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Chapter one of the physical storefront era: completed
This October, I paid off my physical storefront in Holly MI. I officially own the building! I’ve been selling woven jacquard tapestries, art prints, woven tote bags, pillows and more on a seasonal basis there. My revenue has skyrocketed and my vision for my career has expanded tenfold. Let’s talk about the last 3 years and my journey establishing myself in this chapter of the art business. Adding an art business to my art business You could say I stumbled upon the opportunity to buy another existing art business by being in the right place at the right time, but anyone who has stumbled upon an opportunity that they took…
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Big 5 lessons from traveling full-time as a solopreneur
Running an art business while traveling full time is an absolute trip – figuratively and actually. I was on the road for over two years while operating A Cup of Cloudy as a solo entrepreneur, and I learned a few lessons with my traveling business that will be helpful for all artists. When I quit my day job, I focused on increasing revenue AND cutting expenses drastically. For us that meant selling all our belongings, leaving our rental house, and moving into a tiny home. My husband and our two dogs lived in a travel trailer and then transitioned into hotel-hopping in the second year. We saw so much of…
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Secrets for gaining a repeat collector
The repeat collector is someone who buys more than one piece of art from you. They love your artwork enough to start and grow a collection of it. Repeat collectors aren’t made overnight, however — there are a few key secrets to making someone who has bought your work before become interested in buying it again. Let’s go over the best ways to motivate that second, third, or fourth sale. ART STYLE At the most basic level, people buy art to look at it. They buy it to decorate their home, so that their home looks a certain way. Having a consistent art style means when they collect more than…
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Financial basics for your creative side hustle
Many artists begin making art as a hobby, which transitions into a creative side hustle after they hear, “could I buy that off you?” enough times. Once artists get comfortable with selling, the call of becoming a full time artist gets louder. This article is for artists anywhere on this spectrum – all of us must learn how to track the money we spend, make, and hold. Let’s get into financial basics. Revenue Revenue is the money that you receive from selling your art. It’s any income generated by your art business. This can include commissions, accessories, shipping fees, tax you collect from customers, etc. Any money that comes IN…
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Artist interview prep: guide to publicity
Artists thrive on press. Half the work is creating, and the other half is marketing. That’s why so many folks try to pay artists in exposure – it IS valuable (just not as valuable as money). But when a genuine opportunity comes around for publicity, press, exposure, or free advertising, you’ve got to accept it. But what happens after that? You land an interview. Great! Now how to prepare? This could be a written interview, a podcast interview, or maybe a journalist will interview you and pick out the good bits to publish. In any case, there are a few necessary prep steps for any type of artist interview. Get…
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Selling art at events: types of art shows
EVENT MARKETING AND COMMUNITY Selling art at events is the fastest way to advance your art business. But there are many different types of events for artists and they all seem to blend together. For every different type of artist, there’s a different type of show. So let’s get into the details of art event categories, what happens and where they take place. EXHIBITIONS Selling art at events labeled as exhibitions means it’s in a gallery setting. A nice one, usually. Typically how exhibitions work is you will not set up a table here, but your artwork will be framed and hung on the wall by a curator, whose job…
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Artist collaboration tips (for solo creatives)
ARTIST COLLABORATION TAKES PRACTICE I typically avoid any type of artist collaboration. Working together with others when I feel strongly about the results has never been my forte. In school, I was always secretly hoping the teacher would pair me with the lazy students in class, so I could complete the whole assignment by myself unbothered. They appreciated my heavy lifting and I appreciated their apathy. When it has my name on it, I want it to turn out exactly how I like it. I’ve always been picky to a fault. At the same time, I’m often too nice to speak up when I don’t like someone else’s work. Everyone…
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5 tips to tackle the artist’s busy season — the holidays
GIVE YOURSELF THE BUSIEST SEASON YET Colder weather might signal a slow season for some professions and trades, but not for artists. Right now is our busy season. Let’s do what we can to make the best of it. Here are five supreme guidelines to follow for making your busy season the best few months of the year in your art business. 1. Focus on one special thing that you offer during this time I know as a creative, you probably have all types of different paintings, ideas, sales and schemes in mind. If you’re like me, you’re already plotting your new year’s resolutions. But right now the name of…
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Challenges of a traveling artist: receiving mail
BUSINESS ON THE ROAD Getting things shipped to you on the road is tough. Of course like everyone, I need my tax info, products for my business, my skincare supplements, and anything else important to me to come in the mail. But when you’re a traveling artist road tripping around the country in an RV, you don’t exactly have a mailing address. So what do I do? Here are some solutions and a rundown of their pros and cons. PO BOXES I can always set up a PO Box, but it’s not a perfect solution. For one, it adds to my long list of things to do before I move. When…
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8 Mistakes you might be making as an artist
Everyone makes mistakes. But not everyone corrects themselves. Being a working artist comes with challenges, and you’ll have a few of your own to overcome. It’s all good as long as you bounce back! Be sure to set yourself straight after realizing you may be doing one of these 8 things: 1. Not embracing artistpreneurship In other words, if you’re learning how to sell art then you need to learn the art of sales. An artist who makes money from their art is a business owner! Embrace the world of sales, systems, legal setup, website tech, and the business of setting up shop. Ignoring these things can easily be your…
