art business

Break the Rules

There’s something to be said for being blissfully ignorant about the way things are “supposed” to be done.

If I had read that it takes most businesses at least three years of consistent work and marketing to get off the ground, I’m not sure I would have left my safe job at the museum.

If I had waited to discover directions for leading an online class, I never would have started teaching my own back in 2003. I didn’t know of a model for online classes at the time, so I made it up.

There are no official rules for one’s art career, but there are precedents. Plenty of resources offer guidelines, including my own book, blog, and online programs.

These unofficial rules might include the following topics:

  • How to put together a portfolio
  • How to approach a gallery
  • How to write an artist statement
  • How to organize your website

There’s nothing wrong with knowing these things, but, in order to innovate, you must ignore the rules and forge your own path. You have to experiment.

Break the Rules Read

Take Action! Don't Just Read. Do!

It doesn’t help you to read unless you do something with what you’ve learned.I would even argue that you haven’t learned much if you haven’t done the work. If you’re just reading and reading, you’re not using your other senses. You’re not touching, applying, failing, and readjusting.

Take Action! Don't Just Read. Do! Read

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