You probably already know the basics of approaching a gallery. You have a solid portfolio of current work. You researched and targeted galleries that show relevant work. You polished your CV and artist statement. Everything has been prepared with care and you are ready to send it off and finally land representation from your target gallery. But, how can you…
Pop-up stores—not a new concept. We’ve seen Spirit Halloween stores come into neighborhood shopping districts, thrill us with their vast assortment, and go. A Christmas candy pop-up surprises you with convenience, a “Bouquets To Go” at Valentine’s Day next to your local grocery store was just what you needed at that moment, or maybe you’ve had a glimpse of an…
One of the most exciting things I do every year is to attend art trade shows. While there, I get to meet with artists, fellow gallery owners and art consultants, as well as buyers. Besides getting to speak directly with fellow art lovers, my favorite thing to do there is sell art! If you’re one of the artists heading to…
No matter your artistic vision, preferred subject matter and style, when it comes to hanging your art in a booth at an art show, less is more. Conventional wisdom might suggest that the more artwork you display, the more likely you are to make a sale; however, the opposite can be true. Hanging too many pieces on the walls or…
Have patience with all things unresolved and learn to love the questions themselves. – Rainier Maria Rilke Artists are endlessly curious. But in life, we spend a lot of our time running away from questions. We want to know everything right now. Yet it’s only by following the questions that we find where the true answers lie. Artists are often…
When I was in college, I had a favorite professor, who taught art history. He’d started out as a photographer, a career that had been his lifelong dream since mixing his own chemicals in a makeshift darkroom under his parents’ stairway. As a young man, he’d had an opportunity to show his portfolio to an established and highly celebrated photographer…
Artists struggle with self-confidence all the time. Do you? Seriously, as an artist, you are putting the most personal and vulnerable parts of yourself forward. Everybody has an opinion on your work and thinks they know better—and it’s easy to listen to them. It’s certainly much easier than keeping the faith. I know a photographer who recently showed his work…
“I used to have a band,” he told me. He had played lead guitar and sang. It was the 1980s, and he worked hard, touring the country and gaining a small following. But he never broke through. When he turned 30, he got a chance to play one of the biggest music festivals in Great Britain. His brother ran the…
Art is more than just pretty pictures. The best art explores ideas, and ideas need time to develop and to grow. In fact, they demand it. Respect the process and give yourself permission to take time for your work. Schedule it—or, better yet, make it a part of your daily routine. Each day I take an hour or so to…
Any artist worth his or her salt is part of a larger arts community. Other artists are not your competition; other artists are your colleagues—and, I think you’ll find, your best friends. I once lived in a town with lots of artists but no community. Everyone worked in their own frustrated little bubble. I tried to begin a monthly get-together,…
