How to make the leap from another career to being a full-time artist.

• Evaluate your finances thoroughly, ensuring you can sustain yourself for at least a year.
• Start part-time and build your art practice while still in your current job.
• Spend half of your time on the marketing side of your art.
• Use transferable skills like project management and public speaking in your art business.
• Create a schedule and stick to it. Consistency is key.
• Build multiple revenue streams to diversify: commissions, prints, and teaching workshops.
• Leverage your existing network of peers and clients.
  
  

How to get gallery representation with a systematic approach.

• Create a targeted list of galleries using online databases.
• Rather than cold emailing, attend openings, meet curators in person, and build relationships.
• Tailor your portfolio to each gallery.
• Don’t be afraid on following up in person or over the phone.
• Build a professional online presence: galleries often check your website and social media presence before responding.
• Have a polished artist statement, biography, and price list ready for a face-to-face meeting.

How to do commissions for additional income in your art business.

• Set clear expectations from the beginning: define the scope, timeline, and artistic direction.
• Always require a 50% deposit before starting any commission.
• It’s important to have a written agreement outlining the terms of the commission, including deadlines, payment schedules, and revisions.
• After completing a commission, always request a testimonial to share on your website and social media, to build credibility and attract new clients.
• Turn commissions into ongoing relationships with personalized thank-you notes and occasional updates.Resources:

• https://www.christinamvilla.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/christinamvilla.studio/

How to use your email newsletter to nurture collectors and turn them into repeat buyers

• Avoiding newsletter “don’ts”: walls of text, multiple topics, and more

• Why and how the give-give-give-ask framework works

• Newsletter topics to try: stories, being authentic, & sharing processes

• Using open/click-through rates to determine the success of your emails

• How a collector email connection brought in over $10,000 worth of sales

• Why art sales are a relationship-based business

• Advice for artists wanting to start their newsletter practice

How to use your existing connections to find new collectors for your art

• Joining artist groups to show your work & build your network

• Adding existing connections to your newsletter to nurture them

• Learning when to let go of certain connections, and forge new ones

• Advice for introverted artists who want to network

• Organically turning a connection into a sale (in person & on Instagram)

• The importance of being genuine and authentic with connections

• Stepping out of your comfort zone when you spot a good opportunity

• Letting go of the feeling that you are “bothering” people
  
  

How to overcome your fear of rejection and finally get gallery representation

• Overcoming blocks stopping you from submitting your work

• Creating your list of 50 vetted galleries to apply to

• How stepping into a gallery to connect landed Jan representation

• Lies that you are telling yourself, which keep you from making progress

• Gallery representation “don’ts”: being needy & taking too much time

• Organization tips: labels, inventory sheets, pricing, and more

• The importance of applying to galleries that are a good fit for your work

• Resources:

  • https://www.dalehousemurals.net/

  • https://www.instagram.com/jandalefineart/

How to build your email list to 10k subscribers and beyond

• Nurturing your audience with free value (give, give, give)
• How to create a relationship of trust with your audience
• Creating lead magnets to get people’s emails (Judy’s prompt sheet)
• The steps Judy took to reach 30,000 email subscribers
• Content and topic ideas for your newsletters

How to run teaching workshops that bring in $40k+ per cohort

• How to separate the “ask for interest” from the actual sale
• Strategies to run your first teaching cohort
• Learning from your mistakes/successes and creating a follow-up course
• How Judy priced her teaching offers
• Software recommendations: Kajabi, Mailerlite, PowerDirector, StreamYard
• Filming workshops with a simple phone & tripod setup
• Deciding on what you’d want to teach as an artist
• Letting go of “imposter syndrome” and self-limiting beliefs (YOU are the expert)
• How Judy made $60,000+ from teaching courses in 2024
• In her best year: Judy made nearly $200,000

Resources:

• https://www.judywoodsart.work/
• https://www.instagram.com/judywoods_artist/
• https://www.youtube.com/@judywoodsart
• https://www.mailerlite.com/
• PowerDirector
• https://streamyard.com/
• https://kajabi.com/

  Balancing art, business, and family: how to nurture each without compromising the other (even as a new mom!)

• The importance of honing into your niche and staying true to it/being known for it
• Book recommendations: The One Thing and Let Your Business Burn
• Why outsourcing tasks is important (accountants, assistants, CRM, etc)
• Key questions to ask yourself to find a balance between work and family life
• The processes you can automate
• Setting up routines: how Chloe divides her productive time and found her flow
• Managing overwhelm, exhaustion, and stress
• Setting aside time to be fully present with your family AND fully present with your business

Creating success on YOUR terms: insights and inspiration from building a profitable and scalable event-based art business.

• Accepting that you will make mistakes when setting up your business (and learning/growing from it)
• Finding the confidence to pitch your work correctly
• Learning to take the blame for a mistake vs trying to “provide clients wrong” (how to make up for it)
• Professionalism for artists: quick communication, integrity, and turnaround times
• An effective way to capture leads (avoiding DMs and texting)
• Setting up your business so it runs on its own
• Giving up a lot of time to hustle in the beginning to eventually get to your dream work/life balance
• Techniques to scale your business without having it lose the “personal touch”
  

Demystifying networking for artists: how to think about building connections as a creative (from someone who designs networking events for artists).

• The concept of “it’s all about who you know”: how to leverage your connections
• Setting up connections with similar industries (ex. artists connecting with interior designers)
• The importance of word-of-mouth marketing (staying top of mind for organic marketing)
• Networking advice for introverted artists
  

Resources:
Books

• One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do
• Let Your Business Burn
• Unreasonable Hospitality

Links

• https://www.cloudstudioagency.com/
• https://www.cloudstudioagency.com/careers

How to overcome difficult life events and return to success in your art and business

• The mental benefits of creating art
• Managing an art business through illness & loss
• The process of turning your passion for art into a full-time business
• Finding the right resources to support you with art business & marketing
• Overcoming overwhelm, burnout, and lack of control as an artist
• Why accountability matters so much for artists to stay on track
• Finding community and combating loneliness as an artist

How to tackle (and deliver!) overwhelming projects that are outside your comfort zone

• Sarah’s “Whiteboard Strategy” for staying organized & on-track
• Building your artist website & getting it expertly reviewed
• Overcoming frustration & procrastination with challenging tasks
• Dividing “Big Hairy Tasks” into small, manageable tasks
• Creating marketing schedules for social media (Instagram) & newsletters
• The importance of sending out frequent reminders (for shows, sales, etc)

How to build and nurture collector relationships to grow sales exponentially

• How to send out personal invitations that help increase attendance
• Sarah’s texting strategy to connect with buyers/collectors
• The importance of talking to collectors as if they are your friends
• Hosting reception evenings and “drop-in” sessions
• Staying consistent & showing up for your business when it’s hard
• How to get gallery representation and secure (solo) shows

 How to turn something you love (art) into a career

• Focusing 90% of your energy on your artwork

• The complicated relationship between art and money

• When is turning what you love doing most into a career a good idea?

• Supporting yourself while waiting for financial returns from your art (ex. teaching)

• There are many art worlds: the art market is only one of them

• Fostering relationships with gallerists, art consultants, curators, art critics, and collectors

• The artist as the jack-of-all-trades

• Dos and don’ts of setting your price list

• Finding a place to live where you can sustain your art practice (“big fish in a small pond”)

• Admin work: living hell or a platform to fund your dreams?

• Saving a percentage of your income for a home, studio, or retirement fund

• Overcoming burnout
  

 Overcoming the fear of failure (insecurity) & getting your work out there

• Taking opportunities even when they feel scary (self-limiting beliefs)

• The importance of investing in yourself (taking measured risks)

• Thinking of networking as going out to find your tribe/community

• Putting your work in circulation through competitions, awards, and group shows

• Social media: does it work?

• Elevator pitches: learning to speak about your artwork

• When you have funds you work hard, when you don’t you work harder

• Dealing with professional envy and using it as a compass

• Work with what you have at hand, not with what you’d like to have

• Learning to emotionally process your failures (the trauma of rejection)
  

 Establishing your artist identity & career

• How to develop your creative bug

• Identifying your passion and discovering your niche (what are you not seeing out there?)

• Establishing your identity and defining characteristics

• Choosing “professional heroes” to become your mentors

• Writing an interesting CV, artist bio, and artist statement

• Learning to document your work well

• Consistency: work on the good days and the bad ones

• Creating a great team: you’re only as good as your team is

• Thinking big: where do you want to be in five years?

Here's what we covered:

(Artist IG page HERE)

 How to build an art career in a remote location that is not a big art city

• Navigating a change in location while building an art career and reputation

• Not letting a remote location (like Alaska) stop your art career from growing

• Getting a good understanding of your local art community & reaching out to galleries

• Joining local art groups to expand your network & meet like-minded artists

• What to do when you feel like you hit a “dead end” in your art career

• How social media can help you build an art career from a remote location

 How to teach art workshops that bring in 5 figures and above annually

• Going from teaching in person to teaching online (tools and strategies)

• Collecting email addresses and contact information from people over time

• Leveraging your email list to get new students (nurturing your audience)

• Promoting new ideas and offerings to your audience (creating priority lists)

• Online workshop structure, students, and topics

• Creating follow-up courses to keep current students engaged

• Making over $24,000 annually from just one cohort

 How to collaborate with podcasts and blogs to grow your audience exponentially

• Finding your collaboration niche as an artist

• Understanding your audience well to understand who to collaborate with

• How she landed six collaborations with local organizations

• How to reach out to organizations for a collaboration as a guest writer

• What Calls to Action to include in your collab pieces (ex. “Sign up for my newsletter”)

• The power of collaborations for growing your audience

Artist website: https://www.nikolasantoniou.com/

Artist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikolas_antoniou/?hl=en

Here's what we covered:

How to make amazing Reels on Instagram that increase follower count and discoverability

• Started creating reels using a smartphone and simple editing apps.

• Experimented with filming techniques by using a tripod to add variety to shots.

• Explored adding trendy elements like titles and subtitles to reels.

• Maintained a sense of authenticity and connection with viewers.

• Encourages artists to find moments where filming feels natural.

How to create in-person and online workshops that improve reputation and income

• Developed a workshop structure centered around a demo followed by hands-on practice.

• Chose portrait painting as the workshop subject to cater to a wide audience.

• Experimented with different pricing strategies to balance profitability and accessibility.

• Utilized social media platforms and website sections to promote workshops.

• Explored online workshop opportunities through platforms like Domestika.

How to work with galleries successfully and build your artist CV with exhibitions

• Collaborated with galleries in a traditional way, participating in solo and group exhibitions.

• Expanded collaboration, choosing partnerships based on mutual benefit and promotion.

• Learned the importance of negotiation and transparency in gallery relationships.

• Diversified income streams by selling directly to collectors and maintaining fixed prices.

• Leveraged social media and email newsletters to promote artworks strategically.

Artist IG page HERE

Here's what we covered:

How to begin and grow a career as a fine art photographer

• Initially pursued journalism while side-hustling in photography, she realized its potential profitability

• Started making herself visible online through her social media platforms and website

• Emphasized creating an excellent client relationship from the start which includes giving clear contact information and transparent pricing

• Used platforms like Shootproof for gallery delivery, contracts, and invoices

• Client acquisition mainly occurred through word of mouth and referrals

How to market yourself to bring an abundance of clients and collectors to your business

• Once she created momentum in terms of income, she sat down and tweaked all margins

• Studied consumer buyer behavior and shifted from budget to upper budget to high-end market

• Allocates advertising budget yearly to invest in travel and shoot for new portfolio content

• Built her network by strategically connecting with planners she wants to have business with mainly on social media

• Regularly posting four to five times a week to her Instagram and Tiktok to maintain engagement

• Emphasizes that content should be saveable, shareable, memorable, and then interesting enough to make them want to start a conversation

How to get your work featured in noteworthy, esteemed publications

• Most publications she has worked with found her on Instagram to post specific photos for their editorial

• Advised on creating a directory of vendors and submitting your work to your list

• Also emphasized to getting a better chance of being published if you're a member of the publications

• These publications help her get more appealing to high-end customers so this can be added as part of advertising budget