There is an entire world beyond creativity, talent and training. You’ve done the hard work, which is why this is not about telling you how to make good art in the studio. The foundation stones are in place. You’ve got the art, now you want to enter public space with it – here is your road map.
By paying close attention to the points within, the artist will develop an overview of their career, define themselves as professionals, develop confidence, take risks, transcend fear and envision the future.
When it comes to selling your art, you will have new confidence and information about the gallery – artist relationship, you will achieve success. You will know correct pricing – what your art’s worth, and you will be clear with your decisions – if it is wise for you to do limited editions of your work for example.
Freighting your art to galleries will be a breeze as you easily navigate tough times and position yourself as a career artist exactly where you want to be. You will know precisely what buyers want to know about artists and be supremely confident of convincing people your art is worth buying. Relationships & partnerships with other artists will thrive as you throw off any fear of exploring new concepts.
Your new public profile will improve as you confidently enter competitions & prizes, fundraisers & public events, apply for grants & funding, residencies, public art commissions and prepare yourself for exhibiting in the global arena. Abilities with public speaking will see you take on previously unheard of roles, where you are able to confidently deliver lectures and addresses about your work.
Your promotional materials will become an essential part of your art presentation, as you now expertly use text to communicate meaning in your CV, artist statements & biography and in your pitch for any of your marketing & publicity. Creating a marketing plan with effective marketing materials will have you building your brand with the best in the business. Having learnt the skills you will also set up a free website, be able to create product lines and be familiar with social media. All creation of public relations & networking opportunities through your confident media strategies and your insights for getting free publicity will be seamless.
Having also learnt business strategies, where you can expand to the notion of the artist as business person, you will be able to navigate creating wealth as an artist through using principles such as the ‘Parthenon principle’. An action plan will help you have responsible financial management, as you deal with copyright, contracts, manage money and tax.
Career challenges will be things that you begin to look forward to instead of things you dread and avoid. No longer will you undermine your success. The art revelations and insights will naturally bring success, where your own personal reflections and vision will clear obstacles & provide direction. You will most importantly remember to breathe as you have your own unique personal experience & insights and develop your central artistic concerns with the confidence you always wanted and somewhere know you always had.
See John Dahlsen’s Recent Works
