Last week I sat in the audience and listened to husband-and-wife art critics Roberta Smith (New York Times) and Jerry Saltz (New York Magazine). They were in town at the invitation of Denver’s Clyfford Still Museum. (The photo here was taken from my seat.) What struck me most was not just how much art they
Art Critics Really Said This Read
I recently came across this quote from a student from 2005: I have adopted the habit of NEVER leaving my studio dark! … Nothing positive EVER happens in the dark. Life comes from the light around it. Art is created to live and to be seen and felt, not to be hidden away in some
Shine a Light on Your Art Business Read
Last summer I had the pleasure of interviewing Mark McGuinness, author of Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism on the Road to Success.
Originally recorded for my members in the Art Biz Incubator, I am able to share this interview now that my members have benefited from it for a number of months.
Resilience: An Interview with Mark McGuinness Read
If you were the boss and had you as an employee, would you be happy with your performance, or would you fire yourself? Let’s pretend for a moment that you are conducting a performance review of your work. Evaluate whether or not your expectations as an employer are being met by your performance as an employee.
What makes someone want to work with you? Sure, it might be your art, but there are a lot of talented artists out there. If you don’t approach your business with the same professionalism you give your art, you are likely to be passed over for other artists. Based on my conversations with heads of arts agencies, curators, and gallerists . . .
How to Be a Joy to Work With Read
There comes a point in a growing business where you can’t afford not to hire someone.
You don’t have to tell me what a difficult step this is to take.
It’s not easy to write those first checks to someone else for a task you know you could do, but your business can’t grow as long as you continue to do everything by yourself.
Let’s look at six situations where you should get help from others.
You just shut down an exhibition and are blessed with a guest book full of names and addresses. Blessed and cursed. It’s daunting just looking at it, but thinking about acting on it is more than you can take right now.
Get someone else to do it!
Hire a student to do this kind of work for you. The same student could also address postcards, schlep boxes for shipping, and resize your images.
This most certainly is not one of your strengths. Crunching the numbers, generating reports, and
You Can’t Afford Not to Hire Someone Read
Your fears around building an art business are real to you. Whatever fears you have, you can bet that other artists share them. Still . . . you’re a warrior! You can conquer your fears, but only after you identify them. Here’s a look at 7 common fears that artists have shared with me.
At least I think we do. We are probably both solopreneurs – meaning we run our business without additional employees. As solopreneurs, we alone are responsible for our failures and successes. We often have to figure stuff out on our own or are too stubborn to ask for help.
You and I Have a Lot in Common Read
If you are struggling with the thought of marketing your art – if it seems unnatural to you – I’m going to relieve some of the pressure for you right now.
Stop thinking about selling so much!
You don’t have to be a salesperson or do anything that isn’t natural. All you have to be is confident in your work and enthusiastic about sharing it with others.
You have to believe that what you have is of value to others, even if the value is pure delight.
Think of all the anxiety around sales and selling:
Art Marketing Tip: Share, Don’t Sell Read
1. No one can promote your art more effectively than you. No one knows it better than you and no one cares about your success more than you. 2. If you don’t believe it can happen, it won’t.
13 Truths About Marketing Your Art Read
