Going from Startup to Successful Art Studio

When many artist start out, they only start out with the desire to make or create the things they are passionate about. Some artists choose to stay small scale, but for some artist, the desire to grow can lead to some growing pains. There are many things that can get in the way of an artist achieving their dreams of building a large art studio. Here are somethings tips that can help an artist grow their studio.

Management

This comes down to the right brain verse the left brain debate, but generally, artist tend to use the side of the brain that is associated with creativity. Unfortunately, the side of the brain that is associate with business management is often not the most dominate in artists. Now this isn’t always the case but often times is true. This is why it is suggested for artist to take entry-level business management classes to assist with starting an art studio the right way. The things that can be learned in these classes revolve around how to manage a budget, how to manage employees, and how to manage your time.

Consultant

Some artist may wonder what they should do after the startup phase. One popular option is hiring a business consultant. A business consultant is good option for anyone that is past the startup phase but struggling to get to a new level of growth. When you hire a business consulting company like OCEO you get the knowledge of a successful business mind that will preform an audit of your business. You will get the benefit of having guidance of a professional without the need to give up ownership of your business.

Nourish your mind

Creating is always going to be an artist’s main focus, but it’s recommended that an artist take time to learn from others. There are a lot of podcasts, videos, and books on how other success artists did it. learning from their experiences is the easiest way to learn and save yourself some of the heartache they experienced while growing their studio.

Finances

It’s often difficult in art to manage the finances of an art studio. Pieces of art aren’t like groceries where a set price tag is associate with the product. Many times, an artist can place a price tag on their creation but will find people offering less. Other times, a bidding war could be the outcome, in which case the artist ends up with more money than the expected. Unfortunately, in both cases you won’t know when a piece of art will sell. In either situation, it is important for a studio manager to have a budget. Again, it won’t be easy because a steady stream of cash can’t be relied on.  Ideally, the budget needs to allows a studio to continue to make their art while also not limiting them. If your budget won’t let you buy materials, then it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Networking

Next to sales, networking is going to be one of the biggest drivers for getting your art known. For many artist, they don’t want to be known as the salesperson, they want to focus on their art. Sales can be awkward and hard to learn. That is where networking comes into play. Networking takes the pressure off of trying to sell your art and makes the main focus on making friendships. Networking is meant to make yourself and the kind of art you make known. There are many resources for building a network. Some of the best ways are though social media platforms. Here you can reach out to interior designers, event planners, and art lovers. It won’t be easy at first, but as with all investments, as you continually build eventually you will find success through your efforts. The best advice is to get out there. don’t worry about messing up, trying is going to be your best asset.