Create & Inspire Podcast

 So you want to be a working artist that exhibitions work around the world, actually makes money for your creations and enjoys what they are doing, but you are not sure if you should go to art school or keep on with independent studies. In this episode we talk about both sides, give you some advice and tools to help you better make that decision.

SHOW QUOTES
You have to work your ass off, to be taken seriously in the art world.

The world is a university and everyone in it is a teacher. When you wake up in the morning, be sure you go to school. – T.D. Jakes 

You can do anything you want to. Follow your dreams because if you say you can’t do it, you will spend the rest of your life proving it. – Yog

SHOW LINKS

 How Much Does Art School Cost
Skillshare

ABOUT THIS EPISODE 

It’s very common for artists to want to be shown in galleries, but how can you tell if a gallery is reputable or not? Does it matter? Are there warning signs to avoid as an artist so that you are treated well in this vast world of fine art? Yes, there is and I will give you 10 tips to help you navigate your way to working with galleries that will love and respect not only your work, but you!

SHOW QUOTES

• “Your reputation is more important than your paycheck, and your integrity is worth more than your career.” — Ryan Freitas Tweet This

SHOW NOTES

1. Bad mouthing others on social networking and showing a lack of professionalism with their dealings on a public platform.

2. They do not pay their artists on time or at all. This is a huge red flag!

3. Galleries upselling artists work.

4. Galleries that do nothing to promote or support the artists that they work with.

5. When a gallery asks you to lower your prices to sell more work. Don’t do that.

6. Galleries that don’t share sales of your work with you in a timely fashion, and if you have to nag them to get updates and payments.

7. Galleries that want to want to micromanage your career, especially how and what you create. There is a big difference between a gallery being helpful or being a dictator.

8. They refuse to negotiate and are more apt to dictate.

9. You can’t get ahold of the gallery and the communication seems broken. Communication is key to any partnership.

10. If a gallery does not treat your work well, run away fast! Your work is your passion, your life and your world and should be treated us such and with respect.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In Episode 13 we interviewed artist power couple Julianna and Joe Menna. Julianna is a painter producing highly detail and frighteningly fashionable oil paintings and Joe is best known for his sculpture work in both traditional and digital media and classical drawing abilities. In length we discuss 3D printing and how digital art plays a big role in the past and future of the art world.  We also discuss DC Comics, Dark Horse, and how Julianna recently became sponsored by Grumbacher. They also share their passion for their partnership together, their family, and upcoming projects.

UPCOMING EXHIBITION
November 2014
Sick Angels
Gristle Art Gallery
26 Bushwick Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11211

SHOW QUOTES

• Art is not a sporting event. – Joe Menna Click to Tweet

SHOW LINKS

Joe Menna
Julianna Menna
Gristle
Arch Enemy Arts
DC Comics
Dark Horse
Grumbacher

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
We have all wanted to give up at some point or another in something we are doing. When the going gets tough, it hard to now want to throw in the towel. You ask: “Is this even worth it?” In Episode 10 we share stories of failure from some of the most successful and influential people in the world, provide some insightful quotes and resources to help you navigate the feeling of giving up and bring you back to the notion that “presence” is key!

SHOW QUOTES

• A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. – Elbert Hubbard Tweet This
• Energy and persistence conquer all things.  – Benjamin Franklin Tweet This
• Fall seven times and stand up eight – Japanese Proverb 

SHOW LINKS

22 Reason to Never Give Up
The Dip by Seth Godin
Star Trek
Lucille Ball
Stephen King
Steven Spielberg

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Google+ plus still seems very new and also many people are unsure if it’s worth their time, since time is precious and already spread throughout many social networking platforms. In Episode 9 we want to provide some information to help you consider if using Google+ is right for you.

SHOW QUOTES
As for the data, GlobalWebIndex says that 25 percent of worldwide Internet users are now active on Google+ at least once a month — second behind Facebook (51 percent), but ahead of YouTube and Twitter (both 21 percent). – Marketing Land

SHOW LINKS
Learn About SEO @ Moz.com
HootSuite
Marketing Land
Google
Google+
Aunia Kahn’s FB Art Page

ABOUT EPISODE

In Episode 8 we got advice from 30 artists, galleries owners, magazine editors, authors, creative business owners, etc answering this question: “If you could give one bit of advice to an artist just starting out what would that be?” This is part 1 of 3. 

SHOW QUOTES

1: Follow your heart, not your wallet. – Martine Johanna

2: Make a 5 year plan and write down what your goal is. Be conscious of who you are making art for and why. – Tina Imel

3: To educate yourself with the business side of being an artist. – Maria Pabico LaRotonda

4: Don’t worry about what other people might think. (Except this!) – Jack Lind

5: Do not confine your work or technique within the limitations of the medium. Always experiment and search for new discoveries! Sometimes the best things happen when you push materials to do what they are not traditionally designed to do. – Matthew Dutton

6: Don’t let what is popular or selling in the marketplace dictate your style. – Arabella Proffer

7: Respect the arts. Be appreciative to your supporters. – Patrick Thai  (FB)

8: Never be afraid to try new things, sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone opens a whole new portal to ideas and techniques you might not ever have discovered otherwise. – Danny Bryant

9: It’s not easy… Prepare for it to take over your whole life. – Luna Milly

10: Make sure your skin is thick like a rhino’s. Learn to say “thank you” when someone tells you that your work stinks. Realize that people don’t listen. When you find a collector (or, when a collector finds you), thank them often, and value THEIR opinion. – Flannery Grace Good

11: Get a marketing degree.  Draw/create everyday even if it’s just a doodle. – Karen Preston

12: Be business minded. People are probably not going to just find you because your art is so amazing (even if it is)..you need to market your work. If you want to make a living as an artist treat it as a business. – Lea Barozzi

13: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There are always “duds” made in the process to something great! – Janae Corrado

14: There will always be a heavy demand for fresh mediocrity. Learn to rise above it. – Kyle K J Johnson

15: If you want to get into galleries, do the research. Find out if the gallery you want to be shown at is a fit, and then approach the gallery via email, not facebook! Don’t get too dejected if they turn you down. They may not want your work now, but maybe they will later on! – Carisa Swenson

16: Don’t overlook the business of being an artist. Websites, social media, accepting credit cards, responding to email. all these things pull you away from the studio but they are vital. – John De Jesus

17: Be professional in everything you do. – Erich J. Moffitt

18: Experiment, don’t be afraid to ruin it, some of the best discoveries come from taking it beyond what you know and are comfortable with. – Nina Pak

19: Never stop exploring. Work through the blocks because great things are waiting on the other side. – Maria Memmolo Cooper

20: Stick with it, one’s skills are rarely at the same level as their ambition- it takes a lot of time and patience to develop those skills. – Bradley Cahill

21: Be professional. Don’t complain. Learn how to spell. – Ulla Anobile

22: Pay attention to the details when it comes to marketing. Oh… and never stop learning from others!- Jackie Phillips Weatherly

23: I think the number one thing I have told budding artists, is to make sure to never use your influences as the main ingredients, but more like spices when developing your style. – Josh Geiser

24: Do not overbook yourself on commissions and remember that they are coming to you with an idea did they already have in their head and let them know what your idea looks like before you even begin on that commission because it’s going to be completely different and in a complete different style! – Kimberly Ann Art

25: I would say never let any critique stop you from your work. Everyone is unique in their own way. – Douglas Craig

26: You will be rejected more than an old dollar bill in a soda machine. – Karen Preston

27: Focus on creating and practicing and being true to yourself. Style will come – your personal style will be elusive if you look for it or try to force it. – Audrey Smith

28: I think the worst thing to do starting out is copying a highly stylistic artist. Being inspired is fine, but keep in mind what you put out there is what you’re building as a foundation to your career. It’s easy to get stuck, or rest on laurels… you’re best off following your vision and voice the best you can, struggling and finding different avenues to fit it into. As things go on you’ll have much more freedom and build your style/career organically if you dedicate all of yourself. If it takes a waitering job to pay the bills, do whatever it takes to launch what you believe in. Thinking *what’s a style that will make me money* will be one of the biggest regrets of your life. – Matt Dangler

29: To quote Arianna Huffington, “Work as though the entire universe is rigged in your favor.” – Marianne Erickson

30: Patience. – Kolja Steinrötter

ABOUT THIS EPISODE 

Ah, art marketing! The thing most artists and creatives hate about having a career in the arts.  Marketing is so important, however, it’s sadly missed as a part of the everyday process of being a working artist. Most artists and creatives just want to create pretty things, and hope that their work gets seen and sold, but that never happens without some effort in marketing. For example, if you had 100% of a day, it is said at the very least, 20% of that time should be spent marketing. Yet, some of the most successful artists and business people of the world treat it more as a 50/50 ratio. There are many ways to market your work; from social networking, contests, works in progress shots, going places to meet people and also giving back to your community. Marketing can be creative and fun, but if you don’t like it anyway I spin it, the truth that it’s still a necessary aspect of a successful career in the arts. 

SHOW QUOTES

• The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. – Jimmy Johnson
• Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. – Calvin Coolidge

SHOW LINKS

Instant “NOOOOOO” Button

 So you’re sitting there looking at a blank canvas/paper or the piece you are working on has become so frustrating and not even close to the idea you had in the first place that the local trash can is looking mighty tempting. It’s common to go through creative block, are we offer some advice, along with some website, books and quotes to help inspire you to work through it and get to the other side – where greatness is just a step away!

SHOW QUOTES

• Comfortability KILLS Creativity! 
• Fall down 7 times, get up 8. – Japanese Proverb
• Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. – Neale Donald Walsch 
• A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown. – Denis Waitley

SHOW LINKS

My Interview on Entrepreneur on Fire
Runner Falls Down 6ooM Dash, Gets up = WINS!

 Pricing artwork can be very hard for artists just starting out and even those that have been at it for some time. More than anything it feels good to sell work, and feel like you are honored for your talent, however, you also have to make sure you are valuing your time, effort, talent, and creativity with a monetary value. In this episode, we help you with ideas on how to approach pricing your work.

SHOW QUOTES

• Pricing is actually a pretty simple and straight forward thing. Customers will not pay literally a penny more than the true value of the product. – Ron Johnson
• If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. – Henry Ford

SHOW LINKS

A Simple Formula for Artwork Pricing
7 Ways to Price a Painting (Depending on Personality)

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In Episode 11 we interview California based artist Chet Zar who is notable for his dark visual art, make-up effects, and digital animation. He is most widely known for his work with Tool’s music and live videos and he designed and created prosthetic effects for movies such as The Ring, Planet of the Apes, and Darkman, but after being unimpressed with politics in the film industry, Zar took the advice of horror author Clive Barker, and decided to pursue his passion of producing original works and oil-painting which he is widely known for today as well.

SHOW QUOTES

• “Enlightenment is not imagining figures of light but making the darkness conscious.” Carl Jung

SHOW LINKS

Chet Zar
Tool
Art Marketing 101