basic business skills for visual artists

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Basic Business Skills for Visual Artistsby Taft McWhorter

presents

"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on

to scare away the timid adventurers." Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You will never leave where you are

until you decide where you would

rather be.”

• Taft McWhorter–Husband, Father–Professional Artist–Philanthropist

"Figure out what you want. Find people who have achieved

what you want and find out how they think and act, and

then follow their lead."

Overall Vision & Goals• What do you want to achieve with

your art?• Hobby – Sell a few paintings a year• Part-time – Sell a painting per month• Full-time professional – Sell

numerous paintings per month, every month

• Before you answer that……..

2012 State of the Art Survey http://www.xanadugallery.com/wordpress/

Basic Business Math

• Gross Sales – Expenses = Net Profit

Gross Sales• $12,000 per year (*gross sales)• Selling $200 per painting– 5 paintings per month

• Selling $500 per painting– 2 paintings per month

• Selling $1,000 per painting– 1 painting per month



• Selling $1,000 per painting– 3 paintings per month



• Selling $1,000 per painting– 5 paintings per month

Expenses• Supplies• Studio Space • Shipping• Client Relations• Public Relations• Accounting• Anywhere from 10-40% of profit,

depending on level of sales

Net Profit (before taxes)

• $12k/year – expenses (10%) = $11k

• $36k/year – expenses (20%) = $29K

• $60k/year – expenses (30%) = $42k

• $100k/year – expenses (40%) = $60k

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way”.

-Babe Ruth

Evaluate Your Current Status

• Be honest about your current status.• Are you painting every day?• Are you ready to turn your hobby into a

career?• Are you selling your work on a monthly

basis?• Do you have an available body of work?• Do you have high quality images of your

work?

Evaluate Your Current Status

• Do you have business cards?• Do you have a current bio and artist

statement?• Do you have a website? • Do you have an Artist Portfolio?• Do you have a client contact list?

Which Direction Should I Go?

• First and foremost - BE YOURSELF• If you are an extrovert, you should

consider renting a studio and selling your own work.

• If you are an introvert, you should consider applying to galleries and/or having an agent sell your work.

#1 Goal

Create Collectors

Your Collector List• There is nothing more important than keeping

track of your collectors• Ways to build your list

– Attend local social events– Exhibit as often as possible and in as many different

venues and avenues as possible.• TIP – Have a sign in sheet, but collecting business cards

during conversations is much more effective. – Exhibit with other artists (exchange VIP email lists)– Donate to art auctions– Word or excel file with notes – Constant Contact or MailChimp

Presentation• Look professional• Style and ability must be up to par• No ½” canvases• Paint the sides or frame your work• Wired and ready to hang• Signed• Info on back on painting (title, your

name in print, year and signature)

Custom Materials• Geoff Wilder• Winter Street Studios• 970.618.0973• [email protected]

Pricing your work• Price based on what your market can bear• Starting low is good ($100-$150 for 30”x40” piece). Primary

goal is to move your art and create “Collectors” (clients)– You can easily create 40-50 collectors at a lower price and

then raise the price once a year as long as you’re continuing to sell

• Set your price per square inch• Remember art pricing is always negotiable

Negotiating the sale• Avid Art Collectors typically ask for a discount• Discounts are VERY common in selling art• Don’t be afraid to negotiate• Know the least you will take for a painting

ahead of time• Don’t sell for anything that you will regret later• Don’t protect the “value” of your art and miss

out on a sale• Think long term• #1 Goal – Create collectors

Local Galleries, Agents, etc• First Saturday Arts Market

– Mitch Cohen, Organizer• Fresh Arts (Non Profit Gallery, HUB for the arts in Houston,

workshops for artists)• Esperson Gallery

– Tammy Dowe, Owner• Archway Gallery (Co-op gallery)• Hyde Park Gallery (Pictures Plus)

– Dennis Murland, Owner• JoMar Visions

– Joana Esteves and Mark Roden• Skyline Art Services (Design House)

– Charles White, Owner

Local Studio Buildings• Sawyer Yards– Winter Street Studios– Spring Street Studios– Silver Street Studios– The Silos– One of the largest group of working artists in the

country. – 2nd Saturday Art Crawl every month– 5 annual events

• Hardy and Nancy Studios– Numerous annual events– Included in Annual ArtCrawl

"You can't wait for inspiration. Sometimes you have to go

after it with a club." Jack London

Networking• Networking is key• Go to local art exhibits• Meet artists and collectors• Create a Top 10 list of people you

want to connect with and begin inviting these people to your exhibits

• Attempt to schedule at least two meetings a week to network

Marketing• Printed Materials (business cards, postcards etc)• Constant Contact or MailChimp• Web presence

– Website• Include Artist Statement, Bio, images of your work, a calendar of

upcoming events and contact info. • www.OtherPeoplesPixels.com

– Social media• Facebook

– Still #1 way to reach art enthusiasts online.– Business and personal pages– Post, tag and check-in. – Let your community know what you are doing

• Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest– Post your events on FreshArts.org; Artshound.com;

Glasstire.com and Culturemap.com

Art Auction Fund Raisers• Donate as often as possible• Over 50 annual fund raisers in

Houston• Donate your best work• Ask for a percentage (typically 25%)• Ask for contact info of person that

wins your artwork in the auction• Contact them and add them to your

email list

Exhibiting Your Work• Exhibit as often as possible; when you send

your portfolio to galleries, the first thing they will look at is how often and where you’ve exhibited

• Organize joint or group exhibits with other local artists

• Exhibit in your studio• Rent a local gallery space (i.e. Winter Street

Studios)• Art markets, co-op galleries, vanity

galleries, restaurants & coffee shops

Cater to your “Collectors”

• Organize small, invitation only “Collector Parties”.

• Ask your collectors to invite a guest. • Focus on getting to know your

collectors and utilizing them to grow your circle.

Submitting to Galleries• Co-op Gallery

– Run by artists– Usually pay a small fee and/or volunteer to be involved– Usually 70/30 split

• Vanity Gallery– Pay monthly or annual fee for wall space– Usually 70% artist/30% gallery split

• Fine Art Gallery– No fees– 50/50 split

Your Portfolio• Submit under gallery’s guidelines.• If there are no guidelines, include:

– Cover letter explaining your intention and demonstrating your professionalism– Artists Statement– Bio

• List of Exhibitions• Gallery Representation

– A CD with 6 images that show a consistent style or a small printed catalog– One or two recent PR clippings– Any other marketing materials (catalog or small book of your work)

• Have the 6 pieces that you used for images on the CD ready for shipping (do not use these pieces for anything else).

Follow Up• Call the day you mail your portfolio to let

gallery know it’s in the mail.• Make a follow up call 1 week after mailing

to make sure they’ve received your submission– If not listed on gallery website, ask:

• Process for reviewing artist submissions• Who makes the final decision

• Call/email every 3-4 weeks until you get an answer

Getting Signed• Read the contract. Consult with an attorney.• Only agree to exclusivity in that city.• Only agree to 50/50 split.• Negotiate that the gallery pays 50% of shipping to

their city and 100% of shipping to your city.• They should offer you a group exhibit within 12

months and solo exhibit within 24 months.• Ship work immediately.• Follow up to make sure work arrived safely.• Follow up monthly to check on the status of your

work.

Never Stop Evolving• Study with other artists– Spend the day with a fellow artist– Art Supply Dealer Demonstrations– Art League of Houston– Glassell School of Art, MFA

• Attend workshops– JoMar Visions– Fresh Arts

"A clear vision, backed by definite plans,

gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal

power." Brian Tracy

Taft [email protected]

This PowerPoint

Example docs and resources

Info about upcoming Fresh Arts events

Link to a post-workshop survey

THANK YOU!

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