The Art Biz

In this episode, I talk with Kimberly Santini about a variety of topics, including how she used Covid as a sabbatical to figure out what she really wanted from her art. We also touched on her dedication to blogging and why she continues the habit after so many artists have given up or neglected their blogs. The bulk of our conversation focused on how Kim uses Patreon to teach and build a community of artists. We discuss: What she charges for her Patreon patron tiers. What each tier receives for their patronage. What her workflow is like. Why it's important that what she shares on Patreon is closely aligned with what she is doing in the studio. How she differentiates the content for patrons from the content she creates for her blog, newsletter, YouTube, and social media. ✴️ COMING UP: THE MONEY PLAN If you aren't clear about where your money is coming from, I strongly encourage you to figure it out. It's only with that clarity that you can plan properly for the future. I can help with that. Soon after the release of this episode I'll be leading The Money Plan artist success workshop. Seating at the live sessions of the workshop—where you can ask questions and interact with other artist-planners—will be limited, and there will also be a replay available. But if you want to attend live, you need to get on the interest list. You can hit pause right now and go to artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan to make sure you don't miss it. 🎧 RELATED EPISODES These episodes have teaching as a primary focus: Making a Living as a Teaching Artist with Elizabeth St. Hilaire (ep 4) Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86) Gaining Marketing Skills Quickly by Leading a Creativity Challenge with Kristen O'Neill (ep 145) The Key to Success on Social Media with Cathy Nichols (ep 154) 📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/santini-patreon ⭐️ Connect with Kim and see more of her art: https://kimberlysantini.com ⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

I can say with confidence that artists who happily embrace their role as CEO of their businesses do better than artists who fight it and wish they didn't have to deal with the grind. Wishing won't make it go away. It only makes you more frustrated, anxious, or resentful. This doesn't mean that you need to fake joy whenever you're paying bills. It means that you accept that it comes with the territory. You rise to the challenge because you know it's a necessary step toward achieving your goals. There are ways to be happier about running a profitable art business, but first you must decide that you want a business on top of making work in the studio. Not every artist should turn their art into a business. But if you choose to go the route of earning money from your art, do it wholeheartedly. You can be pouty and grumble about all of the hard work necessary for something you said you wanted. Or you can find ways to enjoy the journey. How would you rather go through life? 💡 IDEAS In this episode I expand on these 6 ideas to make you happier about running your art business. Go complaint-free. Raise your prices. Collaborate more often. Find your (artist) people. Encourage someone else. Get your art and yourself out of the studio. 💵 CHECK OUT THE MONEY PLAN September 2023 live success workshop to help you earn more income. Get your name on the interest list! https://artbizsuccess.com/moneyplan ✴️ FIND YOUR ARTIST PEOPLE If you have been missing that community of artists, but haven't found your people, we'd love to have you join us. See what we're all about and dive in today. ArtBizConnection.com 🎧 RELATED and MENTIONED EPISODES Multiply Your Audience and Expand Your Show's Impact with Jill Powers (ep 27) Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep 86) Play Tops Work, Connection Tops Solitude, and Confidence Tops Fear with Willie Cole (ep 126) Putting Artists First in Curatorial Projects with Melissa Messina (ep 136) Being Seen—Networking for Artists (ep 148) Committed to Telling Native Stories Through Her Art and Activism with Danielle SeeWalker (ep 153) 📖 To read more, see featured artists, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/be-happier ⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

While not everyone will be interested in your art, you can choose to focus on those who genuinely love your work. To embrace what is rather than wishing for it to be different. In this episode Cathy Nichols went from 5,000 to 107,000 Instagram followers in 3 years by researching who they were and why they were following her. She shares valuable insights about how she continues to grow her art business with joy and authenticity. We discuss: How Cathy researched who her followers were. What she started doing differently to grow her audience. How her teaching offerings changed as a result of what she learned. What's coming up next for Cathy. ✴️ BONUS FOR LISTENERS Tired of trying to figure out the strategies for growing your art business all by yourself? Please join my coaching community, the Art Biz Accelerator. When you are one of the first 5 new people to sign up and mention you heard about it on episode 154 of The Art Biz, you will receive a bonus, private consultation with me. All of the details are here: https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator 🎧 RELATED EPISODES Growing Beyond Being an Instagram Artist with Sara Schroeder (#119) Growing Your Art Business on Instagram with Jeanne Rosier Smith (#67) Who Are The People On Your List and What Are They Doing There? (#102) 📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/nichols-audience ⭐️ Connect with Cathy and see more of her art: https://cathynichols.com ⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

In this episode, I talk with Danielle SeeWalker, a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Native American stories are too frequently told from an historical perspective, but Danielle and other contemporary Indigenous artists want you to know that they're still here. They never left. We just silenced them for too long after stealing their land. Danielle has beautiful stories to tell, from which we can all learn. And she's dealing with the same stuff as other artists: balancing motherhood with her art and activism. We discuss: The symbolism in her work that came from a dream. The many hats she wears. The variety of art forms she works with. How she decides which projects to take on. How the rest of us can serve as allies for Indigenous people around the globe. One lovely takeaway from this interview is that Danielle doesn't separate her art from her life. Everything is connected. 📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/seewalker-native-stories ⭐️ Connect with Danielle and see more of her art: https://seewalker.com 🔶 Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator 🔶 a coaching group for strategies, support, and accountability inside a community of artists who get you. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator ⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes, which was stolen from them after many broken promises and treaties. ~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~ This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here's how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

Every artist I have ever worked with would like to squeeze more time from their busy calendars. After all, you are overflowing with ideas. You'll never have time to make everything you want to make, and that is incredibly frustrating. In this episode I share 8 tips for time management along with 2 truths to consider. 💡 HIGHLIGHTS 2 Truths about Time Management Time management is a lie. Instead, focus on self-management. The important stuff always gets done. 8 Tips for Time Management Make time for planning and use the brain dump when overwhelm creeps in. Understand your natural rhythms, and adjust your schedule to optimize your most productive hours. Honor your calendar and block out uninterrupted time for critical tasks. Turn repeated tasks into systems to eliminate decision-making. Group similar tasks together to save time and energy. Stop multitasking because it adds up to 25% more time to complete tasks. Automate everything possible, including follow-up for your subscribers. Learn to say No to invitations and opportunities that don't align with your long-term goals. 📖 Read full transcript, find resources, see featured artists and related episodes, and leave a comment 💬 MENTIONED (affiliate links) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear Organize Your Art Biz Grow Your List 🧡 Sponsored by the Art Biz Accelerator a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community.

Artist residencies, in whatever form they take, are invaluable to an artist's growth. But there are barriers to doing residencies—primarily the time commitment and cost. In this episode, I talk with Shannon Amidon, an artist who has created a residency especially for artists who might be parents or caretakers and can't commit to a month or more that some residencies require. In my research on artist residencies, I have discovered how helpful it is when the residency involves some kind of travel, during which you are slowly transitioning away from your daily life and toward a different mental and emotional space that opens up your creativity. The longer the travel, the better. Another plus is that the residency environment contrasts with your familiar surroundings. Shannon's residency is The Verdancy Project and while it's easy driving distance from Portland, Oregon, it's far enough out that you step into a new world. It's especially for artists who want to be close to nature. As you will hear, it provides an experience distinctly different from the one most artists are used to. We discuss: How The Verdancy Project is set up What the facilities are like What she looks for in her artists Some of the mistakes artists make on their applications How she learned the nuts and bolts of managing an artist residency Shannon also reveals how she manages to run the residency while maintaining the commitment to her studio practice. To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amidon-residency Connect with Shannon and see more of her art: https://shannonamidon.com Get more info about The Verdancy Project: https://verdancyproject.com Related: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay (#149) https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies/ Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator * a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

There's no getting around the fact that you need confidence in your at and in sharing it with others. It's also true that you will be plagued by doubt and fear at points throughout your art career. It might be helpful to know you are not alone. It happens to everyone, and you're going to be okay. In the meantime, you have to get through the days. In this episode I talk about 6 tips to help you project confidence while you're trying to regain it. Load up on experience. Spiff up. Work on the outside. Visualize the situation. Try the charm offensive. Never belittle your work. Never apologize. To read a transcript of this episode, get links, see my featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/project-confidence Sponsored by Magnetic You, a program to help you create or freshen up your marketing materials and improve your professional presentation. Start now: https://artbizsuccess.com/magnetic

If you are an artist who loves to travel and explore new places, this episode is for you. I've been wanting to dig into the subject of artist residencies for a long time now. Fate put me in touch with Amy Clay. In this episode, Amy and I talk about her life as a professional artist-in-residence. She's gone anywhere from 4 to 6 months at a time, stringing together one artist residency after another to fulfill her lust for travel and build what she calls her visual library. We discuss: How this lifestyle started for her The various formats of artist residencies What she looks for in a location How residencies have made her feel part of a global artist community. To read more, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/amy-clay-residencies Connect with Amy and get her free book: https://amyclay.com Sponsored by The Art Biz Accelerator, a coaching group to support and remind you that you're part of a global artist community. https://artbizsuccess.com/accelerator

Meeting people and building relationships is the most important thing you can do for your art career, especially when your goal is to be a full-time artist. This means you have to get out of the studio and socialize. In this solo episode, I discuss: Why everyone you meet is a potential buyer, collector, friend or fan. Where you can network, and why you shouldn't bother with artist organizations that aren't a good fit. There are many art worlds. You have to decide where to build your relationships. Why it's critical to network in real life, not only online. Why it's important to be authentic and genuinely interested in people. I leave you with a challenge of meeting 1 new person a month. If it's true that everyone knows about 150 people, imagine the potential from 12 new people a year. To read the transcript, see featured artists, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/being-seen Sponsored by The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

My utter bliss is to help artists make business systems that streamline their lives so they can spend more time in the studio. So when Skip Hill said he needed a system for following up with his collectors and important relationships, I knew I wanted to help. In this episode of The Art Biz, I walk Skip through the steps to create a plan for nurturing his relationships. We go through these steps to create his plan: What do you want to happen? By when does it need to happen? Or … How frequently does it need to happen? What do you need to have/acquire/learn to make that happen? And/Or what tools and technology will you use for the process? Who do you need to enlist to help? What are the exact steps needed to make this system hum? The steps in that last question provides the fuel. Miss a step, and your system crashes. To read the exact steps we created for Skip, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/skip-hill-systems Sponsored by The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan