The Art Biz

For the foreseeable future, I'm dedicating the Art Biz Podcast to what you can do now to stay in control of your art business. It's just going to be me talking. Episodes will be shorter and more frequent. There will be no music. No bells and whistles. My goal is respond to the situation quickly and to keep you going at the expense of a fancy, professionally engineered audio program. I hope you und...

Cynthia Morris helps writers, artists and entrepreneurs make their big dreams a powerful reality. Cynthia is a certified coach, teacher, author and artist. In 1999, she founded Original Impulse, a boutique coaching company that empowers creative people to focus, follow through and finish projects that matter. The author of the The Busy Woman's Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book , Cynthia has p...

In 2014 then-promising artist Jennie Tucker received a challenge out of the blue from a friend: Paint my wedding. At my wedding. In front of all the guests. Most of the artists I know and love would have (1) laughed out loud thinking, Obviously she jests, or (2) run the other way. Fast. Not Jennie. She accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion. More interestingly, she found she really liked...

One of the most important lessons in my course, Magnetic You, involves meditating on your art. You read that right. Meditating on your art. ****I insist that art speaks when you give it the time and space to tell you its story. Then you have to capture that story in a journaling process. In the spring of 2018, Cathy Read worked her way through this course, and wrote pages and pages about a new bod...

Art Biz Success has been around since 2002, but we have probably undergone more changes in our business in the last two years than in the previous ten years combined. In this episode I'm joined by team member Kristen O'Neill as we walk you through the biggest changes. They're all based on three major insights I had during a self-reflective process. I enjoy working live and in person. I like to tra...

Alison Nicholls leads Art Safaris in South Africa for National Geographic. The two back-to-back sessions sell out every year, and she loves teaching in this environment. Alison gives equal weight to her field sketches and studio work, and has begun to believe that the field sketches are almost more important. She is a Signature member of Artists For Conservation and the Society of Animal Artists,...

Suzanne Gibbs is an artist and author based in Portland, Oregon. Two years ago, she entered my Art Biz Inner Circle and began taking full advantage of everything that was offered. As an aside, although we no longer offer the Inner Circle, we do continue to support artists through the Art Career Success System and our new artist masterminds. But, no matter how hard we try, we can't make you do the...

Megan Auman is a designer and metalsmith who creates bold, wearable jewelry made from steel and recycled sterling silver sold in stores across the U.S. She is also a focused businesswoman who has helped many artists grow their businesses through her blog, courses, e-books, and consulting at Designing an MBA . That makes her a writer/author, instructor, and entrepreneur as well. In this episode of...

Fiona Valentine is always on the lookout for wonderful landscapes, objects that tell stories and everyday moments just waiting to be shared. She divides her time between painting in her home studio in Melbourne and teaching. In 2019 she released her first online course explaining colour theory. Her Team Building Drawing Workshops help companies improve customer serve by increasing their team's inn...

Early in her painting career, Carol A. McIntyre was surprised by the lack of easy-to-understand color theory classes. This motivated her to develop a simpler way to mix color which, in turn, would empower artists. Her full-color book, I Just Want to Paint: Mixing the Colors You Want , walks you through her color-mixing methodology. Carol has helped over 3,500 painters see and mix color differently...

Adele Sypesteyn is a New Orleans-born artist whose architecturally influenced abstract work is distinguished by multiple layers of texture, color and pattern. She draws inspiration from her surroundings, particularly the weathered walls of New Orleans and elements of nature. Her abstract art combines warm textures with aged patinas and writings, and utilizes her unique technique developed over thr...

Lorraine Glessner's love of surface, pattern, mark-making, imagem and landscape has led her to combine disparate materials and processes such as silk, wood, wax, pyrography, rust, paper, and more in her work. Lorraine is a former Assistant Professor at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, artist mentor, workshop instructor and an award-winning artist.  She holds an MFA from Tyler School of Art,...

*~* This episode is sponsored by the Art Career Success System, a 1-year training program that gives you the time and space to build a strong and reliable business foundation for your art.  See ArtCareerSuccessSystem.com  *~*  Living the artist's life doesn't necessarily flow with owning a business—with gaining valuable business skills that help you earn income from your creativity. But every so o...

In 2014, Ali Cavanaugh had 11 galleries representing her work throughout the U.S. and even overseas. It was all she could do to paint fast enough to supply these galleries with new work. What a great problem to have, right? But something wasn't sitting right with Ali. So she asked each of the 11 galleries to return her work. One by one they sent back what few paintings remained in their inventorie...

In this bonus episode of the Art Biz Podcast, host Alyson Stanfield explores the word Success as it pertains to your art career and business. It's a messy journey full of twists and turns.  Alyson talks about:  Why she hasn't been feeling successful lately. What makes her feel successful. The 3 ways most artists define success, and what each definition overlooks. Stopping the comparisons. Artists...

When I heard Sean VanderVliet mention the word "legacy," I knew I had to talk with him. He thinks big and I like that. Check out episode 15 and  episode 19 for more on legacy. Sean is the artist behind Fenway Clayworks based here in Denver, Colorado, and in just a few years he has created a brand and a buzz around his functional pottery. A number of Denver's finest restaurants commission Sean for...

The fact that we are approaching the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the19th Amendment did not escape the attention of Oklahoma-based mixed media artist Marilyn Artus. For years, Marilyn had been wondering what art project she could possibly do that would be grand enough to match the significance of the occasion. She came up with one—Her Flag—and joins the show to talk about it. It includ...

Tampa Bay area artist Leslie Neumann had a real sweet deal going with Firebird Restaurants, until it stopped. She rose to meet the challenge and joins the show today to share her experience and provide a cautionary tale to others. Leslie talks about how she started working with Firebirds, and how she found a way to not only stay afloat but succeed when 50-60% of her income went away. She also talk...

What would it be like to pack up your art supplies and live in an entirely new country? Today's guest, Marcus McAllister, left the United States over 20 years ago to live in Paris, and has been making a living as an artist there for the past 17 years. In this episode, Marcus talks about his decision to live abroad, his sketchbooks, the sources of his income, and the importance of relationships.  ...

Jill Powers is a sculptor, installation artist and educator who creates art related to ecological issues. Jill discusses how her events educate, delight and challenge the viewer, and how she came to seek out unique collaborations with area businesses, organizations and experts. Jill also describes the many programs she has organized, and how she did it while balancing her own artistic commitments....

Chicago painter, public artist, and creative placemaker Lynn Basa joins the show today. She discusses making the art you want to make and the varied ways that artists are intersecting with public life. Lynn, author of The Artist's Guide to Public Art, also talks about the legacy she is creating with The Corner Project and how public art has changed over the years.     In this interview, you will h...

Missy Graff Ballone, artist and founder of Wellness for Makers, joins the show to discuss the importance of taking care of your most precious asset for making art: your body. She shares her own background as an artist, massage therapist and yoga instructor, and why she saw a need to provide resources that help artists take care of their bodies so they can make more art, and in turn, run their busi...

Gwen Fox, a professional artist, instructor, and coach, joins the show to talk about building confidence. We discuss the difference between a belief and a truth, silencing our inner critic, how to overcome setbacks and deal gracefully with unwanted commentary. Gwen shares some of her own affirmations and gives specific ways in which we can use goal setting and visualization to create a life we may...

One artist's journey is never the same as another's. Not only do you have to be creative in what you make, but also in how you get it out there, connect with the right people and situations, and create a sustainable living. There is no perfect blueprint on how to make money or create a sustainable career, but for Jan R. Carson, the focus is on the quality of the work. In this episode, she talks ab...

Many artists have a desire to open their own gallery, but few know how much work and thought actually goes into it. In today's episode, artist and gallerist Tracy Miller shares her experience of running the Tracy Miller Gallery for the last 7 years. Tracy discusses the journey from Fine Artist, to working in a Gallery, then opening her own gallery in Manitou Springs, Colorado. She talks about what...