Aha Moments of Managing an Art Business
Series 2—Blog post #2
John Anderson, AHA
March 3, 2022
In case you missed this subject, on Linda Fisler’s Art Chat, I want to bring YOU some of the key points from that broadcast. I mentioned in Art Chat that one of my marketing gurus is Seth Godin. I provided a quote regarding Seth’s take on art – He said, Art is what we call… the thing an artist does. It’s not the medium or the oil, the price, or whether it hangs on a wall.
What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt, and made something worth making! Something risky. Something human.” As we continue with this series of AHA moments and the correlation to managing an art business, it is important to realize that your core values are key to your creativity. Godin goes on to say; Art is not in the eye of the beholder. It’s in the soul of the artist.”
Simplistically, my point is your art, and your art business should be the best version of you. In Art Chat, Linda and I shared and pursued the point of view that when you concentrate on finding your core values, most things become crystal clear. These values reach down and touch your soul, and your individual core values can lead you to a better place and a meaningful life in the art world and your art business. Let’s dig deeper. Core Values include respect. They are enriched through a healthy artistic and business environment that is safe and open-minded. Remember, it’s about developing many character traits and skills that elevate YOU and touch your soul with passion and purpose. Respect for others is universal, but respect for SELF is at the apex.
When you accept that self-respect and respect for others is a primary objective of your drive as an artist, the door opens for creativity. Linda and I believe creativity is amplified through curiosity, expression, critical thinking, self-reflection, practice, and a mastery of skills. That’s true in art and art enterprises. So how do we combine our resources, capabilities, and strategic thought to achieve success? Another core value is determination, and that in itself is composed of absolute commitment, hard work, integrity, resilience, and perseverance. That hard work includes the mantra of “persistence without exception!” related to art mastery or business success. Finally, ask yourself, are you a strategist? What is a strategist? Does it work for art and the business of art?
The best way to explain the skills of a strategist is to understand that a person who’s good at making a detailed plan for winning at Monopoly? That’s a strategist, or an expert at strategy, or planning. As a strategist, the best skills to have are to combine being optimistic, self-assured, driven, levelheaded, decisive, ethical, communicative, and leadership. By the way, an AHA Membership is considered a strategic action – we’ll help you with the rest. As you take a stance to move ideas to actions and chart a course to become a life-long learner of art and the business of art, keep in mind that as AHA builds our connections and as our work strengthens and gains momentum, you will receive the benefits from our organization, communities, and the broader society of creatives and lovers of art.
We hope you will join us for our next Art Chat with Linda Riesenberg Fisler on March 9, when we will talk about how to self-assess your capabilities and some soul-searching and other dynamic forces.
Until then, continue to visit the website https//artisticharmoniesassoc.com , read the blogs, and most importantly, join us in our mission by becoming a member of Artistic Harmonies Association Inc. If you haven’t already, sign-up for our newsletter too!
Respectfully, John Anderson