Many people have suggested that I represent other artists.  People do always seem to have suggestions for artists, invited or not.  But I’m quite occupied representing my own work, first of all.  Secondly, my rallying call to artists is “Don’t look for representation, look for collectors!”

And this is because my mission is to empower artists so that they have full creative control and so that they keep more or all of the money they earn.

Now I’m not against working with reputable art galleries and or art consultants.  But I am asserting that artists are in a better position to work with them when they have built their own platforms and have cultivated a following.

Artists make more money and have more satisfaction when they work with collectors directly.  If you manage it right.  People want to know the artist and learn the story behind the creation.  It offers collectors a much more meaningful experience, and that is valuable.

So I’d rather share my hard earned art business lessons and resources and help artists avoid the pot holes that I’ve stepped in and teach artists to fish for themselves.

If artists just don’t want to do this, then I obviously can’t help.  But I’m finding that more and more artists and craftspeople, even those who have earned their livings through the traditional routes of art galleries and shows, are really ready for a change.  The galleries are not doing as well and artists are tired of being on the road.

There’s no magic pill to success in any business but people are buying art.  So if you’re creating art of quality and interest, take heart and take charge.  Represent yourself and find your collectors.

This landscape painting is by John Signer Sargent, an American painter who celebrated the British aristocracy.  He knew his tribe and he was rewarded by earning over a million dollars in the 18th century.

Of course you know that the tile of this domain is ArtistsWhoTHRIVE and the subtitle, “a community of entrepreneurial creatives.”  Yes.  We are talking about capitalism for creatives.

So if you are an artist who thinks that there’s any virtue in poverty, then you’re in the wrong place.  This all too common and twisted belief is simply just a cop out that too many artists can lean on.  And it feeds a negative and disrespectful cultural sterotype of the “starving artist”.

I say take responsibility for building your success and then you’ll thrive and be in a better position to be your brother’s keeper.

A lot of people, I’m not just picking on a few artists, have highly charged negative and fearful emotions around money and commerce.  They equate money with dishonesty, control, and power.  Money is neutral, it’s just a tool.  Like a hammer you can build something with it or knock someone in the head.

I don’t have the patience, or a license, to council ever-suffering or bitter artists.  And that’s not why I founded ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.  Note the word THRIVE in all caps.  And this is why I maintain a no whining policy.  If you think you must suffer, have at it.  Just please don’t bore me or this community with it because I won’t feed the negative energy or post your comments.

If you have something constructive to say or a real question, then please, do tell.

Now I don’t want to give the impression that I have no compassion because I have suffered in my lifetime. And I’ve helped others who are genuinely suffering when I worked at a shelter for abused women and children and for disaster relief.

The point is, there’s good news!  We are in the midst of a cultural and economic revolution.  The scarcity model of artist representation is dissolving before our eyes with the power of the Internet fueling it.  We see this clearly in the music industry.  American Idol celebrates the old scarcity model that represents only a tiny fraction of formulaic talent.  But the Internet has given us the freedom to fully express ourselves and to reach those who are like us and who want to buy from us.

Do you want to get paid well for doing what you love?  Then you’re going to have to learn, just like I’ve had to. And those who whine less get more done. And in my case, drink more good wine.

ArtistsWhoTHRIVE Seminar

The ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar that I delivered last Tuesday earned record attendance and reviews, according to the directors of the Small Business Development Center of Alameda County.

The room was absolutely packed with an eager audience of over 130 creative people, all looking for ways to offer their creative talents in ways that will support them economically and creatively.

As promised, we completed three mini marketing makeovers that included:

1. a painter whose passion is painting drag queens

2. an illustrator of who loves botanicals

3. and a spiritual painter who meditates and then paints the color energy of her subjects

Does it sound impossible to identify a viable market for these three artists?  It’s not! During our live “blue sky” session, these artists, and the entire audience, clearly described their market, who I refer to as a “tribe”, ways to celebrate the tribal culture and serve their tribe, and where their tribe might be found.

The economic health of a city is closely tied to its cultural capital.  As local artists thrive so does the community.  Think of most famous destinations and you think of the art.

There are many economic studies that prove this assertion. Read this New York Times article about a business development program in New York City for artists:

“The city’s cultural sector “attracts very, very creative people who have incredible ideas, but they don’t always know how to turn their ideas into financial sustainable entities,” said Seth W. Pinsky, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

His agency is spending $50,000 on this program and a similar one being run by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, with Creative Capital.   Read more….

Here are a few of the messages I’ve received and that I’d like to share, with permission.

And they are still coming!

“Thank YOU so much.  It was the best workshop I’ve been to.   Honestly, yesterday changed my life.”

-Mary Lonergan

“Your seminar was just AWESOME!  I learned so much, and got so much inspiration.” -  Lisa Baker

“Thank you for the great information you gave at your seminar! It really got me motivated.” - Nat Jackson

“I enjoyed the seminar. I made an Action Plan of notes I took during class. I was tickled at how many people in the room are having some of the same struggles. Why are some of us conditioned to believe a struggling artist is the thing to be?” -D. Jean Collins

“Thank you for your wonderful presentation yesterday. I learned new things and enjoyed your lively interaction with us. I am inspired to take action.” – Pauline C. Nishi

“I can’t begin to express how much it all meant to me. Within the hour after I left, I was telling my friends about you. I will be waiting patiently anticipating the weekly newsletter.” – James Walker

“It was a relief to have someone talk about making a living as an artist instead of wringing their hands about how to pay the rent.” - Susan Troy

My thanks to the seminar sponsors:

• The United States Small Business Administration

• The Small Business Development Center of Alameda County

• The Peralta Community College District

• The Berkeley Public Library

Sponsor an ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar for your Artist Group or Organization

Seminars are generally three hours with a break but they can be shaped to fit your audience.

By using an existing a cross promotional program, an ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar can also generate additional revenue for your group or organization.

"Bambi's First Year" Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade, I loath, and I used to actually admire him.  Artistically, an average professional painter.  Entrepreneurially, ground breaking.  But in my never to be humble opinion, he had it comin‘!.

Let’s start with what I admired.  He clearly defined his market, conservative Christians, and he “delivered” (no pun intended) a unique value proposition, and in a way that they would appreciate.  How?  This particular physiographic is quite literal.  So Thomas Kinkade scattered lots of graphic symbols throughout his paintings to celebrate this group’s values. Little hearts signify the sanctity of marriage and the “Painter of Light”, a not so subtle reference to the light of Christ, used an over abundance of artistic devices to convey light.  The result.  Saccharine sweet paintings that make my teeth hurt.

Where it all went wrong was that he also leveraged the general ignorance of this market.  A market that is not typically a group educated in arts and culture.  By saturating the market with “limited edition” prints of 250,000, or more, he was out of integrity.  In the state of California, Mr. Kinkade’s domicile, only 250 prints are considered “limited”, legally.

His genius? He used the franchise model to build his empire, a la eMyth’s approach to building a business.  That’s right, all those Thomas Kinkade galleries that you see closing are franchises, like McDonalds.  But many of these franchise owners sued him, forcing the company to delist from the New York Stock exchange.

Imagine.  An artist with a company listed on the New York Stock exchange.  I had to know more.  So I actually interviewed one of his CPAs and he shared the basic mechanics and history of Thomas Kinkade’s empire. Horrified and fascinated, I thought, “What if I learned from his success but I applied these lessons in a way that I’m proud of and with integrity?”  Isn’t that what Jesus would do?

Recently an arbitrator awarded franchise owners a $2.1 million judgment.  And on Friday, the “Painter of Light” was arrested and jailed in Monterey  for driving while under the influence.  We’re reminded again that integrity is the cornerstone to any lasting and prosperous enterprise, whether its oil and gas, banking, or art.

San Francisco based Artist and CEO Ann Rea

Listen to Artist Ann Rea’s Interview

Click here to listen >>

About Artist and CEO Ann Rea

by Melissa Dinwiddie

Ann went to art school, but abandoned her art career and didn’t paint or draw for over seven years while working a variety of jobs in tech, investing and disaster relief. An encounter with two stage IV breast cancer survivors finally made her realize that life is too short to avoid pursuing her dream.

In late 2004 Ann moved to San Francisco to paint full time, and within one year she’d created a profitable business from her art. (So much for the “starving artist” myth.) A profile in Fortune Magazine refers to Ann as “the practical painter,” and Jonathan Fields writes about her blue ocean business strategy in his book, Career Renegade.

As her art career flourished, other artists started asking Ann for coaching. She now has an artist business coaching and consulting practice and works one-on-one with a a select number of artists in all media across the globe. She started an online community, ArtistsWhoTHRIVE, in order to reach a broader audience and attract other thriving artists to possibly profile in a future book.

Ann’s intention with ArtistsWhoTHRIVE is to cultivate a positive and productive online global community of thriving artists and to provide guidance through a series of Q&A posts. (Yes, your questions are welcome, but be advised, ArtistsWhoTHRIVE is a whining-free zone!)

Here is Ann’s first draft of The Artists Who Thrive manifesto:

• We believe that we have shaped our artistic voice and that we have something to say.
• We believe we offer creative expression that adds value to the world and therefore the marketplace.
• We believe that we are creating and growing a business.
• We articulate our unique selling proposition to our defined market.
• We believe that we will not be discovered but our value can if we promote it.
• We believe that the traditional model of artist representation is too often broken so we represent ourselves using effective strategic marketing.
• We believe in getting a nice piece of the pie in the art market.
• We are confident and optimistic that we are in control of our destiny.
• We know that in the new economy “the right brainers will rule the world.”*

* “A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink

San Francisco based Artist Ann Rea, CEO of Ann Rea, Inc.

I still get this question.  The paintings that I paint are the paintings that I want to paint.  I can’t even imagine having it any other way and calling myself an artist.  Otherwise I would call myself an illustrator.  Who I have a great deal of respect for, by the way.

Now I am very mindful that if I want to exchange my creations for payment then I have to add value beyond selfish self-expression.  I’m not criticizing self-expression as selfish. I’m just saying that as an artist, interested in building a strong business and brand, clearly I have to think beyond me.

This Friday I was at a reception at an incredible contemporary estate in Napa Valley.  And ironically it was two “artists” who asked this question. “What other work do you do?  You know, for yourself?”
One a photographer and her husband, a sculptor, a retired physician.  So I’m assuming that their monetary concerns have been different from my own and that has shaped their perspective.

A former art director,  along with another guest, then asked if this was what I did “full time?” Another asked “Ann, are you here to show your work?”  “Actually, I’m here to develop a strategic partnership with the host.” I responded.

I can’t pretend that I’m not irked by these questions.  I’m a serious full time artist and entrepreneur.  Imagine that!  Is that not obvious?  Or are the stereotypes about artists just too strong for this to be as plain as the nose on your face?

But I accept the perspective of these relatively affluent people who, like many, see art making as an indulgence, maybe a career, and a business, “oh really?”

In my experience I’ve observed two distinct camps.  Those interested in art and music making in exchange for money and those that don’t believe this should happen or have enough confidence and skill to make that exchange.  Guess which camp I belong to?

I know that my brother, the former Dean of a business school, did not take my venture very seriously until my business was profiled by Fortune magazine.  Then suddenly I was a teaching moment, an example of how to live your passion and earn a living.

It’s not only possible, but given the opportunity, I believe that it’s our obligation to live our lives to the fullest, to be fully self expressed, and to provide value so that we can earn as much money as possible doing it.  Then we are in a better position to live a prosperous, healthy, and responsible life. And then to give back.

I’m writing this post in response to an artist’s post in Florida.

Artists need legal contracts more than most business owners.  Why?  Because artists get taken advantage of more than most business owners. And because many artists don’t consider themselves business owners so they allow themselves to be taken advantage of.  Notice I said “many”, not all artists.

One obstacle for many artists is that legal advice is expensive and they don’t know where to start to draft the legal agreements that they need. Nolo Press publishes a book called “Your Crafts Business” and it include basic advice and sample agreements. This is a good place to start but it is by no means the be all and end all.

You must know your terms before you ever engage another in business.  In fairness to them and to you.  For example, do you accept commissions?  Does your patron have to pay up front?  What happens if they write you a bad check?  What happens if they think they own the copyright and they start printing your image on cheap tee shirts without your permission, or worse yet, without paying you?

Think of all the possible scenarios.  Start with a sample agreement in “Your Crafts Business” and then list all the things that could go wrong.  Plan like your getting married but also plan what you will do if you need to get a divorce.

Why?  Because written agreements preserve relationships.  They confirm each party’s understanding.  Agreements around art are highly charged if they are not defined in writing because the product is so personal for both parties.

Once you have an agreement drafted you must have it reviewed by a business attorney, not a real estate attorney or a family law attorney, or a friend who happens to be an attorney. You don’t want to wear out your friendships or be consulting with an attorney outside their area of expertise. The law is too vast and you need the benefit of specific expertise in each area of law.

I use affordable Pre-Paid Legal services to review all of my business contracts.  One of their copyright attorneys even coached me through a small claims court case that I filed because of my previous client’s copyright infringement.  I won.  And guess what?  The client kept infringing!  So I sued again and I won again.  The second time, I think she got the message.  I also received a nice settlement, twice.  So the low monthly fee I’ve paid to Pre-Paid Legal has already been returned to me many times over.

In the interest of full transparency, PrePaid Legal is a multi-level marketing product.  So when I was first presented with the service I cringed.  However, it has been of such great value to me that I’m now an agent.   I’m not planning on getting rich off of my ity bity Pre-Paid Legal sales commissions. But as an agent I’m in a better position to advise artists on the plans that fit them best.  And I know I’m going to save several artists some serious grief and arm them with a vital tool they’ll need to success.

Click here to learn more and email my assistant Amy at amy@annrea.com, if you would like me to recommend a plan to you and or enroll you.

Yesterday I had a phone meeting with a great gal from Texas.  Unbeknownst to me she’s been a fan from the Lone Star state, where I have a number of collectors, and where she’s been watching my career via annrea.com.

She and her local wine industry colleagues are interested in commissioning me to paint vineyards in Texas.  Yes, there are vineyards in Texas, not just California.  And Texas is actually an established and growing wine region with spectacular landscapes in the hill country.

She asked me how I came to do what it is that I do.  I explained how I came up with my initial marketing strategy and how I started my business.  One comment that she made, sounding like a true Texan, was that to be in business “you have to have two things, money and stomach.”  I laughed and replied “If you don’t have money you can get it if you have enough stomach.”

Many people have told me that they think it was brave of me to move to San Francisco and to paint full time.  Ironically, looking back it took more bravery to endure a disimpassioned day job and to let my passion and talents go to waste.  I simply made a choice of commitment.

The conversation yesterday reminded me of the complete commitment required to develop any enterprise and the other level of commitment required to honing one’s creative skill and artistic voice.  Despite the inevitable ups and downs of growing a business and the economy one thing remains constant, I’m committed.  And I don’t have the stomach for anything else but my art business.

Once I’ve worked with an artist for six months I like to ask them what they’ve learned.  Obviously, it helps me help other artists, it lets us both know what progress they’ve made, and it helps reinforce what they have learned.

So I asked Colleen Attara, a Mixed media eco-artist from Philadelphia, to share at least ten things that she’s learned in the last six months or insights that she has gained.  I suggested that she not labor over this exercise but simply rattle off what popped into her head.

I asked for ten, she gave me sixteen, quoted below.  Colleen agreed to share what she learned so that other artists in this community could also benefit from her experience.

1. Know what unique value you bring to the seller.
2. You run your own show.
3. Talk size, not price.
4. Never discount your work; it is unfair to your collectors.  Instead offer value; i.e.:  shipping, cards etc.
5. Your website design should not overpower your art.
6. Write down your policies and how you do business; this will allow more time to create and sell.
7. Write your bio in 3rd person; let others speak highly for you.
8. Write down six things you are going to accomplish before going to bed.
9. It is hard to control time, but you can control your priorities.
10. *Positive energy sells art.
11. *See what you want to be as an artist.  Have that vision, put it on paper……and watch what happens.
12. Protect your art and your images.
13. Make the buying process as easy as possible.  Wine and credit cards are very good.
14. Position yourself as an authority. Talk to groups of people.
15. Contact interested buyers and past buyers once a month.
16. Showing art and selling art are two different things.

* knew this; needed the reminder

Do you think that these insights have helped Colleen’s business and increased her sales?  You bet!  So if your ready to invest in your career, applying for coaching, click here.

First I’m assuming that your artwork is a luxury item.  If so, then the answer is NO.  If you’re not sure if it’s a luxury item then you have bigger concerns and need to clarify your market.
Discounting luxury items is a very big mistake.  You’re asking people to pay a big premium for something that they don’t need and then changing your mind.  It’s very confusing.  No wonder people are reluctant to buy art.

Another important rule in business negotiation is that you should never give away something without receiving something in return.

Another option to discounting your art is to offer a friendly service. Offer to come hang your art on their wall, or provide them with complimentary, notice I didn’t say free, shipping, maybe donate 10% to their favorite charity.  This is called cause marketing.
Artists desperate to close a sale will often discount their prices.  Rather than doing this you should provide a range of price points for your collector to reach.  I start with a note card for $5 and go to $36,000 for my largest commissioned canvas and I maintain a price point everywhere in between.  This way I can make the conversation about the collector’s selection and not the price they’re going to pay.
Open up a Tiffany’s catalog.  They get this.  Tiffany’s offers beautiful Canary diamond engagement rings or a silver key chain with their logo, which is what the key chain buyer really wants. Tiffany’s knows their market.
It’s also important to remember if you work with a gallery they are selling your work at a retail price that you’ve established.  If you discount your work then you’re undercutting your representative. And that’s not cool.
Some galleries ask if they can negotiate a discount on your behalf.  This is your call but my answer is still no.  I think that it’s worth noting that an art consultant that I worked with in Los Angeles told me that the artists that she represented who did not discount always sold more work then those who did.

I have a deep appreciation for my collectors and out of respect for them I can’t offer one price to one and not to the others.  I don’t think it’s fair.  Maintain integrity in your business transactions and reflect that in your pricing.