Elevate your marketing, reinforce your business foundation, and implement systems that ensure your art career thrives.
ESSENTIALS for Artist Success
Welcome to ESSENTIALS, my premier business-building and art-marketing program designed to elevate your career with proven strategies and dedicated support.
This program is the culmination of years of experience in the art world and ongoing research into what truly works for artists today.
Through ESSENTIALS, you’ll gain actionable strategies, team coaching, and a vibrant community of like-minded artists—all focused on helping you refine your marketing, establish (or highlight) your professionalism, and amplify your visibility.
I’m here to guide you every step of the way and ensure you have the tools, insights, and encouragement to thrive as an artist.
Is it right for you?
ESSENTIALS is designed for beginning and emerging artists, as well as those looking to reignite their art business.
It’s perfect if you’ve been neglecting your business, are exploring a new direction, or feel it’s time to rethink your marketing strategies to better align with your goals.
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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.
ALEX SAX
Our focus through April 2025 is GETTING ORGANIZED WITH BUSINESS SYSTEMS: building structures that enable faster, smarter, and more profitable decisions.
From May to August 2025 we will create and then implement a content plan in FLOURISHING ONLINE.
See our month-by-month schedule below.
for Peace of Mind
ESSENTIALS for Artist Success isn’t for everyone, and I don’t want to waste your time and money, but it could be exactly what you need if …
- You’d benefit from a structured approach to learning more about growing your art business.
- You’ve been dabbling with marketing strategies but lack consistency and feel it’s time for a reboot.
- You don’t have reliable business systems in place to support your ambitions.
- You’re struggling to carve out time to plan for better show opportunities or to boost your sale
I know a comprehensive program like this sounds like a big commitment—and it is.
It’s a commitment to your vision and the future you want for your art and your life.
If you feel ready to do it alone, there’s no pressure from me. But my goal is to help you make far more progress—and do it faster—than you would on your own.
With our tools and processes, you will ...
- Refine your professional image so you feel confident sharing your work and reaching your audience.
- Improve your art marketing in a way that allows you to share your work comfortably and authentically.
- Strengthen your business foundation to make decisions with clarity and confidence.
- Develop business systems that support both your personal and professional growth.
- Expand your professional network because your greatest opportunities often come from the relationships you nurture.
- Discover and create new opportunities for showing, selling, and teaching—because success is an ongoing journey.
Find clarity and confidence.
My 4 Core Beliefs for Art Business Success
These guiding principles shape the way I advise artists. These aren’t just casual suggestions or passing ideas. They are the bedrock of everything I do. They’ve been tested over time, refined through years of working with artists, and proven essential to building a thriving art career.
- The Art Must Come First
- Your Art Doesn’t Speak for Itself—You Must Learn to Communicate Clearly About It
- Your Network is Your #1 Marketing Asset
- Business Systems Help You Grow Faster, Save Time, and Elevate Your Professionalism
Your 1 year begins whenever you enroll, which might be in the middle of a season. If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with us!
OPTION 1: PAY IN FULL
Just $1200 for the whole year
Paying in full immediately unlocks the contents of our vast vault of lessons.
OPTION 2: MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/month for 12 months
$1344 total. Gives you access to our current season with full access by the end of your year.
A peek at what is included in Essentials.
3 MULTI-DAY PLANNING WORKSHOPS
Your learning experience includes 3 multi-day planning workshops throughout the year: May, September, and January.
This time is just for you to focus on building and expanding your business rather than staying busy in your business.
Use this time to home in on what you want to accomplish over the next few months.
value: $300
12 LIVE LABS
We know that it’s hard to make yourself show up for on-demand learning and then implement what you learn on your own. The accountability from live sessions are the primary reason to sign up for this year-long training. Your questions and challenges are addressed in these 12 labs that follow a curriculum and support the learning modules.
Labs are held monthly. Sessions last 60-90 minutes and begin at 4pm Eastern (New York)
value: $1200
90+ ON-DEMAND LEARNING MODULES
The resources we provide are comprehensive and can feel overwhelming at first, but we’ve designed them to be manageable and actionable. Your year revolves around focused themes that address the areas of your business requiring regular attention, helping you stay on track. Additional lessons are always available for you to access when needed—even if we’re not concentrating on that topic as a group.
value: $1690
The Essentials program gives you exclusive access to my complete library of
proven art marketing strategies and tools
designed to elevate your career.
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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.
KATHY ELLIOTT
You also get ...
NO-FLUFF COMMUNITY FORUM
Twelve months membership in the Art Biz Connection, where members actively engage with one another in our forum hosted by Mighty Networks. My team and I facilitate regular discussions that help you consider what is possible in your art business and life.
EXTRA LIVE SUPPORT
Live Zoom sessions with artist mentor Suzanne Gibbs and with myself to discuss the challenges and strategies around mindset, productivity, and making.
On the calendar of events these are noted as Studio Talk, Get It Done Day, Huddle, or Coworking. Dates and times of our live gatherings vary.
value: $480
Download the info packet to see the preliminary schedule.
You don’t have to do this alone.
I will be your art business coach
for the entire year.
Hi. I'm Alyson Stanfield.
I’m the author of I’d Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion, the leader of Art Biz Connection community for ambitious and intentional artists, and the host of The Art Biz podcast.
I love working with artists who embrace a growth mindset and challenge themselves with increasingly prestigious goals.
One of my superpowers is helping artists create systems that will make their businesses run smoothly: systems for planning, creating content, networking, following up, and more.
In case you missed them above, these 4 core beliefs guide all of my work with artists:
- The Art Must Come First
- Your Art Doesn’t Speak for Itself—You Must Learn to Communicate Clearly About It
- Your Network is Your #1 Marketing Asset
- Business Systems Help You Grow Faster, Save Time, and Elevate Your Professionalism
I can’t wait to get to know you better!
Our focus through April 2025 is GETTING ORGANIZED WITH BUSINESS SYSTEMS.
Then, from May to August 2025 we will organize and implement your thoughts and ideas into a content plan in FLOURISHING ONLINE.
See our month-by-month schedule below.
You can start immediately.
Your 1 year begins whenever you enroll, which might be in the middle of a season. If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with us!
OPTION 1: PAY IN FULL
Just $1200 for the whole year
Paying in full immediately unlocks the contents of our vast vault of lessons.
OPTION 2: MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/month for 12 months
$1344 total. Gives you access to our current season with full access by the end of your year.
through April 2025
ESSENTIALS for Getting Organized with Business Systems
May—August 2025
ESSENTIALS for Flourishing Online
September—December 2025
ESSENTIALS for Profitable Positioning
ESSENTIALS is structured around seasonal focus areas that you can apply to any project, no matter where you are in your career.
The strategies and tools you learn in ESSENTIALS are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing you to use them repeatedly in your art marketing and as you continue to grow as an artist.
Supporting Your Professional Growth & Personal Well-Being
April 16
It’s springtime here in the Northern Hemisphere—a time for renewal.
After months of laying a foundation and building systems, this month invites you to declutter the physical and digital aspects of your business. By clearing out what no longer serves you, you’ll create space for new opportunities and fresh energy.
Opening this “door to peace” allows you to step into a lighter, more organized future, where your business runs smoothly and leaves you free to focus on your creative vision.
- Empty your inbox for a fresh start.
- Conquer piles and files that you’ve been neglecting far too long.
MAY—AUGUST 2025
Select any toggle arrow > for details.
May 20
We begin the season by reinforcing your online foundation—your website. This is your digital home base and must reflect your professionalism and clarity.
- Assess your website’s structure, content, and visual presentation.
- Improve navigation, mobile functionality, and clarity of calls-to-action.
- Strengthen your visibility by auditing the sites and platforms you control.
- Get an overview of the season’s lessons and highlights.
June 17
With your foundation in place, it’s time to nurture and grow your visibility. For this Lab, you’ll focus on sharing consistent content via newsletters and blogs—two platforms you control and can use to build lasting connections. You’ll also conduct an online presence audit to identify gaps and new opportunities.
- Make newsletters and blogs a natural part of your outreach.
- Evaluate your current visibility across platforms and listings.
- Refresh outdated content and clarify your message.
July 15
Between June 18 and this Lab, we’ll run the Boost & Bloom Sprint—an opportunity to generate real marketing momentum. You’ll apply what you’ve learned in a focused push to grow awareness and engage meaningfully.
You don’t need to reinvent your marketing every week. This period is for stretching the impact of your content by transforming it across formats and platforms.
- Repurpose newsletters into social posts, videos, or blog entries.
- Build a content library to reuse over time.
- Share your art stories in multiple formats without starting from scratch.
August 12
Let’s take a thoughtful look at what’s working. In preparation for this Lab, you will analyze your marketing efforts so you can make better decisions moving forward.
With a few simple metrics and mindset shifts, you’ll set yourself up for long-term growth and sustainability.
- Identify which marketing actions are worth repeating.
- Spot gaps and opportunities for improvement—including how you plan and organize your content.
- Incorporate regular review practices to guide future efforts.
- Get answers when you need them because you will have access to all of my learning modules, tools, processes, strategies, and associated resources. See FAQs for more about how access works.
- Plan during your 3 planning workshops in May, September, and January.
- Hone strategies and ask questions during monthly Labs.
- Stay focused by following our seasonal themes: your artist brand, expand your network, and explore opportunities for the future.
- Discuss studio ideas and challenges in our monthly Studio Talks.
- Conquer procrastination with the group energy of our Get It Done Days and coworking sessions.
- Connect with other devoted artists in our private Art Biz Connection community.
Is it time to do this for yourself?
Your 1 year begins whenever you enroll, which might be in the middle of a season. If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with us!
OPTION 1: PAY IN FULL
Just $1200 for the whole year
Paying in full immediately unlocks the contents of our vast vault of lessons.
OPTION 2: MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/month for 12 months
$1344 total. Gives you access to our current season with full access by the end of your year.
Download the info packet to see our preliminary schedule.
"
I can’t tell you how valuable I have found the work to be thus far in Essentials. The writing has led to many aha moments and deep insights, and not just with regard to my art. 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!
NAN DAWKINS
Will you join us?
through April 2025
ESSENTIALS for ORGANIZING YOUR BUSINESS
Start a new year by updating old systems and creating new ones that can support business growth. Disorganization leads to missed deadlines and lost opportunities. It’s time to turn that around. Automate the tedious parts of your business and streamline processes and decision-making so you can spend more time in the studio.
- Clean up your piles and files so that you can quickly find things when you need them.
- Commit to a system for projects and tasks that will keep you focused.
- Document procedures for business (and personal tasks) you will repeat.
- Create, with the help of templates, must-have forms that you will reuse. Think: contracts, email responses, commission procedures, student guidelines.
- Articulate business policies for clear boundaries that allow you to make faster decisions.
May-Aug 2025
ESSENTIALS for FLOURISHING ONLINE
Approach your online marketing as an opportunity rather than feeling compelled to do more. It’s a chance to connect with more people, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Do it your way!
- Start the season with Your Content Compass planning workshop that will give you direction for the months ahead.
- Audit your online presence to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward.
- Build a content structure so that you always have ideas for sharing (and know where you don’t need to waste your time).
- Select the online channels you want to commit to and release the pressure to be everywhere.
- Engage more confidently online by showing up with intention and consistency.
- Learn how to repurpose your content across platforms to save time and increase visibility.
- Measure what’s working (and what’s not) so you can market smarter, not harder.
Sep-Dec 2025
ESSENTIALS for PROFITABLE POSITIONING
Align how your art is presented and priced with the value it offers. Learn to communicate your worth, attract serious buyers, and make informed financial decisions. This season blends money matters with your professional image.
- Start the season with Your Profit Playbook planning workshop to clarify your financial goals and understand the numbers that support them.
- Define how your work is positioned in the marketplace so you can attract the right buyers.
- Learn how your pricing reflects your professionalism and influences how your art is perceived.
- Gain confidence in talking and writing about your art to communicate its full value.
- Identify what makes your work compelling to collectors and how to emphasize those qualities.
- Create a more cohesive and professional presentation across all of your marketing platforms and materials.
Your 1 year begins whenever you enroll, which might be in the middle of a season. If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with us!
OPTION 1: PAY IN FULL
Just $1200 for the whole year
Paying in full immediately unlocks the contents of our vast vault of lessons.
OPTION 2: MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/month for 12 months
$1344 total. Gives you access to our current season with full access by the end of your year.
Download the info packet to see our preliminary schedule.
FAQs
Includes?
Refund policy?
Access period?
Time commitment?
Personal feedback?
Includes?
- The year-long Essentials includes the entire contents of our learning center, 90+ lessons; each new season includes the learning modules specific to that topic. Pay in full to access everything immediately.
- Monthly Labs to review and discuss the learning modules. Labs are held at 3 or 4pm Eastern (New York) time and are generally 60-90 minutes.
- The year-long Essentials includes 3 live multi-day planning workshops (May, September, and January).
- Membership in our community forum with member-connecting sessions, support, and accountability for the duration of your membership.
- Download the info packet and schedule.
Refund policy?
If you are unhappy with your purchase of this online program, you may request a refund within 3 weeks of your purchase date. No questions asked.
Access period?
You have access to the recordings, transcript, and worksheets forever because you can download everything! It will all be on the learning center site until we need to take it down (it happens!), at which time you’ll be notified as long as you do not unsubscribe to our emails.
If you pay in full, you get access to everything immediately. If you pay monthly, your access to the contents of my learning center vault is unlocked as the months roll along.
You have access to our Art Biz Connection community for the duration of your paid learning program.
Time commitment?
If you’re like me, you probably want to know how much time this will take. 😉
The truth is it will take as much time as you allow. That’s why I will encourage you to create a learning plan for the class—with my guidance. Then use our weekly progress reports for accountability.
You will never be able to consume all of the learning modules, implement them, and participate in the live gatherings. Dip your toes into what is available and see what works for you.
You have to approach this as a time for learning in order for it to be beneficial. It won’t work if you just spend money and hope it’s going to rub off on you.
But I’m asking you to review the on-demand learning modules before each Lab so we can discuss them. You should set aside a couple of hours for that. And more if you have more work to do in a particular area.
Personal feedback?
Personal feedback sessions and private coaching is not included.
I do respond to questions during our live Labs on Zoom and am very active in community discussions.
Please see this page if you are interested in private coaching.
"
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
Why postpone potential positive results?
Your 1 year begins whenever you enroll, which might be in the middle of a season. If that’s okay with you, it’s okay with us!
OPTION 1: PAY IN FULL
Just $1200 for the whole year
Paying in full immediately unlocks the contents of our vast vault of lessons.
OPTION 2: MONTHLY PAYMENTS
$112/month for 12 months
$1344 total. Gives you access to our current season with full access by the end of your year.
Please email us with any questions or just to say Hi. Reference “Essentials” in your subject line please.
