If you’re confused – click here to start at #1. I don’t guarantee that it’ll help.
Artist Myth #5: Artists Don’t Need to Know About Anything but Their Art
Any artist who wants a successful art business cannot afford to live only in the confines of a studio where making art is the only reality. If you just want to make art, and ignore the business side, then you must have other ways to support yourself. ~Aletta de Wal
Your job is to make art AND to make sure it has the best possible chance to get out there into the big, wide world.
Your message, your meaning and the purpose for which you create anything at all becomes meaningless if it remains hidden in your basement.
If you want to have an art career, the broadcast and communication of your work to the public is just as important as the creation of the work itself.
You are your artist brand. Everything you offer to the public is your message.
“Doing Nothing is Still Marketing – It’s Just Bad Marketing”
(Keith… that never gets old.)
Be proactive about your brand and your message. Decide for yourself how you will broadcast your art and your meaning.
Who, Where, How…
(what is the art and you’d better already know why – if you don’t, figure it out)
You need to ID your audience, find out where they congregate and how you can connect to them. Do this through:
- showing your art >> online, offline, in galleries, group shows, home shows, studio tours, pop up galleries, traditional & non-traditional venues.
- broadcasting >> tweeting, facebook, video, blogs, guest publishing, workshops…
- You want to build your contact list, connect to your audience & repeat…
You need to create your own art opportunities – no one is going to come looking to lift you out of your studio and hand you a ready made audience primed and ready to buy.
You need to build that through your awesome self – your character, personality, trust, and delivering constantly valuable artwork and information to your audience that helps them, in their life, with their stuff.
cuz none of this means Jack if it’s not shared.
The reACTion Lab:
- Go to the library and take out The Artist’s Market &/or The Children’s Writer & Illustrator’s Market
- list 5 publications, blogs or companies (online & offline) that you can submit to that accept your type of work.
- list 5 non-traditional possible venues for an art show in your neighbourhood – be ridiculous… see what comes up.
- approach 1 retailer with which you have an affinity and ask to add your work to their shop on consignment.

Go, now. Quickly. Go and start building your dream…
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