Supporting the community is probably the most important thing you can do as an artist. To find a purpose in your work is to find purpose in your life.

Come out for my donation based art show this Memorial Day Weekend at the Teton Raptor Center. This weekend, 10% of my original art profits will go to supporting this amazing organization. Check them out online to see what they do, or better yet, stop by Friday or Saturday this week to see it in person. 

12:00PM - 5:00PM BOTH DAYS!

From their site: http://tetonraptorcenter.org/about/

Teton Raptor Center began in 1991 when two field biologists working in Grand Teton National Park began caring for injured raptors out of their home. Now we care for over 130 injured birds per year at our full equipped rehabilitation facility, and have expanded our mission to include education and research programs. Read more about Teton Raptor Center's history and the people who made it all happen.

Contact us with questions about raptors, TRC, or any other inquiries.

If you have found an injure raptors, please call us at 307.200.6019 and visit our Found an Injured Raptor? page.

"I knew I wanted to go full time, I just had no idea that the conviction was so strong." If you don't believe in yourself, who will?

About two months ago I wrote down in my book of goals that it was finally time for me to find a space outside of my home to paint. The oversized canvases, boxes and drawers of paints, thousands of paintbrushes, and tables were literally taking over our small town home. The problem is, if you know anything about Jackson Hole, finding a place to run a business out of, much less a place to live, is like finding a needle in a haystack. So, my goal read something like this: I will be painting in an art studio and not in my home sometime in the next three years. 

I had no idea that my conviction was so strong that something would come along in just two months! And it's perfect! For me, that just goes to show that writing your goals down is an absolutely integral part of getting to the next step in your business. But that's not what I decided to write about today, I wanted to write about setting your workspace up to help you work smart. Even when I felt cramped in my home, I still had designated certain areas in my home where I worked and felt creative. I knew what I needed to be productive. What are those things for you?

First, I know that I need to wake up early to be productive. Setting the alarm for 5:45am makes me feel like I'm going to conquer the day and get things accomplished. Maybe that doesn't work for you. I'm a morning person, no matter how much I fought that when I was young. The mornings are quiet, no one is around and I can focus most when there are no distractions. I'm not getting text messages or calls to get coffee or go to lunch and I can focus 100% on tasks at hand.

Second, when I'm in work mode, I know I need caffeine. My business is about 15% painting and 75% administrative, marketing, shipping, blogging, and socializing with past, present and future clients. Being alert helps me to tackle these tasks. 

Third, I need a clean workspace. Have you ever noticed when there is clutter around, you have a hard time focusing? Make sure that you designate an area of your home that is for work only. It can be a corner of your living room with a small desk or, if you have the space, an extra bedroom set up as an office. Just make sure it is clear of clutter and has everything you need to successfully complete what you need to do. I even work in the kitchen at the bar when writing blogs... because hey, it has unlimited supplies of coffee! In my studio, I brought an electric tea kettle and a french press. What are small things you can do to make your work space work for you?

Fourth, I need good light. When I arranged my new studio I made sure that I set myself up to face the window. I brought in extra lamps to highlight my paintings, but I needed to face the natural light. Being able to look outside is inspiring and keeps me motivated to stay longer hours.

Finally, is your space reflective of you? Fill it with bits and pieces of your personality. I brought some of my favorite books and plants with me to my new space. Bring photos, make it personal. But remember, don't over clutter. 

In 2016 Forbes Magazine found that although art sales were down in galleries, "online sales were booming." Growth was 20% 2 years ago and up 24% last year. Researchers predict online art sales will take over the brick and mortar standards we see today...

In 2016 Forbes Magazine found that although art sales were down in galleries, "online sales were booming." I found that statistic about a year ago while researching locations to market my own art online. While I was making sales here and there and felt like I had a fairly good grip on my online marketing, I still wasn't seeing the return for my hard work.

Let me fill you in here, I wasn't only focusing on my art at the time. I was working about three other jobs. I was taking one on one clients as a personal trainer in the early mornings and evenings, I was teaching group fitness classes at noon, I had my real estate license so that I could act as a personal assistant to my mother for her real estate business and I worked sporadically as a hostess in a restaurant. Being busy made me feel like I was making money. But, by the end of the month I was always exhausted, broke and struggling to put any money into savings... much less pay my bills.

My art always took a backseat, even though it was my dream to paint ever since I was a little girl. I remember one afternoon, I was especially tired after my loonnnnggg day of teaching, working at a desk and scrambling to finish a custom piece for a client when I opened two of paychecks -- one from the gym and the other from my restaurant job. They couldn't even pay my car payment together! All of that hard work, getting up before the crack of dawn, staying past 10:00PM to bus late tables... and this is all I got?

It was that moment that I decided if I wanted to make a career of this art thing, I needed to focus. Laser sharp focus. And, I had to take the risk and trust that I would make it happen. 

How did I get where I am today? How did I go full time and more than double what I was making with four jobs? I took a risk, I did research, I worked harder than ever, but not one of those days felt like work because I knew my heart was in it!

Remember, the right marketing and promotion are the key factors in a successful art business -- any business. What I had to understand when I went full time was these three key things:

1. Know and Understand Your Customers/Audience

This was a little bit of a learning curve for me and probably hurt me in the beginning. But that's OK, we live and we learn. Mistakes are what teach us the most valuable lessons. I wanted to market to EVERYONE under the sun... but what I realized, especially in the art market, everyone has very unique and differing tastes. You cannot aim to please everyone. Standing in a booth at an art festival I would try to engage with everyone that walked by and would be hurt if they didn't stop in. I finally learned to let them come to me. Once you know who your "best buyers" are, you can start to gather information (data) on them. Find out what they like, what their interests are and find "like-buyers" that may likely be into your art as well. This is what the late Chet Holmes refers to as the "best buyer strategy." 

2. Don't Limit Yourself

Seek out online avenues to sell your work online. There are a number of valuable places other than Etsy to sell your work online. For example, Society6.com, Saatchi Art, and FineArtAmerica.com. You control what you sell and you have the option to sell a number of items other than just prints and originals. The great thing about Fine Art America is that you can connect their shopping cart to your website and sell prints and merchandise which will help expand your business with no upfront cost to you. It's worth checking out. Once you have extra capital, you will want to look into merchandising your work, if that is something you're not against. It is your bread and butter as an artist and gets your work out into the public. Don't finance anything in your business, the less debt, the better.

3. Be Consistent 

I know it's frustrating to have to post online daily, and coming up with all of that content can be daunting, but it's necessary to create an online presence. Think of it as a business. Gaining new followers on Instagram and Facebook is important, they are potential new clients, so keeping up on these things is a must. Don't overdo it, though, just make sure you keep up. One thing to remember about posting on your social media pages -- GIVE your customers something, don't always ask something of them. You want them to visit your page and gain something -- maybe even learn something. You can't constantly sell to them... teach them something, give them a freebie, donate something... then gently ask them or offer something for sale. This is true for every business, not just art.