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Is being an artist a real job or a real risk?
YOUR TITLE MATTERS Being an artist is a real job. And, it’s truly not any more risky than any other job. Let me tell you why. Last week I got laid off from my job at the newspaper. For the past three years, I’ve hidden behind the “safe” title of Copy Editor. It sounded impressive at parties, in professional settings, and when someone asked, “What do you do?” I felt comfortable giving my answer. I felt justified knowing that I spent my days reading, writing and designing in a job that aligned with my college degree — English — as if my previous choices needed justification. But while I spent…
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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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A mood board is the secret to consistent artist branding
BUILD YOUR BRAND WITH BOARDS Mood boards are the perfect way to begin building your artistic business brand. You can keep them for reference when making decisions on the look, feel and message of your brand and truly personalize them. Before we get into how to use them, let’s talk about what it is, exactly. WHAT IS A MOOD BOARD? Sometimes called an “inspiration board” or “vision board,” it’s basically a collage of images, text, and whatever else that expresses a particular vibe or goal you’re striving for. Traditionally they were made with foam panels or cork boards and you could pin things to them manually. Anything from magazine clippings…
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Go full time with your art by planning prices + sales goals
PRICE WITH THE END IN MIND We all have trouble reaching our sales goals in the beginning of our art careers. We blame it on a small following, on the quality of the art itself — but have you ever considered that it’s because we’re approaching our goals the wrong way? Every goal needs a clear, measureable path to be accomplished. Making money to go full time with your art is no exception. In this article we’re going to get into the nitty-gritty of how to plan your prices around your goals in order to ACTUALLY reach them. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EARN? What’s your end game? For example,…
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How it feels to start taking commissions — the emotional truth
WHAT’S THE TEA, SIS? Well if you don’t have any, I do. It’s not real gossip, because it’s really about me. Here’s my tea: I’m stepping into doing commissions slowly but surely but I want to say out loud that it’s SO uncomfortable for me. Let me explain. NOTE: This article was written in April 2019. My relationship to commissions has changed a lot since this point! But I’m leaving it up because artists early on in their art journey can possibly relate. Check out my more recent post on commissions here. I APPRECIATE THE WORK I love knowing that people like my work enough to pay for something custom…
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Why You Need an Art Portfolio ASAP
CREATE SOMETHING YOU OWN If you don’t have a portfolio for your art yet because you think it’s not the most pressing issue, or you think you don’t need one, I’m here to convince you otherwise. Preparing a platform specifically to strut your stuff — whether online or hardcopy (preferably both) — can change your career for the better. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, right? So you need to be prepared when opportunity knocks, and having a curated portfolio is the best way to get ready. Here are 4 strong reasons having a portfolio is a MUST for professional artists: 1. IT’S CONVENIENT It’s convenient for others and for…
