by Rebecca Sciullo | Jun 14, 2019 | Artisan Advantage Book Club, Learning
The latest book of the month is “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.
“Atomic Habits” is an easy to read guide to creating good habits and breaking bad ones. Clear shows how small habits can have a big impact on your life and how to implement those positive habits for positive impact.
Better habits for your art business.
Identify either bad habits that are affecting your art business, or positive ones that you might implement for success. What do you need to start or stop doing? Then, figure out a plan of action to change those habits.
Here are some examples of how you can set yourself up for success with better habits.
Design your environment for success. Want to paint more? Is your studio or work area set up and easy to access, so that when it is time to work you are ready to go, rather than wasting time setting up.
Put it on your calendar. Blocking your time out to include those positive habits that you want to implement is a much better strategy than saying “I want to” but without a defined time set to do it.
Take baby steps. Can you start doing the habit for two minutes a day? How about five? Get yourself into a routine.
Make the habit satisfying.
One way to make a habit satisfying is to use a tracker or tool that helps you to feel accomplishment.
One way to do this is with The Clear Habit Journal.
I use Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner which has a “Streak Tracker” component that helps to tick off habits as you move towards specific goals.
There are also apps that can help you to stay on track with your habits.
Read “Atomic Habits” and get motivated to start some new habits to help improve your art business.
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by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 15, 2019 | Learning
The current book club pick is all about habits. Join me in reading Atomic Habits: An Easy Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear.
It’s easy. All you have to do is get your copy and start reading! Stay connected to the Artisan Advantage blog for posts about how you might apply principles from the book to your visual art business, as well as for opportunities to share your comments about the book with others.
Click here to read more about the Artisan Advantage Book Club.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 11, 2019 | Artisan Advantage Book Club, Learning
The latest Artisan Advantage Book Club pick was Karla Starr’s, “Can You Learn to be Lucky?; Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others.” A theme that kept popping up in my mind while reading this book was control the controllable.
Takeaways
Taking action is the first right step.
Remember the Kettering Principle:
Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.
Be memorable.
You may not be able to control the order in which your work is juried or your booth’s location at the arts festival, but it is within your control to be memorable.
Don’t take it personally.
You don’t always know the factors that are involved when people are making decisions about your work. Choose to frame your losses as learning experiments.
Show up.
Woody Allen was right: 80 percent of success is just showing up
Act the part.
Be professional. Don’t unknowingly eliminate yourself with “weird online IDs, unprofessional looking websites or goofy profile photos…”
Be aware of yourself and others
Keep your eyes open for opportunities.
Focus on your own bright spots.
Don’t worry about or be envious of what another artist is doing. Focus on the positive in your work and world.
Always be improving.
Take a class. Clean your studio. Take care of yourself.
Have a vision.
Focus on what you have to do today to get closer to your preferred future.
Write your vision out and reflect on it regularly.
Overall I enjoyed the read and found it to be a good reminder of how while we can’t control everything, there are many small things that we can do to make a big difference in our success.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 20, 2019 | Artist Websites, Learning, Social Media
Did you have trouble with Facebook last week? I was frustrated when attempting to log in at my desktop I saw this screen. It was a good reminder of why in addition to a social media presence, you need your own artist website.
You Should Be in Control of Your Online Presence
Social media is a necessary tool for your visual art business, but you need a home base that you control. Building a website can be a lot of work, but it can be done. I built my first artist website in 2006 with the Microsoft FrontPage program without any prior training or knowledge. Things have gotten easier since then and there are different ways that you can approach building your artist website.
How to Build an Artist Website
Hire Someone to Build it For You
Hiring a professional to build your artist website means that your website will be exactly what you want, to your specifications and can include functionality such as a shopping cart and email marketing system. You will also have someone to help with updates and fixes, at most likely on an hourly or fixed fee basis. Your cost will be higher than if you build it yourself. You will still spend time on the site, as you will have to communicate your needs to your web developer. Also, you will likely be responsible for hosting, upkeep and protecting it, which means you will have an ongoing expense to pay the developer to do these things for you.
Build Your Own From “Scratch”
You can build your own artist website using open source software like WordPress.org. I learned how to build Artisan Advantage this way by taking Christina Hills’ Website Creation Workshop. I don’t know that I would have been able to do it without taking her course. It was a worthwhile investment for me because so far I’ve been able to take care of the site on my own. Using WordPress.org is free, but there are costs involved if you are want to use a premium theme and certain plug-ins. Also, you will have the expenses of hosting, a domain name, upkeep and protecting the site in this scenario as well.
Do it Yourself with a Website Builder Tool
Building your own artist website using an all in one website builder platform is probably the easiest way to build your first site. With little technological know how you can literally build a website on some platforms in a few hours. This method is also more cost-effective as prices are often spread out with a low monthly fee. You can choose from pre-built professional designs and will have access to mobile templates and responsive designs that display well on different screens. Update content instantly, so when that new piece is ready to go, you can get it on the site without asking someone to do it for you. You can witch designs easily without having to make requests of a developer. The platform will typically handle hosting, security and software updates.
While it is possible to get a “free” website, you should eventually opt for a paid plan. It will be ad-free and you can use your own domain address. These platforms can be limiting and packages often come with pre-determined features, but for most visual art businesses these platforms will be sufficient.
Most will allow you to try before you buy. Take advantage of trial offers or free plans to see if you like the tool before you upgrade.
Some platforms to consider are Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, and WordPress.com.
No Matter How You Build Your Site, Always Do This
Map out your web pages and the content before you start building.
Use a custom domain name for your artist website, rather than using a generic address provided by the web platform.
Use quality images of your work. Learn how to take and edit high-quality photos of your work or find someone to help you.
Provide your contact information on the site.
Capture email addresses for future communications.
Just Do It!
Building your own site might seem like a big job, but it will be worth it in the long run.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Mar 12, 2019 | Artisan Advantage Book Club, Learning, Resources
If you joined in with the Artisan Advantage Book Club and finished The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® I hope that you were able to learn something new to apply to your art business. There was a lot to digest, so I thought I would give you a bit longer to read it.
One response that I received about the book I think sums it up well.
What I am enjoying most, is this book is NOT a “quick fix” that is very popular in the business/marketing information that is out there these days because it deals with the person, which means it will have an effect on the artist’s entire business, as the artist is his/her business.
With respect specifically to a visual art business, here are some takeaways that came to my mind.
Takeaways
Be Proactive. How can you take responsibility for your art business? Make sure that you are acting proactively vs. reactively as you plan and work.
Begin With the End in Mind. Do you have a clear written vision for your art business? If not, this should be a priority. Once it’s written, make sure that your actions are aligning with your vision. Review this vision on a regular basis to ensure you stay on track.
Put first things first. Are you focusing on activities that are bringing you closer to your vision for your art business? Can you discern between the urgent but not important versus the important but not urgent tasks? Can you identify busy work that really isn’t getting you where you need to get to?
Think Win-Win. Whether it’s a collaborative project or participating in an event with an artist organization, can you work to build relationships by finding solutions and agreements that benefit everyone involved?
Seek first to understand…Are you taking time to listen to clients and customers before moving ahead with a commission or project?
Synergize. Can you find ways to participate, contribute and interact with your community?
Sharpen the Saw. Is there balance in your business and personal life? Make sure you are taking time out for other hobbies, family, exercise whatever it is you need to maintain your overall health and relationships in the long run.
Find more Franklin Covey resources at www.franklincovey.com. If you haven’t had a chance to read the book, that’s ok. There are no rules are requirements for the Book Club! I encourage you to read at your own pace. Take what you need, lose what you don’t.
I’d always love to hear your thoughts or a book recommendation at becky@artisan-advantage.com.
March’s book pick will be announced tomorrow. In the meantime, sign up for my newsletter here. I randomly select one subscriber every month to receive a free copy of the book for that month.
