Carolyn Edlund's guest appearances

Carolyn Edlund

The Potters Cast | Pottery | Ceramics | Art | Craft

The Thriving Artist

Ask win

The Understand Photography Show

ArtBeat Santa Fe Presents... by Kathryn M Davis

The Thriving Christian Artist

Find Loving Homes for Your Art

The Boldli Podcast

The Artist Business Plan

Peter Trippi

Josie Lewis

Patricia Griffin

Eric Rhoads

Mary McBride

Alan Bamberger

Andrew Stephenson

Shannon Garson

Jessica Brandl

Daniel Johnston

Paul Briggs

Paul Blais

John Neely

Forrest Middelton

Darren Francis Cassidy

OwlTail

In this episode of The Artist Business Plan we sit down with artist advisor, Carolyn Edlund. Carolyn flips a lot of the concerns artists may have about growing their careers as a business into positive opportunities for full artistic expression. She teaches us to use tools you learn from the “survival” or day job and bring those lessons to sell your art to your art business. Then we dive deep into the ins and outs of a successful website including: uncluttered information, pictures of your gorgeous portfolio EVERYWHERE, price transparency, an FAQ page, and more!! Make it easy for people to buy your art. Grab your notepad and take some notes, then get out there and make it happen!"Know what you want so you can create a roadmap to get there.”- Carolyn EdlundGuest: Carolyn Edlund is the founder of ArtsyShark.com, a top ten art business blog publishing artist portfolio features and articles on art marketing, sales and business topics. She is also the former Executive Director of the Arts Business Institute, a non-profit that offers creative business solutions to artists and craftspeople. She is also the Sales and Events Director for The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, dedicated to helping artists build strong, sustainable businesses.  Her background includes 20 years of experience running a production studio and selling her collection in the wholesale marketplace.https://www.artsyshark.com/For more information on applying to Superfine Art Fair as well as recordings of this and all of our past podcasts, just visit www.superfine.world IG: @artsy_sharkIG: @superfineartfairHosted and Executive Produced by James Miille and Alexander MitowExecutive Producer/Producer : Kelsey SusinoWritten by: Kelsey Susino, Alexander Mitow, and James MiilleAudio Edited by: Federico Soler Fernandez

<p>In this episode of The Artist Business Plan we sit down with artist advisor, Carolyn Edlund. Carolyn flips a lot of the concerns artists may have about growing their careers as a business into positive opportunities for full artistic expression. She teaches us to use tools you learn from the “survival” or day job and bring those lessons to sell your art to your art business. Then we dive deep into the ins and outs of a successful website including: uncluttered information, pictures of your gorgeous portfolio EVERYWHERE, price transparency, an FAQ page, and more!! Make it easy for people to buy your art. Grab your notepad and take some notes, then get out there and make it happen!</p><p>"Know what you want so you can create a roadmap to get there.”- Carolyn Edlund</p><p>Guest: Carolyn Edlund is the founder of <a href="http://ArtsyShark.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ArtsyShark.com</a>, a top ten art business blog publishing artist portfolio features and articles on art marketing, sales and business topics. She is also the former Executive Director of the Arts Business Institute, a non-profit that offers creative business solutions to artists and craftspeople. She is also the Sales and Events Director for The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, dedicated to helping artists build strong, sustainable businesses.  Her background includes 20 years of experience running a production studio and selling her collection in the wholesale marketplace.</p><p><a href="https://www.artsyshark.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.artsyshark.com/</strong></a></p><p>For more information on applying to Superfine Art Fair as well as recordings of this and all of our past podcasts, just visit <a href="http://www.superfine.world/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>www.superfine.world </strong></a></p><p>IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/artsy_shark/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>@artsy_shark</strong></a></p><p>IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/superfineartfair/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>@superfineartfair</strong></a></p><p>Hosted and Executive Produced by James Miille and Alexander Mitow</p><p>Executive Producer/Producer : Kelsey Susino</p><p>Written by: Kelsey Susino, Alexander Mitow, and James Miille</p><p>Audio Edited by: Federico Soler Fernandez</p>

Turn Your Website into a Booming Marketplace with Carolyn Edlund

In this episode of the Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, I’m joined by a friend of mine that you’re just going to love, Carolyn Edlund. She’s been in the art business making a big impact for the last 20 years as an artist influencer, teacher, and marketing expert. Carolyn was a key part of my journey early on and I can’t wait for you to hear what she has to share with us. You can learn more about Carolyn online at her website, www.ArtsyShark.com.  Connect with Matt online at www.MattTommeyMentoring.com or on Instagram and Facebook @thethrivingchristianartistGet encouraged and connect with other artists on the Thriving Christian Artist Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/thethrivingchristianartist/

<p>In this episode of the Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, I’m joined by a friend of mine that you’re just going to love, Carolyn Edlund. She’s been in the art business making a big impact for the last 20 years as an artist influencer, teacher, and marketing expert.</p><p> Carolyn was a key part of my journey early on and I can’t wait for you to hear what she has to share with us. You can learn more about Carolyn online at her website, <a href="http://www.ArtsyShark.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ArtsyShark.com</a>.  <br/><br/>Connect with Matt online at <a href="http://www.MattTommeyMentoring.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.MattTommeyMentoring.com</a> or on Instagram and Facebook @thethrivingchristianartist</p><p>Get encouraged and connect with other artists on the Thriving Christian Artist Facebook Page  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thethrivingchristianartist/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/thethrivingchristianartist/</a></p>

198 - Effective Leveraging for Growth: A Conversation with Carolyn Edlund

In the second episode of this two-part podcast, Carolyn Edlund weighs-in on how artists can shift their sales strategies and build an art business that will weather these tough times, as well as being resilient to future changes. Contrary to popular belief, collectors are buying art right now, and artists can zoom in on their relationships, update their platforms, and define or redefine their target markets to make this work in their favor.Carolyn is Sales &amp; Events Director at CHF and our faculty subject matter expert on Sales Strategy. She is the founder of ArtsyShark—and brings a background as an artist, former ED of the Arts Business Institute, years in art-publishing and licensing, and extensive experience in curriculum development and seminars for artists. Work with Carolyn &amp; the CHF Faculty online at the Virtualize Your Art Career™ Conference October 19-30.What a Sustainable Art Business Looks Like In Today’s Environment“There are opportunities to really grow your business. I’ve spoken to several artists lately who are making more sales than ever before. Now, how in the world is this happening? I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘What!? Who’s doing that?’ The artists who are making these sales have given some deep thought to how they are going to go virtual with their marketing and sales strategies. And they’re going 100 percent in that direction, using tools online that are helping them reach an audience who is actually very hungry to buy right now.”“Everybody is sitting at home, people are bored, they’re shopping and they are buying art. We know that’s happening. We know there has been an uptick in art sales. So the people that I see who are succeeding—when I get down into the weeds with them, like, ‘What are you actually doing?’ It turns out that they’ve got systems built into their business that are very methodical for drawing an audience, introducing them to their work, getting them with a hook, and then selling their work. And then selling more work to them. They’re building a very sustainable business with repeat sales, which is what we want to do in any environment. It is possible to do that during a pandemic.”Leverage Your Art and Your Collectors For That Repeat Sale“I love repeat sales because it’s easier to sell to an existing customer. They’re the foundation for an ongoing business—where you have existing sales that happen again and again. Part of that is leveraging the work that you sell. I talk about that when I teach sales strategy, and I’m going to be talking more about that in our conference: are you leveraging your collector by selling to them over and over? Are you leveraging your work by selling the next piece in a set? It’s a way of thinking: what do I have that’s going to appeal to people? What can I offer them if I want to keep them as customers, and as eager customers, who will want to own more of my work?”Embrace Your Power as an Individual Artist“The market has evolved over the last 20-25 years toward the empowerment of the individual artist. We’ve seen it in other industries. If we look at, for example, the movie industry, back in the day the studios owned all the actors and they would say, ‘You’re doing four movies this year,’ or ‘I’m going to loan you out to Warner Brothers.’ And they would direct the career of the ‘stable’ of actors that they would control. Nowadays, we see actors who are now directing their own production companies. They have their collaborations. They are free, they are empowered. They can do the projects that they choose to do and they’re setting their own career paths. Visual artists are in much the same position. It is not always emotionally easy to step up and say: ‘Yeah, I’m going to be the CEO of my own art business.’ It might be your personality to say, ‘Gee, you know, I wish somebody else would just sell for me.’ But there are advantages to being forced as an artist in this day and age to realize that you have a certain amount of responsibility. You’re the one who has to make the decisions, and there is no one who can replace you in knowing what you want and to be able to tell your story the way that you can.”Stay Informed with Professional Development“Anyone in business can definitely benefit from experts—whether they have something that’s specifically useful to you, or you just want to hear about the industry. Think of someone like a real estate agent. They could be in business for 20 years, and yet they’re still getting training, or reading a blog, or listening to a podcast that’s going to give them really interesting strategies about how to connect with their customers or help their sellers. What’s new in the industry? What are people talking about? What are the trends? And so you really need to stay up to date with it. It’s part of professional development.”Art vs Sneakers: The Collector’s Emotional Connection“A lot of artists who are making sales have put systems into place that work. And it’s not unique to art. You could be selling shoes, and you could be doing a really good job of it because you understand the strategies of how to market and sell successfully online. It’s really no different. But I think that art—I mean, at least in my mind—is very special. You can’t exactly equate it to a pair of sneakers. Art is something that people have an emotional connection to. An artist is a very special kind of person: your creativity is so important in the world, that in my mind, it’s at a higher level and it’s really treasured. Collectors want to grab the art if you’re running out of your home in a fire. You grab the art you love because it’s so important to you.”Reclaim Your Confidence at the CHF Virtualize Your Art Career TM Conference“What would I really like to see an artist come away with? Confidence. I would like an artist, especially if they’re having a difficult time trying to decipher what to do in these times, this pandemic time—I’d like for them to understand that it is possible, that you can build a business. This is a hard time because life will always have hard times. We will go in and out of recession. There will be changes of all types, that’s just part of the world. So can they be successful no matter what? Yes. And I’d like people to understand that other artists are doing this. I’d like them to feel the support of a community. You brought up the emotional factor earlier: that is such an important part. When you know you can do it, when you know you’ve got your network of artists who’ve got your back, and when you know that you can follow a plan that is solid and makes sense, then it gives you a starting point to just take that first step, right after the conference. You can start following that roadmap and start realizing your goals and working towards those objectives. And if you stay with it and you are consistent and persistent, then you will make sales and you will move your art business ahead.”Listen to Part I of this two-part episode with Carolyn Edlund! Move the needle for your art business, feel the support of your community, and learn with Carolyn and the CHF Faculty: register for our Oct 19-30 online Virtualize Your Art Career™ conference here.Jerry’s Artarama supports CHF and this episode of The Thriving Artist™ podcast.

<p>In the second episode of this two-part podcast, Carolyn Edlund weighs-in on how artists can shift their sales strategies and build an art business that will weather these tough times, as well as being resilient to future changes. Contrary to popular belief, collectors <em>are</em> buying art right now, and artists can zoom in on their relationships, update their platforms, and define or redefine their target markets to make this work in their favor.</p><p>Carolyn is Sales &amp; Events Director at CHF and our faculty subject matter expert on Sales Strategy. She is the founder of ArtsyShark—and brings a background as an artist, former ED of the Arts Business Institute, years in art-publishing and licensing, and extensive experience in curriculum development and seminars for artists. <a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/conference/start/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Work with Carolyn &amp; the CHF Faculty online at the <em>Virtualize Your Art Career</em>™<em> Conference</em> October 19-30.</a></p><h2>What a Sustainable Art Business Looks Like In Today’s Environment</h2><ul><li>“There are opportunities to really grow your business. I’ve spoken to several artists lately who are making more sales than ever before. Now, how in the world is this happening? I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘What!? Who’s doing that?’ The artists who are making these sales have given some deep thought to how they are going to go virtual with their marketing and sales strategies. And they’re going 100 percent in that direction, using tools online that are helping them reach an audience who is actually very hungry to buy right now.”</li><li>“Everybody is sitting at home, people are bored, they’re shopping and they are buying art. We know that’s happening. We know there has been an uptick in art sales. So the people that I see who are succeeding—when I get down into the weeds with them, like, ‘What are you <em>actually</em> doing?’ It turns out that they’ve got systems built into their business that are very methodical for drawing an audience, introducing them to their work, getting them with a hook, and then selling their work. And then selling more work to them. They’re building a very sustainable business with repeat sales, which is what we want to do in any environment. It is possible to do that during a pandemic.”</li></ul><h2>Leverage Your Art and Your Collectors For That Repeat Sale</h2><ul><li>“I love repeat sales because it’s easier to sell to an existing customer. They’re the foundation for an ongoing business—where you have existing sales that happen again and again. Part of that is leveraging the work that you sell. I talk about that when I teach sales strategy, and I’m going to be talking more about that in our conference: are you leveraging your collector by selling to them over and over? Are you leveraging your work by selling the next piece in a set? It’s a way of thinking: what do I have that’s going to appeal to people? What can I offer them if I want to keep them as customers, and as eager customers, who will want to own more of my work?”</li></ul><h2>Embrace Your Power as an Individual Artist</h2><ul><li>“The market has evolved over the last 20-25 years toward the empowerment of the individual artist. We’ve seen it in other industries. If we look at, for example, the movie industry, back in the day the studios owned all the actors and they would say, ‘You’re doing four movies this year,’ or ‘I’m going to loan you out to Warner Brothers.’ And they would direct the career of the ‘stable’ of actors that they would control. Nowadays, we see actors who are now directing their own production companies. They have their collaborations. They are free, they are empowered. They can do the projects that they choose to do and they’re setting their own career paths. Visual artists are in much the same position. It is not always emotionally easy to step up and say: ‘Yeah, I’m going to be the CEO of my own art business.’ It might be your personality to say, ‘Gee, you know, I wish somebody else would just sell for me.’ But there are advantages to being forced as an artist in this day and age to realize that you have a certain amount of responsibility. You’re the one who has to make the decisions, and there is no one who can replace you in knowing what you want and to be able to tell your story the way that you can.”</li></ul><h2>Stay Informed with Professional Development</h2><ul><li>“Anyone in business can definitely benefit from experts—whether they have something that’s specifically useful to you, or you just want to hear about the industry. Think of someone like a real estate agent. They could be in business for 20 years, and yet they’re still getting training, or reading a blog, or listening to a podcast that’s going to give them really interesting strategies about how to connect with their customers or help their sellers. What’s new in the industry? What are people talking about? What are the trends? And so you really need to stay up to date with it. It’s part of professional development.”</li></ul><h2>Art vs Sneakers: The Collector’s Emotional Connection</h2><ul><li>“A lot of artists who are making sales have put systems into place that work. And it’s not unique to art. You could be selling shoes, and you could be doing a really good job of it because you understand the strategies of how to market and sell successfully online. It’s really no different. But I think that art—I mean, at least in my mind—is very special. You can’t exactly equate it to a pair of sneakers. Art is something that people have an emotional connection to. An artist is a very special kind of person: your creativity is so important in the world, that in my mind, it’s at a higher level and it’s really treasured. Collectors want to grab the art if you’re running out of your home in a fire. You grab the art you love because it’s so important to you.”</li></ul><h2>Reclaim Your Confidence at the CHF <a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/conference/start/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Virtualize Your Art Career TM Conference</a></h2><ul><li>“What would I <em>really</em> like to see an artist come away with? Confidence. I would like an artist, especially if they’re having a difficult time trying to decipher what to do in these times, this pandemic time—I’d like for them to understand that it is possible, that you can build a business. This is a hard time because life will always have hard times. We will go in and out of recession. There will be changes of all types, that’s just part of the world. So can they be successful no matter what? Yes. And I’d like people to understand that other artists are doing this. I’d like them to feel the support of a community. You brought up the emotional factor earlier: that is such an important part. When you know you can do it, when you know you’ve got your network of artists who’ve got your back, and when you know that you can follow a plan that is solid and makes sense, then it gives you a starting point to just take that first step, right after the conference. You can start following that roadmap and start realizing your goals and working towards those objectives. And if you stay with it and you are consistent and persistent, then you will make sales and you will move your art business ahead.”</li></ul><p><a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/virtualize-your-art-career-part-1-carolyn-edlund/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Listen to Part I</a> of this two-part episode with Carolyn Edlund! Move the needle for your art business, feel the support of your community, and learn with Carolyn and the CHF Faculty: register for our Oct 19-30 online Virtualize Your Art Career™ conference <a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/conference/start/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Jerry’s Artarama supports CHF and this episode of <em>The Thriving Artist</em>™ podcast.</p>

Virtualize Your Art Career: Part 2

Carolyn Edlund is the Sales &amp; Events Director at the Clark Hulings Foundation, and our resident subject matter expert in Sales Strategy. In the first episode of this two-part podcast, Carolyn joins us to answer questions about making a creative career virtual. Artists and makers, you can make a great decision to thrive during the pandemic and beyond: learn with Carolyn and the CHF Faculty in real time by registering for the online The Virtualize Your Art Career™ Conference Oct 19-30th.Carolyn is the founder of ArtsyShark—a popular blog that publishes features on artist portfolios and articles on the business of art—and the former executive director of the Arts Business Institute. An artist herself, Carolyn pivoted to sales in the art-publishing business—she learned the world of price points, merchandising, building collections, and closing deals, by working a territory and becoming a top rep. She has designed curriculum for multiple art-business platforms and has presented hundreds of live seminars for artists and makers.Selling Art During the Pandemic“Artists are being pushed into getting online and becoming experts at communicating and selling online. We don’t have much of a choice. The events are closed, postponed, canceled. They’re not happening in person. And as wonderful as the in-person events are (and, you know, we’ve traditionally relied on them) just like Hiscox [Online Art Trade Report 2020] noted: this is a transformation. We’ve been moving towards an online economy, an art industry that is robust in the online space, and this is forcing the issue.”“This is putting people in a sink or swim position where you’ve got to make decisions. You aren’t going to change your whole life, but you’ve got to make decisions about getting into the online market and making it work for you. And that, to me, is a huge opportunity. It might not be something that every artist is looking forward to, but ultimately they will really benefit from it.”Opportunities &amp; Challenges of Selling Online“It becomes very crowded when everyone is jumping online—and we know that’s true because art website providers are reporting record numbers of new clients coming in. They all want to set up websites.”“Anyone who is in the virtual marketplace has to fight for attention—establish that space, gather the people who are their followers, either through social media profiles or a list that they’ve built so that they can continue that conversation, and then use those interested people to turn into customers and clients.”“The personal touch is very appreciated these days. If you’ve got a collector who feels like they know you, they like you, they appreciate your work, and you say: ‘I want to reach out to you because I’ve got a new body of work and I haven’t shown anyone yet. But you own two of my paintings, and I really want to give you first dibs. How about we jump on a Zoom call? How about we literally get into a face to face conversation. I’ll show you what I’ve got.’ I like the personal outreach. And even though that might be a little bit scary, I think that over time, as you get to know your customer base, there will be people that you can reach out to and you’ll find that they appreciate and love hearing from an artist, and love talking with you, and that that engagement excites them. It’s part of the collector experience.”What Does Virtualizing Your Art Career Mean?“There’s going to be a range for some people. It may only be that they get a website, and then they’re continuing on with what they’ve been doing for years. For other artists, virtualizing means a new format.”“For example, you might be an artist who teaches. You’re not going to be teaching in person right now, but you might be building courses on an online learning platform, you might be teaching through YouTube.”“If you are an artist who typically offers reproductions or is considering it, you might take advantage of print-on-demand technology. And that’s going to allow you to simply upload a high res image of the painting that you want to sell, and then allowing those print on demand vendors to take the order and fulfill it without you being a part of that process. So that would be taking advantage of virtual tools to actually produce.”How to Build A Disruption-Proof Business“The core strategy—which is what we emphasize in the Conference and with our Art-Business Accelerator Fellows—it’s artists knowing who they are, what they’re selling, what they’re doing, why people should buy from them, what is their long term strategy. I believe for the most part, that will not change. However, when you’ve got something that comes up…and this is not short term, the pandemic’s been with us for six months… you may change some of the things that you do and some of the actions that you take, but it’s all still in alignment with your core strategy.”“Now, when we spoke with those artists and asked them, has your main strategy changed? The answer was no. Every single one of those people, and they represent a diverse number of businesses, mediums and so forth…every single one of those people was rock solid on what they knew to be their business, their goals, what they wanted. Maybe they’ve changed the order of how they’re going about some conversations, or maybe they’ve put a few strategies on the front burner and some on the back burner, but they know who they are.”“Repeat sales are extremely important. And you talk about network: I don’t think that artists necessarily need a vast network. They could actually have a rather small network of people who truly love what they do and collect on a regular basis from them and keep them going full-time. So it’s more or less finding that audience that understands and loves what you do staying in contact with them and unfolding your story over time with them—and allowing them to be part of your story as well. That’s where you truly find the sweet spot, and that’s something that’s going to transcend the pandemic. It’s not going to be a short term strategy. It’s a career strategy.”Pivoting Your Business on a Dime“You could keep your budget pretty slim. But one of the things that I would throw out there to consider with your balancing act between staying the course and keeping your core business goals…To balance that, you’ve got to have a little bit of an insight into where your sales are. As a former artist and as a former outside sales person, I’ll tell you, find out where the sales are and go there. So if you’re able to start a little flurry of sales in a particular niche or certain area, well, keep going. Mine that market. Keep working that niche until your sales have slowed down or dried up. If there’s a place for you to make money, I think you should do it.“Of course, artists are out there [creating pandemic-era products]. Maybe they’re offering masks. That’s popular. I’ve seen some artists advertising them, advertising all kinds of ways to buy from them. Is that a good plan? Sure. If that works for you, go ahead and earn some money doing that, even if it’s not what you would normally do. I think it’s important to get through the pandemic intact. It’s certainly my goal that every one of these artists, as a small business person who might be on a limited budget, has a way to get through this period of time without giving up, throwing in the towel or just feeling so helpless that they don’t know where to turn, because there are many, many options. We going to be talking about some of those in the upcoming conference.”Is Virtual the Future For Live Art Events?“Some shows have gone completely virtual. If you’ve been paying attention to what Clark Hulings Fund has been doing lately, we’ve worked with the Santa Fe Indian Market to create an online virtual market completely taking place on the Internet, which was quite successful. It had about 450 artists participate and it was really, I think, a kind of leading edge model for how art shows might go totally virtual.”“On the other hand, we’re seeing [in-person] shows scaling down in size, we’re seeing 10 feet between booths. We’re seeing a controlled gate, and extreme safety measures for live events. And sometimes they’re happening simultaneously.”“A hybrid live and virtual event, I believe, is going to be the standard in the future. The group of promoters that I’ve been in contact with and speaking to—they pretty much agree that you cannot simply bank on having a live event in the future. You need the virtual component, and that they are working on this. There are many different ways that it is brought to life. There are different platforms that host these. Some are doing them through live streaming. Some are doing them through websites.”Stay tuned for Part II of this two-part episode with Carolyn Edlund! Take a deeper dive and get into the specifics of implementing positive change in the way you run your art business: register for the Virtualize Your Art Career™ Conference Oct 19-30.Thanks to Jerry’s Artarama for their support of CHF and The Thriving Artist™ podcast.

<p>Carolyn Edlund is the Sales &amp; Events Director at the Clark Hulings Foundation, and our resident subject matter expert in Sales Strategy. In the first episode of this two-part podcast, Carolyn joins us to answer questions about making a creative career virtual. <strong>Artists and makers, you can make a great decision to thrive during the pandemic and beyond: learn with Carolyn and the CHF Faculty in real time by registering for the online </strong><a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/conference/start/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>The Virtualize Your Art Career</strong>™<strong> Conference Oct 19-30th.</strong></a></p><p>Carolyn is the founder of ArtsyShark—a popular blog that publishes features on artist portfolios and articles on the business of art—and the former executive director of the Arts Business Institute. An artist herself, Carolyn pivoted to sales in the art-publishing business—she learned the world of price points, merchandising, building collections, and closing deals, by working a territory and becoming a top rep. She has designed curriculum for multiple art-business platforms and has presented hundreds of live seminars for artists and makers.</p><h2>Selling Art During the Pandemic</h2><ul><li>“Artists are being pushed into getting online and becoming experts at communicating and selling online. We don’t have much of a choice. The events are closed, postponed, canceled. They’re not happening in person. And as wonderful as the in-person events are (and, you know, we’ve traditionally relied on them) just like Hiscox [Online Art Trade Report 2020] noted: this is a transformation. We’ve been moving towards an online economy, an art industry that is robust in the online space, and this is forcing the issue.”</li><li>“This is putting people in a sink or swim position where you’ve got to make decisions. You aren’t going to change your whole life, but you’ve got to make decisions about getting into the online market and making it work for you. And that, to me, is a huge opportunity. It might not be something that every artist is looking forward to, but ultimately they will really benefit from it.”</li></ul><h2>Opportunities &amp; Challenges of Selling Online</h2><ul><li>“It becomes very crowded when everyone is jumping online—and we know that’s true because art website providers are reporting record numbers of new clients coming in. They all want to set up websites.”</li><li>“Anyone who is in the virtual marketplace has to fight for attention—establish that space, gather the people who are their followers, either through social media profiles or a list that they’ve built so that they can continue that conversation, and then use those interested people to turn into customers and clients.”</li><li>“The personal touch is very appreciated these days. If you’ve got a collector who feels like they know you, they like you, they appreciate your work, and you say: ‘I want to reach out to you because I’ve got a new body of work and I haven’t shown anyone yet. But you own two of my paintings, and I really want to give you first dibs. How about we jump on a Zoom call? How about we literally get into a face to face conversation. I’ll show you what I’ve got.’ I like the personal outreach. And even though that might be a little bit scary, I think that over time, as you get to know your customer base, there will be people that you can reach out to and you’ll find that they appreciate and love hearing from an artist, and love talking with you, and that that engagement excites them. It’s part of the collector experience.”</li></ul><h2>What Does Virtualizing Your Art Career Mean?</h2><ul><li>“There’s going to be a range for some people. It may only be that they get a website, and then they’re continuing on with what they’ve been doing for years. For other artists, virtualizing means a new format.”</li><li>“For example, you might be an artist who teaches. You’re not going to be teaching in person right now, but you might be building courses on an online learning platform, you might be teaching through YouTube.”</li><li>“If you are an artist who typically offers reproductions or is considering it, you might take advantage of print-on-demand technology. And that’s going to allow you to simply upload a high res image of the painting that you want to sell, and then allowing those print on demand vendors to take the order and fulfill it without you being a part of that process. So that would be taking advantage of virtual tools to actually produce.”</li></ul><h2>How to Build A Disruption-Proof Business</h2><ul><li>“The core strategy—which is what we emphasize in the Conference and with our Art-Business Accelerator Fellows—it’s artists knowing who they are, what they’re selling, what they’re doing, why people should buy from them, what is their long term strategy. I believe for the most part, that will not change. However, when you’ve got something that comes up…and this is not short term, the pandemic’s been with us for six months… you may change some of the things that you do and some of the actions that you take, but it’s all still in alignment with your core strategy.”</li><li>“Now, when we spoke with those artists and asked them, has your main strategy changed? The answer was no. Every single one of those people, and they represent a diverse number of businesses, mediums and so forth…every single one of those people was rock solid on what they knew to be their business, their goals, what they wanted. Maybe they’ve changed the order of how they’re going about some conversations, or maybe they’ve put a few strategies on the front burner and some on the back burner, but they know who they are.”</li><li>“Repeat sales are extremely important. And you talk about network: I don’t think that artists necessarily need a vast network. They could actually have a rather small network of people who truly love what they do and collect on a regular basis from them and keep them going full-time. So it’s more or less finding that audience that understands and loves what you do staying in contact with them and unfolding your story over time with them—and allowing them to be part of your story as well. That’s where you truly find the sweet spot, and that’s something that’s going to transcend the pandemic. It’s not going to be a short term strategy. It’s a career strategy.”</li></ul><h2>Pivoting Your Business on a Dime</h2><ul><li>“You could keep your budget pretty slim. But one of the things that I would throw out there to consider with your balancing act between staying the course and keeping your core business goals…To balance that, you’ve got to have a little bit of an insight into where your sales are. As a former artist and as a former outside sales person, I’ll tell you, find out where the sales are and go there. So if you’re able to start a little flurry of sales in a particular niche or certain area, well, keep going. Mine that market. Keep working that niche until your sales have slowed down or dried up. If there’s a place for you to make money, I think you should do it.</li><li>“Of course, artists are out there [creating pandemic-era products]. Maybe they’re offering masks. That’s popular. I’ve seen some artists advertising them, advertising all kinds of ways to buy from them. Is that a good plan? Sure. If that works for you, go ahead and earn some money doing that, even if it’s not what you would normally do. I think it’s important to get through the pandemic intact. <strong>It’s certainly my goal that every one of these artists, as a small business person who might be on a limited budget, has a way to get through this period of time without giving up, throwing in the towel or just feeling so helpless that they don’t know where to turn, because there are many, many options. We going to be talking about some of those in the upcoming conference.”</strong></li></ul><h2>Is Virtual the Future For Live Art Events?</h2><ul><li>“Some shows have gone completely virtual. If you’ve been paying attention to what Clark Hulings Fund has been doing lately, we’ve worked with the Santa Fe Indian Market to create an online virtual market completely taking place on the Internet, which was quite successful. It had about 450 artists participate and it was really, I think, a kind of leading edge model for how art shows might go totally virtual.”</li><li>“On the other hand, we’re seeing [in-person] shows scaling down in size, we’re seeing 10 feet between booths. We’re seeing a controlled gate, and extreme safety measures for live events. And sometimes they’re happening simultaneously.”</li><li>“A hybrid live and virtual event, I believe, is going to be the standard in the future. The group of promoters that I’ve been in contact with and speaking to—they pretty much agree that you cannot simply bank on having a live event in the future. You need the virtual component, and that they are working on this. There are many different ways that it is brought to life. There are different platforms that host these. Some are doing them through live streaming. Some are doing them through websites.”</li></ul><p>Stay tuned for Part II of this two-part episode with Carolyn Edlund! Take a deeper dive and get into the specifics of implementing positive change in the way you run your art business: <a href="https://clarkhulingsfund.org/conference/start/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">register for the Virtualize Your Art Career™ Conference Oct 19-30.</a></p><p>Thanks to Jerry’s Artarama for their support of CHF and <em>The Thriving Artist</em>™ podcast.</p>

Virtualize Your Art Career: Part 1

This is an in-depth and longer format episode. It's the first interview I have shared and it's a good one. Carolyn Edlund is a wealth of art marketing savvy advice. Her website, Artsy Shark is consistently ranked among the Top Ten Art Blogs. She recently took a new position working for the Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists and we spend some time discussing the great work that the organization is doing for the artist community. And of course, she had plenty of solid advice and excellent thoughts to share, from marketing strategies to website best practices. Get out your pen and paper. You will want to take notes! Enjoy!

<p>This is an in-depth and longer format episode. It's the first interview I have shared and it's a good one. Carolyn Edlund is a wealth of art marketing savvy advice. Her website, Artsy Shark is consistently ranked among the Top Ten Art Blogs.</p> <p>She recently took a new position working for the Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists and we spend some time discussing the great work that the organization is doing for the artist community.</p> <p>And of course, she had plenty of solid advice and excellent thoughts to share, from marketing strategies to website best practices. Get out your pen and paper. You will want to take notes! Enjoy!</p>

In-Depth Interview with Carolyn Edlund

In Episode 10, special guest Carolyn Edlund tells us all about selling your art!The Understand Photography Show is live on Facebook.com/UnderstandPhotography every Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Each episode is then available as a podcast!Click here to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/landscape-photography-ft./id1189377019?i=1000379255578&amp;mt=2

In Episode 10, special guest Carolyn Edlund tells us all about selling your art!<br><br>The Understand Photography Show is live on <a href="http://Facebook.com/UnderstandPhotography" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook.com/UnderstandPhotography</a> every Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Each episode is then available as a podcast!<br><br>Click here to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes! <br><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/landscape-photography-ft./id1189377019?i=1000379255578&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/landscape-photography-ft./id1189377019?i=1000379255578&amp;mt=2</a>

Episode 10 Carolyn Edlund Sell Your Art

Carolyn Edlund is Executive Director of the Arts Business Institute, a non-profit that offers creative business solutions to artists and craftspeople. She is also the Founder of Artsy Shark, a forum that targets artists AS small business owners with marketing and sales tips. Carolyn flips a lot of the concerns artists may have about growing their careers as a business into positive opportunities for full artistic expression. Her emphasis on the lifestyle of the artist as one of glamour and freedom is insightful and balanced by the call for creating a skill set to further one's deepest professional aspirations.Topics Include:The fine arts vs. arts &amp; crafts barrierArt for its own sake vs. art as a businessHow artists build a business without sacrificing their craftHow "repeat business builds business"The catch-22 of selling out for money or not being good enough for itThe artists' enviable lifestyle of glamour &amp; freedomReferring to all customers as collectorsBranding: How artists create their brandMarketing: How it has changed - keeping up with the timesEssential marketing tools &amp; skills for artistsScalability: managing audience growthThe opportunity of technology for fine art and business scale: 3D Printing, Laser Cutters, etcListen now, or download and take this 40min episode with you on your phone or mobile device.The Arts Business Institute is at artsbusinessinstitute.org and Artsy Shark at artsyshark.comIf you find this content valuable and want to foster even more material like this, even a modest donation is meaningful: click here.

<p>Carolyn Edlund is Executive Director of the Arts Business Institute, a non-profit that offers creative business solutions to artists and craftspeople. She is also the Founder of Artsy Shark, a forum that targets artists AS small business owners with marketing and sales tips. Carolyn flips a lot of the concerns artists may have about growing their careers as a business into positive opportunities for full artistic expression. Her emphasis on the lifestyle of the artist as one of glamour and freedom is insightful and balanced by the call for creating a skill set to further one's deepest professional aspirations.</p><h2>Topics Include:</h2><ul><li>The fine arts vs. arts &amp; crafts barrier</li><li>Art for its own sake vs. art as a business</li><li>How artists build a business without sacrificing their craft</li><li>How "repeat business builds business"</li><li>The catch-22 of selling out for money or not being good enough for it</li><li>The artists' enviable lifestyle of glamour &amp; freedom</li><li>Referring to all customers as collectors</li><li>Branding: How artists create their brand</li><li>Marketing: How it has changed - keeping up with the times</li><li>Essential marketing tools &amp; skills for artists</li><li>Scalability: managing audience growth</li><li>The opportunity of technology for fine art and business scale: 3D Printing, Laser Cutters, etc</li></ul><p>Listen now, or download and take this 40min episode with you on your phone or mobile device.</p><p>The Arts Business Institute is at <a href="http://artsbusinessinstitute.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">artsbusinessinstitute.org</a> and Artsy Shark at <a href="http://artsyshark.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">artsyshark.com</a></p><p>If you find this content valuable and want to foster even more material like this, even a modest donation is meaningful: click <a href="http://clarkhulingsfund.org/donate/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

The Enviable Lifestyle of the Working Artist

Carolyn Edlund tells of her journey into clay and into a thriving business with clay that eventually turned in to a passion to coach artists about the business of art.

<p>Carolyn Edlund tells of her journey into clay and into a thriving business with clay that eventually turned in to a passion to coach artists about the business of art.</p>