Marketing Your Art the Right Way

Selling Art, Not Selling Out

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Kevin Chung on Art, Creativity, and Lessons Learned While Cracking Creativity – Cracking Creativity Episode 50

This week is going to be a little different. Instead of interviewing another creative, I wanted to celebrate the fiftieth episode of Cracking Creativity by having someone else interview me.

I had my friend and former podcast guest, Jacques Ho, interview me. He has been a huge part of my work on this site and this podcast. Each week we meet to discuss what we are working on while also keeping each other accountable to our goals. He has a lot of insights on my work, which I thought would be great to have for this episode.

In it, I discuss the beginnings of my creative journey, why I started my blog Marketing Your Art the Right Way, my quote art collection and upcoming book, influences for my work, my podcast, and much more.

By the time you finish this episode, I hope you have a better idea of why I started this site and why I want to help all of you on your creative and artistic journeys.

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Thom Fox on Life Changing Moments, the Importance of Strong Relationships, and The Value of a Startup Mentality – Cracking Creativity Episode 48

Thom Fox is a strategy consultant who helps companies with complex problems. He has created economic empowerment programs that have reached over 3 million people and has conducted 1,200 seminars, workshops and keynotes. But his story wasn’t always one filled with success.

Thom started off in a life of crime and with an addiction to angel dust. He broke into people’s homes and got arrested at the age of 14. It wasn’t until he was 19 years old that he realized he needed to make a change in his life. It was in that moment that clarity was brought into his life, and got him on the path towards success.

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“I’m never any better than my last concert… it’s like an audition each time.” ― B.B. King Quote Art

“I’m never any better than my last concert or the last time I played, so it’s like an audition each time.” ― B.B. King

Print available on Storenvy.

One bad thing about success is, we often rest on laurels. We finally hit our goal and expect everything to magically come together.

You know those moments. It’s the moment when: we get our painting in a gallery, we get published in a magazine, or we hit a five figure month in sales.

It’s exhilarating. We’ve worked so hard to get here. But then we get complacent. We think that just because we are in a gallery or publication that everything will become easier.

While these moments are fantastic and worth celebrating, that doesn’t mean things will become easier. In fact, we aren’t close to being done yet. We are just getting started.

Hitting a milestone alone won’t help you find more success. It’s what you do after you’ve hit the milestone that counts.

Anyone can become a published author. Anyone can get 100,000 views on their website. Anyone can get published in a big time magazine. But what do you do afterwards?

Will you continue on that upwards trajectory or will you become complacent? That is the difference between a professional and an amateur.

B.B. King was one of the most decorated and highly regarded blues guitarists in the world, yet he still approached each concert, each performance, like it was his last. He did not rely on his name or stature to get gigs. He worked hard every time he played to earn his next gig.

If you think one successful moment is good enough to bring you recognition and respect, think again. You have to earn that respect every time you create. You have to treat every piece of art, every performance, every book like it’s your last.

That is how you gain respect. That is how you gain recognition. That is how you find success.

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Photo by Harvey Salvador

Angela Lussier on Being an Imposter, Living Life by Your Own Rules, and the Importance of Play – Cracking Creativity Episode 47

Angela Lussier is a coach, public speaker, and author of three books. In this episode Angela talks about her journey towards creating her own business, how to overcome the imposter syndrome, why you need to live by your own rules, and the importance of play.

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Dr. Matt Westheimer on Mentorships, Relationships, and the Importance of a Process Based Mindset – Cracking Creativity Episode 46

Dr. Matt Westheimer is a chiropractor and the founder of Elite Blueprint.  In this episode Matt talks about his journey of selling everything he had to build a chiropractic practice in Singapore, the role mentors have played in his life, why you need support from the people around you, and the reason the process is more important than the result.

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Cynthia Morris on the Challenges of a Creative Life, Letting Your Creative Self Lead, and Creating Your Own Stories – Cracking Creativity Episode 45

Cynthia Morris is an author, illustrator, and the creator Original Impulse. She has turned many of her ideas to reality from completing a novel to running creativity workshops in Paris. In this episode, Cynthia talks about the struggles of a creative life, listening to your inner artist, and the need to create our own stories.

Here are three things you can learn from Cynthia:

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“I am not afraid… I was born to do this.” – Joan of Arc Quote Art

“I am not afraid… I was born to do this.” – Joan of Arc

Print available on Storenvy.

If you want to achieve your dreams, you must not let fear get in your way Click To Tweet

If you want to achieve your dreams, you must not let fear get in your way. Fear is the unwanted house guest. It’s the giant chasm blocking your path. It’s a pesky mosquito that won’t stop biting you.

Too often, we let that unwanted guest stay in our house. We reach the chasm and turn around in defeat. We let that mosquito pester us. We’re defeated.

It is these moments that define us. You can either give up, like 90% of other people, or you can overcome your fear. No, it will never go away. Fear, whether we like it or not, is a part of life. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will be able to overcome it.

Life is too short to let fear beat us down Click To Tweet

Life is too short to let fear beat us down. As artists, we are dreamers. We are doers. We are driven by our passion, our need, to create.

Approach your fear like you would a new painting. Confront it like a blank canvas. Tackle it any way you know how. Even if you don’t know the way, you must forge on.

Tell that unwanted house guest it’s time to go. Find your way across that chasm. Kill that pesky mosquito.

Don’t let fear get in the way of your goals. Remember, you were born to do this.

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Photo by Alex Wong

Charlie Gilkey on Mindsets, Business for Creatives, and the Power of Art – Cracking Creativity Episode 42

Charlie Gilkey is is the creator of Productive Flourishing and the host of the Creative Giants podcast. He describes himself as the result of mashing up an entrepreneur, Army officer, and philosopher. In this episode, Charlie talks about mindsets, business, and the power of art.

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Josh Rivedal on His One-Man Show, the Importance of Marketing, and Learning from Failure – Cracking Creativity Episode 40

Josh Rivedal is the founder and director of the I’mPossible Project. He is also the author of two books and the star of his own one-man show. In this episode, Josh talks about overcoming his near suicide, the importance of marketing for artists, and the lessons we can learn from failure.

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“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” – Orson Welles Quote Art

“The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” – Orson Welles

Print available on Storenvy.

Inspiration is endless. It can come from viewing the fine details of the Mona Lisa up close or seeing a stray cat run across your back yard. We never know which small detail will lead to our next great work. There are endless possibilities, but the Muse isn’t calling.

It can be intimidating. People wait patiently for our next great work, but soon they start to get antsy. “What’s taking her so long to write that book?” “Why do they keep delaying that movie?” The expectations keep mounting. Yet, still nothing comes to us.

People will try to give us ideas. “Why don’t you try…” or “What about…” but the last thing we need is more possibilities. That’s what caused this mess is the first place.

As artists, we don’t like people trying to stifle us. We find freedom in the possibilities. Our canvas is only limited by our imaginations. We can bring anything to life.

Therein lies the paradox. We don’t need more options. We need more limitations.

If I told you, you have once chance to create the greatest painting of your life. What would you do? How would you approach it? Where would you even begin?

You would probably freeze up. You would be paralyzed by fear. Fear of messing up. Fear of choosing the wrong thing. Fear of messing up your chances.

That is where restraints come into play. Restraints help you narrow down your options. They stop you from being paralyzed by fear. They help you make a decision.

“But out of limitations comes creativity.” – Debbie Allen

Robert Rodriguez used limitations to create his first film El Mariachi, which became the lowest budget movie ever released by a major studio. This revelation has defined his film making ever since.

Architect Frank Gehry used constraints in his building designs. For his award-winning design of the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the strict standards for acoustics led to the unique design of the Hall’s interior space.

Austin Kleon, gained fame for his Newspaper Blackout poems. He creates these poems by taking a newspaper, and crossing out everything but the words he needs to create a poem.

These are just a few examples of how constraints enhance your creativity. The next time you feel stuck trying to come up with an idea for your great work, give yourself some limitations. They will give you the necessary fuel to spark your creativity and your art.

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Photo by Florent Chretien

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