The Inspiration Place

Latest Episodes:

252: 5 Strategies to Build Your Audience and Your Network with Mike Kim Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

We're all faced with the power and impact of relationships at some point in our lives, both personally and professionally. I think as artists, we're usually introverted, and fostering relationships can present a challenge. But why are relationships so important?

Mike Kim is a business coach and marketing strategist who specializes in personal branding, product launch strategies, and copywriting. He's the author of You Are the Brand and host of the podcast with the same title.

"Relationships are rocket ships. You can only go so far on your own." - Mike Kim

Mike approaches marketing and establishing oneself by connecting and building relationships with people. In his book, he shared several strategies for building relationships. Here are three he talks about more in-depth in this episode:

Become someone else's case study.
Invest in more exclusive opportunities.

The epic breakfast.

"It's surprising how quickly your circles can change if you're just a recommendable person." - Mike Kim

One of Mike's best bits of wisdom is to work on yourself to become someone who's recommendable. Be someone who's easy-going, easy to talk to, and easy to talk about (even when you're not in the room!). Be someone who brings people together. The one who introduces amazing relationships.

When you come from a place of generosity, you lift others up, and advocate for them, you'll be surprised by the quality of relationships you'll easily build.

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/252

++++++++++++++++++++ 🎉FREE GOODIES!🎉 Don't forget to check out the Inspiration Place goodie bag. Go pick up your party favor over at SchulmanArt.com/freebies. Whether you're a passionista or a passion professional, I've got something just for you.

++++++++++++++++++++ 🎤NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! If you loved this, I've got more inspirational episodes coming your way! Please make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button in your podcast app. And if you're feeling extra generous- leave me a review-- https://schulmanart.com/review-podcast

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

251: AI & Art: The Future of Creativity? with Steve Hoffman Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

If you've been anywhere on the internet in the past months, you probably noticed the rise in discussions about AI. Whether it's the AI pictures everyone's posted on their Instagram or the increase in the buzz about Chat GPT, AI isn't a topic you can miss. But with the rise of AI comes the rise of concern over the impact it could have for artists and creatives. To talk more about creativity and art, Steve Hoffman is joining us today.

Steve is the Chairman & CEO of Founders Space, a global innovation hub for entrepreneurs, corporations, and investors. Hoffman is also a venture investor, founder of three venture-backed and two bootstrapped startups, and author of several award-winning books, including Make Elephants Fly, Surviving a Startup, and The Five Forces.

"Art without opinions is just a pretty picture." - Steve Hoffman

Steve is confident that AI won't replace artists and creatives. And all those pretty pictures you see? They're just pretty pictures. They aren't art. AI is limited.

But what are the limitations of AI? And what sets these "pretty pictures" apart from art? Steve discusses more of these topics:

AI can't have opinions, and all art has to come from opinions that allow it to impact people.
All AI is biased according to the data it's been fed, and these limits may not be true for the artist.
Eventually, if you use AI enough times, everything it creates starts to look and sound the same, and that unique creativity is not something AI will be capable of having.

And Steve's advice to artists? Don't dismiss AI. It's a tool you can utilize to create art you haven't been able to create before.

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/251

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

250: Why Selling in Person Makes a Difference with David Meltzer Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

In all the conversations with artists I've had, the number one thing that keeps on coming up is the reluctance to sell. I see this on websites that aren't set up for buyers to easily be able to purchase their art and in their reluctance to sell in person. Our guest today is here to talk us through the different ways to sell and why it's important for you to also do it in person.

David Meltzer is a legendary sports executive, entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of Sports One Marketing. He served as the CEO of Lee Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Agency and is the author of Connected to Greatness.

So how do we find our audience, our buyers, and the people who'll connect with and appreciate our art? Here's what David shares:

You need to create opportunities for yourself.
Meet the buyer where they are comfortable.
Learn how to communicate and tell the story of your art.

"It's so interesting how much we participate in perception that is working against ourselves." - David Meltzer

David talked about how it's up to us to meet people, put ourselves out there, and make our own opportunities. While this can be intimidating, he tells us how and why we need to do this in a beautiful and inspiring way.

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/250

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

249: 14 Ways to Use ChatGPT in your Art Business with Jen Lehner Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

The buzz around AI, specifically ChatGPT, has been getting louder over the past few months. People are discovering more ways they can use this new technology in everyday tasks. Joining me today to talk about AI and ChatGPT is Jen Lehner.

Jen is a digital marketing and systems strategist. She teaches entrepreneurs how to grow their audience and monetize with social media, digital tools, and strategic outsourcing.

Jen describes ChatGPT as an artificial intelligence platform that's been trained up to 2021 with knowledge of the world that you can have a conversation with.

"For anybody who's hearing about this for the first time, I think the way to think about this is a way to enhance what we're doing." - Jen Lehner

How can we use AI to save time? Here are some uses Jen talks about more about:

AI can significantly cut down the hours when we use it to generate ideas, examples, and first drafts.
AI can help you start tasks you dread doing, like that email that you don't want to send.
AI can be fun. Use it to write a story Godfather style. Use it to give instructions on how to remove peanut butter from a VCR sounding like the King James Version of the Bible.

AI can help you with job postings, legal documents, writing or correcting code, grammar and spell checks, rewrites, ideas and strategies for ads, headlines and subject lines, webinar ideas, topic outlines, titles, creative and engaging art descriptions, SEO keywords, and many other things.

As we're watching the rise of AI and how it develops in real-time, just remember that it's still just a tool. It requires knowledge and creativity to use. And no matter how human-like its outputs are, AI can never be creative or have new ideas.

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/249

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

248: What Literary Agents Are Really Looking for with Michele Martin Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

A lot of people think about sharing their story and writing their own book. As a creative, my bets are that you've considered this idea as well. But the publishing world can be intimidating, and figuring out where to get started can be overwhelming.

Our guest today is Michele Martin. Michele is a literary agent and the founder of MDM Management. She started in the book publishing industry in the 1970s and has worked as an associate publisher at Random House, Simon Schuster, and other major book publishers. Most importantly, she's my book agent for Artpreneur.

What makes your book proposal stand out to an agent? What makes them take a second look at your proposal in the middle of looking at hundreds of other proposals each week? Here are three pieces of advice from Michele:

Have a unique idea
Have an established platform
Have a defined, personal voice

"Your book has to be clearly new enough that they're willing to take another book off the shelf to put yours on it." - Michele Martin

Writing a book is a fun process. The journey to getting it published can be exciting. And there's nothing like the feeling you get when people tell you that your book helped them, or that they connected with your story.

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/248

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

247: Your Voice Matters Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever encountered trolls and critics? In this day and age, anyone who puts anything of themselves out there can get criticized and receive negative comments. Even artists.

This episode is inspired by one such troll. This is a response to a troll who said, "You have an ugly voice."

Negative comments aren't about you. It's a reflection of the person spreading negativity.

Everyone who's ever done anything significant has faced criticism. You can't change that. The only thing you can do is decide whether you'll let them affect you. Will you?

"You have to love your voice, your style, and your art as it's developing, as you're uncovering it, as it is growing." - Miriam Schulman

In this short episode, these are the three points I want to leave you with:

Marketing and mindset trump talent every time.
Stay true to the authentic you.
Find your voice, own, and express it.

"Some people will find fault with you no matter what you do. But if they hate you for your uniqueness, at least they're hating you for the right reasons." - Miriam Schulman

Resources:

Get my book Artpreneur: www.artpreneurbook.com

Get bonus goodies when you purchase Artpreneur: www.schulmanart.com/book

Get Chapter 1 for free by going to Schulman Art on Instagram and DM the word "Believe."

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/247 ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎉FREE GOODIES!🎉 Don't forget to check out the Inspiration Place goodie bag. Go pick up your party favor over at SchulmanArt.com/freebies. Whether you're a passionista or a passion professional, I've got something just for you. ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎤NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! If you loved this, I've got more inspirational episodes coming your way! Please make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button in your podcast app. And if you're feeling extra generous- leave me a review-- https://schulmanart.com/review-podcast ++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories! ++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

246: Branding is Self-Development with Tiffany Neuman Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

There's no one way to go through the branding process, but today we'll learn there are ways to make sure it will be effective, creative and fun.

What makes effective and memorable branding? Do we get to define our brand or does our brand define our work? Tiffany shares her expertise on the following points:

Discover how to use Brand development as a self-development process

understand how Inconsistencies in visuals and other branding mistakes cost you sales
How to have effective branding no matter what you sell

"Make sure that your brand is in alignment, and you can feel like you're truly embodying it, because if it feels off to you, and if you're not truly loving it, then the energy shows through." - Tiffany Neuman

Branding is such a fun process. We get to play around with colors, fonts, graphics, and images. We get to choose how we present ourselves, our company, and our art to the world. Let your branding be true to you.

Free Masterclass "How to Sell More Art": www.schulmanart.com/sellmoreart

Get my book Artpreneur and other book freebies: www.artpreneurbook.com

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/246

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

245: Think Like an Abundant Artist Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

One of the biggest concerns of artists is pricing. What is the value of my art? Am I selling too high? Will anyone pay for this? And a lot of times, artists sell their art too low. The problem is whenever art is priced too low, it rings alarm bells in buyer's mind and makes them ask "What's wrong with it? Why is it too low? Is this real?"

"Not all buyers are looking for what's cheapest, or even what's most popular. A conscious consumer may care more about a company's alignment with their values." - Miriam Schulman

People are willing to pay for art and the value they see in it. And for us to be comfortable with charging for our art, we need to have a mindset shift around pricing.

Here are some things you might be wondering:

How to scale art and what sizes sell best?
How did the pandemic and the recession affect art sales??
Is it too late to start an art career?

When buyers buy art, they aren't just paying for the piece. They are paying for the story, the fantasy, and the connection that comes with the piece. In fact, the recent global crises just further reminded people how much they want that escape and connection, and this is a good thing for artists. When you talk about your art, whether it's on your website, in emails, or directly, in person, tell stories. Talk about your process, why you create art and the story behind each piece. Also, tell them stories of your past clients, and how they were able to connect with your art. You'll never know which ones they'll be able to connect with.

And never stop creating art. The world is always in need of more art.

Resources:

Free Ebook Artist Profit Plan: www.schulmanart.com/profit

Free Masterclass www.schulmanart.com/sellmoreart

Get my book Artpreneur: www.artpreneurbook.com

Get bonus goodies when you purchase Artpreneur: www.schulmanart.com/book

Get Chapter 1 for free by going to @SchulmanArt on Instagram and DM the word "Believe."

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/245 ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎉FREE GOODIES!🎉 Don't forget to check out the Inspiration Place goodie bag. Go pick up your party favor over at SchulmanArt.com/freebies. Whether you're a passionista or a passion professional, I've got something just for you. ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎤NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! If you loved this, I've got more inspirational episodes coming your way! Please make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button in your podcast app. And if you're feeling extra generous- leave me a review-- https://schulmanart.com/review-podcast ++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories! ++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

244: Art is Life with Jerry Saltz Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Do you remember "finishing" a painting, or a writing and looking back at it a few days later and realizing that it's not quite done yet? Did you ever wake up at 3 am only to be plagued by the voices that say just how terrible of an artist you are? These are universal experiences all artists share and our guest shares more about these.

Today's guest is Jerry Saltz, and he's seen enough art to know what he's talking about. Jerry is an art critic, a columnist, and Senior Art Critic for New York Magazine. He was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism and is a two-time ASME Award winner. He's authored several books including NYT Best Seller How to Be an Artist and Art is Life.

For many years now, Jerry's days have been completely filled with art. From waking up in the morning trying to get to work as soon as possible, going through the New York art scene with his wife (who is also an art critic), discussing their thoughts over some classic NY pizza, and going home to write about what he just saw, he's amassed a wide knowledge of art. And he talks more about the realizations he's had throughout the years and the universal truths about art.

"Just get to work, artists. It's not that hard to make bad art." - Jerry Saltz

So what are these universal truths about art? Here are some that we talk about in this episode:

All artists make bad art
The impact of art and the statements they make
The process of making art and "leaving everything on the canvas."

Art is powerful. Art leaves an impact. Everything you create will leave an impact, and maybe you'll never even know what that impact is. But you can make a change. So keep on making art, even if it's mediocre. Even if it's bad. Because only you can make your art, and only you are capable of making your change. Listen to this episode to receive more inspiration, and hear Jerry's story and funny, yet extremely relatable, anecdotes on art.

"Art does change lives and minds. And lives and people change the world." - Jerry Saltz

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/244

++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories!

++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

243: Artpreneur is Born with Miriam Schulman Jan 31, 2023

Show notes

Artpreneur is officially out in the stores and you can now go out and grab your own copy.

In celebration of this launch, I did something different for this episode. Today's guests are artists just like you. With varied backgrounds and experiences, they ask their questions, share their stories while I share mine and a couple of excerpts from my book. It's a fun, inspiring, conversation that I'm sure you'll appreciate.

Here are some excerpts I share in this episode:

Chapter 1 "Choose to Believe"

There's an artist in each of us wanting to break free. Your muse is tired of staying quiet and waiting for you to feel ready. Take the next step and dream bigger. You are enough. You are more than capable.

Chapter 3 "Start Before You're Ready"

Understand that regardless of the kind of art you create… you must love your art so fiercely that you truly feel the world will miss out if they don't want what you're offering.

Chapter 10 "Listen to Understand"

This chapter details a 9-step process for selling, both for in-person and online selling. There's also an Overcoming Objections Chart, which has actions steps and scripts you can use when you encounter objections.

"Your muse is tired of staying quiet and waiting for you to feel ready" - Miriam Schulman

Chapter 12 "Why Your Art Matters"

Your art matters in so many ways beyond what selling it will do for you professionally. Art helps us process the world around us and serves both a spiritual and social function, not unlike religion.

I hope this episode will encourage you to pursue your art and improve your business. Know that you can do it, that you're capable, and you have what it takes. Stay inspired!

Get Artpreneur: www.artpreneurbook.com

Get Chapter 1 for free by going to Schulman Art on Instagram and DM the word "Believe."

For full show notes, go to schulmanart.com/243 ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎉FREE GOODIES!🎉 Don't forget to check out the Inspiration Place goodie bag. Go pick up your party favor over at SchulmanArt.com/freebies. Whether you're a passionista or a passion professional, I've got something just for you. ++++++++++++++++++++ 🎤NEVER MISS AN EPISODE! If you loved this, I've got more inspirational episodes coming your way! Please make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button in your podcast app. And if you're feeling extra generous- leave me a review-- https://schulmanart.com/review-podcast ++++++++++++++++++++ BTW If you pop your Instagram handle at the end of the review, I'll even give you a shout out over on my IG stories! ++++++++++++++++++++ I'd love to chat with you on Instagram: http://instagram.com/schulmanart

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