Get your work in front of more people. In more places. With more intention.
OPEN DOORS: ESSENTIALS
May—August 2026
The information you need to run an art business is everywhere. Books, courses, podcasts, AI … You can find whatever you need if you ask the right question.
What’s missing is someone to help you act on it. To help you prioritize, guide your decisions, and create the structure to move forward.
That’s what I created Essentials to do.
Information alone doesn’t get you unstuck. In fact, all that is available at your fingertips can be overwhelming and it won’t tell you what to do next in your art business.
Essentials gives you a rhythm, a focus, and the guidance to act on what you already know.
FROM SCATTERED TO STRATEGIC
You’re not starting from scratch—you’ve already put in work.
But without the right structure and support, it’s easy to get stuck in cycles of overthinking, reacting, or falling behind.
Here’s what can shift when you have clear focus, expert guidance, and a rhythm that actually works.
From: Too many ideas, no clear priorities
To: Seasonal planning to guide your next steps
From: Working in isolation and second-guessing every step
To: Steady support from a coach and community of intentional artists
From: Knowing you should reach out but never quite getting around to it
To: A season of practices that turn good intentions into action
From: Feeling like the business is pulling you away from your art
To: A business that supports your art, instead of competing with it
You'll feel at home here if ...
You want your art business to reflect the seriousness of your studio practice
You know you should be reaching out to venues and collectors, but you keep putting it off
You value structure and strategy — and also need space to stay creative
You’re ready to get your work in front of more people and want a structure that makes it happen
You’re looking for a thoughtful, supportive community of ambitious artists
Meet a few of our artists building businesses that support their creative work.
Getting your work in front of more people doesn't require a grand strategy. It requires consistent, intentional action — and someone in your corner while you do it.
MAY — AUGUST 2026
This season inside Essentials, we’re focused on Open Doors.
This season builds on our recent work in Steady Confidence — and turns it outward. Now it’s time to open your work to more people, in more places, with more intention.
Rather than adding more to your plate, Open Doors asks you to act on what’s already there: the venues you haven’t considered, the collectors you’ve lost touch with, the follow-ups you keep meaning to send, the conversations you haven’t started yet.
During our season together, you’ll move through:
- Inviting (May): Open your doors before you feel ready
- Tending (June): Give your best attention to the relationships already in your corner
- Completing (July): Close the loops you’ve left open
- Extending (August): Reach further—into new venues, new conversations, new people
Each month, the door opens a little wider.
Here's what you'll find inside Open Doors: Essentials ...
BEYOND WHITE WALLS WORKSHOP
Explore and evaluate alternative venues for showing and selling your art, and learn how to open doors using the attraction mindset. May 7.
MONTHLY INTEGRATION CIRCLES
Gather with other members and me to reflect, deepen, and get your questions answered.
LEARNING MODULES
Fill in the holes of knowledge with selected modules from the Art Biz Success vault of lessons.
INTIMATE, NO-FLUFF COMMUNITY FORUM
Find thoughtful connection and needed feedback with other artists who are all in.
EXTRA LIVE SUPPORT
Accomplish your top priorities with the help of additional community gatherings throughout the month.
WEEKLY PROGRESS REPORTS
Get gentle accountability and celebrate your progress within our community forum, every week.
2 Ways to Pay
EASY MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/mo for 4 months
($448 total)
PAY IN FULL
$397
~ save $51 ~
Wanna see more details? Email us for a schedule.
BONUS: AI Partner for Venue Inquiries
Reaching out to a new venue is one of those tasks that’s easy to put off. What do you say? How do you say it without sounding generic?
Your bonus this season is a set of custom prompts designed to help you personalize your venue inquiry emails — so they sound like you, not like a template. Use them alongside the three inquiry email templates in your Companion Guide to open doors with confidence.
You have changed my life in so many ways. You have helped me build my confidence as an artist and to go after what I want.
I have found that Essentials is exactly what I have needed. I am relearning the basics, updating my systems, meeting other artists, and learning about new elements that are important for my business.
Essentials is teaching me how to combine my art and business and to enjoy both.
I can't tell you how valuable I have found the work to be thus far in Essentials.
I feel like I have such clarity right now on a personal level, and of course, that fuels the art.
I just wanted to reach out and say thanks for all that you do! I'm very happy to be part of the community!
I should have started working with you and your Art Biz Success program years ago. I thought I was ready to sell work, but couldn’t put the pieces in order by myself.
While I’m sometimes overwhelmed by the generous material you share, I know that I’ll get there as long as I continue taking baby steps.
You’ll make real progress getting your work in front of more people — through clearer outreach, stronger relationships, and a habit of following through.
Nope. You just need to have a committed studio practice and be serious about building it into a profitable business.
You don’t need to “do it all” to benefit. ESSENTIALS is structured to support consistent progress, even in a busy life.
Many artists build momentum in just a few hours a week. Just keep in mind that there are no fluff assignments. The suggested practices are all things that artists with businesses should be addressing anyway.
Most live sessions are recorded, and the core content is available on-demand. You can watch or rewatch when it works for you—and you’ll always have access to the community for support.
*Coworking sessions and any breakout groups are not recorded.
While private coaching isn’t included in ESSENTIALS, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and get guidance in our live calls and community.
I’m active in our space and here to help you get unstuck.
I also offer private consultations to my students for an additional fee. Just ask!
Yes! You didn’t imagine that, but there is no longer a 1-year option.
Absolutely!
If you find the program isn’t right for you, you can request a refund within the first 3 weeks. No pressure, no hard feelings.
What You'll Focus On and How It Helps
- Identify the venues where your work belongs and make a plan to actually approach them
- Reconnect with the collectors and supporters already in your corner, with intention, not just through broadcasting
- Close the loops you’ve been putting off: the follow-ups, the evaluations, the conversations that have been waiting
- Extend your reach to new people and places with the confidence that comes from having done the work
- Follow through more often because structure and accountability help you finish what you start
- Connect with a committed community of artists so you feel seen, supported, and never alone in this work
“What if this turns into another thing I don’t finish?”
Essentials was designed with that fear in mind.
We keep the rhythm simple, flexible, and grounded in real life. And here’s something I say often: There is no such thing as being behind. You can always re-enter, reconnect, and keep going.
As long as you are learning, implementing, and moving forward, you’re making progress. That’s all you can ask of yourself.
"
I’m so grateful for this Essentials program!!
By the third week, I came to understand my aspirations as an artist, which has led to clarity and focus.
Being exposed to all the valuable information in your learning center has loosened up my brain, and I’m beginning to see opportunities where before I didn’t.
ANYA ADENDORFF
You have big dreams, and I want to help you realize them.
But success doesn’t happen overnight. It comes one step at a time, through small, thoughtful action and real support.
Essentials gives you the structure, rhythm, and encouragement to move forward in a way that honors your art and your energy.
What you learn and implement in Essentials is something you’ll carry with you for a lifetime.
I’m Alyson Stanfield, and I’ve spent more than 20 years helping artists build businesses that support their creative work — through my book, The Art Biz podcast, and programs like Essentials. Getting your work in front of the right people is something I’ve helped hundreds of artists do.
If you’re ready, I’d love to help you do it too.
Ready to open more doors for your art?
Everything here is designed to support your art business from May through August:
- A season-long focus on getting your work in front of more people, in more places
- Weekly practices and monthly Integration Circles to keep you moving
- A structure for consistent follow-through — without burnout
- Learning modules drawn from the Art Biz Success vault, curated for this season’s work
- A no-fluff community of artists who are in it with you
- The AI Partner bonus to help you reach out to venues with confidence
📧 Please email us with any questions or just to say Hi. Reference “Essentials” in your subject line please.