Home > Studio Protector > Resources > > Rebuilding Your Art Business After a Disaster
You can rebuild and regrow your art-centered livelihood—and this may be the best time to do it. We’ve created this resource to help you set goals, get a handle on your financial situation, develop or diversify your income sources, and turn a challenging situation into a long-term opportunity.
“Knowledge is power. Personal networks build community. And financial independence supports creative freedom.” Those are the key working principles of the Center for Cultural Innovation, a California-based organization that provides business training, funding and project support for working artists in its region.
“The knowledge, the networking, and the financial—they’re connected in a wheel,” said Cora Mirikitani, the Center’s president and CEO. “It’s all about getting and gaining the information that empowers you to be effective, to move forward. To fulfill your dreams.”
We talked with Cora, and with two other experts who help creative artists build sustainable business practices: Alyson Pou, associate director of Creative Capital and Susan Schear at ArtisIn LLC.
“One of the things our strategic-planning person says to artists, and it always gets a laugh,” said Alyson Pou, “is that artists are their own worst boss. You underpay yourself, you under-reward yourself.”
“A lot of this is changing mindset,” Susan Schear told us. “It’s removing terms like, ‘I’m just an artist. I’m an artist!’
“Avoid words that are belittling or demeaning,” she urged. “We’re fearful of success, and we get into self-sabotage. What does success mean to you? How do you define it? That’s the first thing.”
So here’s step number one:
Strategic planning is a powerful tool that organizations use—and artists can too.
“Figure out where you are now, where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there,” recommends Susan Schear at ArtisIn. “What are your strengths? Where do you want to be in five years?
“Think larger,” she urges. “Then go back three years, two years, one year. Now work on your goals for the next three months. That gives you a good chunk of time—but not too much, so you can accomplish some specific things.”
“It’s basic goal-setting,” adds Alyson Pou at Creative Capital. “Take your one-year plan, review it and weed it down. Most people put in too much stuff. Say, ‘I’m going to take one or two things from this list of ten and focus on these. I’m going to break down the baby steps I need to reach those goals.”
Set goals. Where do you want to be at the end of your planning time-frame?
Create objectives—specific targets for key stages along the way. If your planning timeframe is one year, what do you want to achieve within six months? In three?
Write out action steps. These are the things you will do, step by step, to meet these objectives.
Creative Capital recommends these artist-friendly online resources for strategic planning:
Create a budgetWhen Creative Capital consults with artists, says Alyson Pou, “We talk with them about their work budget—what it costs to do the actual work. Once you know that, you can make a determination: Is that too much? Too little? It’s all about figuring out how you’re going to support your work.
“Then there’s your life budget. That’s everything else—your mortgage or rent, your car, your studio, your books, your vacations … You need to know what all that costs you as well. Everything ties back to how you support your work. You need to know the costs of everything in your life.
“Say, ‘What is the number I need?’ Come up with the actual number,” Alyson urges. “I have seen a lot of artists get out of a corner they’re in by crunching the numbers for themselves.”
Budgeting ties in closely with strategic planning.
Once you know what you need to achieve, creatively and financially, you can begin figuring out how to get there.
Track all your expenses. Make a complete, detailed list, then scrutinize it.
Every artist’s situation is different. What can you do to streamline operating expenses? Some possibilities:
Declaring bankruptcy should be considered a truly last resort—but if it is an option, get professional guidance before going further. If you have an accountant, and/or an attorney, start there.
Here is some basic information, in no way meant to substitute for a professional’s advice:
To what alternate, marketable uses can you put your valuable skills and experience? If people aren’t buying new work, can you offer repairs? If you’re a painter, can you refinish furniture? If you’re a metalsmith, can you work with wrought iron?
“I’m a firm believer that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket,” says Susan Schear at ArtisIn. But, she adds, “The more you can stay within your strengths, the more you’re going to move forward.
“You can do contract jobs, based on what you’re interested in. You get to network and expand your skill set.
“Unfortunately, there’s pounding the pavement, no matter what you do,” Susan concludes. “That’s how you build your network,” and expand your available options.
If your region has been through a disaster, the aftermath may raise needs for tools, equipment, and skills that you possess, so don’t overlook how you might pitch in to the recovery as well as earn money.
Where does your work fit in? Where will it be accepted? If you’re a sculptor of figurative work, why not approach doctors’ offices, MRI services? If you’re a painter or a photographer, hospitals may want to display your work. So may a local cafe, a bank, or a new office building.
“Artists are isolated,” says Susan Schear—and it’s too often true. “You really need the support of others, to share, to exchange, to network, to collaborate: to help keep your finger on the pulse. If your business is tough right now, why? What can you change?
“People help people,” she concludes. “You feel great when you’re with others, and you feel great sharing.”
Create a flexible database of current and potential customers with email, phone, and mailing information. It takes time but it can reap huge benefits.
“Get all those business cards you have in a pile into your computer—especially email addresses. Take one day each week to put all new contacts in your database. Treat it like gold and back it up often.”
Studio Art Direct.
“At a show, if someone expresses interest in a particular [item], we take their name, their phone number, their email—any contact info that they want to give us—and in a couple of weeks, we send them an email with a photo of the item they liked,” said Maryland metalworker Julie Girardini. Personal follow ups like this can often generate new sales.
“Finding a new art buyer is 100 times harder than selling to your existing or past clients,” notes Studio Art Direct. “So treat anyone who has bought art from you like a cherished aunt.”
“Who are the people that believe in your work and have supported you?” asks Susan Schear of Artisin. “They want to see you succeed—so stay connected to them.”
Email is a powerful, free way to do that. Let people know what’s new. Ask for feedback. Be in touch, and build relationships.
Here are three tips:
“The point of this is to be pro-active not reactive,” notes Susan Schear of ArtisIn. “You’re not the attorney, you’re not the accountant, you’re not the insurance broker.
“You may say, ‘Okay, I probably can’t afford insurance right now, but I still need to interview several brokers and stay in touch with them.’” They may let you know what you can afford to do, and what you should do first.
“Build support around you,” Susan advises. “You’re professionalizing what you’re doing, and that’s the difference.”
“Use Overnight Prints or Modern Postcard and have some postcards made (and don’t forget business cards),” advises Studio Art Direct. “During your slow time, go down to your city art walk or art events or a busy cultural event and hand them out. Put your message directly into the hands of prospective customers. Make sure you have an attractive offer … Be creative. Entice people to visit your studio, gallery, or website.”
“I found an alternate venue for a show recently,” reported Colorado metalworker Jimmy Descant.. With a group of friends as volunteer helpers, he drew over 1,000 people for a total cost of less than $1,000.
“I didn’t sell a thing, but I handed out another 500 cards,” he said. “Things like that might not translate into money immediately, but somebody might call and say, ‘I’m ready.’ Or, ‘I want to commission this,’ or ‘I’ve got this idea,’ or ‘I’ll take this.’
“It’s all investment in the future,” he said “Plant the seeds and let ‘em grow.”
This connects with determining your own values a powerful marketing and branding exercise. What are your creative and personal values? Where might they fit? And with whom?
“I’m talking about people,” says Susan Schear of ArtisIn. “Where are your affinity markets?” These might be a health-food store or farmers’ market. It could be a hospital or a commercial real-estate development, or even a community garden.
Determine who the people are who will connect with and value your work, says Susan Schear. “Find those people.” They’re your affinity market.
People are fascinated with creativity especially today, when it is so much-needed.
Have someone videotape you working and talking about your work. Talk about why you do what you do, how you do it, where you find creative inspiration, how you balance art and business, and what are the key stages in your creative process. Then post the video on www.youtube.com.
As with anything you start online — a blog, a website, or social networking page — send the link to everyone on your new email database.
Create your own websiteSure, that’d be good, but where to start? And how?
Here’s a useful, clear and noncommercial site devoted to helping people create and operate their own websites: 2 Create a Website.
Most blogs are newsy in some way, but a sales-focused blog has a different purpose: to display and make your work available. That said, blogs are infinitely flexible: Yours can include newsy updates, photos of work in progress, video messages or interviews with you—a creative, multimedia array.
To get you started, there are a number of “how to blog” resources online (Google that phrase and see). Here’s one that appears solid.
Here’s a resource, with tips and tools, by the authors of Blogging for Dummies.
And here’s a well-recommended, easy-to-use, free blogging host site http://wordpress.com/.
It’s free to sign on and explore popular sites like Instagram, Facebook and Linked In Here are some tips, with thanks to Laurence Coburn of Rate it All, writing in the Huffington Post.
