You must be committed to the process, and you won’t be unless you’re also committed to your art business and career.

You get to choose how to spend your time, and how you spend your time reveals what you prioritize in life.

How you spend your time tells the rest of the world what is important to you.

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5 Timelines To Help You Plan

Timelines are invaluable for planning your art business and marketing. They provide a structure for you to build upon so that you don’t have to start from scratch.

Regardless of how much or little you have going on, timelines help you sleep better at night since you know you have all of your bases covered.

I created five timelines to help.

1. Timeline for Publishing a Blog Post or Artist Newsletter

Publishing is a process. Nobody writes a publishable article on the first draft. Even seasoned writers need plenty of time and space, so give yourself a break and acknowledge the amount of time you need.

Schedule your writing and editing time wisely.

Ongoing :: Gather content ideas. Don your journalist cap and be on the lookout for things to write about.
1 Week out :: Write your first draft.
2 Days before publishing :: Edit your draft.
1 Day before publishing :: Do your final edit. Schedule your post or email for delivery.
Publishing day :: Share on social media.

2. Timeline for Designing Your Artist Website

ASAP :: Interview and hire a designer. Designers have lots of other clients and need to squeeze you into their calendars. Simultaneously, begin researching sites so that you know what you want and like.

The schedule below is an example. You will need to agree with your designer on deadlines and adhere to them. Once you miss a deadline, the designer will move on to another client and put you at the back of the queue.

2-3 Months from launch ::

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Why You Need a Sense of Urgency in Your Art Business

A number of years ago, I attended a mastermind meeting that had a consistent theme running through it.

The most successful people have a sense of urgency.

I believe this to be true because those I view as successful act quickly and decisively. They hustle. They get things done.

If we take it at face value, the phrase sense of urgency seems turbulent. It sounds like we should be moving hastily and acting immediately on ideas without much thought or care for anything else.

It’s Not Really About Hurrying

As I read more about a sense of urgency as it relates to business, I discover that it’s not necessarily about hurrying.

John Kotter, who wrote the book A Sense of Urgency, says the following.

True urgency focuses on critical issues. It is driven by the deep determination to win, not anxiety about losing. Many people confuse it with false urgency. This misguided sense of urgency does have energized action, but it has a frantic aspect to it with people driven by anxiety and fear. This dysfunctional orientation prevents people from exploiting opportunities and addressing real issues.

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A Blueprint for Producing Your Artist Newsletter

If you’ve had Write Newsletter on your task list for too long, it might be because you haven’t identified the individual components that will be required for the process to be successful.

Producing an artist newsletter is a project that consists of multiple tasks in order to complete. Writing is only one part of the newsletter process, and even the writing can be broken down into multiple stages.

You will always get stuck when you see a project on your to-do list rather than single tasks.

For more than 16 years I produced a weekly newsletter without skipping an issue for any reason. We’ve had the current system (of multiple tasks) in place for many years, so it’s a well-greased machine. I thought hearing about how we’ve made it work at Art Biz Success might help you create a blueprint for your newsletter process.

Here are the basic steps.

Dedicate a place for storing and adding to content ideas.
Make sure your writing time is defined and organized for maximum focus.
Allow time to rewrite and edit.
Send your artist newsletter draft to someone else to proofread it.
Design the newsletter and send a test to yourself and your proofreader before scheduling it.
Be available immediately after the newsletter is sent.

Before you click Read More, a word of caution. Yes, I have a team that works with me, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t. This process can still work for you because, regardless of whether you have help or do it on your own, you need to work through all of these steps.

A Blueprint for Producing Your Artist Newsletter Read

Break the Rules

There’s something to be said for being blissfully ignorant about the way things are “supposed” to be done.

If I had read that it takes most businesses at least three years of consistent work and marketing to get off the ground, I’m not sure I would have left my safe job at the museum.

If I had waited to discover directions for leading an online class, I never would have started teaching my own back in 2003. I didn’t know of a model for online classes at the time, so I made it up.

There are no official rules for one’s art career, but there are precedents. Plenty of resources offer guidelines, including my own book, blog, and online programs.

These unofficial rules might include the following topics:

How to put together a portfolio
How to approach a gallery
How to write an artist statement
How to organize your website

There’s nothing wrong with knowing these things, but, in order to innovate, you must ignore the rules and forge your own path. You have to experiment.

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A Framework for Accepting Art Commissions

Whether you accept commissions for portraits (houses, people, pets), funerary urns, custom jewelry, or garden sculpture, you encounter situations that other artists don’t.

Commissioned artists must meet with patrons, communicate throughout the process, figure out payment schedules, and create documents that outline terms to the clients. All of this on top of making the client happy.

Commissions aren’t for everyone, which means there is plenty of room for artists who enjoy and are good at them. If you are one of those artists, follow these 8 steps to land more of them.

8 Steps for Landing Art Commissions

1. Add a prominent link for commissions on your website.

Include steps for commissioning a piece and testimonials from happy patrons alongside images of the finished work.

2. Provide at least two ways to contact you.

See that your marketing materials, including your website, have both an email address and a phone number. According to Matt Oechsli, the affluent prefer phone to email.

At least one artist has lost an opportunity for a mural commission because she didn’t have a phone number on her site and her email was down. How do I know? Because I was the person looking for an artist to help a neighbor with her project.

3. Understand your pricing structure.

Commissioned artwork should be priced higher than your other work because you are trying to meet someone else’s expectations.

Some artists charge as much as

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Art Business Practices