Comments on: Tips for Survival as an Artist–from Michael Shane Neal: Part 1

By: Twitter Tweekly from @abstanfield — Art Biz Blog

Twitter Tweekly from @abstanfield — Art Biz Blog — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:37:21 +0000

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By: Ananda Leeke

Ananda Leeke — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:40:37 +0000

Great insights, comments, and sharing.

By: Tommy Thompson

Tommy Thompson — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:57:21 +0000

I have known Michael Shane Neal for more than 5 years. He is the most skillful, articulate, disciplined artist that I know. I do not know exactly how many hours per week that Shane works, but I do know that he is a very dedicated, successful artist–not the starving kind, although I have known him to grow a few tomatoes in his backyard with his kids one summer! Shane is the most dedicated teacher and is the most sharing, giving human being to others. He runs a very successful business, along with a small staff. He is the youngest portrait painter to ever paint and hang a portrait in the U.S. Capitol–No one else can say that! His work requires a good deal of traveling, but he also reserves time for his small family. You will never meet a nicer gentleman that this guy. By the way, he teaches his workshops dressed in a white shirt and tie–and they stay clean too. This guy is the ultimate professional and will someday most likely fill the shoes of his mentor–the venerable portrait painter of Presidents–Everett Raymond Kinstler. Every aspiring portrait painter needs to take at least one workshop with Shane in Nashville. I count Shane among my best friends. Tommy Thompson

By: Eroica

Eroica — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:55:54 +0000

He sounds very disciplined, I know when I work, 18 hours a day is normal for weeks on end, 7 days a week. But then I’ll go through periods of not working at all, most of the other established artists I know seem to go through that as well. The thing that I like most about this is he encourages discipline, learning, working, the full scope of what it means to be an artist. So many young people I meet don’t even sketch an hour a day… you have to have a passion for it. Great article anyway

By: Alyson B. Stanfield

Alyson B. Stanfield — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:37:58 +0000

Brooklyn: It should be noted that Shane didn’t mention if this was a 5 or 7 day schedule. So it might be more like 60-90 hours a week.

By: Alyson B. Stanfield

Alyson B. Stanfield — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:31:37 +0000

Thanks for these comments. I find it interesting that of the 5 points, the comments really focus only on one: time. I don’t think Shane is exaggerating. I know from running my own business that it is quite easy to put in a 12-hour day. Eighteen, however, would do me in.

I’m turning this into a DTT. Look for it tomorrow.

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:01:27 +0000

@Grove: Thanks Grove. As per your request, my site is at http://www.BrooklynHurst.com Take care.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:51:31 +0000

It is entirely possible that Mr Neal paints whenever he is awake and not having to do business things. And perhaps there is some exaggeration as well. He probably doesn’t do a whole lot of housework or running around for the family but really, if he isn’t using a VA, then he is doing it all himself and being in business means that not only has he to do his own accounting, purchasing, research, maketing, business forms design and printing, photos, etc, etc, but also he is painting. That’s really two full time jobs in one.

Of course if he’s successful and not also a control addict he would be offloading some of the business work to a VA and devoting more time to painting and family.

An artist, scientist, whoever has a passion for what they are doing doesn’t just stop after 8 hours. They immerse themselves in it. This means that they are still “working” even after hours.

By: Eric Saperstein

Eric Saperstein — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:08:01 +0000

Exageration? Not so sure it is given I’ve realized … quite exausted as you’d figure … at the end of a week that I’ve managed to put in 100+ hours.

There’s only myself, my fiance, and my father when he wants too and/or is bored (he’s retired) … there’s not only the art, but the quotes, the websites, the emails, the blogs, the general marketing, the portfolios, the bills, the bookkeeping, etc etc et etc. Get home from working 8+ hours in a studio and then comes the rest of the day.

Soup making comes in yes – but the phone also goes into the bathroom these days and rarely isn’t on when driving.

And yes – a small business can fall apart (art or otherwise) without the owner doing what they do in many cases even after 15 years. The cost of having others do it, the overhead of a larger operation, etc can make all the difference betweeen profit and loss.

I highly prefer to keep my income where it is and put in the time at this point in my life above deligating and diminishing the profit. That’s a choice …

That said, work smarter not harder – yes it’s important to constantly revisit your activities and determine what is worth the effort, improve, streamline, etc. If it’s possible.

I would love to have someone else say handle my website – but the fact is it’s a $250,000 site on a cheap day and if I didn’t have a sleep disorder and handle it myself it wouldn’t exist. Besides, I’d never be happy with what someone else did anyway.

I’ve had my newsletter reviewed by graphic artists / PR people … $5-$10,000 an issue. Forget it – I’m not laying that out! It’s a creative outlet for me anyway so it’ll stay quarterly a best in releases.

If I outsourced my work – it wouldn’t be mine with signature and it wouldn’t have the value it does.

Art – as a business – is a trap. I’ve built a business that’s impossible to sell to anyone without the skills to run it – it only has value because I’m in it. Chances are most of you reading this have done the same thing … THAT is why even after X years we’re still putting in so much time.

It’s a lifestyle choice – artists that make it as a business, entreprenuers alike – most cases we do this because we want to be in this type of work – and often we do it at the expense of personal time, relationships, and even health.

There are artists that are starving for reasons that can be turned around – most are primarily failing at marketing and business operations – not at the level of their talent. Fixing that can fill a few gig’s on this site!

Anyway – I babble … this site looks like a great resource and venue for exchange of ideas and advice … enough said.

Those of you asking for the links and the credentials to a statement are welcome to visit our website.

http://www.artisansofthevalley.com – we also just opened a new blog site there is a link on our home page, as well as links to our newsletters, etc.

Eric M. Saperstein
Master Craftsman
Artisans of the Valley

By: Grove

Grove — Sat, 16 May 2009 21:54:24 +0000

Hmm…I beg you all to remember that artists tend toward exaggeration, & that, being self-employed means there is no one around to actually validate your hours…Let’s give Mr. Neal a break, & assume that what he is saying is that he gives his career his full concentration & leave it at that…(I’m guessing if we actually clocked him, the results might include soup-making, chatting with a neighbour & watering the plants…)
But I like your spunk Brooklyn, & would like to see where your art is at…drop a link…