Art Biz Podcast

Host Alyson Stanfield talks with artist Joan Chamberlain, whose creative journey has taken many twists and turns. Joan shares her story, from her early days as a botanical artist and licensed illustrator to her time as a product developer and dentist. Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Joan reflects on how moving has impacted her art, her lifestyle, and her happiness. Joan discusses: How attending Alyson’s first live workshop in 2003 shaped her dedication to her art business. The positive impact the move has had on Joan’s art practice and why she insists that location matters for an artist. The challenges and benefits of transitioning to a new art community, and how volunteering helped her make key connections in Eugene. How Joan found her niche and is excited to develop more work in that direction. Her informal audience research to find the best market for her work, including the potential for reproductions. Whether you're thinking of moving, looking for a fresh perspective, or simply searching for joy in your

Host Alyson Stanfield talks with Iris Scott, a talented artist who has had tremendous success on social media. A large portion of the discussion was driven by questions from her dedicated followers. Iris shares how the social media landscape has evolved since the early days of her art career and how she adapts to those changes today, including her approach to TikTok and paid advertising. The insightful conversation also touches on: Iris’s time living in Taiwan, where the low cost of living was instrumental in her artistic development. The challenges of overcoming doubt and how she finds inspiration in her work. Her view of technology as a collaborator, with insights into how she incorporates AI into her creative process. A detailed breakdown of Iris’s income from original pieces versus reproductions. Balancing a successful art career with motherhood and maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a mom to a toddler.

host: Alyson Stanfield In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield talks with Debra about her dynamic journey as an artist and entrepreneur. Debra reflects on her career that spans teaching, studio work, decorative painting, and involvement with various communities. She shares the challenges she faced navigating the competitive art world, her time running Artifactory decorative painting studio in the Bay Area, and her eventual move to Los Angeles to support her husband's acting career, which also opened new opportunities for her. Debra emphasizes the importance of enthusiasm, showing up daily, and the step-by-step process of building an art career. She also touches on the benefits of engaging with people, the power of reaching out, and the satisfaction of participating in jury shows and contributing to the community.

In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield chats with artist Julie deBoer, founder of Mastrius, a mentorship platform for artists. Julie shares her journey of discovering her unique style with the help of a mentor, and how she resisted what was coming out of her until she began understanding where it came from. She discusses the challenges of working with galleries, transitioning to solo sales, and the importance of community in the artist’s journey. Julie also delves into how Mastrius differs from other online learning platforms by focusing on personalized mentorship and community support. The episode wraps up with one of Alyson’s favorite discussions: how Julie finds the time to fit everything in while prioritizing her art.

host: Alyson Stanfield In the 200th episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield explores the deeper motivations behind artists' desires for more recognition and sales. She emphasizes the importance of pursuing true fulfillment in art, beyond external validation and social media metrics. Alyson shares her personal journey of prioritizing happiness over career stability and discusses various forms of fulfillment for artists, such as making their best work, gaining gallery representation, and receiving positive feedback. She encourages artists to exhibit their work in public more frequently and to engage with their audience to find deeper meaning and joy. 00:00 Our Desire for MORE  01:23 Personal Journey: Finding Happiness 02:16 Milestone Reflection: 200th Episode 02:39 True Fulfillment as an Artist 04:53 The Importance of External Validation 05:49 The Role of Exhibitions and Shows 07:38 Art as Communication and Connection 08:55 Commitment to Showing Your Art 09:34 Conclusion: Celebrating the Journey

In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield talks with author and artist Alyson Sheldrake. Every month for ten years, Alyson Sheldrake has published Snapshot!, an extensive digital magazine that promotes her work, her husband’s photography, and local businesses. The most recent edition was 128 pages! In her words, Snapshot! covers art, photography, books, reviews, events, interviews, rescue dogs, authors, and news about the beautiful Algarve in Portugal. That’s a lot of territory, and, as you’ll see, she has plenty of story ideas for future content. Writing, designing, and publishing the magazine is not a grind for Alyson. She loves doing it, referring to it as “The newsletter that thinks it’s a magazine.” It’s a comfortable way to market for her that just so happens to reach about 17,000 people with each edition. Key takeaway: through the magazine, Alyson promotes others who, in turn, help promote the magazine and her art.

Future plans, deadlines, and accountability are a necessary part of your success. Host Alyson Stanfield of Art Biz Success explains how artists can get stuck in cycles of procrastination without a structured calendar filled with exciting commitments. Alyson shares practical examples from her own life as well as from her experience with students and clients, and details how deadlines and accountability partners, including coaches and community groups, can help maintain momentum. Key takeaways include the importance of setting attainable milestones, self-review processes, and embracing external support systems to drive progress and achieve creative goals. 00:33 Why plans, deadlines, and accountability matter 01:56 Personal experience and motivation 04:59 The role of deadlines in achieving goals 06:43 The power of accountability 08:47 Practical steps to implement accountability 10:26 Embrace deadlines and accountability: What are your first steps?

host: Alyson Stanfield In order for the art ecosystem to work, many rejections must be handed out. That means to have a successful art business and career, you must learn to deal with rejection. More to the point, in order to be successful in life, you have to learn to deal with rejection, regardless of your vocation. In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield talks with Megan Wimberley, who wants to help you move past rejection. As both an artist and a founder of the Cowgirl Artists of America organization, she has experienced both sides of the process. The good news about rejection is that you are not alone. Every artist who wants to attain a higher level of accomplishment must deal with rejection. The bad news is … well … You’ve been rejected. And that feels awful. But you can’t let it stop you. Megan outlines a framework for dealing with rejection, including the importance of emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and professionalism—all in the service of elevating and protecting your reputation.

What do we do about all of the art materials that are harming you and the planet? Kelly O’Brien has taken this concern to heart and completely changed how she makes work. She grows and uses biomaterials for her sculpture. Host Alyson Stanfield talks with Kelly about:

Host Alyson Stanfield is joined by Jeff Schaller, who started an open studio tour in Pennsylvania at the height of the recession. It is still growing and supporting the participating artists. As he’ll tell you, Jeff is an artist first and foremost. Somehow he has created this other job for himself because he believes that artists can do well by connecting directly with collectors who visit them in their studios. Jeff and Alyson talk about: What it takes to put on a studio tour Which artists do well in studio tours Why it’s important to do plenty of marketing yourself and not rely solely on the organizer of a studio tour His marketing strategies, costs, and lots more. There are, of course, ramifications around opening your studio to visitors, supporters, and strangers, but that’s for another episode.

Host: Alyson Stanfield If you've ever thought about sharing your artist story on a podcast—or pitching to anyone for publicity—this episode is for you. Join host Alyson Stanfield as she dives into the value of being a guest on The Art Biz and provides solid tips for pitching your art to any podcast for maximum publicity. (This information can also be adapted for any pitch you make for any reason.) Every artist has a unique journey, and sharing it can attract more fans, followers, and collectors. Alyson provides straightforward advice on how to craft your approach to make it compelling and irresistible to podcast hosts—or at least get them to pay attention and not roll their eyes at another bumbled pitch. You'll learn these five key elements of a successful pitch. Do Your Homework: Listen to episodes of The Art Biz and read the blog to understand what Alyson's looking for. (Same for anyone else you’re pitching to.) Research: Show respect for the host and their work by demonstrating your knowledge and apprecia

It’s possible to make more money and find a little more peace of mind by making a few tweaks in how you approach your art business. In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield talks with Monique Carr about how she has done it. When she reached out to Alyson a couple of years ago for a private coaching partnership, Monique was aiming for doing half the work, making twice the money, and having fun in whatever she did. She’s not quite at the twice the money part, but things have definitely improved—like increasing her email list by about 250% in two years. Embracing online teaching at the beginning of Covid has been a game-changer. In this conversation, Monique shares her income streams, how she uses her email list, and how she was motivated to do a Black Friday sale after working on her money plan with me and noticing that her gallery sales were down for the year. Monique takes action without complaining—figuring out what needs to be done and doing it. You’ll be inspired by her story.

host: Alyson Stanfield Originally from a large metropolitan area, Tracey Hewitt married a rancher and, like Lisa Douglas in Green Acres, said goodbye to city life. But she never said goodbye to her art. Host Alyson Stanfield wanted to talk with Tracey because every encounter she has ever had with her as a member of our Art Biz Connection community has been positive. Tracey is funny, warm, and generous. And she knows how to live life to its fullest. Tracey helps run the family cattle business in the Australian bush, which takes up a good hunk of her time. Aside from her duties on the ranch, Tracey is and always has been an artist, though the label of “artist” wasn’t easy for her to adopt—a hurdle many artists must overcome. [ See How Do You Know When You’re an Artist? with James Holmes ] Today, through her teaching and life coaching practices, Tracey helps other artists get comfortable with their creativity and, if they like, with calling themselves artists. You’ll be inspired by her optimism.

What “game” are you playing in your art business and in life? Artist-writer-speaker Jason Kotecki makes the point that you have a unique game plan to follow—one that can’t be compared to another artist or online personality. In a conversation with host Alyson Stanfield, Jason shares his experience of overcoming comparison and jealousy, emphasizing the importance of focusing on your unique talents and contributions. He talks about the pivotal moment in a Philadelphia ballroom that led him to merge his art with his speaking engagements and how this fusion has shaped his career. The discussion covers practical steps artists can take to combat comparison, and the benefits of having a “talent stack” to differentiate yourself. Jason also delves into his income streams, his collaborative work with his wife, Kim, and upcoming events like Wondernite.

host: Alyson Stanfield It might help (but isn’t necessary) to start this episode by listening to episode 189, which is an encore of a 2019 interview I did with Ali Cavanaugh when she was making big changes in her work life. In this episode, Ali and I catch up with all that has transpired in the last 5 years. We discuss: Her booming Patreon community that gives her so much joy. How she has pared back on the demands for her art and the boundaries she put in place to allow her to do that. The recent release of the Ali Cavanaugh Portrait Colors Set from Golden Artist Colors. The upcoming retrospective of her work, made possible because she has withheld prized pieces from sale to keep in her private collection. Ali is incredibly generous. As you’ll hear, she is utterly devoted to her patrons and the success of her students.

host: Alyson Stanfield In 2014, Ali Cavanaugh had 11 galleries representing her work throughout the U.S. and even overseas. It was all she could do to paint fast enough to supply these galleries with new work. What a great problem to have! But it was still a problem. Then she started asking for it to be returned to her. She was rethinking her art and what her business model looked like. She worked hard to get to that point, the way things were going no longer worked well for her. She decided to take control and be very deliberate about her next moves. This episode is an encore of the inspiration-packed interview I did with Ali Cavanaugh back in 2019 in episode 33. I’ll be sharing a new interview with Ali next week, but I thought it would be fun to be reminded of where she was 5 years ago when we first talked. In this interview, Ali and I discuss how she made a deliberate decision to take control of her art career. She left 10 of her galleries and the stress caused by having to supply so many venues.  

host: Alyson Stanfield Elizabeth LeMaster, my guest for this episode of The Art Biz, has, like so many of us, more to balance than her studio practice and business. She has a family. A young family. A big family. A growing family. How do you find time for working on your art when you have 6 kids under the age of 8?

host: Alyson Stanfield My utter bliss is to help artists make business systems that streamline their lives so they can spend more time in the studio. So when Skip Hill said he needed a system for following up with his collectors and important relationships, I knew I wanted to help. In this encore episode of The Art Biz, I walk Skip through the steps to create a plan for nurturing his relationships. We go through these steps to create his plan: What do you want to happen? By when does it need to happen? Or … How frequently does it need to happen? What do you need to have/acquire/learn to make that happen? And/Or what tools and technology will you use for the process? Who do you need to enlist to help? What are the exact steps needed to make this system hum? The steps in that last question provides the fuel. Miss a step, and your system crashes.

host: Alyson Stanfield I want to talk about something that I think gets in the way of how you think about what a successful art business is or can be. I want to help you reframe your daily decisions, actions, and results (or lack thereof)—to embrace the volatility of an artist life. To understand that there will be highs and lows, and that just comes along with the territory. One of the most-used business metaphors is the ladder of success, which is problematic for two reasons: Nobody reaches the top of anything in life by going straight up. What happens when you get to the top? I have a different vision. Your art career is a circle consisting of 3 areas: Inspiration+Research, Studio Practice, and Business+Marketing. You’re a sphere (okay, a ping pong ball) bouncing back and forth from one area to the next as you grow your art career. Let me explain …  

host: Alyson Stanfield Some artists are fine working by themselves in their studios. Other artists need to move their art beyond the studio walls and into the public in order to be fulfilled. My guest for this episode is Marilyn Fontaine, a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in East London. Her work is spiritual with a strong foothold in feminine themes. She has begun marrying that work to the history of the local community—in particular, the stories of those who share her Afro-Caribbean roots. Marilyn and I talk about the work she does within her community, including how it is funded and why her growing network is essential. We also discuss: Her ritual upon entering the studio for a day’s work, which is always a favorite topic of mine. Why she’s leaning into rejection and learning to be curious about negative reactions that some people have to her work. How she is learning to let go—to not hold too tight to the idea that she wants something so badly—and to allow it to come by creating that space.