THAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM BEING A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST
Myth #4: Artists are not business people.
If we buy into the left brain/right brain theories, then artists (right-brained people) tend to be not very good at things like business, accounting, math, etc. (left-brain stuff.) Consequently, they often think if they become artists, they won’t have to deal with business.
Wrong. Successful artists have good business skills, either by developing them, paying for them, or marrying into them.
Making art and craft may seem a lot more romantic than making computers or making window shades or roofing material, but it’s still a product. We produce it with our hands. It may be functional craft, it may be non-functional craft, it may be purely decorative, but it’s still a product. And for you to make a living, you need to sell enough of your product, at a good enough price, to pay your mortgage, buy food and go to the movies from time to time.
Why was Picasso famous? A workshop presenter posed this question years ago. Because he was a great artist? He was pretty good, and some of his pieces are great. But there are other artists who were better at composition, better at technique, better with color, better with the pencil, better everything. And their names do not roll off our tongues as readily. In fact, ask almost anyone on the street for the name of a famous artist and most likely they will answer, “Picasso.”
Why?
Because Picasso was a master of self-promotion and publicity, and he was an astute businessman. He finessed the skill he had into massive public appeal. Remember the tailor’s bill he paid with a scribbled self-portrait that took him all of 15 seconds to draw?
To produce enough art/craft to create a body of work, you must come up with some kind of reliable work ethic and production schedule (whether it’s work all night and sleep all day or vice versa.) To know how to price your work, you must know your costs—of your supplies, the value of your labor, your overhead--and your profit margin. To command the kind of prices you dream of, you must promote your name and work constantly. To get the kind of network opportunities—gallery representation, wholesale accounts, exhibits, commissions—you must be able to follow through with schedules, meet deadlines, take orders, process invoices and receive payment. And hopefully, pay income tax on all that money you’re raking in.
To get your art out into the world, you need to learn marketing and promotional skills, sales skills, research skills, product development skills, perhaps even teaching and writing skills. You need to find a way to talk about your work to store owners, gallery owners, customers, the media, to form that connection between them and your work so that they simply must own it.
The irony is, many artists think they are escaping the boring parts of the business world by pursuing a life in art. Then they find their lack of professional and business skills is the very thing holding them back from success.
The good news is, all these skills can be mastered like any other skill—with practice, discipline and a great attitude.
And the delightful secret is, many of these dreaded tasks turn out to be highly enjoyable because you are doing them for YOU. To further your dreams to be the artist you’ve always wanted to be.
If you’d like to learn more about acquiring the skills necessary to be successful with your art and craft, check out such resources as the Arts Business Institute, sponsored by The Rosen Group in Baltimore, MD (check the www.americancraft.com web site); The Crafts Report magazine (www.craftsreport.com); the soon-to-be-published Crafts Business magazine (http://www.craftsbusinessmagazine.com/, starting July 15, 2004); and ArtCalendar magazine (http://www.artcalendar.com/) These websites also have active and lively forums for you to see what problems others have had, and ask your own questions. Check out Bruce Baker’s web site at http://www.dbakerinc.com/ for tapes on selling craft and booth design, or invite him to speak at your next guild meeting or conference. You won’t regret it, I promise you. Jack White has written some of the best, down-to-earth books on selling, marketing and producing art I’ve ever read (http://senkarik.com/). Some of the best insights and information about the business of art I learned from Nicci and Michael Glick. Their book, Your Business Building Companion, is an excellent resource, though their seminars are even more exciting. Contact them at 214-513-7210. And I give seminars on self-promotion for artists, specializing in press releases and press kits.
For the happy ending, let me share a wonderful nugget with you. I owe much of my current and future success to the support and knowledge shared by many artists and craftspeople I’ve met along the way. When it comes to sharing information, resources, tips and just general encouragement, this is truly the best group of people you’ll ever find.
Now get out there and make some art. And then go sell it.
