The Creative Business Handbook
Offering veteran insight and friendly, actionable advice from two self-made women who have helmed three successful creative businesses, this practical guide to becoming a creative entrepreneur will speak to anyone wanting to make art, be their own boss, and not have to work a second job to make ends meet.
Figuring out how to make a living from your creative work poses unique challenges and obstacles. From choosing the right business model to building a brand, from managing your time to scaling up your production-starting your own creative business often means doing it all yourself. Enter The Creative Business Handbook by Alicia Puig and Ekaterina Popova, the dynamic duo behind Create! Magazine.
With its conversational tone and accessible advice, this handbook lays an essential foundation for anyone wanting to earn a living with their art-no fancy business degree required! In addition to nuts-and-bolts advice based on the authors' real-life experiences, each chapter of the book includes an interview with a creative entrepreneur from a different background and craft, and ends with action steps that will help keep you on track. Written by creative business owners for creative business owners, this is the perfect book for anyone with a vision who is ready to hit the ground running.
EXPERT AUTHORS: Informed by the authors' decades of experience founding and managing four successful creative businesses - as well as the lessons they learned from some projects that didn't stand the test of time-this book offers tried-and-true advice for artists looking to get their creative enterprises off the ground and achieve real financial success. Popova and Puig have also included interviews with other self-employed creatives across a variety of fields, giving you a window into the myriad paths available to you as you embark on your entrepreneurial journey.
FOR ALL CREATIVES: This book offers real wisdom for starting and sustaining your unique creative business no matter your passion, whether you are a fine artist looking to make a living outside of the gallery space or a podcaster who dreams of sustaining yourself by making content that you genuinely care about. From advice about best marketing practices to striking the ever-elusive work-life balance, this guide will help you to understand the business side of your creative practice.
Perfect for:
• Artists, designers, makers, illustrators-recent graduates and budding professionals looking to start their own businesses
• Creative people exploring career ideas and looking for practical advice and inspiration
• Graduation, birthday, or holiday gift for artistic and entrepreneurial friends and loved ones
• Readers of Create! Magazine, Steal Like an Artist, Big Magic, and Untamed
The Complete Smartist Guide
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Learn how to sell more art, build a thriving business, and lead the creative life you've always dreamed of! This is the book with all of the practical information about how to actually make a career in the arts that we never learned in art school. The Complete Smartist Guide by artist and Create! Magazine Founder, Ekaterina Popova, and curator and gallery director of PxP Contemporary, Alicia Puig, is packed with tips, hints, and actionable steps from our personal experiences working in the art world. In this essential guide for self-taught and emerging artists, we discuss not only business tactics, sales strategies, and how to promote your art online and in person, but also actionable information about how to deal with creative burnout, overcome imposter syndrome, and avoid the comparison game! We’ve built our creative businesses largely using social media and email marketing so we share all of the exact steps we used to reach audiences of hundreds of thousands of followers around the world. To make sure we rounded out this book with even more solid advice, we’ve included interviews with numerous contemporary artists to share their unique insight into how to license your art, attract clients for commissions and mural projects, develop your unique creative voice, and so much more!
Chapters:
Business Basics
Your Artist Website
The smARTist Guide to Writing a Professional Resume
Stress-Free Artist Statements
Crafting Your Portfolio
Creating Business Stationery
Creating Systems to Stay Organized
How to Price Your Art
Smart Strategies to Sell & Market Your Art
Taking the Leap & Leaving Your Day Job
Now What? Things to Consider as You Begin Self-Employment
Diversifying Income Streams
The Fine Artist’s Guide to Social Media & Marketing
Using Instagram for Your Art Career
Getting Noticed on Instagram
Your Facebook Guide
More Ways to Connect with Your Audience
Email Marketing Basics
Networking 101 for Artists
Navigating the Art Business World
The Dos and Don’ts of Applying to Art Galleries
Aiming for Rejection Letters
Alternatives to the Gallery System
Submission Savvy: Helpful Tips on How to Submit, Improve Acceptance Rates & Avoid Common Mistakes
Finding & Building Relationships with Collectors
Five Lessons You Learn from Working in the Arts
Handling Commissions
Art World Etiquette
Developing & Growing as an Artist
Defining Your Unique Style
Finding Opportunities for Your Art
Starting Over: Four Ways to Move On & Move Forward
Establishing Smart Goals
Good Vibes Only: Negativity in the Art World & How to Fight It
It's Not Luck (& Other Reasons Why Creatives Need to Be More Vocal about Their Accomplishments)
The Grass Isn't Greener, but Sometimes It's Okay to Check
Navigating Artist Residencies
Tips for Surviving an Art Fair as an Artist
Overcoming Creative Burnout
How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome
Dealing with “Un” Feelings
Coming Back to Your Art after a Break
You Belong in the Art World
Finding Your Tribe
Making Time for Your Art While Working a Day Job
Bonus Material
Licensing Your Work
Considering & Acquiring an Agency or Art Rep
Exploring Other Social Media Outlets
See a selection of our reviews:
First Edition, 2019.