This episode isn’t for artists who want to dabble and keep art as a hobby. I so respect your desire to enter and exit the studio whenever you feel like it, but this isn’t for you. This isn’t even for artists who want to set up a side hustle of selling art here and there to make some extra cash. Again, I respect the fact that you want or need to do that, but what I share here isn’t for you. This is for anyone who is serious about building and living the life of an artist. This episode is also for you if other artists ask for your advice about how they can do what you have done. (All you have to do is send them here.) I cover:  Why devotion to the work has to come above everything else in your artist life. When you can call yourself an artist. Why you shouldn’t be devoted to 1 medium. The first 6 practical business steps:  Decide on your professional name. Decide on your business structure. Register your business. Get a tax ID number. Gat a sales tax license. Separate your business and personal finances.    

Starting Your Art Career (#173)

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.

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host: Alyson Stanfield My utter bliss is to help artists make business systems that streamline their lives so they can spend more time in the studio. So when Skip Hill said he needed a system for following up with his collectors and important relationships, I knew I wanted to help. In this encore episode of The Art Biz, I walk Skip through the steps to create a plan for nurturing his relationships. We go through these steps to create his plan:  What do you want to happen? By when does it need to happen? Or … How frequently does it need to happen? What do you need to have/acquire/learn to make that happen? And/Or what tools and technology will you use for the process? Who do you need to enlist to help? What are the exact steps needed to make this system hum?  The steps in that last question provides the fuel. Miss a step, and your system crashes. 

How to Guarantee that People Remember You with Skip Hill (ep. 187)

host: Alyson Stanfield I want to talk about something that I think gets in the way of how you think about what a successful art business is or can be. I want to help you reframe your daily decisions, actions, and results (or lack thereof)—to embrace the volatility of an artist life. To understand that there will be highs and lows, and that just comes along with the territory. One of the most-used business metaphors is the ladder of success, which is problematic for two reasons:  Nobody reaches the top of anything in life by going straight up. What happens when you get to the top?  I have a different vision. Your art career is a circle consisting of 3 areas: Inspiration+Research, Studio Practice, and Business+Marketing. You’re a sphere (okay, a ping pong ball) bouncing back and forth from one area to the next as you grow your art career. Let me explain …   

The Career Journey of Growth-Minded Artists (ep. 186)

host: Alyson Stanfield Some artists are fine working by themselves in their studios. Other artists need to move their art beyond the studio walls and into the public in order to be fulfilled. My guest for this episode is Marilyn Fontaine, a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in East London. Her work is spiritual with a strong foothold in feminine themes. She has begun marrying that work to the history of the local community—in particular, the stories of those who share her Afro-Caribbean roots. Marilyn and I talk about the work she does within her community, including how it is funded and why her growing network is essential. We also discuss:  Her ritual upon entering the studio for a day’s work, which is always a favorite topic of mine. Why she’s leaning into rejection and learning to be curious about negative reactions that some people have to her work. How she is learning to let go—to not hold too tight to the idea that she wants something so badly—and to allow it to come by creating that space.  

Leaning Into Her Roots and Community Art with Marilyn Fontaine (ep. 185)

Host: Alyson B. Stanfield  For so long, I asked artists Why they make art. Some artists have a Why. For other artists, being asked why they make art is unfruitful—even debilitating. They feel unworthy if they can’t come up with a good Why. A better strategy is to focus on the people who will be viewing, talking about, and living with your art. How does your art make people feel? Bernadette Jiwa says, "People don't buy why you do something. They buy how it makes them feel." If you think about it, this, ironically, leads to your Why: Connection.   

How Your Art Makes People Feel (ep. 184)

Host: Alyson B. Stanfield In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Lori Sokoluk and Susan Purney Mark, who met in my coaching group many years ago and started a collaboration during the pandemic. When I teach about collaboration, I’m usually talking about an exhibition or event. Lori and Susan took it to the next level and collaborated on the artwork itself—resulting in a two-person exhibition that recently closed. I wanted to know what the artmaking process was like when you’re presented with someone else’s marks on the canvas. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about it and what they discovered during the process We also discussed:  The parameters of the collaboration. The challenges they faced, such as Lori’s physical limitations. How they titled the pieces together (a fascinating theme and process). How they divided up the business stuff. How the exhibition was organized. How it has affected their individual work. The advice they share with any artist who is open to collaboration.  

Starting Your Art Career (#173)

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