Artists Who THRIVE

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

Resolutions Do Not Work for Artists

By Leave a Comment

Craig Swanson Creative Live

 

Choose TODAY to do yourself a big fat favor.

It could be the biggest favor you have ever done for yourself.

What would you like to accomplish in the coming year?

What would make you feel really satisfied?

If you accomplished this, how would it make you feel?

Name three ways it would make you feel.

Why? Because we only want something because of how we imagine it will make us feel.

It’s not the “something” that we want so much as the feelings that we associate with having it.

People fail to achieve their goals not because they are lazy or inept but because they have not mastered the skill of properly defining their goals.

People fail because they make half-hearted fuzzy resolutions devoid of a productive structure.

Now let’s put your annual aspiration to the test.

Is it SMART? Find out.

Step 1. Ask yourself these questions.

Is it Specific? “I want to make money with my art” is not specific. “I will earn over $100,000 from the sale of my art of 2015.” That is specific.

Is it Measurable? You either earned over $100,000 from the sale of your art or your did not. THAT is measurable.

Is it Actionable? Meaning can I move on it today? If you have not sold any or much of your art this is probably not a SMART goal.

Will it produce the Result I want? Is this want you really really want? Ask yourself why.

Is it Time bound? Are you giving yourself a clear finish date?

If your SMART goal does not meet this criteria above then just make it SMARTER.

Evaluate and Revise.

Your SMARTER goal should both excite and scare you a little.

If you believe your goal is too big, and you don’t really believe that you can accomplish it, then you need to dial down your ambition.

Pro tip. Don’t share your goal with those who do not support you. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Fire the nay-sayers.

Step 2. Break it down.

The next step is to break your big annual goal down into monthly chunks or milestones.

Work backwards and then put the milestones in sequential order.

In the example below I start in December by imagining hosting a holiday party where I thank all of my patrons and partners for helping me accomplish my SMARTER goal.

Notice. I’m starting with the feeling of gratitude and working backwards.

Engage your most valuable asset, your imagination.

Just imagine how things could unfold.

As you move towards your destination, your goal, your road map will evolve. It will come into focus.

Your job is to keep your compass pointed towards your destination and to keep it moving one step at a time.

Remember. “The man at the top of the mountain did not fall there.” Vince Lombardi

Here’s an example of monthly milestones.

December

Host a patron gratitude party.

November

Review and revise ecommerce site.

October

Review and revise FAN Plan.

September

Review and revise Making MONEY Plan.

August

Implement social media strategy.

July

Begin hosting monthly studio events.

June

Secure agreements with three or more strategic partners.

May

Launch new ecommerce site.

April

Complete new prototypes.

March

Complete all of The MAKING Art Making MONEY Course assignments.

February

Complete all of The MAKING Art Making MONEY Course assignments.

January

Enroll in The MAKING Art Making MONEY Course that is re launching around the end of January, I couldn’t resist 😉 This IS what I would actually do if it had been available to me.

There you have it. Choose your SMARTER goal and write it down NOW.

Imagine how you accomplished it, backwards. How did it feel along the way?

You may not always feel confident but you can have confidence that this process works, if you do it.

It’s worked for me and it is working for the artists who I mentor.

Create the life that you want to live.

None of us are getting out of here alive so you might as well create your best year ever.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill

One final note. You are not always going to “believe.”

The good news is that it is a myth that you have always believe. I don’t always believe.

Ups and downs are part of the journey.

All you have to do is take consistent daily action and you WILL get there.

This is the actual plan I used to accomplish my SMARTER goal in 2005 to sell over $100,000 of my art during my first year as a full-time artist in San Francisco where I knew no one.

Be SMARTER than ever before and make it your best year ever!

 

 

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.

Free eBook For Your Most Creative Year Yet

By Leave a Comment

fb-620-badge

At CreativeLive, we believe that creativity is more than just a way of thinking — it’s a gift that you share with those around you. And we’re so honored that our audience chooses to share their creativity with us, every single day, whether it’s online or here in our studios. This year, we decided to give something back, so we had members from our very-talented team of employees and instructors put their creativity to work to make a gift to share.

For quite some time, the staff and instructors at CreativeLive have been dying to put all of our combined skill, knowledge, and experience into one place. We wanted it to be educational, easy to access, and inclusive. Finally, we decided on an ebook. Called Creative Turnaround: Advice & Inspiration for Artists + Artisans 2015, this is our final gift to you this year.

Edited by Head of Business and Health Education David Moldawer, who has edited a number of bestselling titles, including Making Ideas Happen, Referral Engine, The Accidental Creative, and The Personal MBA, the ebook features a cover design from our Head of Design Education, Lara McCormick, an essay from host Kenna Klosterman, and an introduction from CEO Chase Jarvis.

Inside, you’ll find:

—Tara Gentile: The Creative’s Guide to Quiet Power Strategy

—Michael Port: Play with People Who Have Your Back

—Vanessa Van Edwards: Hi, I’m Vanessa, and I’m a Recovering Controlaholic

—Ann Rea: What is Your Purpose As An Artist?

—Sue B. Zimmerman: My Entrepreneurial Journey

—Jonathan Bailor: Becoming SANE

—Ramit Sethi: How to reach your goals with brutal honesty and the Tripod of Stability

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.

Finding Your Creativity and Creating Content People Care About

By 2 Comments

design

 

Listen to my latest interview with Tyler Anderson, host of Casual Fridays.

videoArrow

Show notes.

About Creativity:

How to pull out your creativity:

  • Look to the classics. Homer is the most enduring brand out there!
  • Pull inspiration from them.
  • Put your own spin on it.

Creativity as it pertains to value:

  • Solving a problem or alleviating a pain.

Creative success of famous artists was due to there being a market for their work, but there was only a market for their work because:

  • They knew their purpose, as a person not as an artist.
  • They had a specific mission that they dedicated their lives to accomplishing.
  • They solved a problem worth solving that serves their target market.

Sign up for Ann’s course on Creative Live

Mentionable Quotes:

  • “No one is going to pay you to entertain yourself. You have to create value.”
  • “If you’re human, you’re [creative].”
  • “A lot of our limitations are illusions. They are assumptions gone unexamined.”
  • “With social media, what we’re doing is telling a story and evoking an emotion.”
  • “Creativity is more important than intelligence.” -Einstein
  • “Every artist is an entrepreneur and every entrepreneur is an artist.” Dr. ‘E”

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.

How Do You Determine Your Creative Purpose?

By 2 Comments

1518126_10154844876175577_5387188764468999564_n

 

 

One of the biggest challenges the artists who I mentor are struggling with is focus.

They are also struggling with self-confidence.

Tip. Confidence is earned by focused action.

  1. Focused action yield results.
  2. Results yield confidence.

The burning question for many artists is, “What is it that I should I be focusing on?”

My answer? Start by defining your purpose.

Know who you are and what you stand for. Then you can focus on a mission.

When we have a clear purpose we can pursue our mission and we have a chance of getting out of our own damn way.

What is your purpose?

It is the overall lesson, the reasons, that you experienced your deepest moments of pain and joy. Your purpose is your “why?” And that’s not about your art.

What is your mission? Your mission is your “course.”

Your mission is what you are going to do about your purpose. Your mission is your “what?”

Your unique value proposition is your “how.”

When you know who you are and what you stand for, you can best determine “how” you can serve others.

And if you want to get paid you must serve others by delivering value.

There is no way around this.

This mindset is a complete game changer for the artists who I mentor.

Why? Because this world view is the complete opposite of submitting your art to be shown and hoping that someone will buy it and then hoping that your representative pay you on time or at all.

Hoping is not marketing and it is not a sales plan.

My advice? Stop selling your art. The fact is very few people want to buy art.

That’s right. You read that correctly.

Why might someone want to buy your art? They like you, they like your aesthetics. Yes. But that alone is not near enough to make a sustainable market for your art.

Why? Because there a ton of artists who are way more talented than you and and I and we know it.

So sell your mission and your aesthetics. It’s a powerful one-two punch.

“Plant your flag in the ground and see who salutes.” Grammy Dan, co-author of The Remembering Process

Every famous artist in history had a purpose born of his or her pain and joy, a mission, and unique value proposition that served a target market.

How Do You Determine Your Creative Purpose?

It’s a big and important question and very few people will ever answer this question or even ponder it very deeply.

Yet purposeful people live the most meaningful and rich lives and they are the people who we respect and admire most.

I wish I could tell you how to determine your purpose in the space of this blog post or just give you a link to click on.

But we both know, your life’s meaning is just not that simple and you deserve deeper and profound consideration.

So join me on Creative Live for my 30-Day Course, “Fulfilling Your Creative Purpose.”

This course is free to watch.

It is also an incredible investment to buy.

I highly recommend that you do buy it, now.

Why?

A. So that you can watch it over again and give this question the ample consideration it deserves.

B. Because I have never delivered this much actionable content in one place, with such extraordinarily high production quality, for this low price, and I’m not so sure that I ever will again.

 

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 Potters Cast Interview with Ann Rea

By 2 Comments

AnnPromoShot

I invite you to listen to my recent interview on The Potter’s Cast.

 

videoArrow

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.

Artists Do Not Know Their Purpose So Neither Does the Market

By 2 Comments

1__Valuing

 

 

 

When I mentor artists, I present them with a proven road map.

It is the road map that I used to sell over $100,000 of my art my first year as a full-time artist in 2005 in my new home, San Francisco, where I knew no one.

My road map outlines eight sequential realms that an artist must master to get from where they are today to a profitable and purposeful artistic enterprise.

The entrepreneurial path is not easy.

However, deliberately building your business is far easier and more profitable than the absurdity of hoping for permission from the scarcity based art establishment.

When we travel to new destinations, we can meander aimlessly or we can follow a reliable road map and hire a guide.

As the artist and I travel through each of the eight sequential realms, it can be a very bumpy ride and I can offer no guarantee that the artist will arrive at their desired destination.

We start the journey by looking at where the artist wants to go.

It’s good to keep the final destination in mind but their focus must be on the very next step.

However, sometimes an artist just wants what they want and they want try a different route.

Why? Because:

  • they are uncomfortable with where they are
  • the first part of the journey is the longest and they don’t want to wait
  • they want a short cut away from all of the hard work

The fact is that most artists lack talent and skill and or they just do not want to do all of the hard work required to succeed.

So what do they do?

Artists fixate on where they want to be and they keep staring at the middle of the road map, the Targeting realm.

The artist wants to arrive at that place where they have a:

  • profound mission statement
  • a snappy tag line
  • brand new website
  • or cool new logo

What do they wind up with? Confused and shallow business identities and little to no profit.

These artists do not know their purpose as an artist, so the market does not either.

When an artist focuses too far on the road ahead, they shoot themselves in the foot.

And that costs them a lot of precious time and money.

When you are traveling to a new destination it does you no good to travel ahead in your mind.

You must start where you are and take one step at a time.

If you don’t, you are going to get frustrated and you may even want to turn back and go home.

Yet this is exactly what a few of the artists who I’ve worked with have the habit of doing.

Yes, it’s true. Even though they have hired a reliable travel guide, they ignore my advice.

Instead of moving towards profit, they begin skipping steps. It’s hard to watch.

If artists veer off of a reliable path they are sure to slow themselves down at best or get completely lost and quit at worst.

Who does the lost artist blame for their quitting? The experienced guide of course!

So start where you art. First master the Visioning realm.

Here’s the good news!

I will be guiding artists from around the globe, how to master the first two realms, Visioning then Valuing, for 30 days during my next Creative Live Course, “Fulfilling Your Creative Purpose.”

So do yourself a big fat favor, and RSVP NOW.

Then tell two friends. It’s FREE.

 

 

 

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 Artist’s Statement, a Conversation Killer

By Leave a Comment

rule 21

 

 

Artists hear me say all the time, “It’s not about you, it’s all about THEM, and when you make it about them, then it will be all about YOU.”

If artists are going to learn anything from me, this fundamental shift in thinking must occur.

What is an artist’s statement?

First off, it’s all about YOU.

I have yet to read one that is not a tedious snore.

No one cares about YOU!

They care about what’s in it for THEM.

Why is the artist’s statement such a “conversation killer?”

Have you ever been cornered by someone at a cocktail party who just goes on and on about themselves?

They don’t take turns in the conversation and ask about, or try to connect to, you.

If you want to sell art you have to communicate relatable benefits to THEM, your target market.

Maybe some collectors will buy your art because it “by chance” ignites a feeling in them or maybe they like you and they want to support you.

But relying on chance and hoping it will all work out someday, some how, is not a plan.

Hoping is not marketing.

Marketing begins with complete clarity on your unique value proposition and target market.

So why else is the typical artist’s statement a conversation killer?

Because no one knows what the hell the artist is talking about!

Maybe their small circle of hip friends, who are in the know, understand their very “special” creative process.

But the rest of us unenlightened ones are just left feeling embarrassed for them and the artist can feel it.

It’s very awkward when someone is making, what they believe is, a profound and personal statement, and although you want to, you just don’t get it. It makes me cringe.

You don’t want to continue the conversation because you don’t want to embarrass or insult the self-important artist.

And it’s really really easy to insult a lot of sensitive artists.

How do I know? Because I hear artists complain all the time about the “dumb questions” that they are enduring.

“They just don’t get my work!”

No. We don’t.

Here’s a thought. Maybe you wouldn’t get such dumb questions if you related the value of what you are offering more clearly?

What problem are you solving? For who?

Collectors don’t understand the “creative process.”

Why should they?

I don’t understand car mechanics and I don’t want to. I just want my car to start.

Talk to prospects about your relatable “mission.”

Please don’t say things like “I hold space.” Whaaaa?

You don’t have mission?

You don’t know your why?

That’s fine. You are not alone.

I’m here to help because it took me a long time to figure this out.

RSVP for my Creative Live course now. It’s FREE.

 

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.

Artists. Are you Leaving Money on the Holiday Table?

By 2 Comments

9TzEGBqTE

 

 

Do you offer gift certificates? If not, you may be leaving money on the holiday table.

A significant percentage of my art is purchased as a gift; including, birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas presents, and executive gifts. This is also true for many of the artists who I mentor.

Encourage more sales by creating and featuring gift certificates. Here’s three reasons why…

  1. Because it is much easier and quicker for frenzied holiday shoppers to buy a gift certificate than it is to select the perfect piece of art, photography, jewelry, or craft.
  2. Choosing the piece that speaks to us personally is part of the fun. So give the gift recipient that choice.
  3. It’s not uncommon for the gift certificate holder to purchase more than their credit balance. Cha ching!

Here are few things to do when creating a gift certificate program.

  • Create a few denominations. No more than three, a confused mind says no.
  • Note that people often reach for the middle of the price list, so place your most common price point in the middle.
  • Create value above and beyond the gift certificate. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your creativity and skill. Make it so that the gift certificate itself is a gift.
  • Offer to include a personalized message.
  • Think through your business terms, like including an experation date. Check the laws of your state. In California gift certificates do not expire.
  • Consider shipping. Do you want to include it or not? If not, state that clearly.

Now you’ve got yourself a brand new product that will be selling more of your products. Merry Christmas!

 

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 is My Purpose as an Artist?

By 6 Comments

1__Valuing

 

 

  1. Do you know your purpose?
  2. How does your purpose define your mission?
  3. Is your unique value proposition grounded in your mission?
  4. Do you know what problem you solve?
  5. Do you know what target market you serve?

Is your answer yes to each question above? Congratulations!

You are among a very few happy, grounded, focused, and confident artists.

To sell your art, you need to identify, reach, and serve your market.

If you are extraordinary lucky, you’ve stumbled upon a market niche for your art.

However, if you were not very intentional about creating your market niche, chances are that your business is not sustainable.

Why? One reason is that artists are generally idealistic and spiritual so they chafe at creating anything that is not deliberately fueled by their passion and balanced by their integrity.

But this is not unique to artists; this is true of most entrepreneurs.

Most people want to make money in a way that they can be proud of. It’s not just about the money.

The cover story of Fast Company magazine this month is “Find You’re your Mission.”

Another way to say “find your mission” is to “know your why.”

It’s solid advice so we hear all the time.

The problem is that most of us are not clear about how to go about finding our why.

Finding your “why” is not about crafting an engaging narrative.

Your mission statement isn’t a snappy headline; it is your core truth.

The truth is, and has always been, the best marketing strategy. Hands down, it is the ultimate strategy.

Finding your “why” requires deep honest self-reflection.

Your mission does not come from greater wisdom outside of yourself. It comes from within, so you must “know thyself.”

Who can possibility know your calling but you?

An artist must know who they are and what they stand for.

When I mentor artists we spend about 80% of our time on the first of eight artistic business development realms, Visioning.

Once artists master this first realm, they have their purpose, their mission, and their unique value proposition.

It is the most important and challenging realm yet the most satisfying.

So when Creative Live asked me to come back and create another course, I suggested two things.

  1. That we focus the course on helping artists discover their purpose, fueled by their passion, so that they can better generate a profit.
  2. I also suggested instead of teaching over two or three long days, I teach this course over a span of 30 days with short segments so that students can digest and process the 30 daily exercises included.

Do you know your purpose?

Imagine if you did.

“Don’t dream it, be it.”

Enroll today for “Fulfill Your Creative Purpose”, Dec 2 – Jan 23 2015. 9:00am – 11:00am.

It’s flippin’ FREE!

Can’t watch during the live broadcast. Then buy it now.

Want to be there live!!

Apply now to be a part of the studio audience in the San Francisco recording studios here:

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 Artist’s Statement Gone Very Wrong

By 5 Comments

rule 21

  • Imagine a lawyer implying that the hand of God helps her craft her legal briefs
  • Picture a plumber whose levitates copper pipes before installation
  • Visualize a dentist installing gold fillings sourced from King Tutankhamun’s golden tomb

Yikes!

I get it. Being an artist seems far more romantic that regular professions, particularly if you are successful.

But even if you are a successful artist, you’re just doing more of the same stuff that you did to become successful.

Anyway, God bless America, photographer William Carr is very successful and I honor him for that.

But whoever was in charge of the video production should have taken it down a notch or two.

He’s presented like a mix of rock star and ascended master.

Come on. He takes pictures.

He’s not Superman, Mother Theresa, and Mick Jagger all rolled into one.

I never begrudge an artist’s success, regardless of whether I’m interested in their work.

Maybe this is working for him and his raving fans? I truly hope it is.

But I was so turned off by this egotistical rant of a video novel that I could not get through the whole thing and it made me not even want to look at his photographs.

Why am I showing you this? Because it is an example of artist’s statement gone very wrong.

If you can make it through to the end he begins to speak of his “mission.”

Notice that he suddenly becomes more humble, human, and relatable.

And THAT my friends is why you should “not make it about you, make it about them. Then it will be about you.”

Looking for a good example? Check out Kate Bradley’s video, an artist I mentor.

Why is it working?

Because Kate:

  • knows her purpose
  • which defines her mission
  • she is solving a problem with a unique value proposition
  • and she can spot her ideal customer Avatar from a mile away

Clearly Kate also understands that “relationships equal revenue” because her ideal customer Avatar is gladly doing all the talking for Kate.

Notice. Kate doesn’t even have to say a word.

As a consequence, Kate makes art that matters and she makes money. And THAT makes for one confident, focused, and happy artist.

How do you talk about your work? Leave a comment.

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.

Let’s Connect