guest on podcast

Artist and organizing expert Fiona Valentine

The Art Biz ep. 38: 5 Simple Steps to an Organized Studio with Fiona Valentine

When I was little, my mother used to get me to clean up my room by telling me that the queen was coming. The room had to look nice because, for some lord-knows-why reason, Her Royal Highness was crossing the pond to visit our humble home on 69th Street in Oklahoma City.

Funny thing. She never came.

I’m not sure when I caught onto Mom’s charade, but the clean rooms didn’t last. I loved to pull things out, try them on, and make messes. I still do. And I don’t like to clean up.

But I do love a tidy workspace. I can breathe better. I can think better when I know where things are and when I have space.

My guest for the latest episode of the Art Biz Podcast is Fiona Valentine, who shares 5 simple steps to organize your studio and save time, money, and materials while increasing your productivity.

Organizing your studio might not sound like much fun and, honestly, I don’t care what your office or studio looks like. But here’s what I know: Most of my clients are overwhelmed and stressed out. At the same time, most would probably tell you that they aren’t very good at the whole organizing thing.

I’m pretty sure that you’ll alleviate a lot of stress when you take the time to 1) get organized and 2) stay organized by keeping a tidy workspace.

Fiona has adapted a proven 5-step technique to her art studio and her outline makes it easy for you to follow. If you listen closely you’ll hear that we added a 6th step (and it’s a fun one). Then you’ll be ready if, indeed, her majesty drops in unexpectedly.

The Art Biz ep. 38: 5 Simple Steps to an Organized Studio with Fiona Valentine Read

Painting by artist Carol McIntyre

The Art Biz ep. 37: Publishing a How To Book for Artists with Carol McIntyre

Do you think you might have a book in you?

Why not do it?!

Writing a book could increase your credibility, contribute to your legacy, and impact many lives.

A lot of people think that writing a book is the hard part of getting your book published. Not to take anything away from the difficult work that goes into the writing, but it is only a small portion of the entire book publishing process.

I learned about the process when the first edition of my book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio, was published in 2008 and was reminded of the long book-publishing journey when the 4th edition was released earlier this year. There are so many moving parts and, like many businesses today, book publishing is a fast-moving industry.

Those moving parts come, of course, with an expense line in your budget, which means it’s very helpful to know what you’re getting into before you start down the book production path.

You really want to know 1) that you will be able to pay for the cost to publish and 2) at what point you’ll begin to make a profit. In order to accomplish that second thing (the profit thing), you also need a marketing plan specifically for your book.

I confess I didn’t talk to enough people.

My guest for this episode of the Art Biz Podcast is artist Carol McIntyre, the author of I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want. In the book, Carol teaches a step-by-step color mixing method for frustrated painters of all media who want to stop making mud and start mixing the colors they want with ease.

Listen now to hear Carol’s process and advice so you can avoid the sticker shock of publishing your own book.

The Art Biz ep. 37: Publishing a How To Book for Artists with Carol McIntyre Read

Adele Sypesteyn

The Art Biz ep. 36: Reaching the Other 99% for Your Art Business with Adele Sypesteyn

Have you ever been so focused on a goal you thought was right for you that you missed opportunities that might have been better?

Chances are good that you can’t answer that question because you were so myopic. You just knew that this one direction was the path you needed to take. And you might have ignored that it wasn’t working or didn’t feel like the right fit.

This week’s podcast guest, Adele Sypesteyn, has been making a living from her art for 4 decades. But she never gets too comfortable with income coming from a particular source. She pays attention to changes in the marketplace and economy. And she educates herself.

The people who go into galleries are 1% of the population.
I wanted to reach the other 99%.

Listen to learn how Adele made the decision to pull out of her galleries and how she easily replaced that income.

The Art Biz ep. 36: Reaching the Other 99% for Your Art Business with Adele Sypesteyn Read

The Art Biz ep. 35: Leading Your Own Art Workshops and Retreats with Lorraine Glessner

Teaching art workshops for artist organizations and venues can contribute significantly to your art income. But you can dramatically increase your bottom line when you organize those workshops yourself.

Of course, creating and running your own workshops presents challenges that you don’t have when groups and individuals hire you. If you earn money from teaching, or if you’d like to, this episode of the Art Biz Podcast is for you.

In this episode, I talk with Lorraine Glessner talk about how she makes a living as an artist and an instructor and why she views her retreats as “collaborative teaching ventures.”

The Art Biz ep. 35: Leading Your Own Art Workshops and Retreats with Lorraine Glessner Read

Ali Cavanaugh painting

Reinventing Your Art Career with Ali Cavanaugh (33)

In 2014, Ali Cavanaugh had 11 galleries representing her work throughout the U.S. and even overseas. It was all she could do to paint fast enough to supply these galleries with new work.

What a great problem to have, right? But something wasn’t sitting right with Ali. So she asked each of the 11 galleries to return her work. One by one they sent back what few paintings remained in their inventories.

There was no animosity. Ali greatly appreciated all the work the galleries did on her behalf, but she was no longer satisfied with the status quo.

She had begun to reconsider not just what her business model looked like, but the art itself.

She decided to take control and be very deliberate about her next moves.

In episode 33 of the Art Biz Podcast, you’ll hear about:

  • Ali’s first steps as an artist and initial gallery representation.
  • Why galleries weren’t interested in work behind glass.
  • How Ali took 6 months to teach herself a new watercolor technique and why it was important to do this.
  • How Ali used her blog to attract press coverage and

Reinventing Your Art Career with Ali Cavanaugh (33) Read

The Art Biz ep. 31: Building a Legacy Brand and Destination with Sean VanderVliet

Regular listeners of the Art Biz Podcast know I love to explore the topic of legacy–the mark you’re leaving on the world. Check out my conversations with David Paul Bayles in episode 15 and Mary Erickson in episode 19.

So when I heard Sean VanderVliet say the L word, I knew I had to talk with him. He thinks big and I like that.

Sean is the artist behind Fenway Clayworks based here in Denver, Colorado, and in just a few years he has created a brand and a buzz around his functional pottery. A number of Denver’s finest restaurants commission Sean for their signature dinnerware.

He wasn’t always a ceramic artist. For a number of years Sean worked in tech startups and even, with partners, started his own niche business for rock climbers. He has been able to translate the lessons he learned in those positions to his career as an artist.

Sean says that people work with him because they see his passion. Although 60% of his current business is from commissions, he makes work only in his style. If you want something with a flower or aspen tree on it, look elsewhere.

He enjoys immensely the collaboration with chefs and others, but he is also clear that not everyone is a customer. This is just one of the numerous business lessons in Sean’s story that are applicable regardless of the type of work you do.

After hearing his vision, you may want to start looking out for a Fenway Clayworks in your neighborhood.

Our topics of discussion include:

The Art Biz ep. 31: Building a Legacy Brand and Destination with Sean VanderVliet Read

The Art Biz ep. 2: Getting The Difficult Things Done

This month I asked artist/author/coach Cynthia Morris back to the podcast to discuss a topic that comes up often with my artist-clients. See if this sounds familiar.

You have things you don’t want to do. It’s painful to even think about tackling them, but you know that you need to work through them in order to move forward.

How do you do it?

In this episode, Cynthia and I talk about how to accomplish things in your art career and business that you don’t enjoy doing.

I was particularly interested in the discussion we had about happiness v. satisfaction.

Listen in and then please leave a comment to let us know you’re listening.

The Art Biz ep. 2: Getting The Difficult Things Done Read

Leslie Lee - artist painting a still life

The Art Biz ep. 1: The Impatient Artist: Time and Your Art Career

With today’s post, we’re introducing a new feature: a monthly podcast.

My previous Art Marketing Action podcast was an audio version of the weekly newsletter, which you can still find online here and on iTunes.

I’m not sure what will happen in the future, but I am committed to deliver at least one content post a month in audio.

Are You Impatient About Your Art Career?

In this podcast, I talk with artist/author/coach Cynthia Morris about how to set up your art career for success – so that you’re in it for longevity, and not for instant gratification.

These topics came up (talk about thinking big!):

  • Legacy
  • Empowering yourself
  • Vision

Listen in

The Art Biz ep. 1: The Impatient Artist: Time and Your Art Career Read

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