Four years ago on a beautiful January day in Colorado, I attended an art destruction party. Two artists were slowing down in their production and wanted to ensure that subpar work wasn’t left for family to deal with. Nor did they want their names associated with that work. Although I’ve been imploring artists for decades to get rid of work they think isn’t of the highest quality, it was still difficult to smash that first pot and tear that first watercolor. In this episode of The Art Biz I talk ...
Mar 02, 2023•41 min
The vast majority of the marketing we do is passive. We send emails, post to social media, and broadcast podcast episodes. Then we wait and hope for positive results. For better results, activate your marketing by thinking of all the ways you can communicate on a personal level. Yes, active marketing requires more work, but I promise you’ll get better results and enjoy it more. In this solo episode, I walk you through how you can activate your marketing for 5 art business scenarios. Read the "al...
Feb 23, 2023•18 min•Ep. 142
We’ve spent many months worried about inflation and a possible recession that may not ever happen. It would be terrific if we didn’t have to concern ourselves with such things, but the economy affects everyone’s business in one way or another. Today’s guest on The Art Biz is Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. We recorded this episode several months ago when the ...
Feb 16, 2023•40 min
The sales process is rarely discussed in artist circles. We often think of sales as a single step. Either someone buys your art or they don’t. There’s’ so much more to it. Yet, many of us think of sales as a dirty word, which is a bit ridiculous if we want to grow our businesses and careers. Artists need to adopt a new mindset surrounding sales in order to be successful. My guest on this episode of The Art Biz is Miriam Schulman, artist and founder of the Inspiration Place, where she helps other...
Jan 26, 2023•47 min
Your Decision Filter: 8 Considerations for Making Decisions for Your Art Business With host Alyson Stanfield Read the “almost” full transcript, see featured artists, and leave a comment: https://artbizsuccess.com/marketing-mix ~ 8 CONSIDERATIONS ~ You understand WHY you are doing it. (3:04) You are willing to devote the time and energy to it. (3:32) You enjoy it or are excited about starting. (7:09) You have the systems in place to support it. (7:40) You are already doing it and are seeing resul...
Jan 20, 2023•19 min•Ep. 139
There are so many ways you can sell your art and so many different avenues for earning money from your talents. I’ve highlighted a wide variety of options for earning money from your art on The Art Biz podcast, but today’s conversation is a first. I’m joined by Katie Hunt, the founder of Proof to Product, to learn more about wholesaling. She has helped thousands of brands get their products on the shelves of large retailers like Target, Nordstrom, The Container Store, and Starbucks, as well as i...
Jan 05, 2023•44 min
This episode is a solo episode in which Alyson Stanfield, of Art Biz Success, reveals the details of the new Art Biz Accelerator program. It was recorded during an info session for members of the Art Biz Connection community and includes: 3 Success Workshops during the year Open office hours with Alyson The Salon, a group for discussing art ideas and happenings in the art world Full membership in the Art Biz Connection community Additional training as needed First posted: https://artbizsuccess.c...
Dec 22, 2022•21 min
Putting Artists First in Curatorial Projects with Melissa Messina Today’s conversation on The Art Biz is packed with tips and insider info. In my conversation with independent curator Melissa Messina, we discuss what an independent curator does, how Melissa finds and works with artists, and what happens during a studio visit to an artist she is (or might be) working with. You won’t want to miss the insights she shares about common mistakes she sees artists making, as well as how to correct them....
Dec 15, 2022•56 min
Alyson Stanfield walks you through her thoughts on reviewing your year. There are 3 reasons to bother reviewing your year: (1) To honor life, (2) to remind yourself of what you have accomplished, and (3) to prepare for the New Year. Look at the year holistically in terms of personal, art, learning, and business. Your written account of the year will be something you can return to in the future as a reminder of what you accomplished, what you experienced, what you learned, who and what you encoun...
Nov 28, 2022•10 min•Ep. 135
Today’s conversation is a first. In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Rebecca Welz, an artist who claims she’s not all that interested in the art business. But Rebecca, with her many accomplishments, still had plenty of wisdom to share. Our discussion centers around how she sees her art as part of the continuum, and how she encourages her students at Pratt Institute to think holistically about their careers. We discuss meditation, biomimicry, her projects in Guyana and Guatemala with her s...
Nov 17, 2022•41 min
Not too long ago, artists didn’t have to worry about things like their brands. But in an increasingly competitive market, and the noisy online space, we will do better when we know where we fit. Your art is created in the studio, while your brand is created in the minds of viewers, buyers, collectors, gallerists, and curators. When you know your brand, you know how you want to be perceived in the eyes of others. Your brand helps you make decisions. If opportunities aren’t aligned with your brand...
Nov 10, 2022•43 min
Anyone can open up a gallery—real or virtual—and start selling art. I mean anyone. You don’t have to hold a degree or pass a test. You don’t have to have ethics or morals or know anything at all about art. But I am impressed by what UGallery is doing and the services they have been providing artists and clients since 2006. Everything about them feels different. On this episode of The Art Biz, I’m joined by Alex Farkas, founder of UGallery.com . Their business model is different from others in th...
Oct 27, 2022•41 min
The photographer Sally Mann has said that it never occurred to her to look outside of her home, family, and immediate vicinity to find inspiration. So many artists feel they need to travel to exotic locations to find their inspiration, never exploring what is right in front of them or what they encounter in their daily lives. In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Sara Lee Hughes, an artist who is deep into a body of narrative paintings with recognizable imagery that is steeped in her person...
Oct 13, 2022•38 min
There is no denying the importance of video these days. Whether you're chasing the Instagram algorithm for reels, streaming live on YouTube, or pulling together a video bio for your website, it's more valuable than ever to make good videos. My guest on The Art Biz is Zach Wolfson, a filmmaker who has seen all kinds of artists' videos—the good, the bad, and the cringy. He has joined me to discuss four of the most common mistakes he sees artists making with their videos, and he also shares simple ...
Sep 29, 2022•39 min
Artists crave validation by others. You want your work to be appreciated. Being validated by others helps build confidence and shows us we’re on the right path. But are you looking for validation in the right places? In this solo episode of The Art Biz, I address validation and earning credibility—where you are probably seeking it, where you might want to look for it instead, and what it really means about your art. Ultimately, validation only comes from within, and others are more likely to pay...
Sep 22, 2022•16 min
Detour travels to communities all over to paint socially impactful murals, but he also works on canvas, and in music, installation and sculpture. How does he do it all, and do it all by himself? In this episode of The Art Biz, I talked with Detour about his various income streams from prints and murals to corporate sponsorships and grants. He is adamant that he doesn't want to be limited by what he currently knows, so he's always learning how to use new technologies that will help him land compl...
Sep 08, 2022•51 min
There is no single success formula that works for every artist, but every artist needs some sense of order in their business and life so that they’re ready to respond to opportunities that come along. My guest for this episode is Maria Brito, award-winning New York-based contemporary art advisor, curator and the bestselling author of How Creativity Rules The World . A Harvard graduate, originally from Venezuela, Brito has been selected by Complex Magazine as one of the 20 Power Players in the Ar...
Aug 25, 2022•53 min
There’s always plenty to be learned from artists who have been making a go of it for decades. Just think about how much has changed in 30 years! In this episode of The Art Biz, my guest is Willie Cole, a self-described perceptual engineer with an impressive list of collaborations under his belt and even more in the works. Together we talk about the faith he has in his work as a result of being consistent throughout the years. And why he says work is a bad word and prefers to approach his studio ...
Aug 11, 2022•51 min
I can’t resist legal cases about art, from thefts and forgeries to copyright infringement to gallery dealers and so-called experts who end up in front of a judge for defrauding collectors. While most artists will never see the inside of a courtroom, you might be concerned with copyright infringement or receive unsettling news that someone is using your creative work without your permission. Every artist (you) should know the basics for protecting their art. In this episode of The Art Biz, I am j...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 125
An artist’s best resource is another artist. And to really know what a real artist’s life looks like on a daily basis, you have to study and talk to those artists. You can read their biographies, watch their videos, and listen to them on podcasts, including this one. In this episode of The Art Biz, I talk with Geoffrey Gorman about what it’s like to be a working artist, an identity he came to later in life and has sustained for nearly two decades. Geoffrey and I discuss his background as a furni...
Jul 14, 2022•53 min•Ep. 124
If you have ever wanted to shoot the breeze with a gallerist, you will want to pay close attention to this episode of The Art Biz. I’m joined today by Jeremy Tessmer, the gallery director at Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara, California. In our conversation, Jeremy shares his views of artist’s professionalism, what he thinks of online platforms, and how he taught himself art history (and why that was important to him). Jeremy describes Sullivan Goss as an on-ramp for collectors and artists—...
Jun 23, 2022•51 min
The resources you have for art business and career development are endless. In that respect, you are incredibly fortunate compared to artists of the past who had so little to help them make a go of it. And there is a downside. There are so many choices to grow as a professional artist that it’s difficult to decide where to spend your time and money. How do you decide? How do you know when to invest, and when to save your money? Let’s pretend you are my coaching client and you’re debating adding ...
Jun 09, 2022•19 min•Ep. 122
We usually start a long-term project with a specific goal or set of expectations in mind. Rarely does the project turn out the way we thought it would. More often than not, it’s better than we had imagined. But before we can get to that point of admitting that the change might have actually led to an improvement in the original plan, we have to struggle, to question our assumptions or to ask for more help or more money. We recognize we can’t continue working in the same fashion as before, and of...
May 12, 2022•45 min•Ep. 121
Some artists just know what they want, and some know what they don’t want. My guest for this episode has a lot of clarity about both. On this episode of The Art Biz, I’m talking with Alicia Goodwin, who worked as a jewelry designer for a number of individuals and companies before transitioning to her own full time jewelry business, Lingua Nigra. As an encourager, Alicia wants artists to go for it. She doesn’t believe in even considering a plan B in case the art thing doesn’t work out. She encour...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 120
Have you ever experienced success in any area and then realized it wasn’t exactly what you wanted after all? My guest today experienced unexpected and surprising growth as her Instagram following quickly grew from 10,000 followers to over 70,000 followers in just a few years. In this episode of The Art Biz, I’m talking to Sara Schroeder. We talk about the creative way that she overcame her fear of selling and what she wishes she had known to do differently while in the throes of that success. Fo...
Apr 07, 2022•51 min•Ep. 119
You are not alone. It may seem like you are at times because you do so much work by yourself in the studio, but the art ecosystem is enormous and you are not alone. There are so many good people who are advocating on behalf of and supporting artists in their businesses and careers. I want you to know about these resources so that you can tap into them. They’re waiting for you. In this episode of The Art Biz, I’m talking with Louise Martorano, the Executive Director at RedLine Contemporary Art Ce...
Apr 06, 2022•51 min•Ep. 118
Artists need writers. They are a critical part of the art ecosystem. Look back on any art movement from the past century in the U.S. and you’ll find a writer behind its day in the spotlight. My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is artist and writer Philip Hartigan. As you’ll hear, he’s not quite sure what order those labels should be in. In some respects, the writing came first, but the art has always been there. We talk about his writing life, the role that blogging has had for him, and how...
Mar 10, 2022•46 min•Ep. 117
Members of the general public enjoy their visits to art centers and museums without much thought as to how the art got into those spaces in the first place. Who decides on what to show and when to show it? Who decides what works to put next to one another and where to put a nail in the wall or a pedestal on the floor? Or even what color to paint the walls? All of these decisions, and more, fall under the purview of curators and exhibition directors in those non-profit spaces. In this episode of ...
Feb 24, 2022•59 min•Ep. 116
For too long I have been noticing artists posting things like this on social media: ‘Fresh off the easel! What do you think?’ or ‘I'm experimenting with . Let me know what you think!’ What do I think? Do you really want to know what I think? In this solo episode of The Art Biz I want to talk about feedback. When you ask people ‘what do you think’ you are asking for their feedback, whether it’s intentional or not. We are often too quick to ask for feedback, and we ask for it in ways that can be m...
Feb 10, 2022•18 min•Ep. 115
Risk is scary. Rejection stinks. Resilience seems elusive. When I think of these three R words, the word practice comes to mind. Taking one step at a time over and over again because we know it is the only way to make big progress. In order to embrace risk, we have to practice. We step into it, try it on, and, almost always, discover that it isn’t as bad as the soundtrack we were playing in our heads. Rejection is also a practice. We build up emotional muscles after receiving disappointing news....
Jan 13, 2022•53 min•Ep. 114
