I had a phone consult with an artist.

Then she sent me an email with some good news, see below.

Rather than just reply, I decided to have a chat with her and let you to listen-in.

Hello, Ann.

Just thought I’d drop you a note.

I’ve done a lot of thinking and writing since our call, and one of the things that I took the most away from was you telling me that “it’s not about you, it’s about them.”

I started doing custom bridal bouquet paintings, launched it as a product on my website and immediately sold two custom paintings last night upon launching.

People are very excited to have this preserved as a memory for them.

One of the things that stopped me initially was that I don’t paint at all realistically… but it turns out that my customer doesn’t want a photo realistic painting of their memories.

They want the magical treasured memory.

So, I’m popping their language into all I do.

I’ve also emailed several customers and talked to a lot of people about my art (haven’t had time for the excel spreadsheet yet), and the one consistent word they use is “happy”.

At any rate, I really appreciated your time, and the results I think are going to be amazing.

Much more work to do, but I know where I’m going at the very least.

Best regards,

Bari

Bari J. Designs

 

July 2105, feature 

The idea that artists can’t and shouldn’t think about business is an entirely new construct, says California painter, entrepreneur, and LivePlan customer Ann Rea (https://www.annrea.com). Master artists have marketed themselves to potential patrons throughout history, and “Andy Warhol was a PR master,” she says.

With Rea’s help and inspiration, artists all over the world are doing just what she did 10 years ago: starting businesses and finding ways to earn a living.

Two of the biggest things anyone needs to be successful at their own enterprise, Rea says, are a plan and the ability to focus on what’s in front of you. As she sees her own enterprise evolving, LivePlan is helping her with both.

In December of 2004, Rea moved into San Francisco and wrote a business plan outlining how she would earn $100,000 from her artwork in the coming year.

Rea attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she studied industrial and graphic design. She assumed this combination would give her some marketable skills when she graduated–even though what she really wanted to do was paint. She found work as a designer, but had to give it up when her then–husband’s job took them to Sacramento. Unable to land another position in her chosen field, she took a dead–end “cubicle job.”

“It was like shoving a round peg into a square hole,” she says. “It required absolutely no creativity.” For years she struggled with depression and anxiety.

Ann Rea’s original oil painting of the Napa Valley, “ Earthen Vines”, showcases her unique artistic style.

Eventually, she couldn’t take it any longer. “I realized that life is very short and that I should just try to do what I wanted. If it didn’t work, I would go back to doing what I was doing before.”

For Rea, doing what she wanted meant making a living as an artist. On a whim, she wrote a letter to Wayne Thiebaud, who she describes as “one of the most famous painters alive,” and asked him to critique her paintings. He told her she had real talent and should pursue her dream of painting full-time.

Her next question was how to earn a living as an artist. His answer shocked her. “His words were, ‘I don’t know. I’m not a businessman,’ ” she recalls. “He saw a disconnect between making art and making money.”

This was her epiphany moment. “I didn’t want to wait until I was in my seventies to figure it out,” says Rea.

Rea had no background in business. What she did know was how to make a plan and follow it through. “When I had a job I was a project management consultant,” she says. “It didn’t teach me how to be entrepreneur, but I did know how to set a goal and make a plan to accomplish that goal.” She also read everything she could find on marketing.

Ann sees no conflicts between creating art and making money from those works of art. Good business sense applies to every industry.

In December of 2004 Rea moved into San Francisco and wrote a business plan outlining how she would to earn $100,000 from her artwork in the coming year.

She didn’t meet her goal–she exceeded it.

What she realized, she says, is that “selling art is very different, because you’re in a very saturated market. You have to create value above and beyond the art itself.”

Her plan for creating value–added art was to partner with wineries in Napa and Sonoma. She didn’t know anyone in the industry, so she cold–called wineries until she found several managers who would listen to her proposal.

She would paint their vineyards in her striking contemporary landscape style, she told them, and they could offer reproductions to their best clients as special gifts. She would also sell her originals at wine tastings.

“The wineries benefited because they got a permanent advertisement in someone’s home,” she says. From their perspective, the true value of the artwork was that it reminded their customers how much they enjoyed the company’s wine and encouraged them to keep buying it.

“Every artist is an entrepreneur, and every entrepreneur is an artist, that very much summarizes my world view”

Rea’s compelling story of personal achievement earned her recognition in the press, and other artists started coming to her for help. She realized she liked marketing almost as much as she liked helping other artists realize their dreams. She started a blog called Artists Who THRIVE (https://artistswhothrive.com/) and dedicated one day a week to working with others.

Demand for her services was quite high, especially among the many smart artists leaving school with lots of debt and no road map, she says. In 2013 Rea decided to formalize her expertise into eight-courses in The MAKING Art Making MONEY Semester. (https://www.makingartmakingmoney.com). She taught a portion of it on a website called CreativeLive in 2014 and got rave reviews. The full curriculum will be offered for the first time this year.

Rea didn’t use LivePlan her first several years in business, but she says having a written plan was absolutely essential to her success.“ It’s insane not to have a plan. You would never build a house without a blueprint. You wouldn’t bake a cake without a recipe. That’s how important it is.”

Through her blog and classes, she’s proud to share the wisdom she’s learned from entrepreneurship and business planning with other artists who can use those tools to their advantage.

Now, as she looks to reposition her own brand as an artist, she’s using LivePlan to help her clarify her thoughts. The software’s question and answer feature has helped her determine how to most effectively communicate her message to others.

The fact that LivePlan is accessible online means it is very easy to share information and gather feedback from her colleagues. She also regularly collaborates on the plan with Caroline Cummings, her mentor at Palo Alto Software, who she met through MicroMentor (https://www.micromentor.org/), a free online community of entrepreneurs and volunteer mentors.

One important thing to consider when creating a business plan is that the same format won’t work for everyone, Rea says. “You have to make the plan suit you. Sometimes people look at business plans and say, ‘I don’t get it, ’ and then they say, ‘Screw it. I can’t deal with this.’ It has to be your blueprint. “That’s why LivePlan offers entrepreneurs many different tools and resources for creating the business plan that’s right for them.”

Businesses that create plans and keep them current have a much higher success rate, she notes. “A business plan is not a road map, it’s a compass. You take a few steps toward a destination and it’s going to change. It’s a living and breathing tool. Schedule time to look at LivePlan every day. Make it a habit even if you’re busy. Ask yourself, am I headed toward the destination I want to reach? Am I pointed toward my mission and my values?”

The idea that becoming a business person means “selling out,” is also a dangerous myth pervading our culture. It’s one that scares many artists away from using their passion and talent to make money. But the two things don’t have to be at odds. Keeping a firm focus on a personal mission and specific values is one of the best ways for artists to remain true to themselves and to earn a living.

“Every artist is an entrepreneur, and every entrepreneur is an artist,” Rea says, quoting Pepperdine University business professor, Elliot McGucken Phd. “That very much summarizes my world view.”

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.

 

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.

 

“How long did it take you to make that?”

Are you an artist who gets this question?

I have and I probably will again.

Now, I know that many artists are irritated by this question.

But the thing is, art is not always the easiest conversation starter.

“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” unknown

So when you do get this annoying question, it may just be an ill informed attempt to make conversation with you.

Many artists bristle against this question and they silently answer,

• “Really, does it matter?”

or..

• “Actually, it took me under twenty minutes and it was incredibly easy and fun. Can I charge for this?”

You bet you ass you can!

The best art is made with complete ease and enjoyment.

When you are making art and it’s no fun and it’s hard, it looks like crap. Right?

So overworking your art is not an option to be proud of.

If you want to take a long time to make your art, have at it. That may part of your creative process.

But if it’s a joyful breeze, like my painting is, then that’s fantastic!

The best answer that I have heard to the question, “How long did it take you to make that?” is “All my life.” unknown

It’s not a snarky retort; it’s actually the truth.

How do I know?

How long does it take vocalist to belt out an amazing song?

It probably takes under five minutes to perform a song yet years of preceding practice to sing it so that crowds want to actually pay to listen to it.

The reason that I’m bringing this up is that some artists that I work with are often conflicted about charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for art made in a relativity short amount of time with complete ease.

Let it go. God bless America!

If and when you get to the place where you can charge thousands of dollars an hour for your artistic effort. You’ve earned it.

How? By logging years practicing and marketing to find and celebrate your tribe who benefit from your creations.

So the real answer to the common question “How long did it take you to make that?”, is actually “All of my life.”

Don’t believe this lie!

This is the first rule in my book “SELL YOUR ART without Selling Out, 101 Rules.”

My book is really an invitation for you to question all the rules that have been set down by the permission and scarcity based art establishment and for you to define your own rules. Hence the coloring book format.

Now. Should you continue to “hone your talent?”

Of course!

But artistic talent is just the minimum price of admission to the world of selling your art.

Artists ask me, “Will you critique my work?”

My answer. “Absolutely not.”

Why?

Three reasons.

1.)Teaching art is the business that I’m in.

I’m not an art critic or an art teacher and even if I was I don’t have the expertise in every artistic medium and tradition required to offer constructive feedback.

2.) Before you think of selling and marketing your art, you need to have the making of it mastered.

Well maybe not “mastered.”

But you know that you have talent because it has been affirmed by successful artistic mentors and you have sold some work.

3.) As an artist you are never done honing your craft. I’m certainly not.

But at some point your art has got to be good enough.

Meaning that people other than your friends and family are interested in paying for your art.

So do not believe this lie.

This is what we are told by the art establishment.

Because making money is their job and it is often implied that we need not worry our pretty little heads about money or dirty our hands with it.

Right? Wrong!

When I work with artists and they define their mission, their unique value proposition, and they identify the target market they serve, their art significantly improves.

It improves because of these insights, not because these artists made more of art.

How do I know?

They tell me what they have been told.

•“Your work has more depth than before.”

•“Your work has more energy.”

•“I’m so inspired by your mission. I’d like to introduce you to some other prospects.”

 

Yes. You read that right. There is no such thing as a successful (full-time) artist.

“Ann. What do you mean? Aren’t you a successful full-time artist?”

No. Sorry to burst your bubble but I’m not. I’m both an artist and an entrepreneur and that is why I am successful, in the conventional sense of the word.

If you’re not too concerned with selling your art then this is not really the place for you.

But let’s face it. Is there anything that ignites creative inspiration like a sale? I know that it infuses me with energy and enthusiasm.

Anyway. My point is this. Successful artists are also entrepreneurs. So are physicians or attorneys who run their own practices or professional athletes.

A physician practices medicine but they must also keep up with the latest developments in medicine, generate new business, manage their practice, deal with insurance, keep an eye on cash flow, hire and fire staff, etc. You get the point. They have many realms to manage and to balance with the realm of practicing medicine.

It’s the same for a plumber, a real estate agent, or a hip-hop music mogul.

If you want someone else to take care of all that business mumbo jumbo, good luck finding that someone else.

Again. If you’re not too concerned with selling your art then this blog is not really the place for you.

But if you would like to sell your art, or more of it, I’ve identified eight sequential foundational realms of building a creative enterprise that must be balanced with your creative practice.

I’m giving you my blue print. It is the same blue print, or road map, that I use to build my art business and the one that I have coached other artists through.

The good news is that, assuming you actually have artistic talent, each of the eight realms can be mastered by most people who are intelligent and diligent. And this describes most artists who I know.

The hardest part for artists to get their head wrapped around is marketing, or as I call it, the “Visioning” realm.

I absolutely LOVE marketing. Why? Because the very best marketing is extraordinarily creative and it is engaging. Just like art.

I look at creating marketing strategies much like creating a painting.

When I paint I have a blank canvas, some paint, and an idea. Then I weave those together and I create a painting.

When I develop marketing strategies for Ann Rea, Inc., or for other artists, we define the artist’s mission, unique value proposition, pain alleviated or problem solved, and their objective. Then I weave these together and create a marketing strategy that will help the artist reach a target market.

Does every marketing strategy work? No.

Does every painting work? No.

Sometimes the first attempt, or the first draft, works beautifully but usually the last attempt informs the next. It is an iterative process.

Why is the marketing of your art so important? That’s obvious if you want to sell it but what artists often don’t appreciate is that the mission and the marketing behind your art creates more value for your collectors and inspires your creativity.

The bottom line is this. Every artist is an entrepreneur and every entrepreneur is an artist. Consequently, there is no such thing as a successful (full-time) artist.

Or as Andy Warhol said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”

Since I did not go to business school, and I have a long commute over the Golden Gate Bridge to Wine Country, I keep a number of business books on my iPhone.  This is often referred to as DTU (Drive Time University.)

One of my favorite audio books is by Russell Simons, one of the very wealthiest and most successful pioneering hip-hop media and fashion moguls.

I also happen to like him because, like me, he’s down with practicing yoga, meditation, anti-censorship, and he does not reserve his political or social opinions.

Simons’ book is called “Do You, Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success.”  It’s no surprise that Oprah gave him the first part of the title.

“Do you”, delivers the value proposition.  He mixes his personal philosophy and world view and breaks down how he’s applied this to building his empire of successful brands and cultivating artist’s careers.

In the world of art, what counts is unique expression.  So if an artist tries to be anything but their authentic self, they will fall short and be subject to constant comparison or remain simply irrelevant.

By “Doing You” an artist sets themselves apart, offering their market unique value.  A student in one of my Artists Who THRIVE seminars reluctantly asked, “Is there really enough opportunity for very many “Blue Ocean Strategies.”  My answer is a resounding. YES!

Does that mean that every artist with a unique and compelling expression has a market?  Not necessarily.  The artist must know, articulate, and deliver value to a target market.  The value is expression that touches, inspires, and moves that market.

It’s only when an artist remains true to themselves, their unique essence, their vision, that they stand the very best chance of connecting with and inspiring others.

And that, my friends, is the name of the game in the world of art.  And I believe it’s also the name of the game in the world of business.

My advice is “know thyself” and take Mr. Simons’ advise. “Do you.”