Artists Who THRIVE

Make art and make money, business planning and strategic marketing for artists

Artists Have Two Choices, Fear or LOVE

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Listen

Artists, you have two choices, fear or love.

Choose love. Deliberately choose love or fear will just help itself to your life.

Listen closely to Jim Carrey. He says it far better than I can type it within the limited space of this rectangle.

He clearly understands his creative purpose, his “why”, and his mission, his “what”.

Carrey is very clear on what problem there is in the world that he believes is really worth solving.

Because he has dedicated his life to this mission he is a success.

Rather than read my words, just listen for yourself. Well worth it.

 

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

What Problem are You Solving With Your Art?

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Last week I talked about the fact that the only reason an artist is known throughout history is because at some point there was a market for their work.

Not sure about that?

Would artists be famous if there was no market for their work?

The only reason there is a market for any good or service is simply because it served a target market by alleviating their pain or solving their problem.

Because the inventory of historically significant art is very limited, a secondary market develops. This is where the confusion begins.

So let’s take it back to the here and now and directly to you.

If you are an artist wanting to make your living from your art, it is vital that you create value above and beyond your art itself and you must deliver this, convincingly.

You might be muttering. Those artists in history had talent that was unmatched. How can I possibly do what they have done?

Maybe you can’t. But do you have talent?

Because if you have talent and you are sincerely interested in serving others, you just might.

How?

First stop competing in the permission and scarcity based shark tank that is the art establishment.

Put your limited time and energy into creating value above and beyond your art by serving a target market by solving their problem.

Again you might be saying, “how?”

Allow me to offer you a few examples of artists who I have worked with recently.

These artists are just like you.

They are in the process of building their creative enterprises.

What problem is Portrait Painter, Kate Bradley solving?

The problem is that children are not often valued and loved for the individuals that they are and their treasured childhood years are fleeting.

How is she solving this problem? By painting portraits of children that celebrate their individuality and captures their essence in a moment in time.

What problem is abstract painter, Jenny McGee solving?

People struggle expressing their love to one another in a clear and specific way that really lands.

How is she solving this problem? By creating abstract paintings inspired by a list of reasons why one person loves another.

What problem is Painter, Marie Sand solving?

When sensitive people feel that they are not free to express their emotions, it compromises their emotional and physical health.

How is she solving this problem? Horses by their nature rely on their sensitivity and they reflect their owner’s emotions back to them.

Marie reflects her patron’s emotions back to them through portraits of their horses.

In each of these cases, the art is secondary. It is just a by-product of a greater mission.

A mission is an endeavor to solve a problem that you believe is really worth solving.

A mission is not about you or about your art. It’s about being of service to others, being devoted to a greater cause.

Each of these artists is just starting out on a life long mission. Just as they mastered their artistic craft, they now must master entrepreneurial skills.

This mastery takes time and effort but it’s easier, so much easier, than mastering one’s artistic craft. That takes many years and it demands more innate talent.

Now if you’re thinking, “Yeah, me too. That’s my mission.” First. Stop. Second, no its not.

Each artist has a value proposition that is grounded in their soul’s truth and you just can’t copy that. If you try to, it will always look like and smell like a copy.

So find your truth and define your mission and if you need help then apply for The MAKING Art Making MONEY Semester.

Note, enrollment is limited.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

Want to Sell Art? Solve a Problem or Alleviate a Pain

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If you want to build a sustainable creative enterprise, any business, you must solve a problem or alleviate a pain.

In fact, you need to solve a problem that is really worth solving and make that your true mission.

You can’t B.S. your way around this. Why? People will smell it.

Your mission must be grounded in your deep soulful truth.

Why? Because what artists really sell is emotional truth.

Why don’t business plans work for artists? Because we sell emotions.

True emotion is not something you can fake for very long and if you do it only makes other people cringe.

I get push back on this assertion all the damn time but I will debate anyone on this point.

Here’s how artists counter my assertion. They point to their incomprehensible, self-involved, artist’s statement that makes no damn sense or they say “Well Ann…people buy my work because it touches them.”

Okay. That’s nice and that can happen, occasionally but not consistently.

Touching people occasionally with no rhyme or reason does not make a market for your work.

If you want to build a profitable creative enterprise, any business, you must solve a problem or alleviate a pain for a target market.

I received straight As in art history and I was a tutor. Here was my big take away.

The only reason an artist landed a feature in the pages of the art history books was because at some point there was a market for their art and there still is today.

So if there was a market for their art, they solved a problem that was worth solving for a specific group of people.

It’s time for the art history books to be rewritten.

Why don’t art historians or art critics discuss this critical understanding leaving us all in the dark about how the heck we are ever going to make a living as an artist? Two reasons:

  1. Because art historians and critics are not marketing strategists.
  2. Art museums serve as a prop for the secondary art market. Don’t believe me? Just follow the money. When collectors bequest their collection they can deduct the appraised value.

I’m not asserting that this is right or wrong. I just want all of us professional artists to deal in reality of the market place.

Want me to prove it? No problem.

Allow me to present the problem solved by each of these famous artists in history. Otherwise known as their mission.

What problem did Michelangelo solve?

Michelangelo expertly expressed raw human emotion while teaching the story of Christ and inspiring illiterate Catholics.

Whose problem was that? The Vatican.

Who was Michelangelo’s target market? The Vatican.

What problem did John Singer Sargent solve?

Sargent elevated the station of his patrons by accepting their commissions limited to twelve a year.

Whose problem was that? The Edwardian aristocratic, whose big problem was maintaining their station in high society.

Who was Sargent’s target market? Edwardian aristocracy.

What problem did Andy Warhol solve?

Warhol celebrated the consumption of American culture and celebrity through his art, his “Happenings”, and Interview magazine, still in print today.

Whose problem was that? Celebrities who wanted to see and to be seen. Lucky for Kim Kardasion, Warhol’s cultural trend of distraction through celebrity consumption continues.

Who was Warhol’s target market? Those who wanted to see and to be seen.

What problem did Thomas Kinkade solve?

Thomas Kinkade celebrated conservative, born-again Christian American “family values.”

Whose problem was that? Conservative, born-again Christian Americans, who the contemporary art market has a distain for and so does not celebrate or affirm them.

Who was Kinkade’s  target market? Conservative, born-again Christian Americans.

 

 

Is talent important? Most often. Yes. It’s the minimum price of admission.

But then what? Then it’s all about the value above and beyond the art itself.

Now that I’ve cracked the code on marketing art you can learn do this too.

How? You will not learn how to crack the code on marketing art in art school or in a business course but you can learn by:

  1. Staying tuned for next week’s edition where I’ll profile Artists Who THRIVE who I’ve worked with to define a heart felt and true mission.
  2. Enrolling in The MAKING Art Making MONEY Semester. Limited enrollment, opening soon. Apply now.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

Do Artists Work too Hard?

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Artists Work Too Hard

I have a tendency to work way too hard.

When I have a goal I lock onto that target and I sometimes I forget to give it a rest.

I really enjoy my work and I appreciate it so very much because I used to have to drag myself to work when I had a job in corporate America.

I dreaded when my alarm sounded each morning.

Feeling washed in dread is not the best way to start every work day.

Getting The MAKING Art Making MONEY Semester launched is my current target.

And I won’t release it until its right.

Because it’s almost there, I’m working on it day and night.

So a dear friend recently remarked, “Even a boxer sits in the corner and rests in between rounds.”

Somehow her logic landed.

What did I do? I took a break. I got a massage and I enjoyed a barbecue with my friends.

I remembered that I need to breath and enjoy the journey. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Meaningful work is fantastic.

But work is not everything.

It needs to be balanced with fun and relaxation.

Why am I going on about this with you dear reader?

Because so many artists who I know work really hard. Sometimes too hard.

Artists are some of the hardest working people I know.

But many get caught in the trap of working hard doing things the same broken way rather than working smart and looking for an easier route.

One way you can discover that easier route is to get some distance.

So embrace your inner lazy loaf.

Your imagination and the quality of your life is enhanced by doing nothing.

I invite you to put down your work and open up to the fertile void.

When was the last time you took a meaningful break?

What did it do for you?

Please share in the comments below.

 

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

Grammy Dan’s Top Three Challenges

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GrammyDan

Tune into my interview with Daniel Barrett, CEO of Rubicon Artist Development, Music Producer from Austin, TX, affectionately known to me as “Grammy Dan.”

Grammy Dan’s sales increased 395% within four years of our working together and he went on to write a book called The Remembering Process with famed personal development author Joe Vitale.

The credit goes to him. Because he wanted it, he learned to focus, and he worked hard.

Grammy Dan didn’t just skate towards success. He had to get past a number of hurdles. I asked him to share his top three challenges.

Challenge 1. “I didn’t know what to do with money. It felt like a burden.”

Grammy Dan didn’t understand how to manage money.

So he educated himself. He read lots books and got counsel.

Importantly he earned how to spend money on things that made money. Like coaching.

The big take away. He learned difference between spending and investing.

Challenge 2. “Lacked a belief in myself.”

Grammy Dan explains that certain level of doubt is productive but only if it is balanced with self-celebration.

He explains that he has learned to think better about himself.

Still a tough critic of his work because he wants to strive for excellence but he has removed the venom.

This is something that many perfectionist leaning artists could benefit from.

“Celebrate your wins.”

Challenge 3. “Scatter. Not focused.”

Grammy Dan admits that he was all over the place.

What helped him build the habit of focus were his weekly email check-ins with me.

These check-ins forced him to make small agreements with himself with accountability.

Keeping smaller agreements helps you keep bigger commitments resulting in a stronger belief in yourself.

He notes that artists believe that there is no method to building a creative enterprise, but there is.

“The first thing that is holding so many artists back is entertaining the same unproductive thoughts and resulting actions.” Too many artists are engaging in self-flagellation and they think that they have to go it alone. Try some thing new.”

When I asked Grammy Dan to offer one piece of parting advice. He stated clearly.

  • “Get help.”
  •  “The more help I get the more money I make.”
  • “You can’t do it alone.”
  • “There is no one who is successful who is solitary in the efforts.”
  • “Study with someone who it already doing it.”
  • Watch what you say to yourself and to others. “Your language will predict your future.”

Maybe you can identify with some of Grammy’s Dan’s challenges?

What is your top challenge right now? Please share below.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

Have You Ever Walked in an Art Collector’s Shoes?

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Imagine. You walk into a shoe store. It’s a special shoe store filled with very fine, interesting, hand made shoes. Many of them are one of a kind.

You’re just browsing. Looking for something really cool and handmade.

You have a particular style and of course, shoe size, and you’re curious to see what this place is all about.

The storeowner/shoe maker/designer/the “artist” appears.

He makes no sincere attempt to learn about your needs or if his creations are really a good fit for you.

Enter the artist who makes no attempt to solve a problem or alleviate a pain for their target market.

The artist just starts talking at you about his creative process and his inspiration for one pair of shoes that he’s particularly proud of, his latest work.

And he is wearing a really weird hat that you’re trying not to stare at it.

Enter the “artist’s statement” and the unrelatable artist who does not understand or appreciate the sales process.

But you didn’t go to art school so you really don’t know what the heck he’s talking about and you’re starting to feel a bit embarrassed for him.

Then he mentions something about his work “holding space.”

“Whaaa?” You think to yourself but you stop yourself from speaking your inside thoughts out loud.

You’re starting to feel like a bit of a dumb a$$ even though what he’s saying just makes no damn sense.

You prefer his earlier work over his latest works of art and he senses it.

You can feel the artist’s pride crumbling.

He starts to sulk a bit and he remarks, “A lot of people just don’t understand my work. It’s very intelligent art.”

“Okay. If you say it is. So I’m not intelligent because you can’t explain yourself. Frankly it sounds like a crock of sh$t.” But you silence your thoughts and the awkwardness builds.

You don’t want to hurt this guy’s feelings. You’re just looking for a pair of cool shoes, a pair that you like and that fit you.

At this point you’re feeling a bit pressured and awkward.

But you find a pair of one of kind shoes and they look like they fit. You’re excited to try them on.

You ask the storeowner about the price and he responds, proudly, “Oh, those are sold. Didn’t you notice the red dot?”

Enter the artist’s website that displays sold inventory amongst available inventory.

“Ugh! You sigh.”

You look around some more and happen upon another pair of interesting shoes.

They are really cool, even though you can’t explain why, AND they fit.

You really don’t want to talk to this guy but you ask how much the shoes cost.

Enter the art inventory with no prices listed.

While he is fumbling around looking for his price sheet, thinking about another price he might offer, and if he should give you a discount, he asks you to explain why you find them interesting.

When your response doesn’t match the answer in his head you can just feel him concluding that you are uncultured.

Enter the all too common fruitless refrain from artists. “People just don’t get my art.”

After asking three times, he gives you a price, that seems like he’s just made up on the spot.

He let’s you know that he’s just done you a big fat favor and he’s discounted the price.

Even though you did not ask for the discount because you were prepared to buy the shoes at full price.

Now you’re starting to wonder if you are getting a fair price, even at the discounted price.

But you whip out your credit card anyway.

The storeowner says. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. We just display things here. I can’t take payment.”

Enter the artist’s website that is not e-commerce enabled. It’s like having a store without a cash register.

The moral of this story? Collectors are people who did not attend art school.

They usually attended, law, medical, or business school or they quit school and just started their own successful company.

My art patrons do not read Art News and they grew up middle class, like me.

So. You can and you must put yourself in their shoes.

Does any of this ring familiar? Please share how below.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

10 Ways Perfectionism Kills Art and Joy

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I am a recovering perfectionist.

Perfectionism is a misguided attempt to avoid failure and to gain approval.

Why do we want perfect? Because we all want love and respect.

I wanted “perfect” at as a child so that I would be “good” in the eyes of two very critical parents.

I wanted even more “perfect” in art school in an attempt to escape art critiques unscathed.

Why is perfectionism so very misguided?

Because:

  1. Perfect does not exist
  2. No on but you really cares about your perfect, they don’t even notice
  3. Perfect kills creativity
  4. Perfect crushes your confidence
  5. Perfect is incredibility inefficient, nothing gets done and that is stressful and only disappointing
Here are 10 ways perfectionism hurt me.
  1. It delayed my success and happiness. Even though wanted to start a business for a long time, I waited because I believed that I had to have “all of the information.” Which I never had and I still don’t.
  2. Perfectionism caused me to work too long and hard eating up limited time and valuable energy.
  3. Perfectionism torqued a clear view of my art. If I did not achieve the fussy vision in my head of what I was striving for, I would destroy art that was actually really good.
  4. Perfectionism fueled my debilitating anxiety and all of the health consequences that anxiety triggers.
  5. Perfectionism made other people around me uncomfortable because they where not sure that they could meet my impossible standards.
  6. Perfectionism made me uptight instead of enjoying opportunities to just relax.
  7. Perfectionism preventing me from experimenting, blocking progress.
  8. Instead of embracing accidents and letting creativity flow, my perfectionism choked my creativity and I felt the sting of failure harder.
  9. Perfectionism made me feel as if I was always failing and it clouded the reality that I was actually progressing.
  10. Perfectionism killed my confidence. Why? “Confidence is being willing to fail in front of others.” Craig Swanson, Co Founder of Creative Live

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

What I Learned In My First Year As A Full-Time Artist

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Full-time artists

 

Gabriella Lewenz: Comparing myself to another artist erodes my confidence.

Participating in the conventional scarcity and permission-based approach to selling art that is controlled by art establishment’s gate-keepers never made sense to Gabriella Lewenz. The politics, however, left a bad taste in her mouth.

Gabriella left the New York City art establishment behind to create her vision of a home on Waiheke Island in New Zealand. She and her husband built their retreat brick by brick with a plan that unfolded naturally. But Gabriella had no blue print to for making and selling her art outside of art galleries — after all, for a long time, one really didn’t exist.

Here are just a few lessons that Gabriella learned in 2014 that have already made 2015 more profitable, in her own words:

Lesson One: I learned to shift my thinking and focus from “my art practice” to “my art business.” My art is a in fact a business asset. Therefore, my creatively generates more financial assets.

Lesson Two: I learned to not offer discounts on artwork. Visitors and patrons to my studio are responsible for their own money decisions. They can pay the price or not. I am not responsible for their decision. I’ve gained much more confidence. As a result, and I have sold, and I will sell, more art work as a result.

Lesson Three: Comparing myself to another artist erodes my confidence. I no longer compare my accomplishments to others. This has been very freeing. I’m now focused on a proven step-by step-process that is helping me build my art business.

Lesson Four: When I’m stuck, I must invest in myself by seeking professional. As a result of my investment I have a freeing clarity and a unique value proposition. You can’t always do this alone.

Christa Forrest: Perfection just doesn’t exist.

2014 was a year of transformation for me. I made a decision to change, really change. I stop talking and dreaming about change and I took action. I quit my 20-year career in finance to pursue my true passion as a creative entrepreneur. Easier said than done, but I was ready and willing to take on this journey. I knew I couldn’t enter this journey on my own so I hired Ann. Allowing her to push and hold me accountable for my actions.

She had me begin by revisiting some of my most painful moments to find the lessons learned an ultimately my creative purpose. This was extremely difficult but truly rewarding. I found many of my most painful moments had a common thread. This was an eye-opening experience. There were a bunch of tears, but many insights. Here’s some of what I learned.

Lesson One: Perfection just doesn’t exist. For years I thought perfection was my ultimate goal. I would say to myself, “My art isn’t good enough.” “I will start this when I get to their level.” “I am not there yet.” What I didn’t realize is how this goal of perfection kept me at a complete stand still. What I really needed to tell myself is “You are as good as you are going to get at this moment. Embrace and accept where you are right now.”

Lesson Two: Fear kills creativity. Fear of failure, fear that it isn’t perfect, or fear of looking like an idiot in front of everyone. Again, nothing gets accomplished if I allow these fears to stop me from trying. I would become frozen and end up creating absolutely nothing resulting in a lot of unfinished paintings and projects piling up in the studio.

Lesson Three: I deserve success! I really do! I am a good artist, even if I’m not perfect. I deserve success where I am right here, right now.

Now how will this new knowledge help me improve in 2015? In“Fulfill Your Creative Purpose,” CreativeLive co-founder, Craig Swanson said that “confidence is the ability to fail in front of people.” I love this quote! This will be my mantra for 2015 and going forward.

Kate Bradley: I am not my collector.

After graduating from art school in her twenties, Kate Bradley needed to get a job. She worked at an art gallery and then an investment firm. How does Kate describe her experience of these jobs in one word?

“Boring.”

And neither experience was preparing Kate for what she really wanted to do, make and sell her paintings full-time.

Kate started researching educational resources to help her make art and make money. She came across my interview with my friend Jonathan Fields on The Good Life Project and she applied straight away to my Business Mentoring Program for artists. Here’s what she said she’s learned since:

Lesson One: I have learned to take control of the artistic direction of my work. I make it very clear to prospective clients that I am the one who makes the decisions about the art direction. So now there is no confusion about who is in charge. This has saved me time and energy by weeding out collectors who are not a good fit. It helps me to produce better work and it inspires confidence in my collectors.

Lesson Two: I now charge appropriately for my work and stick by those prices. No discounts, no exceptions. I am not my collector, so I shouldn’t base my prices on what I can afford. In 2015, this will help me reach my sales goals and it will inspire confidence in my collectors because I am asking for what I am worth.

Lesson Three: If a project or partnership doesn’t give me energy, I’m not doing it. I refuse to waste any more time working with people that aren’t a good fit or doing events that don’t inspire me. That means no more babysitting kids in my studio, and no more vendor-type events where they put me next to the liquor store! Going forward, this will free me up to do the things I really love and care about. It will put me back in the power seat of being able say no.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

The Very Best of The Very Worst Artist’s Statement Contest

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I have yet to read an artist’s statement that doesn’t make me cringe.

Why? The typical artist’s statement represents an artist’s unfortunate attempt to market their art but it’s such a massive fail.

Why is this? Because…

  • The typical artist’s statement is devoid of benefits to the buyer.
  • It’s all about the artist and their creative process and or their inspiration and most often no one really cares.

Now I’m not saying that the creative process or an artist’s inspiration is not interesting. It can be fascinating, sometimes.

But just explaining your creative process and or your inspiration alone is not going to trigger someone to buy.

Bottom line, an artist’s statement is all about YOU.

Marketing copy needs to be about THEM; the benefit’s to your target market.

When you really make it about THEM, then it will be alllll about YOU.

So let’s have some fun!

But first let me make one thing very clear.

This contest is designed not hurt, humiliate, or insult anyone.

This content is designed to help us learn what’s not working so that we can fix it.

Please note: I will not be publishing name of the artist or their website. However, if you submit your artist’s statement I cannot absolutely guarantee that it will remain anonymous.

Why should you do this? Because if you submit “The Very Best of the Very Worst Artist’s Statement” and you win you will receive a free 50-minute private Monday phone consultation with me.

“The Very Best of the Very Worst Artist’s Statement” will be scored on a scale of one to ten based upon the following five criteria. The statement that scores the most points wins!

  1. Obscure language
  2. Reaching for meaning that no one else can see or even imagine
  3. Self-involved
  4. Use of platitudes or clichés
  5. Length, the longer the better

If you believe you have the worst artist’s statement. Great! Hand it over. Go here.

As an added bonus if you can possibly find a good artist’s statement, I’d LOVE to read it.

In fact, if you can find this needle in the haystack, I’ll award a 50-minute phone consultation to you for finding it!

“The Very Best Artist’s Statement” will be scored on a scale of one to ten based upon the following five criteria. The statement that scores the most points wins!

  1. Relatable language
  2. Clear benefits
  3. Customer focused
  4. Brand focused
  5. Concise copy

If you believe you have the best artist’s statement. Please. Let me see it. Go here.

The winner will be announced next month.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

Selling Art Sucks

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Artist Mission

 

Selling art sucks.

Yes. You read that right.

Trying to just sell art really sucks.

Why? Because other artists posses so much more talent that you or I will ever will.

And no one really needs art.

Yes. No one needs art. They NEED food, clothing, and shelter. Not art.

Art is a luxury. It always has been and it always will be.

Artists know this but they keep trying to sell their art anyway.

My suggestion. Stop banging your head against the wall. Don’t sell art.

What should you do?

Reframe.

Create value above and beyond your art and sell THAT.

How? Know your purpose, define a mission, create a unique value proposition that clearly solves a problem, and serve and celebrate your tribe.

Trying to sell your art is like trying to sell yourself.

This leaves most decent people feeling like a big fat whore.

So what do you do?

Talk about your mission.

Share your values.

Inspire people with how you aim to serve a cause greater than yourself.

Make it not about you but about them. Then it will be all about you.

You can’t B.S. your way through this. Don’t reach. Don’t make things up. Don’t pose. Don’t posture.

Be real. Be authentic.

The truth is the very best marketing strategy.

People art smart. They have finely attuned B.S. meters. You can’t get past it.

Be clear. So that anyone, including an eight year old, understands exactly what problem you are solving.

Why do this?

Because it is so much easier for an artist to believe in a mission than to believe in themselves.

Our opinion of ourselves and our self-confidence waivers.

Our conviction to a mission doesn’t.

Why? Because people are willing to live and die for causes greater than themselves.

You just won’t give up on a mission you really believe in.

A higher purpose, that’s hard to shake.

Do something that matters to someone other than yourself.

Make art that really matters.

Then you will be rewarded. You will make art and make money.

About Ann Rea

Ann Rea is a San Francisco based Artist and Entrepreneur. Her inspired business approach to selling her paintings have been featured on HGTV and the Good Life Project, in Fortune, and The Wine Enthusiast magazines, profiled in the book Career Renegade. Rea’s artistic talent is commended by American art icon, Wayne Thiebaud, and she has a growing list of collectors across North America and Europe.

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