When I first started my business Love + Water Designs I was terrified that the marketing plan I put in place for it wouldn't work. That I wouldn't sell anything and that whole business would fold, leaving me looking like a complete failure. And guess what? It did. All of those things.

I felt, in fact, like a complete failure. For a long time. I felt like every other business owner was looking at me like I had no clue what I was doing, like would never figure it out and like I was destined for failure forever. Terrible story to tell yourself, by the way. So much so that I couldn't see the forest for the trees when someone actually did extend a loving hand to help. And then another. And then another. Before I knew it so many wonderful people were reaching out to help me, in various ways, to get my business back together and running. But when you tell yourself you might never see it happen and believe that in your hearts of hearts, it's hard to hear anything else.

I learned very quickly that maintaining a beginner's mind, not thinking, staying in action and just doing was the key to getting past the impossible voices in my head telling me I needed to revert back to stories from my past. The reasoning on why you should maintain a beginner's mind and celebrate small winds is what I talk about in today’s episode.

Róisín O’Farrell is a successful Irish Artist, passionate about two things: painting and teaching! She teaches anyone who loves to paint how to paint better and how to nurture their creativity. And, she also loves nothing more than to help artists and creative entrepreneurs to get their business mojo going.

She grew up surrounded and immersed in a family of talented artists, which was something she took for granted. She had into a career in Marketing and Customer Relations.

Her grandmother had rediscovered her life in her 70’s, travelling around the world in her 80’s and had her first short stories published shortly after. She showed Róisín that it’s never too late, and her achievements became part of the story of what the women in her family can do when they just go ahead and take the first step.

So she I took a year out and painted, like a job, everyday, and she now has an incredibly successful career as an artist, as well as an online career teaching artists all over the world how to become better painters and build their own businesses with and for their art.

In our discussion Róisín shares her story and anecdotes that will give every artist hope and inspiration that you can build a business with your art, your way.

A major force in 21st century concert music, Victoria Bond leads a dual career as composer and conductor. Her compositions have been praised by the New York Times as "powerful, stylistically varied and technically demanding," and her conducting has been called “impassioned” by the Wall Street Journal and “full of energy and fervor” by the New York Times.

Victoria Bond’s recent activities include a performance and recording of two chamber works by members of the Chicago Symphony, a performance of orchestral work “Bridges” by the Cleveland Institute of Music, the premiere of oratorio “The Reluctant Moses” by The Choral Society of the Hamptons, a performance and recording of trumpet concerto “The Crowded Hours” in Chicago and lectures for the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera.

In our discussion Victoria shared the kind of anecdotes that a successful woman in an industry traditionally dominated by men has, and these are words every artist working to stay true to their specific craft in spite of any roadblocks or challenges that may arise will benefit from.

Victoria’s Website- http://www.victoriabond.com/

www.MrsPresidentTheOpera.com

Shane is an International Pole Dance and Acrobatics Coach & Performer, Speaker and Podcast Host from the UK, although he started as a fitness instructor. With a passion for helping his clients as much as possible, he stumbled upon Pole Dance as a fitness program and saw immediately how much it helped build strength and confidence in those who were practicing it on both the inside and outside.

From there, Shane began to teach Pole Dance workshops, building a following of students who were experiencing incredible transformations in their lives. He now has an international following and teaches workshops all over the world.

In our discussion, Shane shares how taking the road that felt right in his heart, but didn’t necessarily make sense in the moment, led him to a career and business he could have never anticipated.

Artists, if you feel your work might be too “niche” to grow into a business, this episode is especially for you.

http://www.instagram.com/shanegodlimanpole

The Shane Godliman Show

André Aciman is the author of several novels, including Call Me by Your Name (winner, in the Gay Fiction category, of the 2007 Lambda Literary Award) and a 1995 memoir, Out of Egypt, which won a Whiting Award.

Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, he is currently distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he teaches the history of literary theory and the works of Marcel Proust, and has at New York University, Princeton, and was a visiting distinguished professor at Weselyan University.

In our discussion, Andre so graciously shares the story of how writing became his career, and so became his “business” in spite of the direction he thought his career was going to take. He found this path when he began to listen to a few people who encouraged him to follow what was in his heart who seemed to recognize what that was before he did.

If you know you’re an artist who has a burning desire to turn toward the work that comes from your heart of hearts because you know it will serve more people than you could otherwise, this episode is for you!

Find Andre’s Books Here

Lin Eleoff is the kind of lawyer who wants to help you avoid having to hire a lawyer. She wants to show you ways to do the legal stuff yourself so that when you’re ready to hire a lawyer, you’ll have done most of the work already. 

Ultimately, her mission is to empower you by informing you how to run an online business that’s not only compliant with the law but also keeps the bad guys out–the ones who stalk online entrepreneurs who don’t bother to protect themselves because they think they’re not big enough to be seen. Internet thieves are looking precisely for business owners who are exposed.

Artists, if you are wondering when the right time is to look into the legal side of your business, this episode will help you get everything taken care of, fast and right, so you don’t have to think about it anymore.

Matthew Kimberley is the creator of Professional Persuasion and author of the self-help classic, How To Get A Grip. He trains sales teams and helps very small personality-led businesses get more customers. In our discussion, he shares his top ways artists can begin to grease the wheels of selling more on a regular basis by doing something every artist is born to do: sharing your work with the right people on a regular basis.

Artists, if your fear of selling is seriously holding you back from growing your business, this episode is for you!

After years as a fashion photographer, Jonas Leriche felt a greater calling. It was time for him to take a journey inward toward a transformation as an artist and photography was the only way he felt he could make this journey.

After quickly becoming one of the most sought-after artists in Europe and the U.S. and building his art business through incredible relationships with galleries combined with his ability to reach his ideal clients on his own, delving into the rich layers of his photographs enables him to connect with deeper layers within what he describes as his authentic self. His ultimate wish is that his art will also awaken his viewers to a process of reconnection with what is essential to their own lives.

For those of you who are looking for inspiration on taking your art to the next level of business growth by staying true to your purpose and vision as an artist, this episode is for you!

Christina Empedocles is an artist, illustrator and designer turned personal finance expert, focused on helping other artists and creatives build stable financial lives to support themselves and their families and their incredibly important work.

In our discussion, we talk about how it is possible to work both sides of the brain as an artist to build a business that supports the work you are meant to create in the world and serves those who resonate with it on the highest level.

This is an incredibly motivating, inspiring episode you don’t want to miss!

 

Christina’s Links:

http://www.insightpersonalfinance.com

http://www.sm-artly.com

Christina’s Book Recommendation:

The One Page Financial Plan by Carl Richards

Stephen Greco is an editor, cultural journalist, and author. His most recent novel is Now and Yesterday, published by Kensington. A former editor of Interview and Trace magazines, Stephen has consulted for advertising agencies, not-for-profit arts organizations, and individual artists and entrepreneurs.

In our discussion, he so graciously shares stories and anecdotes that help contextualize two sides of the table when it comes to running your business with your art: the business side and the artistic side. I promise this is an episode you don’t want to miss!