How to Sell Art: The Abundant Artist Podcast

Welcome back to The Abundant Artist, the show that dispels the myth of ‘the starving artist’ and shares how you can live an abundant life as an artist and make a living from your talent one interview at a time.

Oregon-based fiber artist and quilt designer, Sam Hunter, joins the podcast today to discuss her journey as a full-time artist, the important messages she stands behind, and powerful advice to those looking to go full-time but not burn out.

Sam is not afraid to put her voice out there and speak her mind! In this episode, she speaks about the importance of knowing your worth as an artist, receiving fair compensation for your work, equality in the arts (and tech!), how to overcome decision fatigue and “the loser hangover,” hiring for your team and making money as a fiber artist. Don’t miss out!

Key Takeaways:

[:30] How Sam would describe her art.

[1:46] What fiber art is, the type of fiber art Sam does, and what guided her path as an artist.

[5:35] Sam discusses the prejudices towards women who sew and quilt.

[8:53] The statements that Sam makes with her art pieces and why she supports women in tech.

[14:52] The one piece of advice that Sam would give to all artists.

[17:14] How Sam makes a living as an artist.

[19:05] How many quilt patterns has Sam released?

[19:55] Sam shares about the process of writing her quilting pattern book.

[22:08] How to sell and make money from quilting patterns.

[24:22] How COVID has impacted Sam’s business.

[25:55] Why Sam is considering no longer doing lectures.

[27:28] Sam shares her perspective on paying artists what they deserve and how purchasing art is a luxury; not a right or a need.

[34:45] How Sam expanded her team.

[37:53] Decision fatigue and why it is so important to delegate as a creative.

[42:14] “The loser hangover” and how to combat it.

[47:24] How to know who to hire for your team.

[52:00] The biggest challenge of being an artist in 2022.

[53:56] Cory thanks Sam for joining the podcast and Sam shares where to follow up with her and her art online.

Mentioned in This Episode:Sam Hunter

ChickTech

Black Girls Code

Quilt Talk, by Sam Hunter

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Welcome back to The Abundant Artist, the show that dispels the myth of ‘the starving artist’ and shares how you can live an abundant life as an artist and make a living from your talent one interview at a time.

Joining the podcast today is American realism artist, Brie Hayden. Brie is based in Arlington, Virginia; just outside of DC. She is a self-described left-brained artist who is obsessed with detail and shading; leaning further in hyperrealism with every piece that she creates.

With her experience working from home during the pandemic; busking internationally in Melbourne, Australia; and gaining notoriety from Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson himself, Brie has a truly unique story of finding success in the art world. In this conversation, she shares her journey of going from 700 to 20,000 followers overnight, discovering herself as an artist, and marketing herself to an audience that connects with her work.

Key Takeaways:

[:30] Where Brie Hayden is based.

[1:30] Brie shares about her busking in Melbourne, Australia.

[3:26] Is Brie a self-taught artist?

[4:19] Brie’s early days as an artist.

[7:34] How Brie’s career shifted with the pandemic.

[8:19] How Brie began to sell her art and some of her exciting early breakthroughs.

[15:00] How Brie’s time busking in Australia changed the way she operated as an artist.

[15:48] What it felt like to go from 700 to 20,000 followers overnight, and the doors that it opened for Brie’s career.

[16:52] How Brie describes her artistic style.

[17:15] How Brie takes on commissions and the timeline for her current waitlist.

[18:19] The motivation behind Brie’s current focus on alcohol bottles.

[20:00] The key differences between photography and hyper-realism.

[21:27] The beauty in ‘human error’ with regard to art.

[22:26] Why Brie describes herself as a ‘left brain artist’ and how this impacts her art process.

[25:56] Brie shares her joy for getting non-artists to appreciate art.

[27:00] What’s next for Brie?

[28:06] Does Brie sell prints of her work?

[28:36] Cory thanks Brie for joining the podcast.

Mentioned in This Episode:Brie Hayden

Amanda Palmer

Jackson Pollock

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Welcome back to The Abundant Artist, the show that dispels the myth of ‘the starving artist’ and shares how you can live an abundant life as an artist and make a living from your talent one interview at a time.

In this episode, Cory is joined by Zsudayka Terrell; a multi-faceted person and artist with an emphasis on African American figurative work. As a mixed media artist and designer, Zsudayka’s aim is to capture and archive the history and culture of Black Americans. Her work seeks to normalize the day-to-day of Black Americans and celebrate culture while also highlighting moments shared by all humans.

Zsudayka shares her journey and self-discovery as an artist; her process with commissions, selling her artwork online, and marketing through social media; her advice on promoting your artwork and converting fans of your work into paying customers; how she navigates politics and controversy as an artist; how she came to open her own art gallery, and the inspiration behind the pieces she creates.

Key Takeaways:

[:30] Cory welcomes Zsudayka Terrell to the podcast!

[1:22] Zsudayka shares about her background and how she has become the multi-faceted person and artist that she is today.

[3:59] How Zsudayka taught herself art.

[7:24] Zsudayka shares about her transition from journalist to artist.

[11:57] Does Zsudayka believe that serendipity in an art piece happens more often for self-taught artists than those who are classically trained?

[13:57] Does Zsudayka feel she has more freedom with her art than those who have been through classical training?

[15:45] The value in both classical training and being self-taught.

[17:25] Why Zsudayka chose to move to a predominantly black neighborhood in DC and open an art gallery.

[24:02] How Zsudayka navigates politics and controversy as an artist.

[31:09] Zsudayka describes the art that she is doing now, the inspiration behind them, and the messages she wants to share through her art.

[34:55] Zsudayka’s process with commissions, selling her artwork online, and marketing through social media.

[41:03] Why it is so important to foster relationships as you’re marketing and selling your artwork.

[43:46] How Zsudayka fosters relationships in her business to help promote her art.

[47:34] Cory thanks Zsudayka for joining the podcast and sharing her wisdom.

Mentioned in This Episode:TerrellArtsDC.com

Zsudayka Terrell’s Instagram @zsudayka

Zsudayka Terrell’s Linktree

How to Sell Your Art Online: Live a Successful Creative Life on Your Own Terms, by Cory Huff

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Welcome to the first episode of The Abundant Artist, the show that dispels the myth of ‘the starving artist’ and shares how you can live an abundant life as an artist and make a living from your talent one interview at a time.

In this episode, Cory speaks with Yakira Carter AKA CyberL0ve. Yakira is an Atlanta, GA-based artist (that’s soon to move to NYC) with influences from Kazuto Nakazawa, Akira, and Studio Ghibli films. Yakira’s ethereal art comes to life both through digital and traditional mediums and mainly captures the beauty of women of color.

Yakira shares how she brings her art to life, how she has found success online, her goals and plans for the future, her process for creating art, and the influences that inform the decisions she makes as an artist.

Key Takeaways:

[:36] Yakira’s influences and the formative experiences that shaped her overall style and artistic aesthetic.

[3:22] How Yakira creates her work on a typical day.

[4:39] Does Yakira wait for inspiration to strike before painting?

[6:07] Is Yakira self-taught?

[6:55] Yakira’s insights into why there is such a strong artistic presence and incredible booming black artist community in Atlanta, GA.

[9:02] Why did Yakira make the decision to leave Atlanta?

[11:37] The business side of Yakira’s art: how she makes her money, markets herself, and receives projects and commissions.

[14:23] How Yakira has grown her instagram to 36k+ followers.

[18:57] What ‘failing towards success’ means to Yakira.

[20:05] What being an online artist means to Yakira, and how understanding internet culture plays into how Yakira presents herself as an artist and informs her art.

[26:09] How Yakira emulates a traditional style using digital mediums.

[28:47] Yakira reflects on her progress and shares what she is excited about regarding her career going forward.

[30:15] Why Yakira wants to move to NYC.

[31:10] A future goal of Yakira’s: getting into galleries.

Mentioned in This Episode: Yakira Carter AKA CyberL0ve

CyberL0ve Instagram

Spirited Away

Akira

Inuyasha

Ghost in the Shell

Kazuto Nakazawa

Studio Ghibli

Copic

Pigma Micron

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In this episode:

00:45- How Patrick went from an MFA to opening a cabinet shop and working as a general contractor

7:09- How Patrick grew his design/build business

12:52- How working with fabricators and manufacturers has informed Patrick's art-making methods

13:47- Patrick explains what "fabrication" means in the context of design/build work

19:10- How Patrick has made the transition from contracting to creating fine art clay pottery

21:49- How 2D art is different from 3D art, and the unique challenges of each type of work

24:09- Where Patrick is headed next with his art

27:40- Patrick describes the state of being "in the zone" that he reaches when working in clay

30:45- How Patrick learned to manage the logistics of a busy practice and business

In this episode, we cover:

2:58- How growing up on an island contributed to Amica's creativity and how she views the world

4:30- Amica shares about her journey from creating "safe" predictable work to make walls pretty to venturing out into creating her own new work

9:25- The catalyst that encouraged Amica to start sharing her new original work with the world

15:08- What Amica's daily work routine looks like, including how she documents her process and the program she uses to catalog her artwork and upload it to her website

20:55- How Amica tells the story of each piece on her blog, social media, and newsletter

21:36- What Amica's listening to in her studio

24:00- How Amica promotes her business, and how she transitioned from selling in galleries to selling her art herself

34:55- How Amica came across some of the unconventional tools and methods that she uses to make her art

37:20- How Amica writes her social media posts and newsletter in a way that engages her audience, and why she doesn't explicitly ask for sales

41:58- What Amica is working on next

Resources:

Steal Like an Artist* by Austin Kleon

Art Galleria

A Color Story app

*affiliate link

In this episode, we cover:

0:35- How Cory met Jeffrey

1:45- How Jeffrey made the decision to go into full-time photography

3:45- How Jeffrey leverages a specific kind of tourism- grown adults without kids in tow- to increase his gallery sales

4:35- How Jeffrey identifies which galleries may fit well with his business plan

5:45- Jeffrey's "secret shopper" method of evaluating galleries

6:30- There is no way to accurately judge a person's amount of wealth and likelihood of buying art simply by their appearance

10:20- A different gallery model charges artists a small rent, then takes a smaller commission than a conventional gallery and encourages artists to market themselves. This model is more collaborative- is it better?

12:40- Being reliable and easy to work with will improve your overall opportunities with galleries. The "basics" of professionalism will help artists stand out.

17:20- Including personal extra touches in shipped art is always a good idea

18:05- Which social media platforms Jeffrey is spending the most time on

19:00- Jeffrey shares how he got involved in producing published photo books

22:25- Jeffrey's advice for up and coming artists: make art that resonates with a large group of collectors, and be willing to create a series of art with a theme

In this episode:

1:30- What is an art therapist, and what do they do?

4:20- What Brushes with Cancer does, how it's connected with the larger organization Twist Out Cancer, and how Jacquelyn got connected.

7:15- What the application process looks like for artists interested in joining Brushes with Cancer.

8:15- What the process of connecting with an Inspiration looks like for artists who join the organization, how those relationships are formed and how the art is formed from that.

10:55- How interested artists can connect with Brushes with Cancer and apply to be involved in the program.

11:40- Upcoming Brushes with Cancer cities in 2019.

12:40- Where artists need to be located in order to participate, what commitment is required.

Links:

Brushes with Cancer

In this Facebook Live conversation, Cory chats with mastermind group facilitator Sarah Guthrie:

2:38- What is a Mastermind group? Recommended reading includes Think and Grow Rich.

6:15- How Cory started his first mastermind group, and the important things to consider when getting started.

8:12- Sarah's experience being involved in mastermind groups, how they made a difference for her in her business.

9:50- Sarah's shares her facilitation background and how she now translates that to assisting other artists in clarifying and meeting their goals.

11:25- How mastermind groups are typically run. At the core is finding a group of people you feel comfortable with who can also share their knowledge with you, and vice-versa.

13:00- Matching up with another anchor person whose personality balances yours can be really useful for forming a good group.

15:55- Why high level mastermind groups cost so much.

16:33- The main difference between peer mastermind groups and paid mastermind groups. (That's where Sarah comes in!)

17:30- How Sarah runs accountability groups as a coach rather than a peer, what the structure looks like.

23:00- TAA is now launching the next version of the mastermind groups, how to apply.

24:24- How to set proper expectations for your paid or peer mastermind group.

27:15- What additional support is typically provided in mastermind groups including TAA's mastermind groups.

30:48- Questions and answers, including whether TAA's mastermind groups will be ongoing and how much they cost.

34:20- The impact of mastermind groups for artist entrepreneurs and their unique challenges.

37:25- The grounded space of a mastermind group can help all your other relationships in life.

38:15- Are there mastermind groups for people at the very beginning? Where beginning artists can go instead.

Links:

* denotes affiliate link

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill*

How to Sell Your Art Online by Cory Huff

The Twelve Week Year by Brian Moran*

In this episode we cover:

5:10-How Stephanie is inspired by the mythologies and fairytales that stem from oral tradition and span thematically across cultures and languages

13:38-Stephanie's struggle to convince college advisors of the validity of pursuing both computer programming and art, at a time before digital art had entered the scene

25:40-The complexity of "Kickstarter math" and the importance of having your numbers right before committing to a crowdfunding campaign

40:46-Stephanie used to exhibit at 12-15 conventions a year. She shares how helpful those conventions were in growing her business, and where she's at now

45:15-How early-career artists can have a profitable experience on the convention circuit

49:12-You can be successful at conventions even if you're an introvert!

53:40-Stephanie's recommended reading for those interested in fairy tales and ghost stories