Marketing Your Art the Right Way

Selling Art, Not Selling Out

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Monica Kang on Thinking Like an Outsider, the Importance of Asking Questions, and the Power of Self-Awareness – Cracking Creativity Episode 62

Monica Kang knew early in life that she wanted to work in international affairs. Her upbringing in two countries compelled her to understand how people related to each other, and steered her towards her role working with the government.

Monica worked for years in international affairs, and even though she loved her job, she still felt something was lacking. She saw that people weren’t creatively fulfilled at their jobs and knew she wanted to help them. She knew she could fulfill that gap, so she started up InnovatorsBox.

In this episode learn why you should think link an outsider, the importance of asking questions, and how self-awareness can improve your problem solving.

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Kaitlyn Guay on Creative Growth as and Evolution, Finding Beauty an Gratitude, and Overcoming Resistance – Cracking Creativity Episode 61

Kaitlyn Guay grew up wanting to be in Broadway. She grew up in a household where she wasn’t allowed to watch TV and could only watch movies on the weekends. She grew up in a cultural bubble where she entertained herself by writing poems and song lyrics for fun.

While she wanted to be an artist and entertainer, those around her thought it would be too risky, so she became a musical teacher. This allowed her to share her passion for the arts with others. That is until a severe case of Chronic Lyme Disease forced her to change her path. Instead of letting the disease break her, she leveraged it into creating a young adult book series and jewelry line.

In this episode, learn why creative growth is an evolution, how to find beauty and gratitude in every day life, and ways you can overcome Resistance.

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Adam James Butcher on Sharing Your Work, the Importance of Habits and Routines, and Why Artists Need to Sell – Cracking Creativity Podcast Episode 60

Adam James Butcher didn’t take the traditional path towards becoming a full-time artist. He went to university to study sculpture, but never pursued sculpting as a career.

For a while, he created art in an alley and worked as a sandwich maker, but realized it wasn’t right for him. So he became the head of art for London schools.

During his time teaching, schools began using iPads to allow kids to create art. This was a pivotal moment in Adam’s career. After seeing his students work so well with technology, he began painting himself. Adam did so well with his digital art that he was able to move to Mexico to sell his digital art full time.

In this episode, Adam talks about why you should share your work, the value of habits and routines, and why selling is crucial for your business.

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The Grind Never Ends – Usher Tweet Quote Art

“the grind never ends”
@Usher (Usher Raymond IV)

It doesn’t matter if you’ve made one dollar or one million dollars from your art, one thing will always hold true: you can never stop working. The key to being a successful creator is not dependent on how much talent or luck you have.

It depends on how much effort you are willing to put in. It depends on how persistent you are. It depends on showing up every day to do the work.

Hard work, directed in the right place can take you farther than talent and luck ever could Click To Tweet

Sure, talent also plays a role, but there are millions of talented people who never find success. Sure luck plays a role, but luck can only get you so far. Hard work, directed in the right place can take you farther than talent and luck ever could.

We all want to believe our work will speak for itself. We keep hoping and praying them someone will come along and discover us. But what if we are discovered? What if someone came to you and made all of your dreams come true? Would you stop working? What would you do?

Just ask all the one hit wonders what a few minutes of fame did for their careers. Are they still rich? Are they still adored by fans? Nope.

In order to build a sustainable career as an artist, you must keep going Click To Tweet

In order to build a sustainable career as an artist, you must keep going. You have to show up and do the work. Artists like Usher know how to stay on top. They are constantly creating new work. They innovate and try different things while everyone else becomes stale. They are willing to put in the hours while everyone else is taking it easy.

You may not want to be rich and famous like Usher, but everyone would love to be respected like he is. It doesn’t matter whether or not you like his music, you can still admire the fact that he has been able to build such a sustainable career.

You can do this too. You just have to be willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Andrea Dantas on Learning, Leaning in to Your Why, and Doing Work that Matters – Cracking Creativity Episode 59

Andrea Dantas could have ended up poor and broke in Brazil. Her father went bankrupt when she was a child and her mother struggled to feed two kids. Her one saving grace was her love for acting.

Andrea left Brazil to study acting in Australia. While she was able to get a tourist Visa, she had trouble getting a work Visa. So her mother smuggled her money by putting it inside books she sent through the mail. While she survived on a diet of canned beans, she was still happy because she was learning and doing what she loved.

She has been able to build a successful career in acting through years of studying, performing, and working in multiple countries.

In this episode, learn why you should never stop learning, why you should always remember your why, and what it takes to do work that matters to you.

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Bodlar Deathbringer on Being a Prolific Creator, Networking and Marketing Your Art, and Overcoming Your Fears – Cracking Creativity Episode 58

Bodlar Deathbringer is a visual artist living in New York City. Since early in his life, it seemed like he was destined to become an artist. His father was a visual artist and his mother was a writer. He also started creating his own paintings when he was eight years old. So it would seem odd that Bodlar went into IT work.

After years of working in the corporate world, he finally decided he had enough. He decided he would move to New York City to pursue his art career full-time. It hasn’t always been easy, but Bodlar has been working as an artist ever since.

In this episode, learn about the challenges you face as an artist, the importance in marketing and networking, and why you need to confront your fears.

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My Thoughts on Podcast Movement 2016

We should all have aspirations of getting better. When we rest on our laurels, we lose the ability to make an impact in our lives and with our audience. That’s why I went to Podcast Movement in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. We can learn a lot from the top people in our industries, and Podcast Movement was no exception.

Since I began my podcast, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback, but it would be foolish to stay stagnant. Going to Podcast Movement has inspired me to take my podcast to the next level.

There were a lot of great speakers, and even more fellow podcasters, who made the conference worthwhile. Here are some of the highlights from my weekend at Podcast Movement:

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“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn Quote Art

“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.”
― Jon Kabat-Zinn

Print available on Storenvy.

We need to learn to appreciate each moment on our journey. One of our biggest faults is looking at what other people are doing and being envious of their success. Even though we know this intuitively, it’s still hard to do.

We ask ourselves why that person has success and why we don’t. The problem with this line of thinking is, that person probably spent ten years getting to where they are. Instead of looking up at other people, we need to learn to appreciate where we are in the process.

When I stay present and focus on the now, I tend to enjoy my work a lot more. Click To Tweet

The best way to do this is by recognizing our paths aren’t a straight line, they’re a journey. One thing I have to constantly tell myself is to focus on what I’m working at the moment instead of worrying so much about the end result. When I stay present and focus on the now, I tend to enjoy my work a lot more.

Even though it may not feel like it, these little moments form who you are as an artist and as a person. They are the checkpoints along your journey. When you recognize these moments, your work can feel magical. When you don’t, your work can become unfulfilling.

If you find yourself yearning for instant success, you need to ask yourself these questions: Is instant success all it’s cracked up to be? Would you know what to do with it? Would you truly appreciate what you have?

Keep these questions in mind the next time you are feeling envious of someone else. Reflect back on your work. Feel gratitude for what you’ve been able to accomplish.

When you lose sight of your journey, you lose sight of who you are. Click To Tweet

When you lose sight of your journey, you lose sight of who you are. Appreciate the little things. These moments are what makes life so enjoyable.

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Photo by Paweł Kadysz

“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” — Walt Disney Quote Art

“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.” — Walt Disney

Print available on Storenvy.

There are two major mistakes artists make about money. The first is, they believe in the myth of the starving artist. The second is, they believe they shouldn’t need to make money from their art.

The starving artist myth is prevalent in society. We believe artists must suffer to create great work. We believe you have to live at end’s meet. We believe you can’t be a prosperous artist.

Artists of all kinds are able to make a living from their work Click To Tweet

I’m not sure why this myth has prevailed. There is so much evidence to the contrary. Artists of all kinds are able to make a living from their work. Are they all rich? No, but they aren’t starving either. There are musicians, illustrators, actors, writers, and artists of all kinds creating great work and making a living from doing it.

If you want to make a sustainable living as an artist, you have to sell your work Click To Tweet

The second mistake artists make, is believing we shouldn’t have to make money from our art. While it’s true that we don’t have to sell our work to be artists. It’s also true that if you want to make a sustainable living as an artist, you have to sell your work.

Walt Disney was one of the greatest visionaries of his time. He completely revolutionized animated films. Why did he do it? He wasn’t interested in making movies to become rich. He did it because he had a vision and story to tell.

While making his first full-length animated film, Snow White, Disney went far above the initial budget of the film. He could have released a cheaper version of the film to make more money, but he wanted to make it as perfect as possible. He wanted people to be so entranced by the film that they would forget they were watching an animated movie. And it worked unbelievably well!

If you want to be a successful artist, you can’t be afraid to make money for your work. You can’t fall victim to the myth of a starving artist. You have to be willing to make money from your art. Not because you want to become rich, but because you want to make more art.

The best way to become a thriving artist is to get over your insecurities over money. Money is just a means to create a sustainable living. It allows you to live comfortably while also creating art. Don’t create art to make money. Make money so you can create more art.

For more great info on this topic, check out my review for Elizabeth Hyde Stevens’ Make Art Make Money.

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Photo by Michael Saechang

H/T quote via Austin Kleon’s  Show Your Work!

Jacob Sokol on Thoughts and Self-Awareness, Confidence from Action, and Figuring Things Out – Cracking Creativity Episode 52

Jacob Sokol was climbing the corporate ladder at his job as a computer technician when he realized there was a deep void in his life. His life was filled with the highest of highs, but also the lowest of lows. He didn’t trust his own happiness. He knew something had to change. So he took a 5 week trip to Europe. That is when he decided to embark on a quest to create his ideal life. In this episode, find out about Jacob’s beginnings, his quest to help people create their ideal lives through his website Sensophy, and also see what makes him tick.

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