Have you ever had someone write about your work, but you felt it misrepresented you? Have you ever had someone post your work, but without crediting you? Or maybe they used your work without asking you if it was okay. In this episode of Art Problems, I talk about how to make the most out of less-than-ideal situations. I talk about how to get what you want. And I talk about how to avoid what you don't want. You don't want to miss this one. Relevant links: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/28/arts/d...
Jun 14, 2024•16 min•Ep. 66
You know all those jpgs you have lying around your computer? As a random file on your computer, they're worth nothing. But what if I told you, that the hours of labor those images represent can be monetized -- and not just through the traditional gallery route. This week on the Art Problems Podcast I speak with Kelani Nichole of the Transfer Data Trust, the next iterative phase of Transfer Gallery, an experimental media art space that got its start in Brooklyn, 2013. On the podcast we talk about...
Jun 06, 2024•47 min•Ep. 65
In honor of the upcoming quarterly tax payments, I’m sharing an episode from Sunlight, my favorite podcast about taxes, money, and managing your art career. About this episode, podcast host, artist, and accountant Hannah Cole writes, Have you ever wondered what questions you should ask when you’re hiring a new accountant? Today, I’m explaining some of the biggest mistakes I see people make when they begin to work with an accountant and clarifying what you don’t get when hiring an accountant. Lis...
May 31, 2024•32 min•Ep. 63
I asked that question of Get the Picture author Bianca Bosker on this week's episode of Art Problems. And let me tell you, the answer was every bit as thrilling as asking the question. In Bosker's New York Times bestselling book, she spends five years working at galleries, and artist studios, as well as interviewing the Whitney Biennial curators and spending time working as a guard at museums, all to better understand how to appreciate art. In our interview, we dig a little deeper into the theme...
May 23, 2024•48 min•Ep. 62
Are you feeling stuck? Your art isn't selling. Your opportunities are dwindling. You're wondering if it's time to throw in the towel. Let me answer that for you really quick: No. In this podcast, I talk about what to do when sales are down, and the answer isn't quitting. It's experimentation in the studio. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
May 17, 2024•7 min•Ep. 61
You know how every other headline for the past year has been about the sinking art market? Well, we're finally starting to see the light. In this week's episode of the Art Problems podcast, I discuss two fairs and an art show in Chelsea and how art sales are finally on the rise! Relevant links: Join the Netvvrk membership!...
May 10, 2024•11 min•Ep. 60
You know what sucks? Feeling like you've been stuck in the same place career-wise for years on end, with no solution insight. You're tired. And you're demoralized. What if I told you I could give you a way to feel better, even if for just a short while? Well, I've got you. In this podcast I give you two easy exercises that will help build your confidence AND ease feelings of burn out. I can't wait to hear what you think! Relevant links: My free Masterclass, How to Get Seen in the Art World Witho...
May 03, 2024•13 min•Ep. 59
Heather Bhandari knows artists. She's spent her 25-plus-year career in service of helping them build their careers. She's written books, organized conferences, put together learning centers, taught classes, and helped manage legacies. And that's why I asked her on the podcast. In our conversation, Heather discusses: Positive changes to the art world that give her hope for artists. How there are many paths for artists and they don't all have to be defined by participation in commercial gallery sp...
Apr 24, 2024•46 min•Ep. 58
Doesn't the art world drive you nuts? There are all these rules of conduct you're supposed to follow, but then you're also supposed to know all the times when those rules don't apply. It's like you need the equivalent of a degree in engineering, just to get your foot in the door. (In reality, that degree is probably more like an MFA from Yale.) Well, today I break down the 10 most common contradictions and give you an advanced guide on how to navigate them. You'll recognize that the art world's ...
Apr 19, 2024•15 min•Ep. 57
Are artists getting the short end of the A.I. stick? Faced with a loss of potential revenue, many artists are questioning the value of A.I. models that train on their artwork to produce artwork for users at no cost. Zero dollars from your labor isn't a good deal. In this episode of Art Problems, I discuss the short comings of using licensing to deal with A.I. companies acting like bullies stealing your lunch money. But, I also talk about which text-based platforms are most useful to artists writ...
Apr 12, 2024•15 min•Ep. 56
One of the great frustrations with the art world is the nonsense terms you have to interpret and apply to your practice. Are you an emerging, mid-career, or an established artist? NOBODY KNOWS. It's different for every application you fill out. What if I told you, I had a solution to this problem? A set of terms where you could easily see your EXACT place within the art world. Well, whatyaknow! That's the subject of this podcast! You'll learn the terms and industry sectors we're identifying behi...
Apr 05, 2024•12 min•Ep. 55
Do I really need to read ArtForum? This and other media-related questions on this episode of Art Problems. We dive into: The state of the media and how it effects you and your practice. When you should start thinking about making a catalogue of your work and their purpose. Whether using paid publications like New American Painting is worth your money. And let's just get this out of the way right here: don't pay for advertising. It's not worth it.
Mar 26, 2024•11 min•Ep. 54
In honor of the Whitney Biennial, I'm sharing an episode of Pep Talks for Artists on how to work an opening. In this episode Podcast host and producer Amy Talluto talks with Mandy Wilson Rosen about the book "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne to see if it jusssttt might have some helpful tips inside for artists. Spoiler alert: It does. It's chock full of helpful tips for surviving an opening —and Amy even found some cocktail party lounge music for the ep. All music is licensed from Soundstripe....
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 53
I am back from the LA fairs, hoo boy, do I have some impressions. There was so much to do and see relative to New York’s Frieze week, that I started to wonder if New York would continue to be the economic center for art! In this podcast I discuss the biz, trends, and art so you have all the information you need to know whether participating in the LA Fairs is worth the investment. You’ll also get the skinny on each fair so you get a sense of the flavor of each. By the end, you'll be armed with e...
Mar 05, 2024•20 min•Ep. 52
I know, I know. I'm basically promising the answer to life in an eight-minute podcast! Well, it's not quite that, but this week on the Art Problems Podcast I talk about how understanding your goals and audience can give you the answer to pretty much any question you have about artist statements. And I'll tell you this now: The answers won't stop with statements. Not to be cryptic or anything, but I'm going to leave you with this teaser: Your audience might not be who you think!...
Feb 29, 2024•9 min•Ep. 51
Almost every artist will need to take an extended break from art making at some point in their career. Whether that be due to child rearing, the loss of a parent, or a significant move, the job of getting back into the game can be just as challenging as the disruptions that took you away from the studio. You're probably worried that... You have visible gaps in your CV that galleries will notice and ask you about. You've lose touch with many of your contacts and art friends and now they're gone f...
Feb 21, 2024•13 min•Ep. 50
In this podcast Have you ever exchanged gifts with someone and only to learn that the present you got them is waaaaay more expensive then the one they got you? Awkward! In this Valentine's Day podcast on connection and mailers, I talk about how social currency and exchange works much the same way. If you're asking someone for their email, and you're giving them something in exchange you want it to be roughly equal in investment. Sometimes that's the newsletter itself and sometimes it's a little ...
Feb 14, 2024•15 min•Ep. 49
Making any sort of career plan often results self-discovery. In this episode, I speak to three Netvvrk members, Jon Laustsen, Karey Kessler and Arden Bendler Browning about what they've learned through the process. Jon talks about how using a typewriter helped him connect to the process better. Karey talks about the discovery that the length of the journey and the goals she original set have shifted. Arden learns that being shy and introverted don't preclude her enjoyment of talking about her wo...
Feb 06, 2024•39 min•Ep. 48
Are you struggling to find time to do every god damn thing? Of course you are. You're an artist. That's why I started this series on goal setting. In this podcast I speak with artist and Netvvrk member Cadence Giersbach about how she sets priorities and gets things done. Giersbach describes the importance of focusing on the things that are within your control—what you can do each day to get tasks done. If you want to know more about how to spend less time hustling and more time in the studio, I'...
Jan 31, 2024•29 min•Ep. 47
Have you ever launched an exhibition space and then tortured yourself over whether to include yourself in a show because you know it will look bad? Or struggled over whether to send an email to gallerist or a DM over instagram because someone followed you, but you're not sure if DMing a welcome is friendly or spam? Welcome to the world of art world taboos, which are both plentiful and entirely useless in any situation other than the most obvious examples. In this episode I identify a few of the ...
Jan 23, 2024•21 min•Ep. 46
In this episode of Art Problems, I take on a vexed topic for many artists: goal setting! Is it even worth setting goals when it's so difficult to know where your opportunities will come from? Short answer: Yes. I talk to artist and Netvvrk member Heather Beardsley about the process she used to set her goals, and how she achieved them. And you know what? It's not rocket science. You can follow Heather's method (the Netvvrk method) and do the same thing. Because study after study shows that people...
Jan 16, 2024•22 min•Ep. 45
Last year, I predicted what 2023 in the art world would look like. This week, I take a look back at those predictions, share what I got right and wrong, and make new ones for 2024. Spoiler alert: We've got big structural changes ahead. It's hard to say how those changes will play out, but discuss the benefit of approaching shifts with cautious optimism. Relevant links: The Internet is about to Get Weird Again https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/internet-future-about-to-get-we...
Jan 03, 2024•19 min•Ep. 44
Do you have an internal ticker tape running tracking one anxiety to the next? Many of us who struggle with fears that our ambitions for our art will never align with our careers find end of year planning stressful. That's why, in this podcast, I invited artist and meditation expert Kristen Jordan to the podcast. (Psst: She also manages the Netvvrk membership support desk.) She tackles all of the anxiety around meditation, the ways it can help us formulate and tackle goals, and even leads is thro...
Dec 19, 2023•42 min•Ep. 43
Is conventional wisdom shifting? Many believe art fairs and artists shouldn't mix. One artist described it to me as watching your parents have sex. It's not something artists want to do! But not everyone agrees. In this episode I speak to artist Mark Joshua Epstein about his experience at the Miami art fairs and why he believes the stigma associated with artists who attend without exhibiting their work has changed. He got a lot out of his visit, and shares what he gained, who he thinks will bene...
Dec 12, 2023•37 min•Ep. 42
Is there a way to escape the demoralizing FOMO many artists experience during the Miami art fairs? In this episode of Art Problems, I discuss the ceiling many artists feel during this time of year, how to insert yourself into the fairs, and how not to feel like this whole art endeavor-thing is pointless. Spoiler alert: The whole art thing is not pointless.
Dec 06, 2023•9 min•Ep. 41
This week, I conducted an experiment: I took a survey that identified problems for standard businesses by revenue stages and examined how those problems aligned with the average artist's studio practice. Surprise! The metrics didn't line up. So, I used the framework for the business stages to create my model for artists. This podcast shares what I learned and produced for you! In the process, I created a downloadable action checklist so you can identify your career stage and what actions you nee...
Dec 04, 2023•27 min•Ep. 40
In this episode, I discuss the abundance of triggers liable to make you feel a little more sensitive about your career this time of year including the Miami art fairs, holiday sales, and an art market recession. I also discuss what you can do when you start feeling all the feels. We often get in our own way when we become self-conscious about visibility. This podcast is designed to give you the tools to avoid the behaviors likely to set you back. Sign up Here for early access to the Vantablack F...
Nov 21, 2023•13 min•Ep. 39
Do you really need an artist residency? You know it helps a CV, but how much? Will it help other aspects of your career? In this episode, I talk about how to determine if you need a residency and how to find the residencies best suited to your needs. If you've been stressing over whether you should spend time at a residency or how to find one, this podcast will provide an answer to many of those anxieties.
Nov 14, 2023•15 min•Ep. 38
Is your lack of tech literacy stressing you out? Are you worried you're too old to get the hang of new technology? Maybe you're not old, and reasonably tech-savvy, but still stymied by constant tech updates? Today on the podcast I invite my mother, Jacqueline Johnson, to talk about her use of technology. She is not a master of technology. But, at age 77, she has figured out how to use what she needs, and reports crying far less often as a result of the computer. Learn how she overcame her fear o...
Nov 01, 2023•45 min•Ep. 37
Is your body not working as well as it did when you were twenty? Is this affecting your studio practice? Welcome to the joys of mid-career! In this episode of Art Problems, I speak about the importance of seeking out good healthcare so you can sustain your work in the studio. Try different types of support. Use what works for you. Trust your body. Adapt, adapt, adapt. Learning to accept change is the key to happiness. Relevant links: Brad Stuhlman, Master of Change https://www.amazon.com/Master-...
Oct 25, 2023•13 min•Ep. 36
