Capital, Funding, and Grants

Lately, it seems we have all been feeling the overwhelm of uncertainty and recession. The pandemic led us to the Great Resignation/Retirement and taught us a valuable lesson in what’s most important at a human level.  Today though, we seem to be hitting new records of inflation, and many of us are reminded of how we got to the over-worked, under-paid status prior to 2020. I have had many repeating conversations from artists, workers, and business owners: “I am exhausted/ picking up shifts to make rent/ there aren’t enough jobs/projects/sales.” Walking away from a job that asks too much and doesn’t pay is a great feeling…but when you need to pay rent or feed your kid it doesn’t matter what the job is - you just need the cash.

Over the last month I have dedicated all my free time to attend events and meetings focused on the state of the creative economy. The Sacramento Alliance for Reginal Arts graciously sponsored a ticket for Career Creatives to attend the 2^nd annual CA Arts & Culture Summit on April 16^th.  Other note-worthy events included the Sacramento Creative Economy meeting at the Russ Room, Letters & Lunches with the City of Sacramento, and the Sacramento Women’s Business Conference. Two very clear messages have been echoed throughout:

Funding Sources:         Profits from Sales            Grants              Donations          Loans  

                                            Investing               Fiscal Sponsor                       Subscriptions/Crowd Funding          

                                            Sponsorships (usually non-monetary like facility or equipment)

                                            Gift Economy (you gift work and get future sales/reciprocity)

Capital is not just cash!

Working capital: the cash available or easily accessible to you

Human:           valuable skills or labor available from others

Social:              this is your community & networking, your relationship to the people around you

Natural:           your environment, do you have ample space, or water, soil, plants available?

Political:           relationships with political leaders, influence, or trust with people in office

Infrastructure: facilities, buildings, spaces, streets to serve you/your project

Intellectual:      your knowledge and skill base

Sometimes we need reminders of resources we have outside direct sales. Artists are naturally creative thinkers; we are constantly thinking up new ideas and plans… that means we are susceptible to decision fatigue. Decision fatigue is the brain fog that happens when you have spent so much time thinking, planning, and creating that you can barely tie your shoes from the exhaustion. At the end of a very full day of work, artist don’t stamp a time-card for an easy hour-to-dollar conversion.  It’s easy to forget or overlook the wins outside of cold-hard-cash.  I want you to print this list and put it on your fridge – you have more resources and support that you know!  Communicate your needs with the people in your life. Maybe your neighbor is on a board of trustees at the local theatre; or there is a free co-working space at the local school. Maybe you want to record an EP, and your cousin knows a local label trying to get its start. Cash is not the only currency – look for in-kind trade and collaborations. Remember wins come in many forms. 

Someone, somewhere, is going to point out you can’t eat trades. Obviously, it is frowned upon to eat your local library. HOWEVER, you can have more money for groceries if you utilize free resources like libraries to make your work. Utilize all of the resources you can to grow your art business, and over time (the goal) your work will generate income. Many artists need to create work to prove they can create the work. Collaborate, use non-cash capital, and equipment sponsorship to create a body of work; then sell that body of work and promote it so that people will pay you to do it again. Use non-cash resources to make the same thing for ½ the cost. Now you have more profit. See where I’m going?

Now that we are talking money, let’s talk grant money. Before putting in the hours of work and worry, try to figure out what type of grant you are looking at, and that will help you decide if it’s right for you.  Knowing the goal of the grant also helps you win the funding.  For example: if you apply for a professional development grant, they don’t care about the cost of paint, they want to know how much the business class is going to cost.

Types of Grants

1. FELLOWSHIPS: These are merit-based, and designed for self-guided work to develop your practice or experience.
2. PROJECT ASSISTANCE: These have a very defined and specific goal in mind. There is usually a very fixed time, budget, and usually a partnership component.
3. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: These are for your non-art skills, like business class, coaching, and conferences (like the CA Arts Summit)
4. COMMUNITY ART: Very common here in Sactown, these are your public arts, community engagement, education, or neighborhood arts programing.
5. SUDDEN OPPORTUNITY: these usually address a crisis or emergency, they are generally smaller with a quick turn around
6. TRAVEL: Covers the cost of travel to research, attend a residency or development course. These are rare, as travel costs (if covered) are included in funding awards.
7. PRIZES: Not always identified as a grant, these are awarded through competition in the form of money, opportunities, or networking (exhibitions, promotions, etc).WATCH OUT FOR WEB-ONLY PROMOTIONS

8. RESIDENCIES: These are opportunities to work in a new place. They come in the form of low-cost studio, free studio, and sometimes income. Usually, the longer residencies will pay you to work there, with the requirement that you teach a class or engage the community. Expect to pay for travel, lodging, food,  and supplies.
9. CHALLENGE + CONTESTS: Not always art-related, these tend to be open requests for creatively thinking through a community problem.
10. UNRESTRICTED: Similar to Fellowships & Prizes, these are large cash awards for being you. These tend to have strict criteria (emerging artists, people of color, LGBTQIA, vets, or location-based). These funds can go towards everything from paint supplies to childcare and rent – the goal is pure artist philanthropy.

Some words of caution, or perhaps tips for grant applications. Do not wait till the last minute, and don’t take rejection personally.  If you are going to utilize grant funding – set aside time to regularly look for opportunities. Schedule it into your work week (or month), and keep track of your dates. Juliet Rodriguez gave us an easy-to-use excel document to track grant progress. Download it here.

Finally, here are the 6 new Grant Links added our Resource page:

https://www.myma.art/dashboard/opportunity
https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/
https://creative-capital.org/2024/04/17/artist-opportunities-may-and-june-2024/
https://www.harpofoundation.org/
https://www.callforentry.org/
https://candid.org/

Creative Economy Meeting at the Russ Room

I had the pleasure of joining dozens of arts & community leaders March 13th, for the Creative Economy Meeting. The  event was a collaborative effort between Black Artist Foundry and Atrium to discuss the work being done and to brainstorm ways to advocate for the Creative Industries in California. The panel included Kiara Reed, Executive Director at Civic Thread; Eliza Tudor, Executive Director for Nevada County Arts Council; and Jason Jong, Cultural & Creative Economy Manager at the City of Sacramento Arts & Culture Office. Funding and support came from Civic Thread, We Prosper Together, Valley Vision, City of Sacramento, and the CA FWD/ Jobs First Initiative.

We Prosper Together (WPT) takes a community-led approach to economic development centered on supporting disadvantaged communities.  Their main objective is to listen to community needs, and to improve access to quality jobs.  Pay equity, cultural outreach, inclusion and transparency were at the top of the discussion points. WeProsperTogether.org is developing a project list for economic development plans, plans which focus on trade-able economy (that which brings in/exports to CA). They recognize the impact of arts & culture in CA (esp. through tourism), and the lack of support and funding at a state & local level. There is new funding of $600Mil to improve industry & Economy in CA, but the Arts & Culture sector are not even considered as an Industry cluster on the state’s economic plan.  The WPT Program hopes to change this by developing a project list of creative economy plans which will support and grow the Creative Economy in the region. Not just a single grab for this year’s planning, but to develop an equitable and sustainable creative industry.

The Creative Edge Plan is a similar initiative in that it engages the local creative community to develop a comprehensive and sustainable model for the future of Sacramento’s creative community.  It is administered by the Sacramento Office of Arts & Culture and funded by the Governors CA Creative Core pilot program. The Creative Edge plan focuses solely on the Sacramento Region, whereas the We Prosper Together is a state-wide initiative. Here again, the main discussion points were the importance of adopting cultural equity in planning, and pay equity standards. In response to questions regarding equity, inclusion, and gatekeeping?  “Educate your leaders.”  Jason emphasized the importance of transparency, feedback, and community involvement. 

As for the elephant in the room: What IS the Creative Economy? The creative economy is made up by all creative industries, and money that goes in/out in regards to arts & culture.  Art, Design, Creative Planning, Cultural Tourism, Mural tourism…Creative Economy can be tricky because it supports so many other economies, and yet it cannot be quantified with direct reporting. For Example: a family of four travel to Sacramento to see that impressive mural by artist X.  Flight, hotels, meals, entertainment, hospitality services, transportation, and tourist-shopping all fall under the creative economy. BUT there is no ticket sales to stand on the street and look at the wall…so how do we, the creative community, quantify our impact to these organizational funnels??

“Educate your leaders.”

In many states, a portion of the Transient Occupancy Tax, or TOT (a tax on hotels, lodging) goes to funding the arts. Over time, it has been cut from our region budgets. The recent filming on Leo’s newest movie is said to have generated $1Mil in hotel accommodations, and 300 jobs including film cast, crew, city service, restaurant traffic, entertainment, etc.  If that’s JUST ONE creative economy project, think of the tax funnels that could be supporting Arts & Culture projects with a TOT-like tax allocation. Perhaps programs which are fostered and improved by the arts, could use their tax dollars to support in-kind.

We all know the score.  Arts & Culture may not be considered equitable with other Industry Clusters on the current State Economic Spending plan budget – but Arts & Culture initiatives are almost always the FIRST to get cut!  So together with We Prosper Together, Civic Threads, Valley Vision, and the City of Sacramento: Black Artist Foundry and Atrium (and Career Creatives) urge YOU to consider your community and the arts as a whole. What do YOU need? What kind of projoects will support and foster a healthier creative economy? Where can the city improve regional arts industries? What is needed to ensure QUALITY jobs in the Creative Sector?

>>>We Prosper Together is rallying to hear your voice – they ask for community input through a Project Inventory form HERE. Projects can be at any level of readiness: exploratory ideas, Ready-to-start, or already in-progress.  Project plans should align with the 4 objectives of California Jobs First (equity, sustainability, job quality & access) and fosters economic resilience. Submit your projects for consideration, show them that Sacramento (and CA) Creative Industries are stronger than ever, and can only be improved with funding!

Related links:

Atrium916.com

Blackartistfoundry.org

americansforthearts.org  (AEP6)

https://www.cityofsacramento.gov/ccs/oac

Civicthread.org

Nevadacountyarts.org

Seedingcreativity.com

weprospertogether.org

*I also wish preface this by noting: I am a female artist who takes commissions, and posts my art publicly online and in galleries.  I decline to state my sexuality. I can only speak from my own experiences, volunteer comments, and the limited niche demographic information online. This is a generalization to hopefully get you thinking about how sex/gender may affect you, your friends, the art community as a whole. Outliers exist, generalizations (such as this essay) do not represent the whole of Sacramento, or human experience.

VISIBILITY

Sacramento boasts being the most diverse city, and men & women are fairly even at 49% male and 51% female. So, how does that translate to participation in the art scene? Of the 191 artists self-reported on Sacramento365: 50% are male, 45% female, and 5% undefined.  Still pretty close, but notice that men had a 1% increase where women a 6% drop in representation. In the music field, specifically, the gap widens further to 67% male, 25% female, 3% genderqueer/nonbinary/agendered, and 5% preferring not to say (capradio.org).  I can only assume, based off societal patterns, that kind of discrepancy is due to women taking on more family and home responsibilities. As artists, I’m sure you know just exactly how much creativity gets pushed into the wee-hours of the day, once work and family obligations are taken care of.  I wish everyone was as progressive as to split home chores and childcare, but reality is women, on-average, still get a grunt of the domestic work.  That leaves very little time for art and mental energy for creativity. 

I would even suggest that there is a kind of “bro-code” in the scene as well. I can't count how many people I have been warned against, got the Tea about – and yet they still get invited to the group shows, they still get big City grants to put art on walls, and still go around hanging with the friends ((friends that warned you) and hugging people at events. When you give friends a pass this is “bro-code,” whether its men or women; you don’t want to be the bad guy and call them on their gross behavior.  You are just trying to be nice, but what you are doing is creating an unsafe environment for others. If you aren’t getting certain people at your show (IE women, BIPOC, or LGBTQIA) at your shows I would HIGHLY recommend you look at the people you surround yourself with.

OPPORTUNITY

One of the responses I got from the Instagram survey was that when collaborating with men, a woman was asked – “which part did you do?” Specifically, they want her to point it out, show her work, perhaps a video proving she did it herself. A lot of times I see women doing a lot of the groundwork and organizing, yet no one ever asks the collaborators, “can you site your portion of the application please?” Collaborations are fantastic ways to build community and your own artistic growth, and boundaries with clear communication are key to making them work to their fullest potential. If you collaborate on a mural, who is doing the grunt or office work, who’s takes design lead? How do you talk about the collaboration, did they assist you or did you two build something together?  Be an ally and support the artist when they don’t get tagged, credited, or if they get dismissed. Be vigilant in equitable representation by correcting mistakes and micro-aggressions against your partners.

A common response to the survey, especially for women/nonbinary is “oh that’s cute” in response to their art or status as an artist. Men, where you at, how often do you get told your job is cute?  “It’s so nice that your spouse supports your little hobby”? When art was no longer considered an academic priority equal to philosophy and mathematics, we all got more access to art, and somewhere in history the muggles replied with a deafening “that’s cute.” Access and opportunity are given to those deemed worthy.  When the value of work and the value of the person doing the work is in question, “opportunity” goes to the lowest bidder. My recommendation is to be your own ally and be on guard for dismissive bullsh*t. Kinda like that bro-code, don’t let disrespectful comments lie.  Correct them, kindly if you can, and explain that you work your ass off for your business.

CREEPERS

Creeps come in many flavors. The lady who wastes three weeks of your time flirting with you by asking about a commission.  The person who expects to sleep with you after you model for them. Sometimes they are just bad with social ques and they think you are an entertaining, hands-on part of the art exhibit. Creeps exist, and sometimes it’s hard for people to know where the art ends and the artist begins. Just as you wouldn’t touch the art, please don’t touch the artist, the figure model, or the performers. Artists tend to be just as interesting and beautiful as the work they create: it is not an invitation to comment on their body, their sexuality, or take liberties.  Some examples include making comments about a figure models’ skin, gorgeous breasts, or huge...you get the idea. Nude models are not sex workers. I don’t know what they do outside of the model session, but while they are modeling, no photos, no comments on their body, no flirting, be professional.  At art exhibits, try to focus on the work and the discussion involving the body of work, and not the body of the artist.

Keeping a Beard around is another preventative option not isolated to the art scene. A “beard” in this case would be the friend, make-believe partner, or cocktail ring you wear during big events to silently tell everyone you’re not available. My first interaction of a non-LGBTQIA beard occurred in a call center.  The very-single project manager wore a wedding band because CEOs are more trusting of management staff that are married; something about the psychology of long-term relationships and traditional values meant his work was therefore tethered to his ability to mate & keep a spouse (aka bullsh*t). I’ve known women to wear a flashy ring when they want to go out but not get hit on. If nothing else, there is safety in numbers, so if you are feeling uncomfortable bring along an emotional-support-friend. Let them know what your expectations are in-case you start calling them Sweetie, or you run off and play rockstar, so  they aren’t feeling left behind.

AWKWARD

Tagging off creepers I want to acknowledge the elephant in the room: artists are f*cking hot! Seriously, artists value aesthetics, they tend to be interesting, and artists have that SPARK. Two artists meet and they share the same language and values – it’s like matches and kerosene. Let me throw a bucket of cold water on you and remind you of the phrase “don’t shit where you sleep.” Not to tell you your business, and no judgement because it’s going to happen. Sacramento is a small city, and the art scene makes it even smaller. Boundaries are everybody’s friend! Some people wear the Creeper badge because they slept their way through the art community. Nothing wrong with having a history, but remember the line between business & personal and you should be able to navigate the waters unscathed. Mostly. Sacramento is small. It gets really awkward when you are hitting the Second Saturday circuit and running into ex’s left and right.

Ensure that collaborations are well organized and discussed, and try to separate yourself from your S.O. when it comes to business.  Usually, the harm comes from too many freebies, speaking for someone else’s business/time, and thinking you are collaborating as equals when really you were lending an assist. Don’t think that you will get that gallery show because you dated the curator; and don’t wave all your influence and connections around hoping to get into someone’s pants. Weird that its 2024 and I have to say this…you don’t have to give yourself up for a gig.  If you are fresh on the scene and someone just offered you that “big break” and they want to take you on a date to discuss– go do some research, then get everything in writing. Stay authentic to yourself. Exposure won’t pay the bills, and it definitely doesn’t f*ck.

WERK IT!

Look, I’m not trying to shame anyone.  We DO live in California 60 years after the free-love, sexual revolution! Sex appeal is a valuable commodity and it does sell.  If you want to work the sex appeal, be a rockstar, Werk It and make your bank! All I want to illustrate is that not every situation is the right situation for every individual. I have been told I need to sell the “goth artist” trope, but I absolutely hate performative situations, so I’m not gonna do it. I rationalize my decision by citing the bulk of my commissions are from very conservative parents who are off-put by that. Would it be dummy easy to brand & sell it online – sure. It also gives me the heebie-jeebies, so it just aint for me. Listen to your heebie-jeebies. You don’t have to explain why a person makes you uncomfortable. You don’t have to take that meeting. You don’t need to rationalize WHY you aren’t doing business a certain way. When you find a suggestion to expand your art business that doesn’t feel right to you, find other ways that you can accomplish the same thing.

Don’t align yourself to the process, align the process to you.

You can be authentic and grow your business at the same time.

Have I got your attention? This month we talk about that taboo word “success.”  We all want it, in some form or fashion: but have you ever noticed for artists “success” is somehow bad, nasty, sinful?  It comes out like “Oh, she’s a sell out,” “ya, but his work sucks,” “they only work with ­{fill in the identity} artists.” Sure, a lot of this is jealousy, ego, and pride speaking – but you, my fellow creative, have to be very careful not to internalize these remarks. They are rampant, freely spoken, and at some point, you are going to hear this in the back of your mind during a contract and/or you are going to silence yourself in front of others for fear of the Green-Eyed backlash.  Maybe you are thinking of a specific circumstance right this very moment?

So first. What is success? I define this as getting what you want. Vague, I know. Maybe success looks like working with that Blue Chip gallery; making 6-figures a year; making art that breaks barriers; making art that wins all the awards; being famous…the list goes on.  When you think “successful artist” what does this look like?  Stop.  Pause and think; what would your life look like as a successful artist? How do you know that you made it? Even better, how do you know if you are working towards it or distracting yourself?

-“I will be rich, famous, all the galleries will hire me, my art will change politics, and I will be in every household!” -

Not at all realistic, but I applaud the shoot-for-the-stars attitude.  When you picture this, did it also include the hours of online marketing, packing orders, ruthless critics, 10-page applications, and rubbing elbows with rich, entitled snobs?  Let’s come back down to earth, and talk about this reasonably. We are creatives after all, we really DO think we can do anything & everything. So, let’s practice positive rationality.  Think of Success as a complex group of goals*; this means success needs to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.  Going after every single metric of success, all the time, in all places, will burn you out.  Being a Career Creative / professional artist / solo-preneur already comes with a lot of hats.  Defining your passion, your ultimate goal, is the starting line on your pathway to success. You can work towards success by having multiple goals over a longer period of time; and organize single-goals as steps to reach as you go along your journey.  A clear definition of Success allows you to measure if the goals you set are leading you towards your objective or if you have gotten side-tracked. *See GOALS Workbook for help on goals.

What is important to note is a successful art business is as individual as every single artist out there. There are a million tips, tricks, and hacks…but it all comes down to individual choice and defining your Success.  I love taking commissions because I know when I start that I am getting paid for the work; however, my art-friends hate taking commissions because it feels stifling. Some artists are more concerned with making impactful public art, that challenges societal norms; other artists have a hard time accessing their creativity while thinking about the weight of social impact.  Some artists see their work as a valuable commodity in the larger economy, and others feel that art should not be viewed as a capitalist, consumer-based product.  There are so many layers and permutations to the art world, you make your place by defining your Success and your Why.  Just know, that whatever you choose, there is a place for you.

So lets compare a few different ways people make art, some choices they might present:

• Blue Chip Gallery (BCG) - A retailer; their job is to sell product. They mentor and market you, and this single point income is easier to manage.  The flip side is that you may have to make what they tell you, and you cant work with other galleries.
• 6 Figures a year is most common through employer-based design firms, Disney, and Contractor work like tattoo shops. These cover admin and operational costs, and come with steady paychecks, client lists, and even benefits. They are JOBS, so they also come with due dates, limited creative freedom, bad boss/coworkers, and rigid work hours. If you work for a company, you don’t own the copyright of your work and lay-offs are common.   
• Direct Sales (self-employ) through vending, Social Media, print-on-demand, Etsy, etc. is a lot like working for a job, but you set your hours and you are the boss. This gives you the most freedom (creativity, hours, values) but you pay for that freedom with more responsibility (admin, promos, labor, etc). You may have more upfront costs, but you don’t share your profits. Marketing & promotions is its own full-time job, and you may have to curb your creative freedom for what is trendy and selling.  This works best when you spend more time creating content and marketing than you do creating.  Find ways to collaborate and outsource: collaborate with larger organizations to tap into their client lists; use print-on-demand to avoid upfront costs and shipping fulfillment.
• Organized Funding (Grants, Awards, Public Art, Open Calls) The application process is usually as big as the prize. Applying for these can be time-consuming, include application fees, and there is usually a lot of competition.  The benefit is that you can make large, meaningful work and a livable wage. Organized funding can cover wages, supplies, equipment, food, and sometimes even travel. Getting approval is a badge of honor itself. Remember that winning an award means you also have to track and report what you did with the funding, this may include more paperwork, public presentations, and media coverage.
• Get Famous. You ever heard of Kindaid? Of course you have, everyone’s grandma has one in her living room. Do you like Kincaid? Probably not. Most people don’t; that’s the power of infamy, everyone knows you but few admit to liking you. Its not all bad, going viral/famous/trendy means you have to put less effort into marketing. Sales are all but guaranteed, and you don’t have to negotiate as hard to prove your value.  But it means huge public scrutiny, criticism, and tabloid level drama by anyone trying to get a bit of your sparkle. To get here you become the next social media viral influencer, or do something crazy at Art Basel. This one is an uncertain road, but people do it. Find the person you admire and find out what moves they made- it won’t be hard, because it’s all public.

Something I want you to notice is that none of these are fully exclusive, and realize that the more you take on comes with more time away from family, friends, doing the art part. You can be the multi-hyphenate rockstar artist, but jet-setting around the world takes time away from your studio, might create a divide in your relationship, and maybe you are actually more introverted and “rockstar artist” is what everyone else decided was success. Maybe success to you is making nerdy designs of your cat that you upload to print-on-demand fabric and wallpaper wholesalers. Maybe you vend cheap, kitschy paintings at the market to fund your socially-conscious installation work. You do you Boo!

So what is Success to you?  I challenge you, yup homework time!  Sit down 10 minutes a day (everyday!) for the next week, or the next month, however long it takes. Write down on paper what you want, what that life of success looks like. Be vague at first, free write string-of-consciousness to get it down on paper, start with what you DON’T want if that helps.  At least 10 minutes of active writing everyday thinking about what success looks like. If you hate the smell of paint, fighting for a mural gig is not your path!  So write it all down, even if you know you know what success is already, do a minimum 1-week of writing. After a week or a month when you think you are clear, read all of your notes. What did you decide? Condense it down into a clear, concise idea of Success.  Tape it to your bathroom mirror to remind yourself every day.  Now you can start setting goals that get you to Success. Now you can say “this is why I’m not successful; this is where I was successful.” Next time an opportunity comes up, you can decide more clearly: does this help me towards success, or distract me from my goals?  Stop wasting time on side-quests that burn you out, use up your time/money, or distracts you.   Define the Who, What, Where, Why, How of Your Success– only THEN can you figure out how to map out the path to achieve it.   Only then can you be assured that your goals and daily tasks are leading you in the right direction.  

PS- You are successful when your actions are leading you towards your ultimate goals 😉

Build your community, not your clique

Imagine, if you will, its finally opening night for your big art show – the one you’ve been working at all year.  All your friends are there, fellow artists are everywhere; drinks are flowing and you are surrounded by all the people you love. Huge success, right?

Not quite…I’m not saying having your support team around and your peers talking about your work is a bad thing.   They are great to have in the mix; however, and here’s the truth, your cheer-squad doesn’t buy your work.  You might be trading like crazy, gifting and bartering; but trades don’t pay for groceries and I guarantee meemaw’s bunko group aren’t avid art collectors.  The art show “party” is designed to wine & dine the hoity-toits and reach outside of your network to build the relationships you want with collectors above your socio-economic circle (*gasp* even those 1%-ers).

Back to the show: let’s say you DO attract the richy-rich collectors to opening night, but none of them can talk to you because the masses of family and well-wishers circled around you?  Even worse, how many of your friends are side-eyeing the lady in the Louboutin’s for being overdressed?!  You are just being nice, right, keeping up the conversation with your cheer squad.  Playing nice but allowing bad behavior.  Boom, there goes that sale.  Let’s hope Ms. Louboutin doesn’t tell her high-roller friends about the bad treatment she got at an art show in Sactown.

(oh, wait, that’s already a thing……)

Great to be the star of your own party, but keep your focus on WHY you are even having a show and maybe, maybe ditch the ego.   The show is so you can connect to the people seriously looking to buy art.  They need to rub elbows and talk with you before they will invest their dollars in your craft.  Collector-collectors want to know you are serious, and they see their purchase as an investment in the arts as a whole.  Why do you think so many have turned to investing in groups, non-profits, and agent-dealer models instead of directly to artists?  (Hint: flakey artist trope).   Artists are part of a greater community of culture bearers, change makers, and social weather banes.  There are also a lot of fair-weather hobby artists in the mix*.  People who collect art are not just buying décor, or a kitchy gift; Collectors are investors, who want to contribute to the socio-cultural expression of art.  Collectors are not just a fanbase. Collectors want to know that they are putting money towards someone 1. Who is in it for the long term, 2. Serious about their craft, 3. Making/saying something meaningful, 4. Reaching beyond simple aesthetics, etc.   They buy to invest in careers, local economies, and influence style trends they find beneficial to the art world as a whole.  They support keeping cultural bearers in practice, and change makers who push the line. Think of the collector as a non-working artist using their wealth to influence and participate in the art community.   

Now, there is work in building relationships.  Cold sales are like rhinos – big, impressive, fucking rare.  A sale happens after about a dozen interactions with a person. A dozen interactions can look like: studio visits, social media posts, emails, texts, fliers, coffee dates, accidental run ins, referrals, texts.  Once you meet these new people and traded names & numbers – do you ghost them?  “Man, I met this really great artist, I thought we really connected, but they never called me back!” (Ouch!)  Here’s what I do: at the end of the night while it’s all still fresh, I take the cards and sign-up sheets, and I make quick notes of the contacts I’ve made.  Did we connect on ideas, discuss a commission, or were they an important player at that organization?   I keep a contact list spreadsheet with names, contacts, and brief notes, and 3 days later I send out an email, DM, text and thank them for connecting.  Katie McCleary suggests sitting down to send out connections & follow ups every 3 days.  Simple as that, open up the lines of communication and add them to an ongoing newsletter to keep them up to date. Maybe set a day each week to send a simple text or email to your contacts: Build a relationship, build trust.  They may not be the person buying from you, but they may say your name to 10 people who will.

ALSO. Just because I’m using an upper-echelon, gallery and art collector example, doesn’t mean this doesn’t apply to any other creative venue! Think about how this applies to someone coming to your performance or market booth.  You may be asked “will you be here next week” and not make a sale until the 2^nd or 3^rd interaction.  Look at how you connect with supporters outside of your immediate circle. Do you attend the gala events before opening night? Do you collect emails and send out updates?  Best believe you can build your network of patrons, customers, and collectors if you keep in contact and make an impression.  YOU need to take on the responsibility to connect with the public and follow-up on opportunities.  There are probably 20 other art venders at that market you worked; the audience got caught up in the dazzling lights and lost the play bill with your name. The purpose and value are the same in any of these interactions: build relationships and grow your connections.  Galleries with a black book full of wealthy contacts is great when you are building your network.  If you can get in.  You won’t need a gallery if you have your own reliable connections of collectors, business owners, and art enthusiasts.

Unless you just want to party with other art weirdos – which is fine, but don’t come crying when you can’t get your art business off the ground. 

*Having a hobby is great, and hobby art can be great; for this discussion, though, we are talking about artists with a disciplined pursuit, not someone making art for personal pastime. (We’ll dedicate a blog to this soon)

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­PS - a note for the CHEER SQUAD.  We love you, and us artists couldn’t do all we do without your support and encouragement.  Art events are places of business for artists. Please remember we are wearing our business hats, and cannot give you the same priority we do privately.  Here are some tips to help support your friend’s art show without stepping on their toes;

• Offer ahead of time to assist, set up, clean up, or promote. Take the “No” if they decline
• ASK (for the love of Pete please ask) before trying to sell for us. We know you mean well, but you are doing it horribly wrong.
• Keep it brief. When someone approaches the artist, excuse yourself from the convo. When the artist is talking to someone, don’t butt-in. This could be a sale or business lead
• If you see someone trying to catch the artist’s eye, try to introduce us. “Hey I’m Michelle, have you met Artist Chris yet? No? Oh, well I’ve known them for years, can I introduce you?”  Easy peasy you just made a contact that might have been scared away by the crowd (and then make your exit, please).

• Read up. Know what the artist is saying so you can share the same message. Just because you have BTS access doesn’t mean you should share that info
• Keep the personal at home. don’t try to talk dirty laundry, drama, or private issues.
• Please don’t party your face off at the art show. This may not be red carpet, but it’s also not a dive bar.