Making Art

Photo of artist Amy Clay

The Art Biz ep. 149: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay

Artist residencies play important roles in an artist’s career, but there are as many different types of artist residencies as there are artists who fill them.

In this episode, Amy Clay shares what she has learned from being an artist-in-residence in more than 30 locations around the world, including what she looks for in a location, how she funds them, and why they’re important to her practice.

The Art Biz ep. 149: The Traveling Artist: Residencies with Amy Clay Read

Oil painting of group of people with same face peering into windows of house that is smaller than them | on Art Biz Success

The Art Biz ep. 131: Injecting Personal Narrative into Your Art with Sara Lee Hughes

Will art sell when it’s focused on the artist’s personal narrative? Sara Lee Hughes is deep into a body of narrative paintings with that is steeped in her personal story.

We discuss the genesis of this body of work (It’s a great story!), how Sara Lee focuses on the long game, how she keeps her ideas, and how she balances motherhood with her studio practice.

The Art Biz ep. 131: Injecting Personal Narrative into Your Art with Sara Lee Hughes Read

Photo of Thomas "Detour" Evans

The Art Biz ep. 128: Expanding Your Skillset to Respond to Opportunities with Detour

Detour doesn’t want to be limited by what he currently knows, so he’s learning how to use new technologies to help him land complex opportunities. He isn’t afraid to discover that the best way to approach an artistic problem is something he hasn’t done before.

Big on presenting himself in the most professional light, he says, “You never know who is watching.”

The Art Biz ep. 128: Expanding Your Skillset to Respond to Opportunities with Detour Read

artist Willie Cole with long dreadlocked hair and black shirt

The Art Biz ep. 126: Play Tops Work, Connection Tops Solitude, and Confidence Tops Fear with Willie Cole

This is inspiration for when you feel like your art becomes work and there’s little to look forward to.

Willie talks about the faith he has in his practice as a result of being consistent throughout the years, why he prefers to approach his studio in the spirit of play, and how he uses visualization.

The Art Biz ep. 126: Play Tops Work, Connection Tops Solitude, and Confidence Tops Fear with Willie Cole Read

Jen McCaw bouder opal ring | on Art Biz Success

The Art Biz ep. 96: Ensuring a Profitable Art Business

Are you seeking a profitable art business?

This is the Art BIZ Podcast on the blog at Art BIZ Success. I assume that, if you’re listening, you are interested in an art business, not just an art hobby.

There’s nothing at all wrong with art hobbies. I highly recommend them. But it’s a whole new ballgame when you turn your art into a business. When you begin asking for money in exchange for your talent.

I want to talk about being a profitable artist. What it takes to not just make and sell art, but to also make money. To ensure that you have a positive net income in your art business. Stick with me.

I’ve talked with many artists who try to make a little money here and there, and then find they no longer enjoy making art after trying to sell it. The pressure to make money in a business is real.

Businesses, by definition, seek profit. Breaking even with the numbers can only work for so long. If you’re claiming deductions on a business here in the U.S., the IRS is going to come after you if you continue to operate at a loss. See the “hobby loss” rule for the details and talk with your accountant. Look for similar rules if you are outside our borders.

As I said, this episode isn’t for hobbyists. It’s for you if you are ready to step up and be the boss of your art business. To be the CEO.

The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is the person at the top of a company’s hierarchy. The buck ultimately stops with the CEO.

You must BE the CEO of your art business. Because, like it or not, that’s exactly what you are.

Let’s break down what that means.

The Art Biz ep. 96: Ensuring a Profitable Art Business Read

© 2017 Dawn Williams Boyd, All Through the Night: America's Homeless. Assorted fabrics, cotton embroidery floss, antique quilt, lace, buttons, child's socks, 39 x 61.5 inches. Ron Witherspoon Photography

The Art Biz ep. 72: Planning a Year’s Worth of Artwork with Dawn Williams Boyd

Taking charge of your art business isn’t only about bookkeeping, inventorying the work, and promoting your art effectively.

Taking charge of your art business is about assuming 100% responsibility for your actions—all of your actions, especially in your studio.

We all want to increase our productivity and creativity, and Dawn Williams Boyd has mastered doing exactly that by planning ahead.

Dawn makes figurative textile paintings that reveal stories—not always pretty ones—about life in America. Dawn’s work has an unapologetic social activist message that addresses the Black experience, feminine sexuality, social issues, and this country’s politics.

In today’s social and political climate, there aren’t enough hours in the day for Dawn to convey all of the messages she wants to share in her art. She has to carefully plan the body of work she is going to make throughout the year. She takes charge of her production for the entire year.

In our conversation for the Art Biz Podcast, Dawn and I discuss her process for plotting out which pieces she will make each year. We also talk about why now is not the time to make art that matches the couch, what kinds of conversations she wants people to have around her work, and how she makes the valuable connections that are helping her reach her most ambitious goals.

The Art Biz ep. 72: Planning a Year’s Worth of Artwork with Dawn Williams Boyd Read

Suzanne Gibbs in her studio

The Art Biz ep. 40: Focusing on Making Work That Matters with Suzanne Gibbs

Two years ago, Suzanne Gibbs entered my Art Biz Inner Circle and began taking full advantage of everything that was offered.

As an aside, although we no longer offer the Inner Circle, we do continue to support artists through the Art Career Success System and our new small group artist masterminds. But, no matter how hard we try, we can’t make you do the work, whether it’s business or studio based.

And that’s where Suzanne’s story comes in.

What she wanted to share in this episode is critical to every artist’s success.

She and I started talking about the idea of doing less (not more) in order to accomplish your goals, but it turned into a conversation about focusing more. Focusing on what matters. For Suzanne, that meant making a new body of work.

Nothing is more important to your professionalism as an artist than a consistent studio practice. Nothing!

Listen to this episode to hear how Suzanne got over FOMO, set herself up for success, and used trusted artists to keep her on track for creating that body of work.

The Art Biz ep. 40: Focusing on Making Work That Matters with Suzanne Gibbs Read

The Art Biz ep. 23: Leaving Behind What is Safe with Jan R. Carson

One artist’s journey is never the same as another’s. Not only do you have to be creative in what you make, but also in how you get it out there, connect with the right people, and make a living. They all involve taking risks.

In 2010, Jan decided to begin the journey away from what had been a safe income (production work) to go after the art and life she wants for herself.

She discusses the balance of both worlds and how she is successfully transitioning from one to the other. She’s leaving what is safe and taking a risk by betting on her art.

You’ll hear about the following from Jan.

  • The many hats she wears in handling the construction of the mobiles, along with marketing, accounting, etc.
  • Why she found it easier to retain and train people as employees rather than interns.
  • Her commitment to letting her body make the work, and keeping her mind out of it.
  • How she got the confidence in herself and her artwork to exhibit it, and what it felt like to put it out into the world.
  • The important question artists need to ask themselves: What do I need to make? Not: How do I sell my art?
  • The social component of being an artist, and how Jan navigates the world as a self-proclaimed shy homebody.
  • The value of listening, connection, and staying open and present as an artist.

The Art Biz ep. 23: Leaving Behind What is Safe with Jan R. Carson Read

Abstract painting by Lauren Rader

7 Ways to Expedite Your Breakthrough

I hope you’ll agree that breakthroughs come in handy. Yes?

It’s pretty awesome when the perfect answer appears or that nagging problem is solved. Suddenly, the barrier is removed and you can make progress.

You can’t identify the moment that a breakthrough will happen, but you can prepare yourself for it to come.

Breakthroughs happen as a result of doing the work and being present. Here are 7 ways to accelerate the process.

1. Solve a problem.

Any problem! Art is about solving problems.

How can I balance the composition?

How can I make this with less expensive materials?

How can I convey this or that emotion?

Faith Ringgold was researching shipping options for her paintings when she realized that if she just painted on fabric, without the support, she could roll it up and easily ship it in a tube.

2. Challenge yourself.

There’s very little motivation in the daily grind: update Facebook, schedule a few tweets, send a newsletter, write a blog post, work in the studio. If you’re not careful, you can get stuck checking off menial tasks without doing something extraordinary for your art and for yourself.

Pick a color or

7 Ways to Expedite Your Breakthrough Read

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