The notion of starting a business seems way too big and daunting for most people, never mind mosts artists.
I often hear, “I don’t even know where to start or where to focus.”
So I have broken down my business methodology into eight sequential realms based on my practical experience of building a profitable fine art enterprise.
“The 8 Realms of an Artistic Enterprise” is born of the lessons I have learned from my successes and failures over the past six years and from the lessons learned from artists that I have consulted with, coached, and taught in seminars, including:
- film makers
- healing practitioners
- jewelers
- mixed media artists
- musicians
- painters
- photographers
- writers
A clockwise moving sphere graphically represents my business methodology reminding you that each realm must be continually balanced and each phase builds upon the previous one, over time.
It takes time to build a business and it does not start by printing your business cards, making a sign, or launching a website. That is “Targeting”, the fifth realm. Starting here is putting the cart before the horse.
Starting in the middle of a logical sequence is like rushing to put the cherry on top of the cake before you have preheated the oven, decided how many people the cake will serve, or what flavor cake you are making. That’s a cake you are going to have to make again.
As a former project management consultant, I am fond of correct sequencing.
Why did I choose 8 REALMS of an Artistic Enterprise? Here in San Francisco, our Chinese brothers and sisters celebrate eight as lucky.
Eight is a symbol of continuous abundance and prosperity because it is a perfect symmetrical shape. Perfect symmetry lends itself to perfect balance, considered the ideal. Turned on its side, the number eight becomes the symbol of infinity.
Is that why I chose eight? Well, it is the artistic reason. The practical reason is that these eight realms actually represent how I developed my fine art business.
The big take away is that if you don’t know where to start you are not alone.
But know this. There is a natural sequence to constructing anything functional like a business and it all starts with your specific vision your artistic enterprise.
Did you enjoy this article?
Thank you Carolyn!
I’m not sure that my business methodology exactly corresponds with your concept but I do appreciate your tuning in and sharing.
If you would like to schedule a consultation, I invite you to do that here….
https://artistswhothrive.com/as-needed-consultations/
I love this! The eight stages exactly correspond to the eight powers of Leadership and the Eight facets of the Diamond Model that I developed in 2007 to lead a mastermind community art project in Mission BC. https://vimeo.com/5517610 I have a series of eight weeks of art projects! and actually it you investigate further it mirrors the ICHING and Medicine Wheel!! Mind, Body, Emotions, Spirit. I designed a community play about this. https://www.scribd.com/doc/90214772/Backup-of-Voices-of-One-Intro
This was the foundation for another play, that turned into the Oktopus project and then became the Medicine Dreamer Story. https://www.facebook.com/urok123. I would love to talk to you sometime.