Anyone who thinks they can’t make a living as an artist better think again because Heather Allen is not only here to prove that old myth wrong, but she is ready to share common sense about being an entrepreneur and how to make one. career with your job. passion.
As a freelance author, I wish I could have read this book when I first left to support myself by writing and related activities. Let Your Creativity Work For You is the perfect guide for anyone who wants to start a business, who wants to earn a living through their works of art, and who is not afraid of making money or being successful. It’s time for people to stop thinking that being an artist means starving in a garret. Great artists deserve to be appreciated and to make a viable living, and the world deserves great art to make it a better place.
At first, Heather addresses this issue through one of the many artists she interviews, Jason Hoelscher. It states: “They did not have professional development classes when Jason Hoelscher was a college student. In fine arts studies courses, the notion of combining artistic skill development with career and income opportunities remains, as historically, outside the box. limits”. However, Jason reveals that solo entrepreneurial artists can be successful by doing three things:
1. You must be strategic in your approach.
2. You must do your research.
3. You have to be in it for the long haul.
From this down-to-earth and inspiring beginning, Heather guides readers through everything imaginable a businessperson and artist need to know. Chief among them is setting goals and then making them achievable through five-, two-, and one-year plans. Include goal sheets and other activity spaces throughout the book for the reader to complete and do exercises to motivate and make the tips in the book applicable.
From there, Heather delves into some of the most important aspects of running a business, including tracking mileage for trips, receiving credit card payments, and using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) program. ). But she never gets too caught up in the details to overlook the big picture of being an artist in need of an income. She discusses how to balance the production of her art with the details of running a business, how to create multiple sources of income, the importance of branding, how to use social media and websites to promote her art and business, and one of the most difficult of all topics: how to set boundaries with clients, be direct about expectations with them, and even maintain a waiting list for your services.
Personally, I especially enjoyed Heather’s interviews with successful artists from various mediums, both in terms of her artistic processes and her approaches to running a business and maintaining a successful career. Through these diverse perspectives, readers learn what it’s like to be an artist, what kinds of joys and pitfalls to expect, and how to create a business that is full of values and principles, as well as fun, that nurtures their artistic souls. without turning your artwork into a drudgery to please customers. I especially appreciated the discussion of principles. Here are some principles he suggests artists can incorporate into their businesses:
– I will treat others as I would like to be treated.
– My collectors are my most valuable business partners.
– If I say that I am going to do something, I can be counted on to do it.
– I will commit 100% to the projects based on the joy and / or income they bring me.
– I will donate artwork to organizations that support ____.
– To honor the investment of my collectors, I will not donate or discount my work.
– Once my price is set, it can only go up, never go down.
Most importantly, Heather reminds artists to be true to themselves. As gallery owner Michael Foley states in the book, artists should ask themselves, “Does the work mean anything to you? Are you passionate about it? It should be your personal meaning to you, as opposed to what you think it will sell.”
Anyone who dreams of becoming an artist or is already trying to earn a living needs to read this book. I would love to see this book adopted as required reading material in all art college programs around the world, and probably in music and creative writing and other artistic fields as well. It really contains what people are rarely taught in school. Heather Allen has learned all of this information through experience and by consulting with creative entrepreneurs for several years. I am sure that countless artists like me will be grateful to you for now sharing all your valuable information on these pages.
