Kristin Levier is a sculptor and a 2018 Executive Fellow with CHF’s Art-Business Accelerator Program. After two decades as a molecular biologist, she became a full-time studio-artist 13 years ago. As a wood sculptor, Kristin makes work at the intersection of art and science that connects us to the “extraordinary, strange beauty of the … [Read more...]
Break Down Your Business Goals into Actionable Steps
You have ambitious goals for your art business, but when you start to think about how to make them a reality, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. In this short video, CHF Education Director Daniel DiGriz explains how to break down the process into manageable steps--working backwards from your big dreams to the specific objectives, … [Read more...]
Adapting To New Markets by Redefining Genres—CHF Interviews Mian Situ
Born in Southern China, painter Mian Situ received his formal art training in his native homeland of Guangdong (formerly Canton), before relocating to the West, first to Canada and then to the US. While his earlier works provide a window into a childhood spent in China’s rural countryside during the Cultural Revolution, his time in the US … [Read more...]
Head South to Florida This Winter For Our Next Art-Business Conference
Don't miss the boat! If you're a professional working artist, this is your opportunity to conquer the rapidly changing marketplace, and equip yourself to thrive by attending CHF's Ft. Lauderdale Art-Business Conference, on February 1-2, 2019. Discounted early-bird registration is available until the end of December and includes one year … [Read more...]
CHF Selects the Newest Class of Accelerator Fellows
After poring over all of the applications, we are thrilled to name the 16 visual artists who will be joining our 2019 Art-Business Accelerator program in January. It was extremely difficult to choose from among so many wonderful applicants, but we are excited about the diverse group of Fellows that we’ve assembled. (Learn more about them … [Read more...]
Metro Washington DC Artists: Transform Your Art Career at This Pivotal Learning Event
Build your action plan, nail your brand story, and multiply your revenue streams. These are just a few of the topics we’ll be covering at our metro DC Art-Business Conference, on March 23-24, 2019 at Artists & Makers Studios in Rockville, Maryland. Register today for the full early-bird discount, and gain immediate Colleague-level … [Read more...]
Our Digital Portal Features an Online Learning Community
What if there were a central, comprehensive art-industry resource that you could access 24/7 from anywhere in the world? And what if that resource instantly connected you to a community of visual artists who are just as determined to succeed as you are? Look no further than CHF's Digital Learning Portal, where you can build your … [Read more...]
CHF Leaders Speak in Miami on the Business of Art
Attention, figurative painters: Mark your calendars for the 2018 Figurative Art Convention & Expo (FACE), which takes place from November 7th - 10th in Miami, Florida. This immersive four-day event will feature workshops, demos, and talks by world-class artists and art-industry experts, including CHF Director Elizabeth Hulings on … [Read more...]
Transform Your Art Career at Our Upcoming Florida and Metro DC Conferences
Attention, working artists: Don't get left behind in a rapidly changing marketplace! Equip yourself to thrive by attending one of CHF's next Art-Business Conference. First, we're headed to Fort Lauderdale, on February 1-2, 2019, and then it's on to the Washington DC metro area, on March 23-24. Discounted early-bird registration is now … [Read more...]
eBay and The Ingredients of a Successful Artrepreneur
The problem with only telling artist stories is that we look for the trick, like the proverbial man behind the curtain, as in The Wizard of Oz. As long as the myth persists that art careers happen by magic or luck, or automatically (if you’re good enough), or are merely products of who you know, we won’t hear those stories well … [Read more...]
How The Art Industry Pits Itself Against Artists
Following a portfolio review, a gallerist told the artist who goes by the Instagram handle Wait What Show that “darn,” despite loving her paintings, “I don’t represent young women because they’re just going to get pregnant and stop painting.” This was not her first time hearing this. On the flip side, artist Zoë Sua kay was once told that … [Read more...]
Safety Nets are Dangerous
“If you would be reasonably satisfied doing something else for a living, then do that and paint on the weekends.” —Clark Hulings Primary-Care Perspective When my father was in his eighties and preparing for what would be his final solo show, he went in for an annual check-up with his physician. During the visit, the doctor asked him … [Read more...]
Identifying Pivotal Opportunities for Business Growth – Nadia Fairlamb
Nadia Fairlamb is a sculptor who works with wood and mirror glass, and she also teaches art to young people through various educational programs in Hawaii, where she is based. Her work speaks to the integral link between culture and environment, and she carries that focus into the business side of her practice as well, collaborating with … [Read more...]
Caroll Michels
Caroll Michels is an artist-advocate and the author of the book How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul. The New York Times says of your book: “Michels explodes the romantic notion of the starving artist.” This ideal has been around for ages---why is dismissing it so important? “Starving … [Read more...]
Our Accelerator Call Has Ended, But Our Digital Learning Portal Awaits You
Thank you to all of the visual artists who applied for our 2019 Art-Business Accelerator Fellowships. We will be naming our new Fellows in November 2018, and the 2019 program begins in January. While the application period may be closed, our Digital Learning Portal remains open 24/7. Check out all of the valuable art-business content … [Read more...]
Art Lights the Way
Art is pure. It is incandescent—the light with which we find our way through this dirty, often disheartening world. Our job on this planet is to uphold and expand the purity and beauty of art. To find the beautiful bits of energy that have been covered and trapped by the grime of bad actions, and uncover them, clean them off, and set them … [Read more...]
The Example of Clark Hulings – Build an Art Career You Love
Clark Hulings wanted to do specific things with his visual art. To succeed, he knew he had to be commercially successful, but that he couldn’t let others determine the shape of his career. It was on him to make his own blueprint for what he wanted. Career Blueprint Hulings would never settle when it came to his own career … [Read more...]
In Dallas: Another Successful CHF Art-Business Summit
We thank the Dallas arts community for making CHF's latest Art-Business Summit a huge success. From the kickoff Art-Business Congress at Turner House on Friday, September 7th, to the weekend-long workshops at the Alexander Mansion and the wrap party at the Carneal Simmons Gallery, the event drew a cross-section of professional artists and … [Read more...]
Artist As Entrepreneur: Becoming the CEO of Your Life
Join 2018 Clark Hulings Fund Business Accelerator Fellows Juliana Coles and Gregg Chadwick, and Steve Pruneau, agile program manager, CHF facilitator and founder of the management consulting firm Free Agent Source as they delve into what it takes to move a goal from theory to already accomplished. Moderator: Ray Beldner, Artist, … [Read more...]
Who Defines the Professional Artist’s Career Trajectory?
Welcome to the world of work As artists enter the workforce, they’re tasked not only with making a living, but with fulfilling the fundamental role of the artist---cultural reflection and creation of meaning. Artists are comfortable with being a cultural force, but some are still getting accustomed to the idea of the artist as … [Read more...]
The Power of Rejection
This month at CHF, we’re talking about failing better---dealing with our failures and rejections in ways that are constructive instead of stagnating. In their blog post Use Rejection as a Catalyst for Change, CHF partner Arts Business Institute makes the point that you can learn from your rejections. While it’s easier to put it out … [Read more...]
Marketing ‘Difficult’ Art – CHF Interviews Janet Culbertson
Janet Culbertson is an award-winning eco artist who has been making art for over five decades. In this conversation with Jennifer Orbom, Janet discusses marketing 'difficult' art, her business' evolution, and what a successful artist looks like. JO: Tell me about your first big sale. JC: It was big for me because a gallery … [Read more...]
How to Meet Stakeholder Demands – Holly Van Hart
Holly Van Hart is a visual artist based in Silicon Valley, and a Clark Hulings Fund Business Accelerator Fellow. In this episode of the Thriving Artist Podcast, Holly and Daniel discuss the ins and outs of building a sustainable business practice: deciding on the direction to take your business, standing out in the online marketplace, and … [Read more...]
Find the Best Representation for Your Art – Stephanie Birdsall
Stephanie Birdsall is a painter who has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London and the National Arts Club in New York. She has received over 60 awards in national and international juried exhibitions, including Best in Show at the Bridgeport Museum of Arts and Science, and her work is in the permanent collections of … [Read more...]