The Artist Entrepreneur Podcast

Latest Episodes:

47 - More Q&As with Catherine Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Catherine is back with a new solo episode where she answers more of your art business related questions. So many of you have reached out over the last few weeks and months with questions about your art career so it was only natural to address them in a podcast episode. Today, four of your most common questions about business, marketing, creativity and so much more will be answered! Thank you to everyone who takes the time to send a note, it’s been an absolute pleasure to get to know you and your journey. It’s because of your support, engagement and encouragements that this podcast is still going strong after 2.5 years! So please, do continue sharing the podcast with your friends and sending your feedback, it means more than you think. This is the last episode recorded in 2022, we will be taking a break for the holidays and start recording new episodes in January so stay tuned for new content in the new year!

Conversation Highlights:

The grass isn’t greener for other artists and that’s a fact
You don’t have to do it all, you have to do what works for you and your business
What you need to get started selling your work

PLUS: Some updates on what I’ve been doing and how my businesses are going.

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

46 - Building Strong Relationships with Galleries Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to a brand new episode of The Artist Entrepreneur Podcast! On today’s episode, Catherine gives an update on how she’s been doing, her time away and the decisions she’s recently made to continue enjoying her entrepreneurial journey. We then move on and meet Christine O’Donnell, Owner and Director of Beacon Gallery in Boston’s South End. Christine’s story is fascinating: she spent 12 years working and teaching in France, Hong Kong, and Singapore before returning to her hometown of Boston to follow her passion for the arts. During today’s interview, Catherine and Christine discuss how it is to start a new business without any “contacts” in the industry, being a woman in the arts, and how artists can build solid and valuable relationships with galleries.

Conversation Highlights:

Why Christine decided to open a brick and mortar gallery and not only go online
How the pandemic gave her the opportunity to restructure her business
What she appreciates from artists she represents.

PLUS: The gallery-artist relationship is a partnership, not a parent-child relationship

Links and resources:

Website: https://beacongallery.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beacongallery/

Working with art galleries? Your Qs answered by a gallerist: https://youtu.be/YNk1TWvS00c

One Year After Beeple, the NFT Has Changed Artists. Has It Changed Art?: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/arts/design/nft-art-beeple.html

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

045 - Successfully crowfunding your art project Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

The podcast is back! On today’s episode, Catherine gives an update on her new side-business and continues sharing what she’s been learning, or rather, what she’s been reminding herself through this exciting new journey. Then, we move on and meet Ryan Claytor, the Coordinator of the Comic Art and Graphic Novel Minor and Assistant Professor at Michigan State University where he teaches Comics Studio courses. His most recent book, "A Hunter's Tale", is a comic Claytor illustrated using his late grandfather's poem about empathy as a script. During today’s interview, Catherine and Ryan discuss how his most recent comic book was launched via a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign, fully funding its first day and finishing well beyond its initial goal. They also talk about how and why he wanted to teach his students how to sell and market their work. The nuggets of wisdom Ryan shares about successfully showing up in your art business throughout the episode are priceless!

Conversation Highlights:

Why marketing and selling your art doesn’t have to be hard.
How it all starts with community.
What you can do to ensure that your own crowdfunding campaign is successful.

PLUS: If you want to make art, you should make money with your art!

Links and resources:

Website: www.ElephantEater.com and ahunterstale.com

Patreon: www.patreon.com/RyanClaytor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coinopcarnival/

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

044 - Balancing Creativity and Marketing in your Art Business May 11, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, Catherine starts by giving an update on her life and new business venture. She also shares three things she learned when she launched last month. After her update, she is joined by Jessica Poundstone, an artist living in Portland, Oregon. In her words, Jessica believes art is part of a self-care practice that changes the way we see, think & feel — and ultimately changes us! Her highest hope is that her work — which is primarily about exploring how color can make us feel — will be a continuous source of joy, playfulness, and meaning for her collectors. During the interview, Jessica and Catherine talk about her artist journey and how she was able to go from part-time to full-time artist last year, how her perception of email marketing has changed and other interesting topics such as licensing your art and so much more!

Conversation Highlights:

Going full-time as a professional artist doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” approach.
The importance of setting boundaries and having a self-care routine to thrive as you are growing your art business.
Why every artist needs an email list.

PLUS: Give yourself a little creative honeymoon!

Links and resources:

Jessica Poundstone:Website: www.jessicapoundstone.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessicapoundstone Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/poundstone

Catherine’s new flower business:Website: www.montfleur.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montfleur.flowers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Montfleur.flowers

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

043 - Making Space for your Creative Process Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, Catherine interviews Camilla Sironi, author and entrepreneur based in Quebec, Canada. Born in Italy to a French mother and an Italian father, Camilla has been avidly cultivating her passion for literature since childhood. Founder of a communication agency with a social vocation and mother of two young children, she published her first novel, Yet, I am here, in 2020 and will publish her second book later this year. Besides adult fiction, Camilla also writes poetry and children's stories. During the interview, Camilla and Catherine talk about what it means to become a professional creative, carving time for creativity when you have a busy schedule, and the necessary grace we all need to give ourselves as we embark on new creative endeavours.

Conversation Highlights:

Why thinking about your audience when creating is important as you go from hobbyist to professional.
How, as an entrepreneur, you get to decide how you “use” your time.
What Camilla does to stay accountable, make sure she takes advantage of her creative time, and… push through resistance!

PLUS: The importance of giving yourself the opportunity to be imperfect and vulnerable.

Links and resources:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CamillaSironiauteure

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cami_sironi/

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

042 - Carving your Niche as an Independent Artist Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

On today’s episode, we meet Gwyneth Leech, a visual artist living and working in New York City. Her focus is the visual drama of construction sites in Midtown Manhattan, where she is recording the incremental yet rapid building process as the city undergoes major physical and demographic changes. Leech's fascination with construction sites as subject matter dates to 2015, when a 40-story building began to go up in front of her studio window on West 39th Street. She was losing a view she loved, but she decided to give this unwelcome change her full attention and made scores of drawings and paintings as the new building rose past her13th floor workspace and blocked the view. During the interview, Gwyneth and Catherine talk about the niche she carved for herself, her wonderful career as an independent artist and the unexpected group of collectors that now purchase her art.

Conversation Highlights:

Why Gwyneth turned an unfortunate event into an opportunity
How she was able to work with a group of collectors that even galleries can’t get a hold of
Why the know-like-trust factors are so important to understand the long sales cycles in the art world

PLUS: If you can’t get them to come see your work, take the work to them!

Links and resources:

Website: www.gwynethleech.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwynethleech/

The Monolith documentary: https://www.gwynethleech.com/documentary

Interview in Modern Steel Construction Magazine: https://lsc-pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=728374&article_id=4156445&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5

Podcast: https://www.aisc.org/modernsteel/resources/field-notes-podcasts/

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

041 - Growing as an Artist through Commissions Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

Here we are, new year, new episodes! After a brief break, Catherine is back with new guests and new topics, but the conversational tone you are all used to stays the same! On today’s episode we meet Heather Hancock, a Chicago-based mixed media artist who works with glass. Her art is inspired by how people are engaged by information in the natural and built worlds. Heather celebrates 15 years as a professional artist after working for over a decade in the health care system. On today’s episode, we talk about the challenges of going from a full-time job to a full-time artist-entrepreneur, the process of connecting and working with art consultants and how Heather has carved a great niche for her art.

Conversation Highlights:

How Heather connects and conveys her work with art consultants
How commissions can help an artist explore and grow
Why setting up systems for follow-ups has helped her grow her business

PLUS: The importance of knowing what you are interested in creating for your clients

Links and resources:

Website: https://heatherhancock.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherhancock.art.studio/

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

040 - Q&A With Catherine Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

This is episode 40! Thank you so much for your amazing support over the last 18 months. When I started on this podcasting journey, I never thought I would reach 40 episodes. It’s because of your support and encouragement that I’ve been able to do this. So please, do continue sharing the podcast with your friends and sending me your feedback, it means more than you think. Today, I’m doing something I haven’t done for a while, and that is a solo episode! On this episode, I’m answering 8 of your most burning questions on topics related to artist-entrepreneur mindset, sales strategies, and tips to take action on in your business. This is the last episode recorded in 2021, I will be taking a break for the Holidays and start recording new episodes in January so stay tuned for new content in February 2022!

Conversation Highlights:

Why you need to start training people to buy from you
How and why you need to set boundaries with your clients
What are the keys to a successful relationship with your gallery

PLUS: What your next steps should be as you are starting to plan for the New Year, and so much more!

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

039 - Building a Profitable Mural Business Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode we meet Roxy Prima and Phoebe Cornog, the co-founders of Pandr Design Co., a San Diego-based mural company. Their mission is to create designs that not only enhance their clients’ brand image, but that will also increase their staying power. Over the years, Roxy and Phoebe have painted over 225 murals all across the United States and in a few countries as well! Phoebe and Roxy are well seasoned artist-entrepreneurs who have learned many important lessons along their entrepreneurial journey and the best part is that they are very transparent about it. In today’s episode, we talk about the pressure of creating work for clients, charging for your services in a sustainable way, the importance of having contracts and how demonstrating leadership is so important to gain your client’s confidence.

Conversation Highlights:

Why it’s important to value yourself and your work if you want your clients to do the same
How to set boundaries in your business so your clients don’t make your like difficult
How to know if it’s time to raise your prices

PLUS: It’s ok to pitch your work!

Links and resources:

Website: https://www.pandrdesignco.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandrdesignco/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Walls-Transform-Geometrics-Techniques/dp/1635862779

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

38 - Self-Love and Entrepreneurship Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

My guest today is visual artist from Madison (Wisconsin) is Rae Senarighi / AKA the Transpainter. Rae likes to describe himself as your average non-binary cancer survivor inspiring self-compassion, activism and gender resilience via unapologetic portraiture and typography. Rae champions storytelling through art, working to create accurate and celebratory representation of the transgender and non-binary community in the fine art world and beyond. Rae’s work has been featured internationally through media and news outlets, including Netflix. While listening to the episode, you’ll soon discover that there is nothing average about Rae who is on a mission to spread self-acceptance and love. On today’s episode, we discuss Rae’s personal and professional journey and also how concepts such as self love and acceptance can be part of any artist’s entrepreneurial journey.

Conversation Highlights:

Why you need to chose authenticity over ego in your work and business
How getting clear on your vision and then letting go of it is key to creating amazing opportunities
How to get over negativity that comes up when comparing yourself to others

PLUS: Are you treating your art practice with respect?

Links and resources:

Website: www.transpainter.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transpainter/

Don’t forget to follow Catherine and The Artist Entrepreneur on Instagram or Facebook, and subscribe to the newsletter to get updates, advice, and free resources!

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