Welcome back. If you've listened to episode 98, you know I took a year off the podcast to attain my MFA. I'm happy to share that I completed a one-year accelerated MFA program in Media Design through Full Sail University.

Completing the heavy grad school workload while keeping my job required hours after work every day and on weekends in addition to a 40-hour work week allowed for very little sleep, even less housekeeping (thank you to my husband for hanging in there), and no time for painting or podcasting. Thank you to you, my loyal listeners, who hung in there. The show is back, and I'm excited to continue my conversations with you, my fellow artists.

Now, if you're a longtime listener, then you know that for me, this show is all about you, my sister, and what you need as an artist. But since I'm jumping back in after a long break, I am checking in and letting you know what's coming up.

This episode will give you an idea of some epiphanies I've gained during the year that can help other artists. The next podcast will resume my interviews with artists and professionals whose businesses provide resources that support artists.

In looking back on how much I was able to cram into the past year to achieve a big career goal, the key takeaways from my grad school experience that can help artists can be put into four steps:

Step 1: Have a clear picture of where you want to go.

Step 2: Know your risk tolerance.

Step 3: Pick a direction through ideation and research

Step 4: Make consistent progress your goal.

STEP 1: HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO

You will struggle to succeed with your art if you don't know how you want it to fit into your life. It's like walking in a random direction without a destination in mind beyond a vague idea. A map won't help you until you know where you want to end up. There are tons of art and art business classes, books, and coaches out there. Before investing time, energy, and money in all kinds of success tools, dedicate some quiet time to determining what success as an artist looks like for you.

For me, it's building a body of work I can consistently add to and sell online and in person. For my mom, that would be stifling and boring. She'd rather keep her creative pursuits in the hobby category, experimenting with different techniques without committing to any one path. If she happens to earn a ribbon or sell art at an exhibit, it's a perk, but those are not her primary goals. She's there for camaraderie with other artists and to see what everyone else is up to. And that's perfectly fine. Artists who are clear on what they want from their creative life are likelier to produce and not feel stuck.

Once you have the picture in your mind, you can work backward from there.

To sell my work, I had to identify what, where, and how to move forward. This involved:

• Determining what I am passionate about creating

• Identifying the audience

• Determining where that audience can be found.

• Building a body of work

Until recently, the work I offered only included portraits on commission. While this can be a source of income, portraiture is a specific niche unlikely to draw buyers not already looking for a portrait. My challenge was choosing a body of work to create that I could begin selling. I hear this from listeners who lament, "I don't know where to begin."

In a few minutes, we'll discuss some ways to be specific about what to create, but for now, know that having a clear vision of your life as an artist will help answer this question. For example, if you see yourself painting outdoors in your ideal artist life, chances are you'll gravitate toward plein air subjects—painting the landscape around you when you're outside.

If your vision of being an artist involves selling your work, you must identify the ideal places to market and sell your art. For instance, just because you have a website doesn't mean buyers will come. We'll discuss this in an upcoming interview. For now, remember successfully selling your work online means the buyers of the type of art you want to sell must be online, aware of your work and where to find it.

I'm finally migrating my website to an art website hosting company with a built-in storefront. I've chosen artstorefronts.com for several reasons. I won't get into them here in-depth, but my upcoming interview with the company will help you learn whether an online storefront may be right for you.

If you also want to sell your art in person at fairs, stores, or galleries, you need to know the venues where it will most likely be purchased. I'll discuss this in a few minutes.

Wrapping up Step 1: Having a clear vision for your life as an artist requires quiet time to think about your goals and do a little research into the market. Once you have these pieces of information, it's time to have fun creating. How you go about this will depend on your personality. Which brings us to

STEP 2: KNOW YOUR RISK TOLERANCE

Some of my listeners know I have a day job as a media specialist in a casino. Growing up, both my parents were entrepreneurs. They were great role models, demonstrating grit and determination in pursuing their dreams on their terms. My upbringing also taught me that I don't have the stomach for a financially unpredictable lifestyle. My risk tolerance is low. My day job helps me move toward my goals while providing the financial security I need to be creative. It also keeps my design, marketing, and business skills honed, and it’s a blast. I’m fortunate to get paid to have fun.

To make the transition to being a full time studio artist, I recommend getting out of debt and build up an emergency fund of at least $1,000 cash plus a three to six month's income cushion of savings to allow them to explore their art. There are plenty of financial gurus out there you can check out to guide you with suggestions on how this can work, but having that $1,000 set aside in cash can make the difference between cash flowing a car repair or sliding into debt.

I don't believe in borrowing money to launch a fine art career because debt creates stress and pressure. These days, the phrase "healthy stress" gets tossed around a lot in business circles. Most of us need deadlines and some obligation to fulfill to maintain our momentum towards a goal. This "healthy stress" is the kind that gives you milestones to meet on the way to a larger goal and accountability as you go. Ideally, this includes the support of others who can provide objective feedback and plenty of encouragement. I'm not talking about the kind of stress where your financial security is at stake. For most of us, that's an unhealthy amount of stress that works against the flow of creativity.

If you want to be a professional fine artist, the larger the financial cushion you have set aside, the more time you'll have to get your career going. If, like me, you're still working your way to this point, a day job that may or may not be in the creative field can help you feel secure enough to create. If you go the day job route, I consider one of the most important factors not whether the job is in the creative sphere but that it is as low-stress as possible while meeting your financial needs. Because when stress goes down, creativity goes up.

STEP 3: PICK A DIRECTION

The possibilities can be overwhelming when you’re trying to decide what direction to take for a body of work. The thing is, most artists don’t suffer from not having enough ideas but from having too many.

Going through grad school was extremely helpful because I had to complete weekly projects in addition to coursework, weekly papers, and summation videos. The workload and the pressure of immovable deadlines quickly taught me that while I could go in several directions for any project, I had to assess my choices and commit to the most promising option. Then I had to move forward. There was no option to weigh my choices to the point of paralysis.

Set aside time regularly to generate ideas for your art, then commit your energy to completing the one or two best ideas. But, give yourself a time limit before picking an idea to pursue. Part of this ideation journey involves research. I’m not talking about dry science experiments. For artists, research may be a combination of self-reflection on what we love to create and where our preferences align with those of the target audience we are aiming at.

You can begin your research on subject matter by brainstorming ideas, either in list form, a mind map, collaging scraps of images you are drawn to, or combining more than one approach. Don’t limit yourself at this stage; jot down whatever comes to mind, including subjects and values important to you, colors, and mood.

One of my favorite techniques is to collect words from the newspaper. Just tear out words that appeal to you without overanalyzing them. I put mine into a box, then pull out words and play with interesting combinations in my sketchbook. I draw over and around them, assimilating the words/concepts into sketches. This process can generate fascinating results. In fact, one of my stream-of-consciousness sketchbook collages evolved into an award-winning oil painting.

Word maps are another excellent technique for the visually inclined. Begin with a keyword that represents your idea. Then, draw a line to a related idea and branch out from each idea into another. You can find links to the word map technique in the show notes below.

After determining what subjects I’m passionate about, I looked at where that subject matter intersected with potential buyers. You’ve got to be intentional in showing up where these buyers are. Suppose you’d like to sell work locally or regionally. In that case, you’ll need to objectively assess the venues where you will most likely succeed in selling your work. Then, determine what those buyers gravitate to and successful pricing ranges. If you’re considering participating in an art fair, attend as many fairs in the area you plan to have your booth as possible.

See what other artists are selling, not just offering. Try to discover what is moving. Talk to vendors. Express interest in their work and ask what’s popular. Most artists and craftspeople are happy to talk about their work, creative journey, and process. You can also look for information on regular vendors at that venue. If you don’t know whom to contact, try your local art organization or chamber of commerce.

If you’re in a larger town or city, you’ll have more options and can determine which venues your target buyers go to. But if, like me, you’re in a small town and still want to sell locally, you’ll be faced with determining what the buyers who attend local venues are looking for. Then, you can decide if you want to create art that resonates with those buyers. If so, your sweet spot in creating work will be where your creative passion and buyer preferences intersect.

I don’t recommend forcing yourself to create art to suit an audience; however, if you’re just not into it. I, for instance, love to paint animals. I live in a small coastal town on Lake Michigan with a vibrant cultural history of farming. I’m happy about making paintings of chickens, ducks, cows, and pigs and bringing them to local fairs. But if I discovered that only paintings of tractors were popular, I would choose another venue to sell my work. Can I paint tractors? Yes. Am I fired up about painting tractors? Nope. I have nothing against tractors. I’m just not fired up about painting them.

As I mentioned in Step 1, we must add the online marketplace to the venues to consider when selling art. Now that school is done, I’m ready for an all-inclusive website system so I can focus on painting and marketing, not web maintenance.

Please note that this is not a sponsored podcast or affiliate endorsement.

I’m sharing my experience of looking into artist storefront website services with you, as you, too, have likely found this topic confusing and overwhelming. I am a web designer with a podcast looking to turn over my custom site to an art storefront company whose services will support my continuing to post my podcast. I had questions for customer service. Many of you may be in this position or, on the other end of the spectrum, may not want to deal with tech at all. You’re still going to have questions you need answered.

In past podcasts, I’ve mentioned Fine Art Studios Online (or FASO). Unfortunately, when I contacted them, I could not get the necessary answers to commit financially to turning over my website, nor was I able to get them to come on the show. I asked more than once and could not get beyond the salesperson, who told me they were just the salesperson. Sadly, that response was it for me in deciding to look elsewhere. It sounded a lot like, “I just work here.” And hey, if any FASO staff are listening to this podcast, you are still welcome to take me up on my offer to come on the show and talk about FASO’s services.

After shelving the transition for a year during school, I discovered Art Storefronts and reached out. I received excellent customer service in getting answers and information. My amazing sales rep also enthusiastically agreed to put me in contact with someone willing to come on the show to tell you all about Art Storefronts’s services. This is in the works, and I hope to have that interview in the can and posted by mid-September.

So, if one of the venues you’re considering is online, compare products and services to your list of what matters most to you in a website. I needed to stop cobbling separate website plugins to have a site that allows for multiple uses, including a podcast, information about my art class, and a storefront. Consider what will give you peace of mind and time to move toward your ideal life as an artist.

STEP 4: MAKE CONSISTENT PROGRESS YOUR GOAL

Once you've decided on a course through ideation and a little research into where your audience can be found, it's time to build your body of work. It's worth repeating that most artists don't suffer from not having enough ideas but from having too many. It's better to take a step and fail than to stand still for fear of stumbling. Try not to judge your work as you move through your practice; instead, think of each new creation as the next right step on your path. Adjusting your concept as you go is okay; I'm not saying you must feel locked in entirely. Take breaks and look at your progress with a fresh eye.

But it's easy to feel overwhelmed even after determining your direction and narrowing your ideas down to a curated, researched list of potential new pieces. So, pick the most promising idea and stick to completing it. Then, assess how well it moved you toward your goals.

Repeating this process will help you stop the tendency to continually judge w hat others will think of your ideas. Analysis paralysis only leads to a roomful of abandoned projects, the equivalent of one-step-forward, two-steps-back, which doesn't work.

Don't take on the burden of guessing what someone else thinks of your idea. I've made this mistake in the past, getting in my own way before even starting. If I had approached my schoolwork that way, I would not have made my deadlines and would not have graduated.

So, instead of the one-step-forward, two-steps-back plan, let's follow the three-steps forward, one-step back plan:

Step one is idea generation with a time limit. Step two is determining your strongest ideas and choosing one to start with. Step three is working on that choice until you've completed it. Throw your energy and effort behind the strongest concept and look forward, not back over your shoulder. The one-step back is the assessment afterward, in which you step back to objectively assess what worked, what didn't, and what your next right step will be.

The exception here is if you're like me and work on two or even three pieces at a time to avoid overworking any one painting (or sculpture, drawing, you get the idea). And that's fine, so long as each piece of whatever art you are creating is on your list of the body or bodies of work you are adding to. Commit to moving through each to see how well you can complete it. And if you feel you're entirely off course. Then, toss it. But pick up your next best step and move ahead with that one right away.

A note here that consistent progress is going to require boundaries and discernment about what you may need to pass up. We all want more money, but time can be even harder to come by. For many artists, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to create, especially if the project comes with recognition. I’m suggesting you consider each opportunity with that your larger goal in mind. You may be surprised that once people know of your talent, invitations to use it are likely to increase. With each opportunity, ask yourself if it will move you toward your vision. it can be hard to resist proving yourself to those who need art services, whether charity or paid. And if we’re honest, sometimes there’s a temptation to show off a little bit, especially if we know the job will go to someone else if we pass it up. I was just asked if I want to head up a local mural project. While my first thought was “yes,” I had to step back and decide how a large project would impact my time and energy. I had to factor in losing evenings and weekends, as that’s where my time exists outside of work. I had to think of the logistics, such as the absence of a scaffolding system that would definitely be needed. Could the project be done to my satisfaction without it? How much longer would that take? Or was I going to end up spending my own money to build one (and rope in my spouse to do the heavy lifting). Speaking of spending, the project was volunteer, so I would be unpaid. Bragging rights, sure, but is this where I want to increase my exposure? The answer was, no, for the many reasons I noted. I love volunteering my abilities to help charities. But I am selective on where I donate my time and energy and how much. I have to be. And I make sure my volunteer projects dovetail with my larger vision for my life as an artist.

So, as I wrap this up, I can tell you that post-graduation, I have a list of painting collections I want to make. It helped to then decide on a preliminary number of paintings for collection.

Next, I've begun collecting reference photos for each painting. I have also assessed my time between now and next summer to determine how many paintings I need to make each month to be ready for the local summer arts festival. This means carving out set times for making my art on weekday evenings and weekends.

After a year of almost no time with friends and family and very little sleep, this process will not involve a repeat of my grad school schedule. It will, however, consistently include two weeknights and time on the weekends. I'll let you know how it goes. I will also be mixing in podcast artist interviews, so if there is someone you'd like to hear on the show, please reach out to me at caroline@passionatepainterpodcast.com

Join me next time for an interview with Patrick Shanahan, Marketing Director of art Storefronts.com.

Until Next time,

Go make something.