Founding a successful, esteemed art gallery is always a challenge, both for experienced art dealers and first-time entrepreneurs. Between the hunt for funding, promoting your new exhibition space, and attracting seasoned artists and art-literate audiences, a lot can fall through the cracks, making your venture lose money and respect rather than acquire them. Bear in mind that both artists and…
On the journey to becoming a successful artist-entrepreneur, you must change the way you think. The art business is similar to most other forms of business in that it requires planning, implementation, and a goal-oriented mindset. Most advice will direct you towards these points, though often regard the goal-oriented mindset as of less importance than the former two. If you…
As she wiped away the tears, the artist told me her story. She’d applied for a project that was a perfect match for her work. She had all the right qualifications. She was certain that she’d get it. She even started to make plans for moving forward. But then she wasn’t chosen! It left her stunned, questioning herself and her talent. It…
Has anyone ever told you that your creative work sucks? If not, just wait. It’ll happen. And when it does, avoid the urge to hide in a hole. Instead, consider it a rite of passage. I’ve been told several times over my career that I’m not a good writer. And my photographs have been dismissed as well. Like most artists,…
In business school, they talk about The 6 Stages of Entrepreneurship. But in art school, they don’t even use the word entrepreneur. They should. Artists are entrepreneurs. That’s the truth. And it’s the difference between the old economy and the new. But artists have always been entrepreneurs; they’ve had to be. Though instead of The 6 Stages of Entrepreneurship, I…
I was taking a week-long Deep Writing workshop with the extraordinary creativity coach Dr. Eric Maisel. I’ve been writing for a long time now, so this wasn’t a how-to class, it was more about connecting with my work on a deeper level. What I learned about myself is that I was ready to fully embrace the writer’s life. What does…
Marketing framing services through daily-deal companies is not for every business, but for those that are thinking about giving it a try, here are a few suggestions. Over the last several years, my shops have used daily-deal marketing to great advantage, and the following list contains some of my company’s success strategies. Daily-deal websites include Groupon, Amazon Local, and Living…
