The Art Biz

Latest Episodes:

Following Her Curiosity and Making New Connections After 60 with Jan McCarthy (#158) Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I talk with Jan McCarthy, who wants you to know that there is plenty of life to live after 50. And even 60.

She describes herself as a maker because, in her eyes, that term encompasses more than the word "artist."

Jan has started businesses, founded organizations, designed interiors, organized fundraisers, dinner parties, retreats, and workshops, and made plenty of products and art.

Jan and I discuss:

The creativity workshops she has organized for corporations.
How she has brought together monthly mastermind meetings of women, and why a casual dinner party was the best format for them.
Why her project Art for the Heart is important for her as someone who has lived with heart disease for more than 25 years.
How she makes connections with interior designers, what the best social media platforms are for designers, and some of their concerns.
How she gets such great photos of herself.

While I'm in the midst of discussing multiple income sources on this podcast and on YouTube, I don't think Jan thinks of her efforts in terms of income sources. She just follows the themes that interest her. If they turn into income sources, well, that's fine, too.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit

https://artbizsuccess.com/curiosity-mccarthy

⭐️ Connect with Jan, see her art and products: https://janmccarthy.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren't clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It's only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

Soon after the release of this episode I'll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don't miss it.

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Being Present Can Help Increase Art Sales with Sarah Becktel (#157) Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I talk with Sarah Becktel about her sources of income and how she has increased her income by 25% in the last 3 years by being very deliberate about where and how she shows her work.

Sarah does sell through galleries, but she has recently increased her self-sales by 400% by focusing on 3 specific types of indoor shows every year. She breaks them down as follows:

One indoor art fair, which she considers her solo exhibition for the year
Two fine art and craft shows
One curated and juried holiday market

You'll hear Sarah discuss the difference among these, including their costs and the type of work she brings to each.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/self-sales-becktel

⭐️ Connect with Sarah, see more of her art, and read about her Preparing for Art Fairs and Markets workshop: https://sarahbecktel.com

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren't clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It's only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These episodes have exhibition venues as a primary focus:

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Using Patreon as a Teaching Platform with Kimberly Santini (#156) Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I talk with Kimberly Santini about a variety of topics, including how she used Covid as a sabbatical to figure out what she really wanted from her art.

We also touched on her dedication to blogging and why she continues the habit after so many artists have given up or neglected their blogs.

The bulk of our conversation focused on how Kim uses Patreon to teach and build a community of artists.

We discuss:

What she charges for her Patreon patron tiers.
What each tier receives for their patronage.
What her workflow is like.
Why it's important that what she shares on Patreon is closely aligned with what she is doing in the studio.
How she differentiates the content for patrons from the content she creates for her blog, newsletter, YouTube, and social media.

✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN

If you aren't clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It's only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that.

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

These episodes have teaching as a primary focus:

Making a Living as a Teaching Artist with Elizabeth St. Hilaire (ep 4)
Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86)
Gaining Marketing Skills Quickly by Leading a Creativity Challenge with Kristen O'Neill (ep 145)
The Key to Success on Social Media with Cathy Nichols (ep 154)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/santini-patreon

⭐️ Connect with Kim and see more of her art: https://kimberlysantini.com

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

6 Ways to Be Happier About Running an Art Business (#155) Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

I can say with confidence that artists who happily embrace their role as CEO of their businesses do better than artists who fight it and wish they didn't have to deal with the grind. Wishing won't make it go away. It only makes you more frustrated, anxious, or resentful.

This doesn't mean that you need to fake joy whenever you're paying bills.

It means that you accept that it comes with the territory. You rise to the challenge because you know it's a necessary step toward achieving your goals.

There are ways to be happier about running a profitable art business, but first you must decide that you want a business on top of making work in the studio.

Not every artist should turn their art into a business. But if you choose to go the route of earning money from your art, do it wholeheartedly.

You can be pouty and grumble about all of the hard work necessary for something you said you wanted. Or you can find ways to enjoy the journey.

How would you rather go through life?

💡 IDEAS

In this episode I expand on these 6 ideas to make you happier about running your art business.

Go complaint-free.
Raise your prices.
Collaborate more often.
Find your (artist) people.
Encourage someone else.
Get your art and yourself out of the studio.

💵 CHECK OUT THE MONEY PLAN

September 2023 live success workshop to help you earn more income.

Get your name on the interest list!

https://artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan

✴️ FIND YOUR ARTIST PEOPLE

If you have been missing that community of artists, but haven't found your people, we'd love to have you join us. See what we're all about and dive in today. ArtBizConnection.com

🎧 RELATED and MENTIONED EPISODES

Multiply Your Audience and Expand Your Show's Impact with Jill Powers (ep 27)

Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86)

Play Tops Work, Connection Tops Solitude, and Confidence Tops Fear with Willie Cole (ep 126)

Putting Artists First in Curatorial Projects with Melissa Messina (ep 136)

Being Seen—Networking for Artists (ep 148)

Committed to Telling Native Stories Through Her Art and Activism with Danielle SeeWalker (ep 153)

📖 To read more, see featured artists, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/be-happier

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

The Key to Success on Social Media with Cathy Nichols (#154) Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

While not everyone will be interested in your art, you can choose to focus on those who genuinely love your work. To embrace what is rather than wishing for it to be different.

In this episode Cathy Nichols went from 5,000 to 107,000 Instagram followers in 3 years by researching who they were and why they were following her. She shares valuable insights about how she continues to grow her art business with joy and authenticity.

We discuss:

How Cathy researched who her followers were.
What she started doing differently to grow her audience.
How her teaching offerings changed as a result of what she learned.
What's coming up next for Cathy.

✴️ BONUS FOR LISTENERS

Tired of trying to figure out the strategies for growing your art business all by yourself? Please join my coaching community, the Art Biz Accelerator. When you are one of the first 5 new people to sign up and mention you heard about it on episode 154 of The Art Biz, you will receive a bonus, private consultation with me.

All of the details are here: https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Growing Beyond Being an Instagram Artist with Sara Schroeder (#119)

Growing Your Art Business on Instagram with Jeanne Rosier Smith (#67)

Who Are The People On Your List and What Are They Doing There? (#102)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/nichols-audience

⭐️ Connect with Cathy and see more of her art: https://cathynichols.com

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

Committed to Telling Native Stories Through Her Art and Activism with Danielle SeeWalker (#153) Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, I talk with Danielle SeeWalker, a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

Native American stories are too frequently told from an historical perspective, but Danielle and other contemporary Indigenous artists want you to know that they're still here. They never left. We just silenced them for too long after stealing their land.

Danielle has beautiful stories to tell, from which we can all learn. And she's dealing with the same stuff as other artists: balancing motherhood with her art and activism. We discuss:

The symbolism in her work that came from a dream.
The many hats she wears.
The variety of art forms she works with.
How she decides which projects to take on.
How the rest of us can serve as allies for Indigenous people around the globe.

One lovely takeaway from this interview is that Danielle doesn't separate her art from her life. Everything is connected.

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/seewalker-native-stories

⭐️ Connect with Danielle and see more of her art: https://seewalker.com

🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes, which was stolen from them after many broken promises and treaties.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here's how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

How to Squeeze More Time from Your Busy Calendar (#152) Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Every artist I have ever worked with would like to squeeze more time from their busy calendars. After all, you are overflowing with ideas. You'll never have time to make everything you want to make, and that is incredibly frustrating. In this episode I share 8 tips for time management along with 2 truths to consider.

💡 HIGHLIGHTS

2 Truths about Time Management

Time management is a lie. Instead, focus on self-management.
The important stuff always gets done.

8 Tips for Time Management

Make time for planning and use the brain dump when overwhelm creeps in.
Understand your natural rhythms, and adjust your schedule to optimize your most productive hours.
Honor your calendar and block out uninterrupted time for critical tasks.
Turn repeated tasks into systems to eliminate decision-making.
Group similar tasks together to save time and energy.
Stop multitasking because it adds up to 25% more time to complete tasks.
Automate everything possible, including follow-up for your subscribers.
Learn to say No to invitations and opportunities that don't align with your long-term goals.

📖 Read full transcript, find resources, see featured artists and related episodes, and leave a comment

💬 MENTIONED

(affiliate links)

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

Organize Your Art Biz

Grow Your List

🧡 Sponsored by the Art Biz Accelerator a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community.

Running an Artist Residency Alongside a Studio Practice with Shannon Amidon (#151) Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Artist residencies, in whatever form they take, are invaluable to an artist's growth. But there are barriers to doing residencies—primarily the time commitment and cost.

In this episode, I talk with Shannon Amidon, an artist who has created a residency especially for artists who might be parents or caretakers and can't commit to a month or more that some residencies require.

In my research on artist residencies, I have discovered how helpful it is when the residency involves some kind of travel, during which you are slowly transitioning away from your daily life and toward a different mental and emotional space that opens up your creativity. The longer the travel, the better. Another plus is that the residency environment contrasts with your familiar surroundings.

Shannon's residency is The Verdancy Project and while it's easy driving distance from Portland, Oregon, it's far enough out that you step into a new world. It's especially for artists who want to be close to nature. As you will hear, it provides an experience distinctly different from the one most artists are used to. We discuss:

How The Verdancy Project is set up
What the facilities are like
What she looks for in her artists
Some of the mistakes artists make on their applications
How she learned the nuts and bolts of managing an artist residency

Shannon also reveals how she manages to run the residency while maintaining the commitment to her studio practice.

To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amidon-residency

Connect with Shannon and see more of her art: https://shannonamidon.com

Get more info about The Verdancy Project: https://verdancyproject.com

Related: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay (#149)

https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies/

Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator * a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

How to Project Confidence Even When You're Not Feeling It (#150) Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

There's no getting around the fact that you need confidence in your at and in sharing it with others. It's also true that you will be plagued by doubt and fear at points throughout your art career.

It might be helpful to know you are not alone. It happens to everyone, and you're going to be okay.

In the meantime, you have to get through the days. In this episode I talk about 6 tips to help you project confidence while you're trying to regain it.

Load up on experience.
Spiff up.
Work on the outside.
Visualize the situation.
Try the charm offensive.
Never belittle your work. Never apologize.

To read a transcript of this episode, get links, see my featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/project-confidence

Sponsored by Magnetic You, a program to help you create or freshen up your marketing materials and improve your professional presentation. Start now: https://artbizsuccess.com/magnetic

The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay (#149) Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

If you are an artist who loves to travel and explore new places, this episode is for you.

I've been wanting to dig into the subject of artist residencies for a long time now. Fate put me in touch with Amy Clay.

In this episode, Amy and I talk about her life as a professional artist-in-residence. She's gone anywhere from 4 to 6 months at a time, stringing together one artist residency after another to fulfill her lust for travel and build what she calls her visual library.

We discuss:

How this lifestyle started for her
The various formats of artist residencies
What she looks for in a location
How residencies have made her feel part of a global artist community.

To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies

Connect with Amy and get her free book: https://amyclay.com

Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator, a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

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