So we’ll be sending out Jan newsletter when we return and I will share just HOW we are able to “live the life of an artist”. SO if that doesn’t keep you on pins and needles, nothing will!

This says it all! Normally a portrait this size, commissioned by a client, would have fetched $900.00  Even though the Pennsylvania woman offered to pay me for the commission, I said “No.” There are times when you have to give back and this was one of those. -seriously, how can you charge a mainly all-volunteer [...]

“Sunn [sic], the difference ‘tween involvement and commitment is the same as the difference ‘tween eggs and bacon. The chicken is involved. The pig is committed.” It’s hard to argue with that.

Think of all the time some of you may be spending daily on the computer reading other people’s blogs and devote some of that time to your own creative research. Sometimes you just have to get out there and do it!

Consumer demands are changing. Customers want more immediate access to the best relevant deals and are using the Internet as the primary way to redeem coupons. Now, one in five smartphone users use mobile coupons and the demographics of coupon users are shifting. AN excerpt:

Developing a strong work ethic has never stunted any artist’s creativity. And whoever thinks that is simply looking for an easy out! So with that in mind, if you need your ego stroked and your hand held, and my “get ‘er done” directness offends you, there are plenty of other bloggers making big money soft peddling the “artist life fantasy!” So I won’t apologize for skipping the feel good stuff because if you are serious about making a living with your art, you will be more interested, and won’t mind, getting down to brass tacks and making a Plan of Action for the year!

It is telling that the most often asked question in our art marketing seminars is “How do I price my work?” The artists who ask, regardless of what they just heard from me in the seminar, are searching for an easy, magical formula for instant success. And top of their list is the thought ” skip the rest-just tell me how to price my art so I can sell”

Parents and schools today are turning out a whole generation of whiny, dependent child/adults , thanks, in part, to their 24/7 hovering and dumbed down, federally funded education systems.

……..I would love to hear the story of the artist whose career rocketed to success because he or she donated a work to a charity auction and this act alone tipped the first domino toward an avalanche of success coming his or her way. This narrative is always implied. I’ve never seen it happen.

“Art Should Sell Itself!” That would be nice. But it doesn’t and it won’t happen. Not in your lifetime. And curiously enough, artists actually know this. But somewhere back in their mind is some group, book or individual whispering that phrase to them and early education is very powerful…..even if it is utterly wrong!