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Your first year as an artistpreneur
ARTISTPRENEURSHIP TIPS Whether you’re diving straight in as a full time artist or taking it slow as a part-time artistpreneur, there are a few strategies that can help you survive your first year. In this article, I’ll go over what you need to focus on to stick with it, make a profit, and expand your brand awareness. MY FIRST YEAR This month (Nov 2019) marks the first anniversary of my online shop! Hooray!! Before taking this leap, I sold my work at art shows for years and designed work for friends and family — basically I made just enough money to fund my painting hobby. I was content with this…
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Juried Art Competition: What to do when you lose
WHEN YOU’RE NOT A WINNER This weekend I did some live painting at Paint Out at the Park in Dearborn. It was a super cool juried art competition where dozens of artists were given 4’x4’ boards to paint over the course of three days. The winners were given cash prizes and honored at the event, which was part of the larger Dearborn Homecoming party. I had a lot of fun and created a beautiful painting. I painted a couple of teapots, complete with little cups and tea leaves. I’m so proud of my work, even though I only got to spend two of the days on it (thanks, day job).…
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After an art show: Do these to see results faster
BEHIND THE SCENES Yesterday I had an art show booth at the Detroit Festival of Books. I was excited to be there; the organizer asked me to show and I always am grateful when someone else does the reaching out. There were so many book shops, fellow bookworms and good food. Plus, it was in the Eastern Market — which if you’re from the area, you’ll know is the coolest area in all of Detroit (well, at least I think so). But that was yesterday. Today is the day AFTER the art show. And there are pleeennnttyyy of things that need to be done right after an event that are…
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Build a personal brand and make real connections
IN YOUR OWN IMAGE There’s something in your creative business that will bring you success in all the ways: more sales, a bigger following on social media, a more deeply committed audience, more opportunities in your local art community, etc. Are you ready to know what it is? A personal brand. Now it’s easy to talk about a visual brand. This is something I specialize in. Picking colors, fonts, textures, filters, and every aesthetic detail is fun and it’s easy for other people to see if you’re doing it well or not. A personal brand is similar, but it goes deeper — and the average passerby may not be able…
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Productivity is about creating instead of consuming content
BE A CREATOR NOT A CONSUMER Today I’m sharing a tip that has helped my art career immensely. Once I changed my perspective on my own art and productivity my whole course of action changed. Here it is: Create before you consume. All successful full-time artists act as creators, not consumers. They draw, draw, draw, and only peek at what others are doing after they’re done. They don’t spend all day on their feeds gawking at what other illustrators have made or where their next exhibit is being held. If you consume other people’s content all day, you won’t have time to create your own. PRODUCTIVITY IS ABOUT YOUR MINDSET…
