One of the perks of not reporting to a 9 to 5 job is complete flexibility in the hours I work. This past weekend we had company and enjoyed a number of activities for which I didn’t need to request time off. The flip side of this coin is the necessity of actually setting and keeping studio hours, so bright and early this morning I continue work on Arthur’s portrait. As I paint, my mental wheels will be going 80 MPH on an exciting new phase of this career I love so much.
It is a widely accepted statistic that of the roughly 25 million people in North America who describe themselves as artists, less than 1% earn $1,000 annually from their labors, and that less than .01% earn $50,000 or more. Thus the trite and degrading term, “starving artist” has become accepted as an inevitable ‘fact’ in the eyes of many greatly talented people. Indeed, for many artists it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Having loved writing almost as long as I have loved drawing, over the years I have filled countless spiral notebooks with the intention of one day sharing my oft-times hard gained knowledge. I have recorded everything from recipes for effective oil painting mediums to palettes I use for various effects. Since the early 1970’s I have worked to master the art of selling, using much of that experience in a position I held for 20+ years in which I trained thousands of successful salespeople. I have recorded materials, methods, “Hows” along with “Whys” and volumes on sales techniques. As I begin the daunting task of reviewing all these notes and compiling them into eBook format, I want to share with readers my vision and passion to bring the written word to other artists who might be struggling for answers I once sought myself.
My portrait business continues to be my career priority, but my studio is an environment that lends itself well to deep thinking time. As I carefully consider the book’s contents, I want to provide artists who read my Blog with the desire of selling their own work to be active participants in this first book which will be titled, The Fine Art of Selling Your Art.
What would you most like to see discussed, and how can I best serve your needs as I help you master the Fine Art of Selling Your Art? I have established an email address to be used exclusively for your thoughts and ideas. Time will not permit me to reply to emails received, but your suggestions are important and each request will receive my careful consideration.
That email address, again exclusively for artists to express their most desired topics, is artist@garlough.com
Now, back to Arthur’s portrait!
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To learn more about this artist, visit her website.
