The business of art is something many artists avoid. They enjoy selling their work but not the tasks involved in creating opportunities to get their work into the marketplace. So how can artists make art and operate a business that helps them sell their artworks?
I am interested in art as a means of living a life; not as a means of making a living.
— Robert Henri
Although art marketing may make you richer, it’s golden to discover how confidence, contentment, and self-acceptance of your creative abilities enrich your whole life well beyond financial reward. Helping members gain such understanding and attain those attributes is a primary focus in the AMTP (Art Marketing Toolkit Project.)
Experience Your Best Life In Art and the Business of Art.
I hope you don’t need convincing to believe living the dream is possible. But hear me out if you do. You can create a life worth living and a business worth running that brings you joy because it fits who you are and what you want. To learn what those things are, answer a couple of questions candidly.
- What is your vision for you and your art in business?
- Why will it bring you joy and fulfillment?
It is a fundamental truth that you can’t progress in life if you aren’t clear on your current situation. However, it’s essential to recognize that clarity is a powerful gift you can give yourself. Your candid assessment of where you are now and what you can accomplish that you are passionate about achieving is the ticket to living your dream. Not anyone else’s — your dream!
Money Does Not Guarantee Happiness.
It’s not hard to find unhappy rich people who excel at marketing but are clueless about enjoying a happy and fulfilled life. Conversely, profiteering from their art is not a priority for most artists. Instead, they make art because of the thrill and joy creation gives them. They are enriched on a higher level.
For every artist making an impressive full-time living from their art, I’m confident there are thousands or tens of thousands for whom selling art is sometimes desirable and even necessary. Still, it is rarely the driving force of their lives and creativity. Some artists avoid actively marketing art by circumstances, most by choice.
It’s Never a Must All-in Deal.
There’s nothing wrong with being more than an artist. And you are no less an artist if you have additional aspirations.
It’s what you want. You can make your art and business what you will. There are so many options to consider, check out, and pursue. Find the right level and settle in for a spell. You might find a certain level of living suits you well. Maybe not the high life, but a good life you enjoy. What’s wrong with that? Nothing.
Perhaps your day job is mostly a good groove with bennies, then stick with it and make art on the side. That’s what I did. Support indie artists too. There are endless scenarios of satisfied artists living their lives making their art and doing business the best they can. It’s not all glitz and galleries, but it’s a good life is about all I hear.
How Art-Life Dream-Work Balance Inspires Happy Living.
Whether you’re an artist looking for a way to monetize your skills or a business owner seeking creative inspiration, balance is critical. The creative process is often about solving problems, which can be exhausting if it’s not balanced with other parts of your life.
You can explore different ways to find the right balance for you. It helps if you break down how you will set your goals and define what success means to you. Then use the goals to selectively filter for the best resources for your creative needs and business goals.
Living Your Best Life in Art and the Business of Art.
I believe you can live your best life in art and business – and that I can help you. I write posts like this to help spread the word that attaining an art-life dream-work balanced state is the key to your best life in art and business — and that living your dream is not a dream. It’s within your grasp.
Please ask yourself what the art-life dream-work balance state means to you and what you could do to improve your form, your balance. There is no description of it because it’s different for every artist. Moreover, upon reflection, the answer is self-evident. Think about it and you instinctively know your results. Most of the time the fix is obvious but sometimes the solution is not available immediately because life’s not always just about ourselves, as when a family member needs help.
I encourage you to strive for your art-life dream-work balance because I know it will enhance your life. A side benefit of contemplating how to attain your art-life dream-work balance is the valuable insights you gain about yourself and your business.
Balancing Creativity and Business.
As an artist, you may find that your creativity is flourishing more than ever. You may also find that you’re spending less time on the business end of things like advertising, marketing, and even producing new content. As a business owner, you may find that your art as a product or service is in high demand, but it takes up all of your time.
The two, marketing and production demands are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they can complement each other if you know what you’re doing. That said, it’s essential to make sure that your creative side has enough time to thrive and that your business is given the attention it needs as well. Sounds like balance to me.
There’s no easy way to balance art and business unless you define what success means to you and create goals for both aspects of your life. But, of course, you can’t achieve balance if success means something different for each part of your life. There’s something to say about getting it together.
Finding Balance In Your Life.
It cannot be easy to balance your work with other parts of your life. If you are an artist, this means finding ways to monetize your skills while still maintaining the integrity of your work. If you are a business owner, this often means creating something without losing the creativity that inspires it. There are different strategies for balancing art and business to make it work for you, but here are some basics:
- Set Goals
- Define Success
- Think About Your Creative Process
- Explore Connections & Tribes
- Sell to Your Level
The above are topics we discuss in our live Zoom sessions and in the AMTP Facebook group. We mix it with art marketing tips and techniques and ongoing advice on the business of art.
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