Recently I was delivering an Artists Who THRIVE Marketing Seminar here in San Francisco and one of the participants really wanted to discuss art sales.

Although I love discussing art sales, art marketing was the focus promised to the participants.

And if you are shaping a new creative enterprise it is your art marketing strategies that will have to be established before your art sales strategies.

That doesn’t mean that art sales are not important.  Actually, art sales are vitally important.

Without the sales department every other department within a company ceases to exist.

Yet if you are a business major it is unlikely that you will be studying sales.  The subject of practical sales is often considered an unworthy academic discipline.

So why is it that we must focus on marketing our art first?  Because you have to know what you are selling, and to whom, before you can be effective.

If I have a 30-foot luxury yacht is it worth my effort to try to sell it to a wheat farmer in Kansas? Well. I might get lucky.

Or it might be better to network at the St. Francis Yacht Club here in San Francisco.

I know that differentiating art sales and art marketing may sound like an obvious simplification but I’m pointing it out because sales and marketing require separate consideration and written strategies.

Why written strategies?  Because when you commit a plan to writing you can carefully think it through. And when you commit a plan to writing it is much more likely to yield results.

The moral of the story? All artists, including myself, have a lot to learn about business so that they can be free to contribute their vision and get paid.

But it’s best to study the book of a thriving art enterprise one chapter at a time.

Most artists want to sell more art.  Many of them want to sell their art online.

So where do they start?  Generally, the first urge is to start by building a website.

Artists may ask a friend to build them a snappy website on the cheap or they may try to do it themselves, but this is like cutting your own hair. I don’t recommend it.

Even more important is that having just a website is like having a store without a cash register.

If artists actually want to sell product online, artists need an eCommerce site.

But before an artist can start an online enterprise they must ask themselves a very important question.

“Do I want to try to find an art gallery to represent my work or do I want to build my own business, cultivate relationships directly with collectors, and keep all of the money.”

Why ask this? Because, in general, art gallery owners will not appreciate your honing in on their market for your work.  And they may even refuse to represent you. So this is an important decision that deserves considerable attention.

Let’s just assume that you want to sell your work and keep all of the money.  Wa La!  Now you are not just an artist, you are now an entrepreneur!

So how do you even start to develop your art business?

Well, there are many paths to truth, so this may or may not work for you, but here is the basic sequence that I followed to build my art enterprise.

1.    define Blue Ocean Strategy
2.    define the target market who will benefit
3.    outline features versus benefits of your art “product”
4.    define brand positioning
5.    complete one page business plan
6.    calendar marketing strategies
7.    launch eCommerce site
8.    rinse and repeat

“Rinse and repeat?” Yes. Every business must evolve and improve as new lessons present themselves.  Yes, “lessons” versus problems.

Business savvy artists should complete this eight step exercise at least once a year and review it continuously.

I have an artist client that I have been coaching for quite some time now.  She’s invested in expensive and time consuming coaching.

To best define a lucrative Blue Ocean Strategy that will best serve this artist we have taken significant time and effort to analyze this artist’s:

• strengths
• weaknesses
• values
• interests

A Blue Ocean Strategy is a business model that offers a target market a unique value proposition therefore eliminating the competition.

Now, when an artist launches a new business, the artist cannot operate from the belief, “build it and they will come.”

Yes, as an artist, you own a business.  Unless you are a commercial artist or teacher with a JOB, you are also an entrepreneur.

An artist/entrepreneur has to build a new business and then let many people know that it even exists and what value it offers, over and over.

Then the target market will size up the business and decide whether or not “they will come.” The market will feel you out and see if they can trust you.

Your job: to be consistent and targeted in your sales and marketing efforts and to be persistent yet observant of results so that you can respond and make adjustments.

As an artist/entrepreneur, referrals will be your most important sales and marketing strategy.

We created a very clean and simple and elegant graphic identity for this client that effectively communicates her unique art education offering for affluent children.

What did my client do?  She tacked the word “HOUSE PORTRAITS” onto the existing logo. Huh?

That’s like sticking an advertisement for Michelin tires on top of an ad for Coke.

Whatever solid impression that logo made to prospects, it’s now been shattered.

Why did she do this?  “I’m trying to survive.”

Even though I’ve cautioned her about spending money on advertising, she did not consult me before she paid good money for a sign.  And because she’s paid for this silly sign she wants to use it.

No matter how much council I offer, how innovative the strategies we devise, or what experience I share, if an artist continues to operate from scarcity they will make missteps that will cost them money and opportunity and undermine their success.

Bottom line. Fear can kill success.  Courage can create opportunities.

“When you’re always trying to conform to the norm, you lose your uniqueness, which can be the foundation for your greatness.”
— Dale Archer

Recently an artist booked a Blue Sky Session to determine a Blue Ocean Strategy.

This is where we articulate a unique value proposition to a potential target market.  The key word here is unique.

When I asked her to describe the uniqueness of her art, she struggled.

I dug deeper and asked her to put all thoughts of marketing art aside.

“What do you love?  What is important to you?  Why?  There’s no judgment, just spill it.”

She started off by saying, “I love painting portraits.”

That tells us nothing about her uniqueness.  That’s like saying I live in a house. “Tell me about the neighborhood, describe your décor.”

Artists are thought leaders.  Own it.  Claim it. Be clear. “What do you think?  What do you feel? What do you want to tell the world?” Do you.

Finally she said, “I’m interested in feminist literature.”

Okay.  Now we are getting closer.  There’s a whiff of her uniqueness and this may relate to a potential target market.

It became clear that she is not ready to launch an enterprise.  Her cart is before the horse.

Thinking about marketing her art is premature.

This artist needs to return to the “Research and Development” laboratory to invent something unique.  Then the “Marketing Department” can take over.  This is the right sequence.

She must return to her studio to find her voice, to delve deeply into what she is passionate about.

The result of honest reflection mixed with talent will be a representational body of work reflecting her unique point of view.

Delving deeply into her uniqueness and finding her creative voice is the only way that her voice will be heard above the massive chorus of artists called painters.

Your uniqueness is the only way to compete in the market and for artists to be satisfied creatively.  Which is why we are doing this anyway, right?

I strive to hang with artists and entrepreneurs who are playing a bigger and better game than me.

One of the very best decisions I made was to form an advisory board to help me build my company.

My decision was inspired by a very successful artist during an informational interview I had with him over lunch.

This artist runs a multimillion dollar operation. He has beautiful and inspired public and private mixed media and glass installations throughout the world.  And now he sits on my company’s advisory board.

I’m a big believer in conducting “informational interviews” where you simply ask someone to lunch, coffee, or chat over the phone to learn about their success.

I have done this with several successful artists and entrepreneurs over the years. And each person has generously shared their mistakes, lessons, the source of their inspiration, and their path to success.

Now it’s your turn.  Think of several successful artists and or entrepreneurs that you admire.

You may know them, you may not.  Who cares!  If you don’t know them, then write them a letter and ask politely for a brief interview about their successes.

It’s worth it.  You may find yourself some mentors too.

Avoid email.  Email works best for exchanging information if you already have contact with someone.  Because typically we are inundated with email on a daily basis, it’s just too easy to dismiss.
Get at least three people to grant you an informational interview.

If you are not sure what to ask during the information interviews then I recommend the following questions.

1.    How and when did you decide to become a professional artist?
2.    What are the three most important qualities that you believe a successful artist must possess?
3.    Did you have a mentor or an important influence in your life?
4.    What was the biggest mistake you made and how did you learn from it?
5.    If you had to start at the beginning and do it over again what would you do differently?
6.    What were the three smartest moves you made?
7.    What is the single most important piece of advice that you think I should take?
8.    Is there anyone else you think that I should speak to?

Make sure that you keep your karma straight and your reputation glowing:
•  Show up on time
•  End on time
•  Listen carefully and take notes
•  Send a hand written thank you note promptly

Asking is free. If they say no then you are no worse off. We have to respect that successful people are busy.

So if they decline your request, don’t take it personally. Just ask the next person and keep going until you have interviewed three or more.

Heads up.  Because I recommend information interviews I get requests for them all the time. Unless you are a member of the official media, I do charge for this.

So I invite you to book a Monday phone consultation at ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.com or you are welcome to post specific questions here and I’ll answer them at no charge.

Yesterday I was coaching a very talented musician and vocalist.  By many measures this artist is already successful.

But he’s hardly spending any time actually making or recording music lately because he has way too many balls in the air.

Several of the balls include either leading local choirs as a volunteer or working for little money.

This would be cool if he had enough time and money to do that and make his music.

But the truth is that right now his art and his finances are suffering.

So we created a SMART goal and an Action Plan for this artist so that he could eventually work approximately three hours per day giving private voice lessons and he will have the rest of the day to devote to his one most important creative project.

How? Like this…

First, I recommended that this artist make a list of all of his projects and then rank them. You can do this too:

1. List each project.

2. Put a dollar sign next to the ones that are making you money now, or that ones that represent the fastest path to cash.

3. Estimate how much money each project is actually making you today, not what it might in the future.

4. Estimate how much time you invest in the project each week.

5. Put three stars next to the three projects you really love.

6. Put three stars next to three projects that, if they went away tomorrow, you would not miss.

7. Don’t forget to list the hours that you must sleep, eat, take a shower, get dressed, and clean your house.

8. Now add up the money you are making.

9. Add up the time you are spending.

10.  Now decide.  What you are going to cut for now and what you are going to keep? Determine your top three priorities.

What did this artist conclude?  He had 33 projects.  Yes.  That’s right, 33.

Is it any wonder that he was completely overwhelmed and not making enough money or music?

Think of a clock. It’s the shape of a pie.  There are only so many hours in the day or the week.

You can only slice that pie so many times, so many ways, and if you slice too much you wind up with mush.

Second, we determined a plan of action.

1. He will reposition his private voice lessons to reach a wealthier market and raise his rate.

2. He will run more workshops, consistently, to promote the repositioned private voice lessons.

3. They key is to maintain the right amount of consistent focus on the workshops to keep three hours of private voice lessons booked.

Notice I said “one most creative project.”  One step at a time.

You can’t sing two songs at once and you can only focus your passion on one project at a time.

As I sat with my friend and author Jonathan Fields over lunch last December in Manhattan we discussed the topic of taking full responsibility for your own success and turning your fear into fuel, the subject of his latest book, Uncertainty, a must read.

As we were discussing our coaching and consulting with creatives we both said, almost in unison, “Most people just don’t want to do what it’s going take to succeed.”

Think that you’re going to be discovered?  Think again. It’s just not going to happen. No one is coming to save you, to discover you, or to make you successful.

You’re going to get breaks now and again but there is no formula that doesn’t involve hard work as the main ingredient.

I know you know this, but too many artists maintain an unconscious yearning to be discovered. And who wouldn’t want this to happen? But you might win the lottery jackpot too.

I believe that as long as you harbor this conscious or unconscious desire you will not direct your full attention towards what is really within your control.

The place you can start to take control is to understand that to be a thriving artist you are also a savvy entrepreneur.  Unless you a commercial artist or you are teaching there is not a JOB for you to have.

Being an artist, in the broad sense of the word, is also being an entrepreneur.  And not only is this not taught in art school, it is actually regarded as an appalling notion.

This disdain for business is an emotional response born out of a dark undermining denial of the economic reality art students will each have to face.

Media exposure is indeed helpful and it can help catapult you towards success but only if you have the systems in place to leverage your platform and the products to provide you with revenue streams.

When I met with famed chef Michael Chiarello company’s VP, he quoted Michael’s formula for success, content + community = revenue.  Brilliant!

I know of a few New York Times best selling authors who were regulars on national television and because they saw themselves only as artists/authors and not entrepreneurs they are struggling financially and their enthusiasm and creativity is compromised.

Of course you must first craft your talent and find your voice as an artist but then it’s all business.

Just follow your passion and you will succeed.  Really?

• Two-thirds of artists reported their total 2008 income as less than $40,000, and nearly one-third earned less than $20,000.
• Artists play multiple roles – seven in 10 artists hold at least one job in addition to making art. *

We have all heard this before. “Just follow your passion and you will succeed.”

When it comes to supporting yourself financially as a full time artist, the “just” part of this statement is a big fat lie.

Why? Because being a full time artist is also very much a business, not a career.  Unless you are a commercial artist or teacher, you won’t have a full time JOB as a fine artist.

So you have to have to do two things, and do them in order.

1. The first thing is indeed following your passion and developing your creative talent.

But let’s face it.  Although some would like to believe that they have both passion and talent, just take one look at “American Idol.”

I also assert that you must be a thought leader.  Your art must have something interesting to say.  It must inspire.  Otherwise it’s just noise, again like American Idol.

2. The second thing you must do, is to be, business savvy.  That’s right.  You also must be a skilled entrepreneur.  And I mean skilled.

Art is a much harder sell than most.  There are times when I wish I were delivering a necessary product to a broader market.  But then that would be boring.

Now notice the sequence, first passion and creative talent and then business savvy.   Not the other way around.

Occasionally I encounter artists who have the cart before the horse.  They want to be selling – who doesn’t?  But they do not yet have a viable “product.”

By “product” I mean a cohesive and salable body of work.  A body of work that is really inspiring to them so that it may inspire others.

Remember, Artists Who THRIVE is all about “business savvy.”  So we need an excellent product with a unique value proposition that will serve a target market.

So start by creating something truly unique that you are very passionate about.  It is only then that you can determine its unique value proposition and what target market it could serve.

* 2010 survey commissioned by LINC

This Tuesday the Alameda Small Business Development Center sponsored yet another successful Artists Who THRIVE seminar in Berkeley.

The focus of this three-hour seminar was on marketing fine art outside of art galleries and traditional representation.

Part of my art marketing seminars involve mini-marketing makeovers on three creatives who earn their living full time from their art.  We had a mixed media artist, a musician/vocalist, and a painter.

The object of the mini-marketing makeover is to help each artist arrive at a Blue Ocean Strategy, the title of a business book about “creating new demand in an uncontested market space, or a ‘Blue Ocean’, rather than by competing head-to-head with other suppliers for known customers in an existing industry.“

Or rather than swimming with the sharks in an ocean of blood for a scarce kill.

The Blue Ocean methodology is particularly effective in over saturated markets like fine art, entertainment, and wine.

The way the class arrives at a Blue Ocean Strategy is to conduct a Blue Sky session, where all ideas and suggestions are offered up and recorded.  The only rule:  no editing or negating any ideas.  The sky is the limit.

I guide the sessions by asking each creative a series of questions.

The first candidate was a painter.

“Please describe your creative endeavor, your value proposition and target market.” I paint “lyrical figurative paintings.”

A typical response from an artist.  It sounds like a sound bite from an artist’s statement, a description that does not describe their value proposition or their target market or anything anyone could immediately understand.

Okay then I said, “What does that mean?  What does your art communicate?” “Human connection.” She vaguely replied.

“What inspires your passion to create human connection?” “I’m Hindu and my husband is Muslim and I believe that regardless we are spiritually connected.”

“Ah, now we are getting closer to your value proposition.” I said.

“Who buys your paintings?  What is the demographic profile?”

Her sudden realization about her target market, “White women in Pennsylvania interested in the value of world peace.”

“Besides painting, what are you good at?”

“Public speaking. I was recently invited to speak on this subject of connection and religion at the Commonwealth Club.”

Bam!  Okay.  “You’re not in the business of selling paintings. You’re in the business of facilitating thinking and conversation about world peace as it relates to generally opposing religious and cultural perspectives of Hindus and Muslims.”

“Your paintings reflect your values and provide a product for others to celebrate this shared perspective.  Your business is public speaking and you happen to sell paintings. That is your Blue Ocean Strategy.”

Tune in for the next mini-marketing makeover.

Are you struggling with the business side of art?

I recently posed a question on the Artist Who THRIVE Facebook page, “What is the biggest specific challenge you have in making a living as an artist?”

One post responded, not exactly specific but well worth addressing, “embracing and implementing the business/hustle aspect.”

Since business is indeed a struggle for so many creatives, I asked myself, “Why don’t I struggle with the business side of art?”

There’s a few reasons I don’t struggle the same way:

• Embracing the business side of art it is simply necessary.

I embrace the business side of art because it is simply necessary making a living as a painter for past five years while paying for the cost of living in San Francisco.

• There is so much freedom in running my own business!

Although I’m capable of employment, a JOB is the last thing I want.

Why don’t I want a JOB?  Because there is so much freedom in running my own business!  I love shaping my own brand, learning how to sell, charting my own path.

• Selling art is fun and it’s a challenge.

I really think this is fun and it’s clearly a challenge.

It’s no accident that I’m in San Francisco, a place buzzing with hip entrepreneurial innovation.

Make no mistake, my learning curve has been steep.  I did not attend business school. And although I worked in the private sector, I do not have business experience that supports an entrepreneurial path.

I guess I embrace the business side of my enterprise as much as I do painting because I find them both a very creative life long challenges and I just want it so damn bad.

Ask yourself.

• How bad do you want it?  Are you willing to educate yourself about business and marketing, step by step?

• Do you surround yourself with others who are positive, striving, and successful in business?

• If not, might these be the reasons you are struggling with the business side of art?

Successful artists take planned action towards a specific goal.

The artists that I have met  choose from one of three modes of operation.

1. whine – where time, focus, and action evaporate
2. procrastinate – which takes a serious toll
3. action – towards a specific goal

I too often witness a combination of 2. & 3.

Actually there’s an unproductive hybrid to “3. planned action” and that is, busy or confused non-directed action.

The key words are “planned” action.  Lots of very busy non-directed work may yield some results but are they the results you want?

Success is about being really clear about what you are working towards and why.

The artists I coach must commit to a SMART goal that they really want.

Then these artists build and maintain an action plan to achieve that goal within a specified amount of time.

There are those that 2. procrastinate.

We all know what that leads to, a big heap of nothing.  Rather then waist anymore time, let me just say, if really want it, you get off your “*%+!”.

It’s mode #3 that leads towards success, and not surprisingly, peace of mind and satisfaction.

And it’s mode #3. that is the only antidote for #1 and #2.  I’ve seen it work over and over again.

Artists who take “planned” action hum right along.  They report their accomplishments each week and the opportunities that are presenting themselves.

The good news is that I also witness artists moving out of unproductive modes 1. & 2. and maintaining mode 3.

So we can all change and evolve, once we commit to a specific goal that we really want to achieve.

Because when we really want something we find the time, focus, and energy to get it.

Which mode do you operate in most often?  Be honest.  The truth will set you free.

Angela Granger

“How will you live, knowing that you will die?”  What?!  Yes, death and taxes, two things of which we can be certain.

What does THAT have to do with the business of art?

Well, for me, everything.  Because that’s the question I asked just before I decided to commit to becoming a successful full time artist.

How did I come to ask that question?  I was toiling away in a cubicle that makes the movie “Office Space” look like a party.  I was a project management consultant working at the California Franchise Tax Board.  And it was beyond dull. It was seriously depressing.

I remember two stark details.  The mound of staples that carpeted the floor removed from millions of tax returns, the evidence of why the returns have “do not staple” printed in the upper left hand corners. And I also recall the image of  two slow moving female government employees who were so fat that they had to enter the bathroom stall sideways. Clearly they ate their pain and boredom.

But I digress.  I also worked with two wonderful colleagues who were the source of profound inspiration. Both were stage IV breast cancer survivors. And naturally, while working there, we would bitch about our jobs.

But one day I asked one colleague, Angela, “What would you do if you were guaranteed success?” She said, “I’ve always wanted to be an interior designer.” I replied, “You’ve just dodged death. Why don’t you just do it?”  Her answer, “Fear,” with a capital ‘F’.

I was stunned.  Is following your passion really any scarier than the certainty of death?  I realized that continuing to toil in that cubicle, while it was a choice, was certainly scarier than death.

It was in that moment that I decided that I was not going to leave this life without giving it my very best.  I was determined to live my best life. This was my responsibility to myself, my purpose.

After I made that decision I stopped bitching about my job and I started working on my escape plan to build a life as a successful artist.  I didn’t know exactly how I would do it but I was committed, so I just knew that I would figure it out.

Now answer the question.  How will you live, knowing that you will die? And what are you waiting for?

In honor of my friend and inspiration, Angela.

Do you have, or have you had, someone in your life whose full time job seems to be to nit pick, criticize, and point out the down side of almost every opportunity or point that you make?  Are they sarcastic and try to pass it off as “funny”? Aren’t they a joy to be around?  Not!

Here’s the real question.  Does that persona exist within you?  Does Negative Nancy or Ned emerge sometimes when you contemplate your artistic enterprise? It’s bad enough when someone else infects us with their negativity or fear, it’s worse when we do it to ourselves.

Why am I talking about this within a blog on business and marketing art? Because whether you fully realize it or not your inner dialog is driving your results.

The good news is that it if you are having trouble with this bitchy little voice you can manage it. I’m constantly witnessing artists changing their mind, changing their lives, and growing their businesses.

I have an artist client who is a painter.  Her unconscious negativity has limited her opportunities for much of her life. When Negative Nancy chimes in it usually goes something like this.  “That didn’t work before so it’s not going to work now.”   The antidote she now applies is to flip it.  “That didn’t work before.  What could I do differently to make it work now?”

I heard the Dalai Lama speak last year.  He suggested that one key to happiness is to become conscious by listening carefully to your thoughts. If they are negative then simply do some logical investigation. Ask yourself, “Is that really true? What solid evidence do I have?”  When either of the negativo twins show up insist that they show you their evidence.

I’m not advocating positive thinking, just truthful investigation.

You have currency sitting around your studio. In a sense, you may have stacks of money or you can even manufacture it.  How?  What?

Is there a particular good or service that you need, or just want, but you just can’t afford right now?  Maybe it’s graphic design, massage, editing, consulting services, a haircut, or even medical treatment? You get the picture.

Try bartering.  This is an ancient system of exchange that many creative folks still use today.

“Barter is a method of exchange by which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods or services without using a medium of exchange, such as money.”

When I created my initial business offering for wineries I needed a credible brochure. So I gave painting lessons to the CEO of one of the very top graphic design firms in the US.  He was so happy that he took his lead graphic designer off of a deadline to design my brochure.  The result, I had graphic communications that made my new enterprise look like I’d been a success for years.

My recommendation.  Put this agreement in writing and have each party sign it.  So that there is no room for misunderstanding, spell out:

1. specifically what you are trading
2. when it will be delivered
3. and for what dollar amount

I suggest keeping it simple, for every dollar of good or service you’ll trade a dollar’s worth of your art.

Make sure that you state that each party will treat this transaction with the same level of importance as any other.

What do you need?  Think of one or two things. Then start asking around  your network. Asking is free.

“The greatest investment you can make is in yourself.” Billionaire Investor Warren Buffet

Most successful people have had mentors along the way. I’ve worked with career, life, and business coaches, and with the exception of one, they each served me very well.

These investments in myself are now paying great dividends.

Unfortunately these coaches and business consultants did not posses the experience to coach me around developing my art business.

Most artist coaches will try to guide you through the traditional permission and scarcity based art business model, exemplified in traditional publishing, music, film, and gallery representation.

There are many artist coaches who have very little direct experience in the art world.  Probe and find out what specific experience they have.

Ask if they have marketed and sold art themselves.  How much?  What?  To who?

Ask what they’ll be coaching you on.  Are they “creativity coaches” or “business coaches?”  Both are valuable but there is obviously a big difference.

Find out how they structure the coaching, the price, the terms, payment.  You know, all the nitty gritty details.  It’s your time and your money.  Get the facts.

A good coach or consultant is not going to be cheap.  But how much do you spend on supplies and equipment?  How much was art school tuition? Still paying back loans? This investment could actually help you make money.

Coaches should not be representing you too.  Why?  If they are coaching and representing you they cannot be objective about your concerns because their own financial interests are at stake.

I’ve been asked to represent artists countless times but I won’t.

Why?  Because I have my own art business to run, Ann Rea, Inc., and this demands most of my energy.  And the mission of Artists Who THRIVE is to advocate for artists’ creative freedom and  business savvy so that they can stand on their own two feet and thrive financially.

Bottom line.  A coach should be working their way out of a job.  Be clear on your specific objectives sooner rather than later, or you’ll be paying for coaching endlessly.

Remember these things when hiring an artist coach:

1. You only get what you want, when you know what you want.
2. Keep your expectations in check.  A coach can’t help you solve challenges overnight that you may been grappling with for most of your life.
3. Do the work.  It’s like hiring a personal trainer.  They can’t exercise for you.

“Doing business without a contract is like building a house without a blue print.” Mark Monlux.

It is naïve to think that you don’t need a contract if you are a creative.  If money is changing hands, you’re in business. Therefore, you need a written contract.

Without a written contract the terms are open for interpretation, and too often it’s misinterpretation when it comes to selling art.

“What if I’m doing business with a friend or family member?” Then you need a contract even more to preserve that important relationship if and when an issue arises.

The single most horrific transaction I’ve had in over five years in business was with a “friend.” She turned Psycho as she absurdly ignored terms of the contract she signed.

She actually accepted the commissioned painting, kept it for three months, and then announced that she wanted to return it and have me paint another one, and yet she had damaged it.

It get’s worse but I’ll spare you the details.  I’m not kidding.  You can’t make this stuff up.  Ironically, this crazed “friend/patron” was a frustrated artist who now represents artists.

Without the contract I’m certain that the situation would have deteriorated even further.  With the contract in place my losses were limited to the extend that I had defined them in the agreement.

Make it clear to friends and family that the rules are the same for them.  If they show any resistance don’t do business with them.  It’s not worth the risk.

“Why are artists adverse to contracts?” I think it is simply a lack of confidence because they don’t yet believe they are successful enough to ask for what they want.

This is stinking thinking. If you want others to respect you and your terms you must have a contract.  It’s business 101.

If the other party is reluctant to sign a clear and fair contract then that’s a big red flag waving, “Don’t go down this road!”

Make sure that you discuss each aspect of your agreement before you present the written contract so that there are no big surprises. Communication is a key to success.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard about writing a contract is to outline it as if you are getting married and as if will be getting a divorce.

Some things to spell out include:

1. When will the work be complete?
2. Who owns the intellectual property?
3. What it will cost?
4. When the money is due?
5. What form of payment will you accept?
6. What if payments are late?
7. What’s the sales tax?
8. What’s the scope of the work, what’s included and what’s not?
9. What if the patron doesn’t like it?
10. What happens if you want to end the contract?  How and when can you?
11. What if there is a conflict that you can’t resolve?

The Graphic Design Guild’s Annual Pricing and Ethical Guidelines is a great place to start.  But you really need an attorney, who is licensed in your state, to review your contracts.

I use Pre-Paid Legal for this.  I’ve found this service to be so cost effective that I distribute it to artists.

Using contacts is not a sign of mistrust, it’s a sign of good faith and professionalism.  Contracts help preserve relationships by providing a tool to prevent misunderstanding and mitigate conflict.

A good bit of my coaching artists involves me telling artists, “Do not give up.”  Persist ahead, if you do give up you’re guaranteed failure.

Santa Barrios, my fabulous hair stylist, is the proprietress of Sophistafunk, a hair styling salon in the Mission District of San Francisco and a line of handmade fashion accessories.

Sophistafunk accessories are born from Santa’s unique personal style and creative point of view.  This line is urban, hip, funky, and yet sophisticated.

But that’s not really what I’m here to talk about. I want to talk about Santa.  Santa runs her own hair styling salon and she designs, manufactures, and sells her own line of fashion accessories.

And she travels back and forth to Los Angeles every month to take care of her mother with advanced Alzheimers.  This is a tough gig.

Santa dreams of launching her line of handmade fashion accessories on a big platform so that celebrities are dawning Sophistafunk.

And because Santa keeps creating and inching her business ahead, despite the demands of her personal life and business, it will happen.

How do I know?  Because she’s committed.  She’s not giving up.

First rule of success, don’t give up.  Disabled parent? Don’t give up.  Have to live in two cities?  Don’t give up.  Already running a business?  Don’t give up.  Limited resources? Don’t give up.

But don’t just keep going if it’s not working.  Get help.  Find resources.

Define a SMART goal and then lay out an action plan to get from where you are now to where you want to be.

Fortitude alone won’t get you there.  Be very specific about what you want and then work SMART, not hard, to get there.

I leave you with a French proverb. “One may go a long way after one is tired.”

Licensing images is typically what an illustrator does, a fine artist, like myself, not so much.

There’s no right or wrong here, these are just two very different business models.

An illustrator is hired to execute someone else’s vision of a subject.  A fine artist is commissioned to execute their vision.

Fine art is a luxury product.  A luxury product is diluted as it becomes more common and less exclusive.

I have chosen not to license my intellectual property for four main reasons.

1.   It would interfere with communicating exclusivity, a requirement for a luxury brand

2.   I have found it to be too much work to explain licensing to inexperienced licensees

3.   It doesn’t pay all that well and I believe in going for the “low hanging fruit”

4.   The three times I did license my images, it was an enormous pain in the *#<!

The last licensee, a small winery, helped themselves to my image and illegally applied it to their poorly designed website and sign walk sign.  Although these applications were specifically prohibited in the contract.

I sued them twice and I won twice.  But this is not the highest or best use of my time and the financial settlement certainly didn’t make up for all the trouble.

If you are thinking of licensing to gain “exposure”, think carefully. Exposure is often over sold to eager artists.

“Exposure” can be translated into the artist giving a lot for a little to nothing in return.

My first of three wine labels sold a lot of wine and it was prominently featured in wine shops on the end caps.

But I did not profit from the winery’s profit.

I realized quickly that if I was going to license my images for wine labels that they should be the labels on my wine, not someone else’s.

My income has come primarily from the sale of my original oil paintings and the Giclée prints that my company manufactures and sells directly.

Licensing can be profitable, but if you are just starting out, tip toe very cautiously into this realm.  And make darn sure that it supports your long term strategic objectives.

"Pacific Ocean Deep", Ann Rea, oil on canvas

Most artists are trained in art school to swim with the sharks in an ocean of blood unconsciously competing for the scarce kill. But only a few will ever feed.

The alternative is to swim in a blue ocean far away from the kill zone, making the competition irrelevant.  How?  By creating a Blue Ocean Strategy.

What’s this?  It’s when a business creates unique value to serve a target, making the competition irrelevant

When I’m working with artists to help define their Blue Ocean Strategies we have to first get to what’s unique.

The only place to start is the artist’s life purpose, passions, interests, and values so that we know who they are as an artist and a person.

This is not life coaching this is the beginning of defining truly unique value.

Take a jeweler I’ve been coaching for example.  This creative, like many, had to work a long while before we arrived at her new Blue Ocean Strategy.

The first thing that she had to learn was that she had to get out of the business of selling jewelry, a Red Ocean, and get into the business of celebrating friendships.

What? Are you scratching your head?

After much exploration she realized that one of the most important aspects to her life is her long-standing and close relationships with her best friend and other women in her life.

They all have stories and a history that they have shared over the years. And they have been her main collectors.

Her Blue Ocean Strategy?  To create a line of unique charms that mark the most meaningful milestones in a women’s life.

What’s different?  You can collect the charms, customize the bracelet or necklace, and an individual story is beautifully packaged with each charm.

You then give a bracelet or necklace to yourself and one to your friend, or friends, to celebrate the history of your friendships.

Rather than one sale she has built in two or more immediate sales and ongoing charm sales as new milestones are celebrated.

Notice we didn’t start with how to build in multiple sales. We started with the artist’s unique value.  The unique value is a reflection of this artist’s very personal purpose, interests, and values.

This Blue Ocean Strategy is something she’s passionate about and her excitement is giving her the energy to execute on this strategy.

It took time, effort, and patience to arrive at this Blue Ocean Strategy.

She’s had to work through some key frustrations that had limited her thinking. But she stuck with it until she was open to exploring marketing solutions in non-convention ways.

What happens if artists come sniffing around her waters to copy her?  We’ll create more unique value and they’ll will sink to the bottom of the ocean because they won’t be able to match her energy.

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

Many artists are desperate to arrive at an answer. So they put the cart before the horse. If an artist is not open, patient, and trusting in the process, or they are clinging desperately to the traditional scarcity and permission based model, I just can’t help them.  I can’t get past that negativity.

It takes trust to surrender the fight for the kill when you’re hungry.

But in order to sustain your drive to be an artist and to build a business you must first know your purpose, passions, interests, and values.

You must “know thyself” so that you can know what unique value you can offer the world.

Note. Your compensation will be in direct proportion to the value you offer.

My artists ask me about how to sell art.  How to sell art is a big and complex question that is very difficult to answer in the space of one post.

I can tell you where to start.

And I can give you the short answer to “How do I sell art?” It’s simply this, don’t.  What?  Yes. Don’t sell.

Start by building rapport and bonding.  This is where it can be very helpful to like people and to be naturally curious about them.

Engage your potential collector by asking them questions, then listen.  Let them talk.  They should do most of the talking.  80%.

You can usually determine quickly if they are actually a prospective collector of if they are just an admirer.  Don’t assume.  Find out.

Always start the conversation by simply developing rapport.  Maybe ask:

How did you hear about this event?

What brought you here?

Are you visiting from out of town?

You know.  Make the questions your own and just let the conversation flow naturally.

If you have developed rapport then you can engage your prospect further and determine if they are a prospect.

Why start with bonding and building rapport?

1. Because people like to buy from people that they like.
2. Rapport eases communication.
3. It actually makes the exchange much more pleasurable and rewarding for you and your collector.

If you find a business endeavor daunting the very best solution is to develop or to adopt an effective system, whether it’s marketing systems, financial systems, or sales systems.

I use the Sandler Sales system which  breaks the sales cycle into seven sequential steps.

1. Bonding & Building Rapport
2. Up-Front Contracts
3. Uncovering Pain
4. Uncovering the Prospect’s Budget
5. Identifying the Prospect’s Decision Process
6. Fulfillment
7. Post Sell

Look for future posts on the second step, establishing “up front contracts.”

Before you sell to an art collector get an “up front contract.”  In other words, get permission from art collectors to sell to them.  Then you will not be selling.

What is an “up front contract?”  This is a term coined by the Sandler Sales Program.  The sales methodology that I encourage in my artist coaching program and the one I use.

Essentially it goes like this.  When you are pursuing a prospect you want to first get permission to qualify them and give permission for them to bail if they are not really interested in buying.

You might say something like this.  “If you don’t mind I’d like to ask you a few questions.  And of course you are welcome to ask me questions.  Then when we are done talking I’d like to agree that we take the next step or we agree that it’s just not a good fit.  Is that okay with you?”

This offers mutual consideration, to you and to them.  And it lets you both off the hook.

What have you done here?  You’ve done a few things:

1.   You are inviting the prospect to ask you questions.

2.   You are getting permission to ask them questions and to qualify them.  They make be just an admirer or they may be an interested collector.  Wouldn’t it be good to know this sooner rather than later?

3.   You are taking the pressure off by giving them a way out.  No one likes the pressure of being sold.  So don’t do it.

4. You convey confidence rather than desperation to close a sale.

5.   Most importantly, at the end of the meeting you’ll know if they are a prospect, a new collector, or if they are just not qualified.  Qualifying meaning that they have the money, the authority to spend it, and enough interest in buying.

Why is the latter so important?  I don’t believe in expending limited energy pursuing prospects that will not yield sales.  Let them go and confirm who you should court.

Take your energy and attention back and focus on viable sales to collectors and your creative productivity.

I talk a lot about how to sell art. Referrals, hands down, are the easiest way to sell art.  You can very likely prove this to yourself if you do what I suggest that each of my artist coaching students do.  Keep track of how they found each of their collectors.

Some of the ways that collectors find their way to me is through events, press, annrea.com, or by seeing my prints and wanting an original.

What is the very top marketing strategy? Referrals.  How do I know that?

Because each year when I update my company’s business plan I crunch the numbers and I determine exactly how many collectors each strategy yielded.

Why do I do this?  Because this is the only way I can know what marketing strategies to focus on in the coming year.

• Collectors who arrive through annrea.com, site are wonderful. Because they can collect when I’m sleeping and I may have never even met them.
• Press is fantastic too.  In fact it’s the best form of advertising and it’s free. It also conveys credibility and gives collectors confidence.  But I can’t guarantee that this strategy will be consistent.  And marketing is like breathing.  It has to be consistent.
• Events can be very effective because I’m meeting prospective collectors face to face when celebration is in the air.  But again, they’re not always consistent.
• Referrals are not only are the most effective marketing strategy, they are the very easiest and they are free.

Think about it.  When someone refers you to a business aren’t you much more likely to buy?  Don’t you just have more confidence in doing business? Don’t you take less time to make up your mind?  I know I do.

I’ve often already made up my mind to buy when I have a referral.  I’m just going in to confirm my decision.  So that’s what you want to cultivate.

How do you get referrals?  That’s easy.  Ask. Here’s what I actually say…

“I don’t advertise.  So most of my business comes from people just like you.  Can you think of one or two other people like you who might also like what I have to offer?”

Notice I didn’t say, “Can you think of some people?”  No. I gave them a very specific assignment.  I asked for one or two prospects.  If I leave the number vague their thinking will follow suit.

So just ask.  Ask every single collector or prospect. Ask when you have established a rapport. Ask during the sale or after, just ask.

That’s all there is to it.  No advertising budget required.

Why do people buy art?  Why do they buy anything? Because the pain of not having what is being sold is greater than parting with their money.

So what is your mission when selling your art?  You might think that it’s communicating the value of your art.  Yes and no.

Remember.  During a conversation with a prospect, you’ll want to talk about 20% of the time. Your prospect should speak about 80% of the time.

So how do you convey the value of your work and not talk so much?  You ask questions.  What kind of questions?  Leading questions.

Remember the show Columbo? Peter Falk played a private investigator who asked suspects leading questions.  That is what you want to do with your prospects.

What questions do you ask?  First, relax.  Selling is simply having a conversation.  Your first job is just to establish rapport.

Once you have established rapport  you may find that your prospect has just remodeled their dinning room, they have a celebration coming up, or they have been looking for something special for the wall in the den for a year.

Selling art is not  a manipulation.  Who likes that?  You are simply helping your prospects come to their own conclusions. And if you’re effective they will conclude that what you have to offer will solve a particular pain in their life.

Please note.  Everyone’s pain is different.  Your job is to uncover it.

Pain?  Isn’t art about  inspiration?  Well.  That’s what I used to think, until I uncovered my collectors’ pain.  The real reasons they bought my work. For example:

1.    The real estate investment firm that needed to convey the story of their luxury resort property in a way that distinguished them from every other luxury property.
2.    The busy CEO who needed to come up with a memorable, meaningful, and thoughtful gift for his wedding anniversary to, in his words, help him “save his marriage.”
3.    The empty nester who was ready to indulge and celebrate her passion, not her childrens’ or her husband’s.  Her passion is art and color.
Note this too. If you uncover enough pain it is interesting how their budget will increase.

During this process your prospect may conclude that what you have to offer does not provide an antidote to their pain.  And that’s okay.

You can then let this prospect go and just ask for a referral.

Recently I have noticed ads from the San Francisco Art Academy promoting the tag line “Art as Career.”

Throughout art school I was constantly handed references to ones “artistic career.”

When you look at most fine artists’ websites, what do they present?  They proudly display their resume or their CV.  Are they applying for a job?  I don’t think so.

The only time you have a career is when you work for someone else, when you receive a paycheck, a W2.

Fine artists are in business for themselves.  They are entrepreneurs and they embrace that reality or they reject it and struggle. It’s simply a choice.

If you are a fine artist I’m not sure where you can go to pick up a paycheck for your talent.  And if you do you will most likely be changing gigs often.

Unless you trade your talent for its commercial application, like any small business, you’ll need to define your unique value proposition and reach your target market, even if your market is solely galleries and art consultants.

Why do I put such a fine point on artists having a business and not a career? Because until an artist embraces this fundamental reality they will be trapped by an illusive idea of success that they will never get their heads wrapped around.

I understand that this is a fundamental paradigm shift for most artists and our culture.  My own graphic designer gave me crap about putting my title “Artist & CEO” on my company’s business card.  He said, “CEO? That’s too corporate.”  I replied, “Well, I do own a corporation and I am the CEO. This is my legal title.”

I can hear it now.  But I don’t want to “sell out.” What does that really mean? Does anyone really know? The good news is that much more creative and financial freedom can be found through business savvy.

So if you accept this economic reality what do you do?  Start reading books on marketing, educate yourself about finance, taxes, legal issues, and sales.  Learn whereever and whenever you can.  And consider the fact that Steve Jobs of Apple has always considered himself an artist.

If you live near a major city you can start or continue your business education at a Small Business Development Center. They offer free and low cost services.

Sorry they didn’t clue you in art school but they don’t tell doctors or lawyers how to run a practice either.

Since I did not go to business school, and I have a long commute over the Golden Gate Bridge to Wine Country, I keep a number of business books on my iPhone.  This is often referred to as DTU (Drive Time University.)

One of my favorite audio books is by Russell Simons, one of the very wealthiest and most successful pioneering hip-hop media and fashion moguls.

I also happen to like him because, like me, he’s down with practicing yoga, meditation, anti-censorship, and he does not reserve his political or social opinions.

Simons’ book is called “Do You, Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success.”  It’s no surprise that Oprah gave him the first part of the title.

“Do you”, delivers the value proposition.  He mixes his personal philosophy and world view and breaks down how he’s applied this to building his empire of successful brands and cultivating artist’s careers.

In the world of art, what counts is unique expression.  So if an artist tries to be anything but their authentic self, they will fall short and be subject to constant comparison or remain simply irrelevant.

By “Doing You” an artist sets themselves apart, offering their market unique value.  A student in one of my Artists Who THRIVE seminars reluctantly asked, “Is there really enough opportunity for very many “Blue Ocean Strategies.”  My answer is a resounding. YES!

Does that mean that every artist with a unique and compelling expression has a market?  Not necessarily.  The artist must know, articulate, and deliver value to a target market.  The value is expression that touches, inspires, and moves that market.

It’s only when an artist remains true to themselves, their unique essence, their vision, that they stand the very best chance of connecting with and inspiring others.

And that, my friends, is the name of the game in the world of art.  And I believe it’s also the name of the game in the world of business.

My advice is “know thyself” and take Mr. Simons’ advise. “Do you.”

What I generally say to artist clients is, “No one is going to discover you.  No one is coming to save you.  So if you’re secretly hoping that your artistic talent will be discovered, forget it now. Define your notion of success then plan and build it.”

I recently read this except from an article on Psych Central.

Writer Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) italicize, relates about a friend of hers, an Italian filmmaker of great artistic sensibility, struggling to get his films made, sent “an anguished letter to his hero, the brilliant (and perhaps half-insane) German filmmaker Werner Herzog.

Herzog replied to her friend, saying something along the lines of, ‘Quit your complaining. It’s not the world’s fault that you wanted to be an artist. It’s not the world’s job to enjoy the films you make, and it’s certainly not the world’s obligation to pay for your dreams. Nobody wants to hear it. Steal a camera if you have to, but stop whining and get back to work.’

We know that being an artist is generally a tough gig. But is it smart to waste your valuable and limited energy and time complaining about it?  Accept it.

Push aside non-productive thoughts and conversations and figure out specifically what you need to accomplish next to meet your definition of success.

Maybe that’s where you need to start.  What is your definition of success? Is it crystal clear?  Like a physical fitness goal, do you want to drop 10 pounds?  Be able to bench press 50 lbs 15 times?

We are not owed anything by anyone just because we are creative.  There are many amazingly talented creative people on this planet.  What makes you special?

Be clear and confident about how your talent is different, “Do You.”

Then start laying out what success would look like as if you had a magic wand with an on/off switch.

Once you have a clearer picture of success you can break this down into bite sized pieces, milestones.

You can do this. It’s simply another creative process.

Should artists pay for advertising?  Generally my answer is no.

Why?  Because most artists don’t have the budget and there are more effective ways that are either free of relatively low cost.

Most of my business comes from the following sources and generally in this order:

1.   Referrals
2. Ecommerce site
3.   Events
4.   Press

With the exception of relatively low overhead for my Ecommerce site, each of the marketing mechanisms listed above are free and I would venture to say they are more credible.

Then how do get referrals you ask.  Well… you simply ask. How?

Here’s an example:

“I’m so glad that you like my work.  You know, I don’t advertise.  Most of my business comes by way of referrals from people just like you.  Can you think of one or two people to introduce me to who would also enjoy my work?”  Then stop talking.  This is key.  Don’t be nervous and keep talking.  Just let them say yes or no.

When they mention a name, say something like.  “What would be the best way for us to meet?”  They might say, “They’ll be at my party on Friday.  Why don’t you come?”  Or “I’ll introduce you via email.”

Your objective is to get to meet that referral in person.  Not sell them.  Just meet them.

To review.

1.   Ask for one or two referrals
2.   Ask how and when the introductions can best be made
3.   Follow up and get some face time with the referral

Asking is free. And it’s simple.  Just follow 1,2,3.

I’ve covered the “can I get a discount on your art” question before, but it’s apparent that it still haunts too many desperate artists so it’s worth covering again.

When a potential patron asks if you will offer them a discount you should say “no” or some form of “no.”

I can hear it now. “Well they are a good friend.” or “They are a repeat collector.” Yes. That’s nice. Shoot yourself in the foot, if you like.

“Good friends” don’t ask for discounts.

And if they are a repeat customer and you want to acknowledge your appreciation, fine. But do it in some other value added way, like complimentary shipping, framing, or installation.

Why do I put such a fine point on this? Because it is costing you money.

And collectors are already confused about what amount they are paying for art and why. Your lack of confidence can undermine theirs and that can compromise or squash the sale.

So have a price sheet of your art at the ready. A written price is not as easy to negotiate as the one you speak.

Art is a luxury good. Don’t forget it. During the recent economic downturn a number of luxury brands threw themselves under the bus when they desperately discounted to stay a float.

The Hermès Group, founded in 1837, didn’t dare. They took the long view. What happened to them? They’ve maintained the luxury market’s respect and they’ve gained significant market share.

An art consultant I know, who has dealt with hundreds of artists over the years, confirmed that those artists that allowed her to discount their art sold significantly less work than those who maintained a policy to never discount.

Take the long view. Build your brand. Don’t discount your art. In the end, it will be worth it because you’ll sell more art.

Artists Earning Over $100,000

I recently received an inquiry from an artist who apparently found ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.com by searching online for “artists earning $100,000.”

This week I also consulted with another artist who asked me, “How did you sell over $100,000 in art in your first year as a full time artist?”

Apparently this is a magical number equaling success for many artists.

I found these inquiries serendipitous and a bit amusing so I knew that I must answer the question this week.

How did I sell over $100,000 of art in my first year as a full time business?

I tell you how I did it.  And I’ll share how other artists that I have coached have done it or who are going to sell over $100,000 of art.

First let me say, obviously how I sell my art will certainly be different from how you sell yours.

But after coaching and consulting artists from across the globe I have noticed that there is a basic formula for success.

1. Successful artists have a very clear and specific goal, a SMART goal.

My goal was to sell over $100,000 of art in my first year in business full time.

Notice the specificity of this statement.  Also note, I did not “earn” over $100,000, I sold or grossed over $100,000 of my art.  In fact, I exceeded this goal by 25%.

2. Successful artists are disciplined and focused.

I got up every day knowing what my goal was and I built and maintained an action plan to keep me focused.

Building an action plan was pretty easy for me as a former project management consultant.  But if this is not your natural skill set you’ll need to get some help.

3. Successful artists have a positive attitude.

This is huge.  It’s very difficult to remain focused without a positive attitude.  And making and selling art can clearly be a daunting task when you’re starting out.  A few pearls of wisdom to ponder.

Thoughts are things.

As you think so shall you become.

Stand guard at the gate to your mind.

If you don’t know where to start, I recommend starting first by:

A. Developing and maintaining a positive attitude.

B. Then define a SMART goal.

C. Take focused action on it every day until you reach it.

As I matured as an artist I came to recognize and respect that creative freedom springs forth within the boundaries.

As my creative self evolved I became more self directed and more clear about my artistic inspiration.

With maturity and confidence I was clear about and able to define the boundaries that I wanted to explore.

It has been within these self-imposed limits that my creative process flourishes.

Yesterday morning I heard a comment on the radio that mirrors this idea:

“You limit things so that you can explore their universe more thoroughly.”

Why is this take on creative freedom relevant to the business of art?  Because in order to succeed in business one most offer and communicate a well defined value proposition to a target market.

So for example, what if a musician asserted that they were a country musician and an opera signer?  It’s just hard to buy.  Right?

Can you enjoy or be inspired by an eclectic mix? Certainly.

Can you become known for both? Not likely.

Artists have to pick their lane.  This is not only a law of creativity but it is also true of business and marketing.

Now laws are indeed made to be broken.  So often, not always, once an artist has established a clear market niche they can experiment and maybe even cross over to another genre.

Bottom line.  Know thyself.  If you know yourself others can know you.  And to know you is to love you.

When I posted this anonymous quote, “I like compliments but I prefer cash” it received a whole lot of “likes” on the Artists Who THRIVE Facebook fan page.

Why?  Because most artists can relate to this sentiment. Before I received Sandler sales training this dynamic used to really frustrate me.  I’d think, “If you love the painting so much, and since you’ve been talking to me for over an hour, why the heck don’t you buy it!”

That was before I knew how to take control and qualify a sales prospect.  Before this, they were in control and I was ruled by the tyranny of hope that they would buy from me.  Now I know to start probing earlier in the conversation with “test close” questions like:

·      “Tell me about your art collection?”

·      “What rooms in your home or office would benefit from a piece of original art?”

·      “Would you like to take this painting home today?”

Notice that each question gets increasingly direct and to the point.  Do you want it?

We all admire things that we can’t have or that we are just not prepared to buy.  I had the money to purchase the hand crafted yellow pearl diamond earrings that I was admiring last weekend from the jeweler at the Sausalito Art Fair last week.

And I could have justified this purchase.  I have been longing for the right pearl earrings since I saw Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s masterworks “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” and it was my birthday yesterday.

But I have higher priorities for $3400 right now, regardless of the jeweler’s desires and needs for my money.

The lesson. If someone is genuinely admiring your work but they don’t buy, don’t take it personally.  This is one of the four principles of the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

“No more effort or energy is required in order to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty.

The difference between the two lies in your level of awareness.” – Bob Proctor

I snagged this quote by my collector Bob Proctor, author and host of the movie The Secret, because I think as artists it has so much to teach us.

Answer honestly, what are you choosing?  Is it success?

You’ll know what you are really choosing by simply noticing most of the thoughts that you entertain each day.

You know, the noise in your head, the passing remarks you make.  “As you think, so shall you become.”

If we agree with Bob’s proposition then what is the next step?

I’m not sure what Bob would say but I think that the next step is to define what success looks and feels like for yourself, very clearly.

Map it out like a drawing or a painting. Then assume full responsibility for your current circumstances and then take actions that move towards your specific goal.

Remember the common investment disclaimer, “Current results are not a guarantee of future results.”

Where you are now is not necessarily or even likely to reflect your future.

I can hear some resistance now.  “Growing up my parents did not encourage me, life as an artist is hard, and no one is buying art.”

Ya. I’ve heard it. Talk to the hand.  I used to utter the same lies until I chose success as my preferred mode of operation.

Trust me.  I was miserable so I do know that the shift can be made.

Success is a game we play between our ears.  You know that as an artist.

It’s the discipline and focus of your mind that produces creative excellence.  So it is the same for the business of art.

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” – Chinese proverb

This proverb really resonates with me.

This wisdom immediately reminds me of a common question that I still receive when I introduce myself as a painter in social or business settings.

The common question I receive in response is “Oh, do you make a living at that?” Ugh!

I try to maintain control over the fine muscles in my face so that I do not betray my mild disgust, frustration, and defensiveness.  This just feeds into their negative perception and energy.   And who wants to be perceived as a loser?

“Yes indeed.” I reply.  “In fact, I’ve turned a profit since my first year in ‘business’ over five years ago and my ‘business’ has been profiled in Fortune magazine, among other national media.” This quickly shifts my audience’s response to me from pity to fascination.

But that’s not the point of this post.  The point is that I don’t like to be interrupted by negativos.  Nor do I like to give them too much time or energy.  I’d rather continue to march forward and build my enterprise.

Ironically I find too many creatives even more steeped in poverty consciousness than even the general public.

To all artists I say, note to self. Marketing trends confirmed by respected research sponsored by American Express reveal that during this decade’s economic downturn sales in all categories of luxury declined, except one.  Which one?  You guessed it.  Fine art.

So yes indeed, people are buying art.  So don’t interrupt me.

Whose Rules are You Playing By?  And when did you agree to them?

I find it ironic that so many creatives assume that they must compete in the marketplace based on the same competitive factors, finding representation and critical acclaim.

Why?  Because this does not equal getting paid.

The rules of the traditional art market are completely permission and scarcity based.  I for one don’t want any part of it.

Why?  I enjoy freedom, financial and creative.  And lets face it, these freedoms walk hand in hand.

No money, no art supplies.  No money, no time to create.

So what do you do?  Question the rules.  Isn’t this what artists do best?!

What is your measure of success?  Gallery representation?  Okay.  If that’s working for you and you’re making money hand over fist, go for it.

But if that is not working? Then you, like any other person peddling their wares in an overcrowded market, must find a target market and compel them to buy from you by offering them unique value.  That, my friends, is the Blue Ocean Strategy.

The first business profiled in the book the Blue Ocean Strategy, Cirque du Soleil, ironically, is a theater company.  Cirque du Soleil reexamined the competitive factors of their industry.

Then they looked at what they could subtract and what they could add to a circus.  They asked themselves, “Do we really need animals?  They are messy and animal rights activists are on our case.”  So they subtracted the animals.

Then they looked at the multiple performances.  Then they added an elevated quality to the performance and got rid of the three-ring circus, adding focus.

What can you subtract?  What value can you add?  Are you looking for approval or for a market that will support your creativity and your financial well-being?  That is the business of art.  And that is the best business I know of.

Sometimes I’ll say something to an artist that I’m coaching that strikes a cord of truth in them that brings their thoughts, and therefore their actions, into clear focus.

That’s what happened after I responded to Nicolette, “Fear creeps in when you’re not present.  Stick to your plan, stop trailing off into the future.”

Nicolette is an artist client, turned graphic designer, who wants to return to fine art.

She hasn’t worked on her fine art in several years so she needs to get back into her creative flow to build a representative body of new work.

Frankly, she’s been dragging her feet a bit on getting this work done. Her mind has been winding around her unique value proposition, target market, and distribution channels.

She is thinking about selling her work before she’s actually made it.

Is it any wonder that the work isn’t yet done and she’s beginning to freeze up in fear?

Look. I’m not a life coach, but I do know from my own experience as a fine artist and entrepreneur that fear and frustration, creep in when you are not present.

Why is she not present?  She’s not focused on the task at hand, which is simply to produce a dozen pieces that are strong representations of her new artistic concept.

That means she may need to produce 30 pieces and scrap 18.  Her perfectionism had better make a quick exit.

Once this “product development” is done we can examine potential markets and value propositions.

Until a cohesive body of work is complete, focusing on marketing would make a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Or another way of saying it is, focusing on marketing before finding your artistic voice, is placing the cart is before the horse.

Take it one step at a time.  Focus on completing each step in your Action Plan within a reasonable amount of time and then get on to the next step.

I’m not sure why so many creatives are tortured by planning but once they learn this skill they soar.

I just returned from traveling for a press event at Scarpetta’s in New York City to promote the new Montage Deer Valley Residences.

Before this event met up with my friend Jonathan Fields for lunch at Soho House, a hip kind of country club for creatives.

Jonathan has just authored his second insightful book “Uncertainty, Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance.”

If you are involved in any type of entrepreneurial endeavor or if you are a creative who makes their living by way of your creative output. Get the book!

Jonathan has outlined clear and useful insights that should be part of every MFA and MBA program.

I met Jonathan a few years back when he was writing “Career Renegade, How to Make a Great Living Doing What you Love.”

I’ll admit it.  I am biased because my company was profiled in Career Renegade, but I can tell you that each story was inspiring, as was my discussion with Jonathan last week.

As we talked about our creative process as it relates to our uncertainties and fears we also explored the antidote, which seems to be both acceptance and ritual.

My ritual takes this form.

• Before I start a painting I put my studio in order. It has to be clean and free of distractions.
• Then I will light one stick of sandalwood incense.
• I’ll meditate in silence for about 15 minutes.
• I pause in gratitude for the privilege and opportunity to make my living painting.
• Then I set my intention to do my best work that will inspire and move others.
• Before I pick up the paintbrush I’ll put on some soulful music that might include Amy Winehouse.

This creative ritual drops me down into a familiar mode.  I know, and I accept, that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.  I remain loosely attached to the outcome.

I do know that each time I preform this ritual and I get into a familiar headspace, I’m increasing my chances of creative satisfaction.

Are you so productive that you never get anything done?  This is can be a professional artist’s dilemma.

Do you know why?  Are you clear on your goal?  Have you made your goal your priority?  Focus.

Here’s the big question. Are you avoiding the responsibility of reaching that goal?  Maybe you need support?

It’s only when you make your goal your priority that you’ll reach it.  Until then you’ll be distracted with busy work.

Busy work could be digital habits that include checking emails, Facebook, and Twitter.

Are you ready to put aside what is distracting you from reaching your goals?  Great!  Because life is short.

Maybe your next question is “how?”

Much of our distraction comes from our physical environment.  Is your studio a mess?

Make yourself a de-clutter date.  If this is something you struggle with then either hire a personal organizer or enlist a friend.  And most importantly give yourself a deadline to get your supplies and paperwork in place.

The next step is to turn inward.  Our thoughts either distract or shape our focus.  And thoughts are things.

What do I do?  I meditate for at least 15 minutes a day. Its like erasing the chalkboard.

Many people say that they have difficulty committing to a mediation practice.  I look at it this way.  If you can brush your teeth each day then you can meditate.  Mental hygiene is as important as dental hygiene.

But if you’re struggling, actually try steadying your mental focus while you are brushing your teeth.  You know that you are going to brush your teeth each day so start by associating these habits.

It’s no accident that Jonathan Fields refers to Attention Management and focus in his new book Uncertainty and that the billionaire Venture Capitalist who reviewed my business plan evaluated its singular focus.

Multitasking dilutes your attention and it is not productive.

Know your priorities and focus on one thing at time.  Target your attention.

When is an artist ready to sell their work? An art gallery owner or art representative will determine this based on an artist’s answers to a few questions:

1. How much similar art work do you have in inventory? Art representatives will want to know if they can come back for more.
2. What other art galleries do you work with? They’ll want to have a monopoly on a certain geographic area for your work and want you not to work with anyone else in that market.
3. Do you retail your work through art galleries for more than you sell to art collectors directly? This is a no no.  If you have done this, then it demonstrates a lack of integrity because you are willing to undercut your art representative and compromise the value of your own work.
4. Do you have a website that displays your retail price or allows visitors to purchase online? Again, many art galleries not going to like this because you are eating into their market.
5. Do you accept commissions? It’s easier to sell your work if you are willing and able to do custom work and to deliver it on time.
6. Have you given your art away as gifts to your friends or family? They’ll want to know if you value your work or if you have compromised its value by gifting it.
7. What retail price do you want to sell your art work for? You need to know the answer.  That’s not their job to determine this and it will demonstrate your professionalism.  You’ll receive 50% to 60% of the retail price.
8. Do you make art full time or part time? If you make art part time, how much do you make?  What is your part time job?  The catch is that you can be judged as a hobbiest for making art part time.
9. And here’s the kicker question?  How much work have you sold your art for  for how much? If you haven’t sold anything you are far less appealing.

My answer to the question, When is an artist ready to sell their work? Anytime you have a buyer.

When you build your own market, you have control.  No one can claim a monopoly on a market where the terms are consignment, a common practice that is unethical at best and illegal at worst.

Am I slamming art galleries and or art consultants?  No.  I’m just relaying the questions that I was asked when I worked with art galleries.

Once I realized that I could develop ongoing relationships with my collectors, keep control and all of the money, I stopped working with art representatives.

When is an artist ready to sell their work? I’ve found that I’m always ready to sell my work.  But a representative may be involved in selling another artist’s work.

1.   Your creative talent
2.   artistic ability
3.   and prolific creative output will only get you so far

And by the way you’ll need all three to be a successful artist.

1.   Artistic mastery of a certain technical standard is expected, just like a singer must hit all of the notes. If, for example, you are a glass blower, you had better know how to grind and polish the bottom of your vessel to perfection.  If you are an illustrator of architect you had must have mastered three-point perspective.

2.   Creative talent, your unique voice, must be clear enough so that work is recognizable as your own and can not be mistaken for another artist’s.  Then it must inspire, make people feel.

3.   Once you have creative talent and artistic ability down, are you ready to sell?  Maybe, if you can produce consistently.  Why?  Just like there is no use in opening a store if you are going to run out of inventory, you must produce, you must be prolific.  If you don’t, you’ll only disappoint and confuse potential collectors and your disappointment will become frustration.

And now for the big question.  Do you have a unique value proposition and a target market?  This is basic requirement for any business to thrive, creative or otherwise.

For example, what was Andy Warhol’s unique value proposition and target market? Warhol’s unique value proposition was that he celebrated the consumption of fame.

His primary target market? Distinguished intellectuals. Hollywood celebrities and wealthy patrons. He was a master of PR and networking.

So let’s get real.  The odds are very slim that anyone will make a living through their creative endeavors.

But if you have creative talent, artistic ability, and you are prolific you are half way towards success.

I’ll admit.  Selling art can be a very difficult endeavor.

But I never let my frustration outweigh my gratitude for the opportunity I have to earn my living through my art.  This is bliss.  Yet it wasn’t always this way.

I’ve had to struggle and work hard to get where I am.  And I’ll have to continue this to get where I aim to go.

Every time I make a sale I am grateful.  Very grateful.  And I express this very clearly to my patrons.

In fact, I stay in touch with them each year and express my gratitude by offering them a small gift such as calendars or note cards.

Notice, I’m not giving away original oil paintings or fine art prints. These are thoughtful, affordable, and tasteful tokens.

I recently sent a patron a small package of note cards.  I had no attachment or expectation of a response.

To my delight she asked if she could purchase a custom order of these note cards.  My investment in a small gift resulted in an immediate $2000 sale.

Again, I wasn’t attached to the outcome. I considered this a gesture of good will and simply a good customer relations practice.

Good will is very important because most of my business comes by way of referrals.  Outside of my website, I do not advertise my art.

What are you grateful for?  What patrons have supported you? What can you give to express this?

Give and receive freely. Practice gratitude.  What you focus on will multiply.

As I go about my daily life in business as an artist, I encounter a number of myths.  These common mis-perceptions about artists are so pervasive that I thought they deserved their own series of posts.

I thought it would be particularly instructive to share these myths on Artists Who THRIVE because a lot of these false legends come from artists themselves.

So let’s address the first myth,“artists must suffer for their art.”

Are you kidding?  Really?  Suffering is optional.

Now, I get it.  If you are struggling financially and or creatively, you will suffer.  I know.  I’ve been there.  I didn’t paint or draw a single thing for over seven long years.  During this time I developed severe anxiety and chronic clinical depression.  Notice.  I wasn’t an artist then.  I wasn’t expressing myself and that was one of the main reasons why I was suffering.

The depths of those feelings certainly inform my painting today.  And that is the silver lining in the very dark cloud I lived in for years.  But had I not focused my full attention and energy on improving emotional health and finding my artistic voice, I would certainly have continued to suffer.

Just ask yourself.  How would suffering support you in any way to be a thriving artist and entrepreneur?  Really.

Art is no doubt about feeling.  It is emotive, not literal.  Suffering transformed can inspire.  But there are healthy boundaries between your creative focus and your business enterprise.

The successful artists that I know are certainly not suffering nor are they horribly dysfunctional. I meet a lot of successful entrepreneurs.  Most of my collectors are self-made.  The successful artists that I know are just as, if not more, enterprising.

These successful artists are marketing savvy. These artists are also keen on maintaining a healthy life work balance and I find them to be generous and highly intelligent.  Is that a profile of the mythical suffering artist?  I think not.

You are chasing an aimless target if you are trying to appeal to the masses.  Successful artists appeal to a specific target.

There are no musicians famous for both their classical and country performances.

You know, the bull’s eye in the middle of the target.  Try to hit the whole thing and you’ll hit nothing.

Successful artists create a consistent body of work, and have a unique voice that offers a value to a target market.  Once they have gained a reputation in a specific space they can broaden their efforts.  This is marketing 101.

I first established a reputation as the “Wine Country It Girl” by creating strategic partnerships with prominent wineries.  I created several series of vineyard paintings.

Since then I’ve branched out and painted the aspens in snow, private gardens, and ranches.  With each of these new series my artistic approach remains the same, it’s only the demographic market profile that has changed.

Before I made these shifts into other markets, I first had to establish a reputation and gain recognition in one space.  This was a deliberate and targeted effort.

So if you think your art must appeal to the masses, think again.  And ask yourself, on what authority did your receive this information?  Who are the “masses?”

The good news is that you should first please yourself.  Then you are much more likely to please a few others.

You can’t and you don’t want to please everyone.  Be true to thyself, create with passion, heart, and authenticity.  This will increase your chance of success.

Remember, the work of copycats is dead on arrival.  Even if a copycat artist’s work is superb it will first compared to the more creative artist’s previous success.

To quote Comedian Bill Cosby “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

We all know of the artist who is the wife of a rich man or the kept creative of someone or another.

There’s a common myth that if you are going to be a successful artist you’ll need a sugar daddy or mama to keep you going financially as your build your list of collectors.

Well, my sugar daddy never showed up. Not that I was ever looking for him or that I would have even wanted him if he did arrive.  I wanted to create art and create a profitable business.  They are both vital expressions of my creative self.

My good friend Tamar Gellar, famed dog trainer to the celebrities, and NYT best-selling author, often quotes her mentor Tony Robins who says, “You don’t have to be rich, you just have to be resourceful.”  This is soooo very true.

This January will mark the start of my sixth year in business. Six years ago this month, I moved to San Francisco to start painting full time.  This place is one of the most, if not the most, expensive cities in the nation.  A zany move. I know.

Tamar’s reminder about resourcefulness made me recall some of the ways I intially secured resources.

First, this artist took care of her body.

I ran on the beach in front of my live/work studio every day.  I was stressed with the effort required to shape a profitable business painting.  So I knew that I could either let that build up in my body or channel the energy in a healthy way while breathing in clean ocean air.

Then she took care of her mind.

I audited a class for free in biofeedback at San Francisco State University and later practiced neuro-feedback.  Why?  Because I learned that star athletes and performing artists used this to gain states of optimal performance.  I knew that to succeed I needed to be on my A game and be prolific in order to be profitable.

So that I could take care of business.

I tapped all of the resources that I could at the Small Business Development Center.  They offer free or low cost support to small businesses.  Although I created my Blue Ocean Strategy, with the help of a good friend, the SBDC helped me learn more about operating a profitable business.

Note, none of the above cost anything.  I wasn’t rich.  I was just resourceful.  And I was very clear on my SMART goal.

Reality TV shows like American Idol or Scouted about models gaining instant fame, feed an unrealistic fantasy that an artist’s success could be offered in one instant.

In fact, we all know that success will be earned over time with as many opportunities as you can cultivate and satisfy.

When I coach or consult with creatives I always tell them, “No one is coming to save you, no one is going to discover you. So get very clear on your SMART goal and then build and maintain an Action Plan to get there.”

I know.  I’ve been featured in the national media.  And although it can give one some street cred it doesn’t necessarily result in a wind fall of sales.

I also know how to get things done, that have not been done before, within a certain time frame.

My last straight job, seven years ago, was as a project management consultant.

This is one transferable skill that comes in very handy from my years dwelling in a corporate cubicle.

A SMART goal may be, “I’m so happy that in 2012 my art sales exceeded $80,000.”

What is required of successful artists is the faith and the fortitude to claim and then create what they want by taking constant action.

However big or small it may seem, stretch and heed the Greek sage Epictetus “First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.”

Fame comes from a lot of  media exposure.  And Public Relations is an important marketing strategy for all small businesses, but you really can’t control it.  You can only control planned and measured efforts towards a SMART goal.

Epictetus taught us that suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.  So what I can control, what is within my power, is keeping a list of potential media opportunities and contacting so many every week.  My SMART goal is to, have 3 or more favorable national press spots in 2012.

By striving consistently, it eventually pays off.  This is the key lesson.  Success is incremental.

“No one is coming to save you, no one is going to discover you.”

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”-- Stephen King

These quips of wisdom are nothing that most of us don’t already fully realize.

It’s just useful to be reminded every now and then so that we can consider whether or not we are running our lives according to this wisdom.

So yes talent is important but without hard work it means little.

But there is a vital third component that they don’t even bother to teach you in art school.  It is not only vital to an artist’s success, it is vital to an artist’s very survival. What’s that?  A market.  It’s talent, hard work, and a market.

Art schools argue that they are not business schools and so at best they glance or skip over this subject.

At worst, condescending art professors degrade the very notion that an artist even needs a market and label pursuing one as “selling out.”  Whatever the heck that means!

This leaves the majority of art students completely disoriented and later disillusioned.

Here’s what’s real.  It’s incredibly expensive to attend the top rated art schools.  My alma mater, The Cleveland Institute of Art, is currently charging over $50,000 a year. Yet only 20% of experienced professional artists will be lucky to make $20,000 from their art.

The admissions application should disclose that somewhere around seven years after graduation 90% of fine art majors aren’t even making any art anymore, never mind selling it.

So even though artists just spent a serious fat wad of money on tuition, or their hopeful parents did, and they may have tremendous student loan debt that they’ll never escape, 9 times out of 10 their art career is totally screwed within 7 years of graduation.

I can hear it now.  But I don’t know how to define a market for my art work.  I know! I didn’t either but I learned and that’s why I started Artists Who THRIVE.

Because not only did I get tired of hearing artist’s frustrations about establishing a market, I frankly tired of the general perception that artists can’t possibly wrap their pretty little heads around all this business mumbo jumbo.  F that!  Yes you can!

And guess what, you should.  Why?  Because people are still buying art.  Yes.  I know.  It’s a fact that we are just grasping for air from a major economic recession and all categories of luxury have declined significantly.

Except one.  Which one?  You guessed it. Fine art.  The “market” for fine art sales actually increased during the recent recession.

So wipe your tears and get crackin’.   Take charge.  Learn everything you can.  Gather positive and intelligent influences around you and drop the rest.  You can’t afford to be around nay sayers.

Apply yourself to the business of art as you did to mastering painting or drawing.

I rarely tip toe into discussions about the quality of an artist’s work.  There are plenty of talented art teachers whose full time job it is to do just that.

I never offer to critique an artist’s work. Even though I’m asked allllll the damn time.

Why do striving artists ask me?  Because they want me to assure them that there is a market for their work and I can’t tell them that.

Because even if there is a market for their work, there is no way of knowing that they’ll be willing and able to develop it.

I’d really need to critique the artist’s business and marketing plans.  And typically they don’t have those.

The only way to know if there is a market for an artist’s work is to know that they can produce it AND that they are willing to pursue that market like a rabid crazed entrepreneur.

If I were to critique an artist’s work I would look at three elements.

1. Do they have serious talent?
2. Is their work original or just a copy of someone else’s style?
3. Is their art clearly identifiable and consistent and easy to differentiate from other art?

Think of the music you dig.  Doesn’t a successful musician’s music possess these three elements?

Here’s the part where I set you free.  Come on now.  You can dig deep and answer these questions.  You know if you have serious talent. You can see it.  You can feel it.
We’ve all been influenced by other artists but are you making original work not just making copies?

• Have you found your voice?
• Do you have a message you are clearly communicating and therefore your style stands out?
• Are you consistent?
• Can you produce or do you have just a handful of work?

Well then.  If the answer is yes to 1-3 and the bullets above, then establish or pursue your market.

If the answer to the above is no, then don’t quit your day job. It’s cool to, and completely respectable to, make art for art’s sake.

“One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”" — Lewis Carroll

Coming across this quote was very timely.  I had just received a message from a young artist that I coached.  I met her at an Artists Who THRIVE seminar in Berkeley sponsored by the Small Business Development Center.

She was struggling.  She had artistic talent and drive but she had no direction.  My counsel to her was that she must know what she wants so that she could decide what direction to take her life.

We had to start with where she was.  She knew she wanted to celebrate her culture and that she wanted to express and refine her artistic talent.  But that knowing was too vague to provide her with direction.  She had to commit to a SMART goal and take action.  She did.  And here was her message to me.  But it may be a message to you.

Dear Ann,

I’d like to thank you for helping me create one of the best years of my adult life.

If you recall, you coached me for six months at the beginning of this year in which I went through ups and downs, I learned to create a dream map, a SMART goal, and an action plan….

Well the action plan didn’t fully happen as planned, and my SMART goal changed, but I stayed true to myself and did what I could to realize my ambitions.

I just returned from a five-month journey through Eastern Europe, (mostly Ukraine) and brought back a new set of skills, amazing experiences, new relationships, inspiration, and my best work yet!

I can honestly say that I had the best time on my life!

Not only because I got to travel and paint for 9 to 16 hrs a day, but also because some of the images on my dream map actually came to life.

Yet perhaps the biggest reward is the feeling of freedom and empowerment after I learned to pursue art projects that were true to me and yet at the same time they were beyond myself, projects that would bring value not only to me, but to my potential clients, my community, and my cultures.

Thank you for teaching me to dream big and for warning me that failure is inevitable.

I failed many times toward and during this journey, but now as I reflect back, lessons from failures and disappointment led to new opportunities and pathways.

I am excited to be back, to continue to clarify my dreams and goals, to fail and to continue creating my own path of creative freedom while inspiring others to live fully and pursue their own dreams.

Below are a few photos from my journey. Thank you again and I look forward to staying in touch with you in the upcoming years.

All the very best!

Nataliya Tyaglo
Independent Artist

“If you curse the rich, you’ll never be one of them.” -Rev. Ike

I recently posted this quip from Revered Ike on the Artists Who THRIVE Face Book page and it received a bit of backlash.

That bitter backlash, typically born of feelings of failure, didn’t really surprise me. That backlash just reminded me of another one of my favorite quotes.  This quote from Oscar Wild is one that artists who curse the rich should keep in mind, “When bankers get together for dinner, they talk about art.  When artists get together for dinner, they talk about money.”

Obviously the artist and the patron have a symbiotic relationship as patrons of the arts are generally wealthy and artists, not so much.

I know that there are exceptions to every rule so please just hold your commentary.

If you curse the relationship between the artist and the patron, I can guarantee you that you’ll jack up your prospects of being an artist who successfully sells their work.

If you embrace wealthy patrons, like I have, I know that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.  Why?

Because the fact is that over 95% of the wealth earned in this country was produced by self-made folk who come from middle class upbringings.

Luxury Marketing surveys and my experience confirms:

• that these wealthy folks are generally rooted in their middle class values
• they’re pretty grounded and down to earth so they have a finely tuned BS meter
• and they are charitable not only with their money but also with their time

Revered Ike and Oscar Wild speak the truth.  Don’t be a hater.  Let the truth set you free.

Today I had lunch with a dear friend, let’s call him Steve, who is currently mediating a dispute between two dear friends who also are also doing business together.

One friend, let’s call him Collin, is an extraordinarily talented photographer.

The other friend, let’s call him Mathew, learned photography from his naturally talented friend Collin.

Now Collin, although he’s a gifted creative talent, doesn’t exactly excel in the business and marketing departments, just yet.

Matthew on the other hand is much more of a marketing kind of guy and knows how to hustle for gigs.

So the story starts with these two friends wanting to help each other. “The path to….”

Collin teaches Matthew the craft of photography then Matthew starts getting great gigs for Collin. Cool.

Now Matthew has developed a company that has a nice stable of photography talent that he’s representing.

Unfortunately Matthew has developed this company without taking the time to gain an understanding of international copyright law and ethical business practices.

Why?  He is using the images of photographers that he represents without giving them credit and “without” a written licensing agreement that stipulates this.  Bad move.

Not only legally and ethically but personally it’s just wrong. And he is alienating his dear friend and mentor Collin.

Why?  Well, Matthew is asserting that he just wants to control his photography company’s brand.

“Look here Collin, I’ve brought you so much business.  Why are you not forever grateful?” says Matthew.

When Steve told me this story I immediately called bullshit.  Come on dude.  You want to operate a business, know the law.

Credit lines are not only standard fair practice, what control over the brand is Matthew really gaining by not giving credit where it is due?

Let’s just be real.  What Matthew is really afraid of is that clients are going to go around him and work with the photographers directly and he’ll loose his piece of the action.

This is a scarcity point of view and just because he’s representing them he is not entitled to all of their revenue.

Here’s the thing.  Copyright, the right to reproduce, belongs soley to the creator. That’s it.  If they want a credit line, fork it over.

You can no more help yourself to someone’s intellectual property than you can help yourself to the contents of someone’s purse.  You must gain permission, in writing.  It’s called a licensing agreement.

I wouldn’t care how much business someone was bringing me, if they forced this type of arrangement I’d tell them to take a flying frickin’ leap.

“Work for hire” is a provision of the US Copyright Act intended as a narrow exception to the general rule that the artist or author who actually creates the work owns the copyright to it.” *

Why is this important to you? Well, if you read the previous post about the contentious matter of copyright infringement, it is very important.

The right to reproduce or copy your work belongs solely to you, the artist.  And this right affords you one of the most valuable assets that you may ever own, your intellectual property.

The “work for hire” provision gives ownership to the employee or the party who commissions an artist’s work.  This provision leaves the artist with no rights whatsoever.

If there is a traditional employment situation, such as an artist who is an employee or freelancer, this arrangement may be very well justified.

But here’s the important point, this arrangement must be verified in writing and signed by both parties to be legal.

An employer can’t just throw it into the mix later.  And just because employers do, it doesn’t make it right or legal.

So here’s a word to the wise: some employers will try to assert a “work for hire” contract after the fact.  If so, hold your ground.  Understand and maintain your rights.

The problem with too many “work for hire” arrangements is that artists lose valuable resources of future income and control over their images and reputations.

Read your contracts carefully for “work for hire” provisions that attempt to circumvent copyright law.

Note, my fine art business involves exclusively commissioned based work.

My contract very clearly stipulates that I retain all rights to my intellectual property.

I also put my patrons on notice that all works will be registered with the Library of Congress so that I can exercise the right to recover the maximum damages allowed by law.

 *Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines published by the Graphic Artists Guild.

“Giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”  — Robert Donovan

This is a statement that I know to be true.  Why? Because for over seven years I did not paint or draw one thing.  I completely gave up on pursuing my art.

What followed was indeed tragedy.  After I abandoned my creative self she became increasingly deeply depressed, anxious, and sleepless.

Without an outlet my creative energy balled up inside me and stagnated.  The real tragedy was that this suffering was my choice.

I thought that I should surrender my hopes of pursuing art full time because the economic odds where so very dismal.

I believed that I needed to develop marketable skills within a corporate cubicle. I most often felt like a caged animal resenting the corporate structure and culture.

But the grim economic reality of being an artist is one that my art school did not prepare me for.

I believe that this lack of preparation after demanding such high tuition was and is irresponsible and unethical.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Education is beginning to crack down hard on educational institutions graduating fine art majors with student loan debt that they have no practical means of paying back.

What I have come to realize is that art schools and programs do not know how to overcome the economic reality of the super competitive art market.  If art professors did, for the most part, they would not be teaching but pursuing their art full time.

Alas, I was able to create a viable art business in my first year trying full time.  My success and business approach was such an anomaly that it earned me significant media attention, including a feature in Fortune magazine.

Because of this success and insight I feel a passionate responsibility to share what I’ve learned.  I just can’t abide the notion that artists must struggle.  I think that the starving artist myth is fundamentally destructive and disrespectful.

So don’t give up.  I know from personal experience that where there is a will there is a way.

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.”
— Georgia O’Keeffe

This wisdom from Georgia O’Keefe reminds me of my friend Jonathan Fields‘ newest book.  But Jonathan takes O’Keefe’s wisdom to another level of practical understanding and application.

Go get his book. “Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance.”

Disclaimer, I am biased because he profiled me in his first book, “Career Renegade.”  Another recommendation for Artists Who THRIVE.

Back to Ms. O’Keefe.  She spoke my truth. When I was working at my last JOB, my manager’s nickname was actually Snotty Scotty. I did not bestow this name upon him; he had clearly earned the title before I met him.

One fine day I arrived back home from my two hour, one way, commute from San Francisco’s financial district and I had just had it.

I could not return to such a soul sucking existence when unexplored options were available to me.  So I decided that I would quit my job, sell my home and move to San Francisco where I would paint full time and I would make money.

“Oh really?” That’s what the disbelievers said.  Worst-case scenario I would find another job.

But I had to go for it.  I didn’t want to have any regrets.  My late and dear cubicle mate Angela was reminding me of this every day.

I was indeed terrified.  I had no plan, no network, no experience running a business, and most importantly no example to follow of an artist actually even considering their creative endeavor as a business.  It was a constant stretch of thinking and faith.

The fear itself was energy. It was fuel.  And I applied it to determine a SMART goal, using my project management skills to outline and execute an action plan, and to secure resources.

Tony Robbins says, “You don’t have to be rich, you just have to be resourceful.”

Initially I really did not know what I was doing and I really did not know how I was going to get there but I knew what I wanted.  And knowing what you want is half the battle.

“Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there.’”
— Eckhart Tolle

Stress is caused by being here but wanting to be there. I would add that not even knowing how to get from here to there adds another layer of stress.

When I consult and coach artists on developing their businesses so that they can sell more art they are most often working out of sequence and therefore their business focus is blurred.

Look. There’s no sensible cookie cutter approach to developing any enterprise but businesses do evolve in a general sequence.

Recently I was consulting with a painter.  She’s talented, she works hard, she is industrious, and taking action is not her problem. In fact, she has been taking industrious action for about 30 years and still she is struggling trying to make a living as a painter.

The problem? Her sequence has been off.  She has four damn websites.  Yes. Four.  Each a separate attempt to market her work while each to a degree is compromising her creative integrity. This is the first sign of things gone astray.

Once, a venture capitalist friend, Dr. Raul Deju, reviewed my business plan. Yes.  Artists need a business plan. He told me that when he funds businesses he looks for two qualities in the entrepreneur, passion and focus.

Artists generally have the passion down and artists are very capable of creative focus but focus can drift in their business efforts.

Why?  They don’t know how to get from here to there.  And don’t feel bad.  They don’t teach you this stuff in art school and generally the art majors don’t hang out with the business majors.  It’s too bad.  Let’s not pretend, fine art is big business.

So how do you get from here to there?  What I learned the long hard way is the sequence below.

Establishing these general milestones will save you an extraordinary amount of time, money, and effort and you may even thrive as an artist.

1. Have a substantial body of work that demonstrates your unique talent.
2. Articulate your creative passion (hold the boring artist’s statements.)
3. Create a Blue Ocean Strategy.
4. Define your unique value proposition.
5. Define your target market.
6. Write a business plan.
7. Run the numbers and set up your accounting. (Prove that their is a profit.  This is about making money not just selling some art.)
8. Write a marketing plan.
9. Create a graphic identity program. (Usually DIY.  Don’t do it yourself, it’s like cutting your own hair.)
10. Launch an eCommerce site. (Usually DIY.  Don’t do it yourself, it’s like cutting your own hair.)
11. Define an annual SMART goal.
12. Outline an annual Action Plan.

Here’s the sequence that the painter I spoke with followed.
1.    Articulate your creative passion. (Artist’s statement.)
2.    Create a graphic identity program. (Did it herself.)
3.    Launch an ecommerce site. (Did it herself.)
4.    Launch an ecommerce site. (Did it herself.)
5.    Launch an ecommerce site. (Did it herself.)
6.    Launch an ecommerce site. (Did it herself.)

When copyright infringement is disregarded can the value of your original art work protected?

Yesterday I received this friendly and generous email from “Cindy” in China.  Something just tells me that is not her given name.

Hand-Painted;Customized;Reasonable Price;Satisfaction Service;

Hi,

We are one of the leading OIL PAINTING REPRODUCTION wholesaler from China.We can offer you competitive price for oil painting reproduction based on fine quality.

Our oil painting reproduction on canvas includes Abstract oil paintings, Impressionism, Still life, Landscape, Animal, Mediterranean Sea, Flower etc.

Price is starting from US$3.00/Pic for decoration style with size 8″x12″. You are welcome to  offer us picture&size&quantity you required.(Starting from quantity 1 )We will quot. you as per your requirement.

Welcome visit at www.artsingallery.com  for more.

Thank you for any of your kind response.

Regards,

Cindy
Fine Art Gallery Shop
www.artsingallery.com

Mail: sales@artsingallery.com
Xiamen.China

Before you have an experience of mild disgust, let’s learn from this.

Here’s the thing.  The concept of intellectual property simply does not hold the same weight in China.

If an idea can offer up value to the common good then they see no reason that it should not be shared.  So it’s not really stealing.

The problem with this mentality is that the profit incentive to innovate is quickly eroded.

But this is an economic force that us creative types have been, and will, continue to bump up against.

So clearly we creatives must bring more to the table than just a product called art.

The value proposition of a painting, a piece of jewelry, or a sculpture must contain deeper layers of value so that it cannot be easily copied.

Here are some things to consider.

• What is the story of your creations and how do you convey it?
• What is your personal relationship with collectors and how do you cultivate it?
• What elements of added value do you offer besides the finished works of art?
• Will you create bespoke works for collectors?
• What elements of creative value do you offer that cannot be copied?