Art for the Entrepreneurs: Artrepreneurship

For other young artists like myself - I implore you. I have an entrepreneurial spirit, a sharp learning curve and the desire to be better. In past endeavors this spirit has led me to sell cookies to classmates in primary school - or selling drums from Ghana in college to make it through my last semester. I get energized when thinking about a new way to sell something or a product that may really catch on. I've had lots of ideas and different outcomes but my realization about art has been a recent one that I'd like to share with you.

This is my mantra, "I am most valuable when I am making art"

Simple, yes. But no matter how much time I read about developing websites or selling odds and ends or bartending or consulting the fact is that if I work on a painting for 5 hours that sells for $1000 - then I am working for $200 an hour. Besides monetarily, I am most *myself* when I am making art because I express myself when making art. Art is where I communicate ideas and make concepts manifest on canvas. When I am making art I not only am being productive in a money sense but I am closest to being who I really am - and that is where I find value.

Before this realization I saw the value in making art - but art did not stimulate my entrepreneurial cravings. To me, art was something I made, I got to a gallery, I waited for someone to see it and contact me, I sold it... Not only is this system non-stimulating but it is also extremely passive. I know my gallerists are sometimes working to get my work known and sold - but as an artist am I *only* a production machine?

My recent merging of the two spirits have brought me to a place where I see my art as a product and that I need to taken the lion share of ownership in marketing it and getting it out there. This is my personal artrepreneurial revolution. I recently did a painting of Obama which I then scanned professionally and have available for reproductions on my site. This is not the end, however, my artrepreneurial revolution involves creating yourself as an online artist that mingles with other artists the way artists have done in communities for ages. This involves the fact that as an art lover myself I cannot afford even a modest piece of art. My reaction to that is looking for ways to not only make my art more accessible to many demographics but also to make it affordable. Many people my age may be more likely to invest in a digital image of an artist's work to 'hang' on their social networking page. Some people may be more likely to buy a skin for their laptop, cell phone or ipod that has an artist's image on it than a painting to hang on the wall.

Once I realized the power of an image as a product - my role as an artist will never be the same.

I would love to hear your feedback - where are you in your career as an artist? Are you considering different marketing strategies? Have you come to grips with the reality that as an artist you are the producer, the marketing rep, the salesperson, the accountant, the web designer and the CEO of your company: I'manartist inc.?

For quick resources on artrepreneurship - check out these sites:
www.theartrepreneur
www.judydunn.blogspot.com/
www.artbizblog.com/
www.arts-careers.com/
www.artpromote.com/resources.shtml

That should start you off with the art business stuff - check out these sites too though:
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/
http://www.gmarketing.com/
http://www.webmarketingezine.com/

The book that addresses my specific concerns and desires has yet to be written - it takes compiling different ideas from different people to make something that makes sense to you.