income streams

Artist Kelly Pelfrey on The Art Biz

The Art Biz ep. 162: She Knows Exactly How Much Her Art Income Will be Every Month with Kelly Pelfrey

Kelly Pelfrey’s goal in 2020 was to replace her $50,000 teaching salary, but she quadrupled that. Her income has allowed her husband to leave his job to focus on his doctorate, feel comfortable about taking maternity leave, and save for college for her children.

In this episode of The Art Biz, Kelly shares her income sources, which are dominated by sales of commissions, followed distantly by releases of small paintings.

The Art Biz ep. 162: She Knows Exactly How Much Her Art Income Will be Every Month with Kelly Pelfrey Read

The Art Biz ep. 158: Following Her Curiosity and Making New Connections After 60 with Jan McCarthy

Discover Jan McCarthy’s vibrant life beyond 60, where being an artist is more than painting or drawing. She prefers the term “maker.”

With a diverse portfolio ranging from businesses and fundraisers to artwork and interior design, Jan pursues her passions. We discuss her creativity workshops for corporations, casual yet impactful women’s mastermind dinners, and her heart-driven project, Art for the Heart. Jan also reveals her strategies for connecting with interior designers.

The Art Biz ep. 158: Following Her Curiosity and Making New Connections After 60 with Jan McCarthy Read

The Art Biz ep. 157: Increasing Self-Sales by 400% with Sarah Becktel

Sarah Becktel reveals how she increased her self-sales income by 400% by focusing on 5 indoor art fairs per year—all juried or curated—with different price points, up front costs, and markets.

She talks about her strategy for selecting the work each one: one is for only originals, another for only reproductions and products, and the third is a mixture of the two. Sarah also shares wisdom for other artists.

The Art Biz ep. 157: Increasing Self-Sales by 400% with Sarah Becktel Read

Photo of Katie Hunt, founder of Proof to Product

The Art Biz ep. 138: 4 Considerations for Wholesaling Your Art with Katie Hunt

What does it mean to wholesale your art and products? Who is it for? Who is it not for?

What’s the difference between wholesaling and retailing? Where does licensing fit in?

Katie Hunt, founder of Proof to Product, is a wealth of information, and generously shared 4 considerations for wholesaling as well as a helpful list of 4 things she assesses when making business decisions.

The Art Biz ep. 138: 4 Considerations for Wholesaling Your Art with Katie Hunt 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

Acrylic painting horizons artist Robin Maria Pedrero | on Art Biz Success

The Art Biz ep. 103: Juggling Multiple Art Styles and Audiences with Robin Maria Pedrero

Whenever you have multiple art styles or subjects, you probably also have multiple audiences. The abstract work might have one following, the functional pottery another, and the pet portraits yet a third. It’s hard to find people who are interested in all of them. This means you’re kind of running multiple businesses. On the one

The Art Biz ep. 103: Juggling Multiple Art Styles and Audiences with Robin Maria Pedrero Read

acrylic painting orchid artist Shannon Deana Johnson | on Art Biz Success

The Art Biz ep. 99: A Realistic Strategy for Increasing Your Income

Don’t be content to break even when running an art business. You need money to survive and shouldn’t be ashamed to admit it. Everyone needs an income to put a roof over their heads and food on the table.

That means you need to make a profit. You need for your expenses to be lower—far lower—than your income.

One of the best things you can do to improve your chance of success in any area is to create a plan. If you’d like to make more money—especially if you’re trying to make a living from your art—you need an income-accelerating plan.

I’m going to tell you exactly what that looks like and how to go through the process. I think it’s helpful to start with an income-accelerating plan before you make other plans. It helps to know how much you need and want to make and then you can select the projects to support that goal.

If you’ve been listening awhile, you know that one of my super powers is to help artists make plans. It’s not affordable for most artists to hire me to walk them through the planning process. But you can make a business plan customized to your own goals during my Artist Planning Sessions, which are very affordable.

So what if you’re hyper focused on profitability and need that income-boosting plan before you join me in the planning sessions. How do you do it?

I developed a process that we use in my programs called, conveniently, the Income Accelerator. We actually make a plan to increase income.

I know what you’re thinking because I’ve heard it many times before. It goes something like this: How can I plan for more money when I don’t know when my art will sell or who will buy it?

I get it. You make a plan because you’re the CEO of your art business and that’s what CEOs do. They make business projections. They have to in order to attract buy-in to their products and services.

While you don’t have any control over results, you do have control over the actions you take (or don’t take) to get the results. Take charge, like I said back in episode 96. Be the CEO of your art business and of your life.

Here are the 4 Steps to accelerate your income.

The Art Biz ep. 99: A Realistic Strategy for Increasing Your Income Read

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Your Artist Mailing List: Rethinking + Assessing

Get a transcript of episode 182 of The Art Biz (Rethinking Mailing Lists for Artists) followed by a 3-page worksheet to evaluate the overall health and usage of the 3 types of artist lists.

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You’ll also receive my regular news for your art business.

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