The Art Biz – Details, episodes & analysis

Too many artists graduate from art school with crushing debt and then spend years figuring out how to make money while trying to maintain a studio practice. Stephanie Brown did the opposite. She graduated from a private art school debt-free, secured a fully funded MFA, and has been treating her art career like a business from day one.

In this conversation with host Alyson Stanfield, Stephanie breaks down exactly how she did it, and why being strategic about money doesn't make you any less of an artist.

🔦 HIGHLIGHTS

02:00 Why interactive art transforms viewers into participants and creates lasting memory points—and how Stephanie intentionally studied education theory to understand this

06:40 How she graduated from a private art school (SCAD) debt-free by maximizing scholarships and strategically taking general education classes at community college

09:40 Why she only applied to fully funded MFA programs and what made University of Michigan's program worth it

16:30 The best advice Stephanie received about graduate school: only go when you know what you want to say to the world as an artist

23:10 How watching her mother's creative side hustles shaped her belief that artists can make money from their work

24:40 The rules she set for herself (one residency, two exhibitions per year) to ensure she could always say "I'm an exhibiting artist"

31:10 Why working from home during the pandemic was the unlock that gave Stephanie energy and time for serious studio practice

33:20 The transferable skills from her art practice (managing budgets up to $50,000) that landed her higher-paying jobs in project management and business operations

🚀 YOUR ACTION

Create your own non-negotiable parameters for your art practice. Stephanie's are at least one residency and two exhibitions per year.

What would your rules be?

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

She Knows Exactly How Much Her Art Income Will be with Kelly Pelfrey (162)

Being an Artist with Geoffrey Gorman (124)

Starting Your Art Career (173)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/debt-free-brown

⭐️ Connect with Stephanie and see more of her art: https://stephaniebphotos.com

🔶 Does your art business need a boost or a refresh? Please see my comprehensive art-marketing program, Essentials for Artist Success 🔶  full of tools, strategies, and process you need to establish your professionalism and increase your visibility. For those with beginning and emerging art careers and those who need to approach their business with more thought and intention.

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here's how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

 

Your art doesn't exist in a vacuum. Where and how you show your work shapes how people perceive its value before they even look closely at the piece itself. The venue, the lighting, the labels, the other work nearby—all of it sends signals about whether your art should be taken seriously.

In this episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield explores what falls within your control and what doesn't, and why understanding that difference can transform how collectors see you and your work.

She encourages you to vet opportunities before committing, establish non-negotiables to establish for yourself, and move strategically toward increasingly prestigious venues rather than staying comfortable with familiar options. Whether you're just starting out or you've been showing for years, you'll learn how to raise your standards and make choices that honor the work you've put into your art.

HIGHLIGHTS

00:30 A gallery story that reveals how presentation can undermine even the most exquisite artwork

02:50 Joshua Bell's subway experiment and what it reveals about context over content

04:20 What you can't control after committing: organizers' behavior, placement, promotion, and who else is in the show

06:00 The power of vetting opportunities before you say yes: research methods and setting non-negotiables

09:00 Moving strategically to increasingly prestigious venues rather than staying comfortable

11:40 Being selective even when starting out: choosing the best option available at your career stage

🚀 YOUR ACTION

Audit your current opportunities through this lens. For each place you're showing or planning to show, ask yourself:

Does this venue's reputation support my prices and goals?

Will being here make collectors take me more seriously?

What can I control about how my work is presented?

And if you can't control key elements, is this opportunity still worth it?

🎧 RELATED EPISODES

Seeking Validation and Earning Credibility as an Artist (129)

How One Curator Works with Artists at a Regional Art Center with Collin Parson (116)

Lessons from a Wildly Successful Pop-up Art Gallery Event with Mai Wyn Schantz (109)

📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit artbizsuccess.com/undermining-value

🔶 Context shapes perception. It's why galleries are selective about their roster and why collectors pay attention to provenance. If you want to command higher prices, context matters enormously. In Elevate Your Art, Alyson covers numerous strategies for increasing the perceived value of your work and being strategic about where and how you show. This is just one of them. The live session on November 18th, with on demand training available afterward. Visit artbizsuccess.com/elevate for all the details.

⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~

This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here's how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

 

host: Alyson Stanfield   When someone is ready to buy your art, the last thing you want to do is make them go on a treasure hunt. Every extra click, unanswered question, or missing price is a barrier that can cost you the sale.   In this solo episode, I talk about how you can take charge of the buying process—because while you can't control the economy or trends, you can control how easy it is for people to pay you.   Key Ideas

• Collectors don't just buy art—they buy into the artist. Relationships matter, but clarity in the buying process is non-negotiable.

• Three keys to a smooth sales experience: Clarity, Ease, and Trust.

• Why your homepage isn't enough—and how credit lines, prices, and details create clarity.

• How multiple payment options and clear agreements make buying easier.

• Why trust depends on fast responses, transparent policies, and consistent follow-through.

• A challenge for you: Audit your own buyer's journey and fix one barrier this week.

Highlights

00:00 Someone discovers your art on Instagram—what happens next?   02:00 Barriers in the buying process and why they matter   04:00 The first key: Clarity (and why your homepage is not the best destination)   05:00 The importance of credit lines for every finished piece   06:00 Pep talk: Don't make people work harder to give you money   06:20 The second key: Ease—payment options and professional process   07:00 Stories about payment plans gone wrong and how to protect yourself   08:00 Why seamless transactions signal professionalism and build trust   08:20 The third key: Trust—buyers need to feel safe and confident   09:00 Follow-through, transparency, and consistent post-sale communication   09:30 The bigger picture: Trust and relationships over time create collectors   09:50 Your action step—audit your own buyer's journey   10:00 Workshop invitation and how this step fits into the larger journey   11:20 Closing reminders: You can't control the economy, but you can control how easy it is to buy your art   Mentioned When the Art Sales Stop: 6 Areas to Investigate (235)   Clean Your Email List to Improve Deliverability and Engagement (236)   Strategic Growth, Collector Relationships, and Costly Lessons with James Corwin (232)     📖 To read more and see featured artists visit https://artbizsuccess.com/remove-barriers     📥 RESOURCES   Planning Workshop:   Followers to Collectors – September 9–10   Essentials for Artist Success:   Ongoing coaching, support, and training       ⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.   ~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~   This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here's how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/

My utter bliss is to help artists make business systems that streamline their lives so they can spend more time in the studio. So when Skip Hill said he needed a system for following up with his collectors and important relationships, I knew I wanted to help.

In this episode of The Art Biz, I walk Skip through the steps to create a plan for nurturing his relationships.

We go through these steps to create his plan:

1. What do you want to happen?
2. By when does it need to happen? Or … How frequently does it need to happen?
3. What do you need to have/acquire/learn to make that happen? And/Or what tools and technology will you use for the process?
4. Who do you need to enlist to help?
5. What are the exact steps needed to make this system hum?

The steps in that last question provides the fuel. Miss a step, and your system crashes.

To read the exact steps we created for Skip, see images, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/skip-hill-systems

Sponsored by The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

 

Before the internet, artists were completely dependent on others to show and sell their work. We need to take a moment every now and then to be grateful for having the world at our fingertips. For being able to instantly send images of our art out into the world. For friends around the globe we would never have met 30 years ago.

In this episode, I talk with artist Barbara Muir, who is unabashedly happy about being online. She reminds us of all the good things that happen because we are so connected. Key topics:

• A brief rundown of the opportunities that have come Barbara's way through her blog.
• Commitment to a blogging habit—now boasting more than 3,000 entries.
• Her practice of making a daily list of 6 things.
• The sweet ritual of leaving nightly letters to her husband.

To see images, full show notes, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/muir-online-podcast 

Want to make sure you stay connected online and off? Check out The PEOPLE PLAN: A Success Workshop to Establish Strategic Connections for Your Art Biz. https://artbizsuccess.com/peopleplan

In this episode of The Art Biz, I'm joined by Kristen O'Neill, a team member of mine and an accomplished artist who recently created a 30-day daily art lesson challenge for her online followers. But in the end, it may have been more of a challenge for her than it was for the participants. Kristen and I discuss what she hoped to get from this challenge, how she organized it, how much of it was planned ahead, and what her workflow was like—including all of the platforms she used to share the content—and most importantly, what she would do differently if she were to do it again.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/challenge-oneill-podcast

 

Highlights

• Details of Kristen's 30-Day Art Challenge and what she hoped to get out of it. (1:29)

• How Kristen shared the challenge while honoring her email list expectations. (6:10)

• Creating and organizing a workflow that worked all month long. (10:42)

• The time commitment and unexpected challenges behind the challenge. (16:35)

• Lessons learned from the challenges of this challenge. (22:25)

• Staying motivated and accountable throughout a challenge. (27:52)

• Tracking the participation, success, and results of the challenge. (30:15)

• The value of Pinterest for artists. (38:30)

• What Kristen would do differently next time. (41:07)

This Week's Action

Your assignment this week is to consider how you are stretching yourself in and out of the studio these days.

Mentioned

• ArtBizConnection.com

• Kristen on Instagram

• Kristen O'Neil Art

Related Episodes

• Art Biz Podcast Episode 78: How to Increase Your Productivity with Art Business Systems

Quotes

• "I'm always looking for different opportunities and ways to reach out to more students and interact with more painters." — Kristen O'Neill

• "It's really important to honor what you say you're going to do with your list." — Kristen O'Neill

• "I picked up lessons more quickly than had I done the same amount of work spread over a longer period of time." — Kristen O'Neill

• "If you haven't figured out your system ahead of time, it's going to be harder than it needs to be." — Kristen O'Neill

• "Often we spend so much time guessing what is the right way to do something, and we could put that energy into just doing it." — Kristen O'Neill

About My Guest

Kristen O'Neill paints the essence of landscapes based on real locations, including those from recent collaborations with long-distance hikers. Her Oregon Coast Trail series was featured in a solo exhibition at the Grants Pass Museum of Art.

Kristen graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and now lives in Southern Oregon where she has become passionate about teaching art. She teaches both online and in-person, leads a field trip program that has taught art history to thousands of 5th graders, and is an Artist Mentor for Alyson Stanfield's community since 2018.

 

With nobody going anywhere in the spring of 2020, I contacted artist friends Lisa Call and Janice McDonald to see if they wanted to gather regularly to discuss art documentaries. Our little "club," such as it is, was in business.

To date, we have met 57 times to discuss the art documentaries together. It's important that we are reminded we're part of something bigger than ourselves and what goes on behind the closed doors of our studios.

In this solo episode I talk about why we do this as a group, where you can find art documentaries, how we stay organized, why it's important to diversify our selections, and how our conversations work. At the end I mention some of my favorite films.

Read the "almost" transcript, find all of the links, and leave a comment

 

Highlights

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed was nominated for an Oscar this year. (1:24)

We need to be reminded that we're part of a global art world. (2:57)

What art history has taught me. (3:42)

Why do this in a group? (4:52)

Where to find art documentaries. (5:38)

Why Kanopy is our top resource for art documentaries. (7:19)

Our 2 lists for art documentaries. (9:24)

Why diversity is important to us. (11:16)

How our regular conversations work. (13:14)

Good v. Bad documentaries—there is always something to be learned. (15:17)

Some recommended art documentaries to start with. (17:19)

 

Mentioned

All films are linked on the accompanying post

Lisa Call

Janice McDonald

The Art Biz Accelerator

Artnet's list of top museum shows for 2022 and 2023

Four years ago on a beautiful January day in Colorado, I attended an art destruction party. Two artists were slowing down in their production and wanted to ensure that subpar work wasn't left for family to deal with. Nor did they want their names associated with that work. Although I've been imploring artists for decades to get rid of work they think isn't of the highest quality, it was still difficult to smash that first pot and tear that first watercolor.

In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Heather K. Powers, an artist and professional organizer. She and I wanted to start a dialogue about planning for your legacy. It's a tough conversation because it means confronting your mortality. This conversation is especially important for artists, who make things that take up physical space. How do you categorize those things? What kind of records need to be kept? And what, if anything, should be destroyed, reworked, or donated. These are difficult questions and will vary from artist to artist, but it is such an important part of planning your art legacy. My conversation with Heather can help you get started.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/death-powers-podcast

Highlights

• Normalizing conversations about your death and legacy. (2:10)

• Heather's coaching process includes getting more comfortable talking about death. (6:48)

• What do you value in your legacy? How can artists better prepare their legacy for after death? (10:28)

• Finding the value of clutter requires understanding and compassion. (15:27)

• Destroying the artwork that you don't want to be known for. (19:19)

• Define the value of each level of your work so you can better process it. (24:55)

• Tools and resources to help document your art. (32:32)

This Week's Action

Your assignment this week is to start thinking about your legacy. Eventually you will need to prioritize the tasks necessary, but you can't do it all at once. Take one of these steps: Sign up for Artwork Archive, update your inventory, finally recycle that work you don't want to show up under your name, have a conversation with your family about your wishes, or declutter a space.

Mentioned

• ArtBizAccelerator.com

• Swedish Death Cleaning

• Clutter Is Good For You (NY Times)

• CERF+: The Artist's Safety Net

• Richard Misrach: Never the Same video on Art21

• Artwork Archive

• Heather's website

• Heather on Instagram

Related Episodes

• The Art Biz ep. 10: Creative Organizing with Heather K. Powers

• The Art Biz ep. 15: Confronting Your Professional Legacy with David Paul Bayles

• The Art Biz ep. 19: The Investing Artist: Art, Real Estate, and Legacy with Mary Erickson

• The Art Biz ep. 31: Building a Legacy Brand and Destination with Sean VanderVliet

Quotes

• "Death is a normal part of life, but the more we put off thinking or talking about it the more uncomfortable it becomes." — Heather K. Powers

• "We can take into our own hands what is important to us as a generation and pass it on to the next generation." — Heather K. Powers

• "What do you value in your legacy? And what do you perceive might be of value to others? Those things are often not in alignment." — Heather K. Powers

• "Start early and keep good records. It doesn't have to be that complicated." — Heather K. Powers

• "When we get rid of work one way or another, we make space for new work to come in." — Heather K. Powers

About My Guest

With a BFA in Fiber from Savannah College of Art and Design, Heather Powers has had a productive career as a textile designer—collaborating on worldwide projects in various capacities.

In 2010, she launched her design and professional organizing business. Her work as an organizer places her among artists, craftspeople, and collectors, which gives her an intimate understanding of how individuals retain use and live with material culture.

In 2021, Heather graduated with an MFA in Critical Craft. She continues to research textile history, weave, and use natural dye techniques in which her work investigates memory, place, and identity themes through discarded vintage ephemera and materials.

Please visit her website to find out how she works with her clients in person and online and follow her on Instagram @hkpowerstudio.

 

The vast majority of the marketing we do is passive. We send emails, post to social media, and broadcast podcast episodes. Then we wait and hope for positive results.

For better results, activate your marketing by thinking of all the ways you can communicate on a personal level. Yes, active marketing requires more work, but I promise you'll get better results and enjoy it more.

In this solo episode, I walk you through how you can activate your marketing for 5 art business scenarios.

Read the "almost" transcript, find links, see featured artists and leave a comment

Highlights

• Personal note about your kindness the last couple of weeks. (0:00)
• Your list is more than people who have opted in for your emails. (3:04)
• Ensure you're not wasting time on social media. (5:11)
• Action: Create a reliable content calendar for a framework that provides direction. (6:36)
• Improve exhibition and sales venues. (7:09)
• Action: Make a spreadsheet to track potential venues. (7:30)
• Receive more benefit from your exhibitions. (8:33)
• Boost relations with your galleries. (11:03)
• Do you teach? Fill your classes and workshops. (14:06)
• We need both passive and active marketing. (15:38)
• Please email me your questions and concerns: alyson@artbizsuccess.com (16:13)

 

Mentioned

Grow Your List on-demand learning program at Art Biz Success

Creating a Content Calendar short $30 workshop at Art Biz Success

Create Opportunities on-demand learning program at Art Biz Success

Elizabeth St. Hilaire on sending cookies to her gallery

Dancing Deer Baking Company for sending baked goods in he mail

We've spent many months worried about inflation and a possible recession that may not ever happen. It would be terrific if we didn't have to concern ourselves with such things, but the economy affects everyone's business in one way or another.

Today's guest on The Art Biz is Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. We recorded this episode several months ago when the economic landscape seemed a little bleaker than it does now. This is a lesson in economics and how your art business is affected by the larger economy. We define and discuss inflation, recession, the Consumer Price Index, and Gross Domestic Product. We talk about your revenue mix, why selling lower-priced items might not be the way to go right now, bundling, and raising your rates and prices.

First posted: artbizsuccess.com/economy-luttrull-podcast

Highlights

• Defining inflation and its effect on every aspect of pricing. (1:50)

• What exactly is a recession and what role do rising interest rates play? (5:35)

• The impact of these economic factors on artists. (12:48)

• Combating uncertainty with effective business strategies. (15:32)

• Your target client in times of economic uncertainty. (20:05)

• Opportunities that are presented in challenging times. (24:16)

• Consider potentially terrible ideas to get to the good ones. (33:03)

• Seven strategies for artists to use during inflation and recession. (33:04)

This Week's Action

Your first action for the week is to look at your expenses and see where you might be able to save. I suggest keeping a list of all ongoing subscriptions as well as regular expenses and reviewing it every so often.

Your second action is to check out Elaine's $15 course on inflation and recession by following the link below.

Mentioned

• ArtBizAccelerator.com

• Elaine's course on Inflation and the Recession

• Heather Robinson art

Resources

• Show notes, images, and listener comments

• How to Price Your Art free report

• Art Biz Connection artist membership

Quotes

• "Inflation is not always a pleasant topic. It's scary, it takes up our brain space, and it's a distraction from what we really need to be doing creatively in our businesses." — Elaine Luttrull

• "All of the strategies we typically think about for coping with the uncertainty of the arts are suddenly being impacted too." — Elaine Luttrull

• "Think carefully. Do your research and talk to peers about how things feel in the art market right now." — Elaine Luttrull

• "When the market is doing interesting things is the moment to really focus on the community aspect." — Elaine Luttrull

• "Anything we can do to reassess and tighten our spending without compromising quality or making our lives harder is a really good strategy right now." — Elaine Luttrull

• "Artists are better than pretty much anyone else at navigating uncertainty, so we'll navigate all of this as well and keep making really incredible work too." — Elaine Luttrull

About My Guest

Elaine Grogan Luttrull, CPA-PFS, AFC® (she/her) is the founder of Minerva Financial Arts, a company devoted to building financial literacy and empowerment in creative individuals through education and coaching. Her workshops and presentations have been featured nationally by groups that support the arts, a variety of state and regional arts councils and commissions, and colleges and universities where creative students thrive.

Elaine spent 10 years in academia, teaching at the Columbus College of Art & Design and serving as the Department Head for Business & Entrepreneurship from 2014-2018. Before that, Elaine served as the Director of Financial Analysis for The Juilliard School and in the Transaction Advisory Services practice of Ernst & Young in New York. Elaine is the author of Arts & Numbers (Agate, B2 2013), and she contributes regularly to industry guides, including those from the Center for Cultural Innovation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation. She also serves on the boards of the Short North Alliance and Healing Broken Circles.