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Debra Recommends I Am A Professional Artist

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Art and Entertainment Industry, Music Business, Success

The Key To Survival and Success in the World of the Arts

by Gilli Moon

My dear friend, Gilli Moon, brings a level of reality to this topic filled with illusions and lies. And she does it with great humor and compassion. A fellow TAXI Road Rally speaker, she created Songsalive! and several other resources for musicians. I’ve also interviewed her for the Artist’s EDGE Membership.

Amazon says:

Some say succeeding in the Arts as a professional Artist is all about fame and fortune. So much of our desires are based on false illusions about the industry and what we read in glossy magazines.  Being a professional Artist is a life long journey of becoming who you want to be, and achieving success through what you love to do.  It’s about living your dream.  It’s also about setting goals that you alone determine if they have rewarded you rather than what the industry defines as success.

The Arts industry, whether that be in music, theatre, film, writing, dance or any business about Art, can be cruel and very un-artistic. It’s often about survival, especially survival of the fittest.  It can feel like a competitive war against large corporations, those who judge you (which can even include your family) and the other artists who are also climbing their way to the top.  Gilli Moon, artist, author and record company owner, brings to you her first book, I Am a Professional Artist offering Artists who’ve chosen the professional path, practical steps in harnessing one’s creative abilities to succeed and survive in the Arts and enjoy your artistry at the same time.

Including interviews with various professional Artists, I Am a Professional Artist combines a self-empowering practical guide in surviving and succeeding in the Arts with key business principles and spiritual nourishment. Consider it an Artistic soul’s survival guide in business!

I AM a Professional Artist follows 2 simple principles: If you want to be a professional Artist, the first thing to realize is that you have to be two people: An Artist, and a Business person. The second principle is based on her own coined phrase: The three Os: Optimism + Organized equals Opportunity I Am a Professional Artist will certainly change the thinking of any professional artist who may doubt themselves or their art, who may feel pressured by the industry, or may feel the hardship of the roller coaster ride.

Buy this book now

Business Management for the Creative Mind

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To find out where Debra is appearing, check the Workshops and Events page. Bring Debra in to speak to your group or conference of 40 or more people.

Or How to Run Your Arts & Entertainment Industry Business

How many times have you thought to yourself, “I’m an Artist! I’m just no good at business!” In this dynamic, interactive workshop, I’ll dispel this common myth and help you identify and apply your unique talents to create a successful business without sacrificing your art or your integrity. Whether you’re freelance, self-employed or working around a day job, acknowledging that you are a small business owner is key to creating success with your art.

In this Workshop you can expect to learn:

  • 5 Hats of the Business Owner
  • How to overcome the 5 Biggest Challenges
  • 3 Keys to Success with your business

You will walk away with the ability to see yourself at home in the world of business, to use your innate skills and take on the challenges that may now seem overwhelming to you. This workshop is appropriate for artists such as writers, musicians and actors as well as those in the production, management and venue side of the Arts and Entertainment Industry.

Debra Russell applies principles of business and organizations to the lives and work of artists, giving them new ways to deal with their lives and careers. Her workshops provide valuable tools for both performers and presenters. Her approach gives practical advice and motivation, rather than pop-psych feel-good fluff.I think the most important thing I got from Business Management for the Creative Mind is the idea that thinking of the arts in a business-like way isn’t “evil” or “unartistic”. Left brain vs. right brain thinking aren’t enemies, rather they can work together. If you can accept input from both sides, you can be both artistic and organized…and that’s a good thing!
Nick Smith, Performing storyteller, Board Member of Caltech Folk Music Society, California Traditional Music Society,
and FARWest

Alternative Marketing for Visual Artists Presented by Art Business Consultant and Coach, Martha Zlatar

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artists-marketing-business-academy-interview-with-expertsMainstream art galleries are not the only way to sell your artwork. Actually most successful visual artists do not make the majority of their sales from galleries.

Designed specifically for visual and spatial artists, this workshop will get you thinking outside of the gallery so you can find alternative spaces for your artwork.

In this class you will discover:

  • Types of galleries: Non-profit vs. Mainstream vs. Edgy Cutting Edge
  • Is the gallery system right for you?
  • How your goals help define your venue (exposure vs. sales)
  • Ways to take your art on tour (from hotels, to banks to building lobbies)
  • Possible alternative strategies for your art career.

I want to personally thank Martha – a fellow Artists Marketing & Business Academy member – for stepping in for me while I’m in Los Angeles expanding my coaching skills.

Additional Resources for this Interview:

Additional ArtistsMBA Classes on this Topic:

Listen to the Interview:

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Read the Interview Transcript

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Martha Zlatar

visual artist, marketingAs an Art Business Consultant, Ms. Zlatar advises emerging and mid-career visual artists and performers on realizing their artistic and financial goals. She coaches on clarity of vision, relationship with money, gallery representation, alternatives to the gallery scene, time management, and many other issues relevant to art entrepreneurs.

Her passion for business, psychology and the arts led her to launch ArtMatch, an art business consulting and coaching practice that supports artists in becoming more business savvy so they can sustain themselves through their artistry.

Ms. Zlatar comes with 20 years of diverse business experience in Market Research, International Business, Event Management & Promotion, Training and Meeting Facilitation and Art Business Consulting (New York City, Brussels, New Orleans and San Francisco). Aside from running her private practice, she is the Artist Outreach Consultant for the Small Business Development Center in San Francisco and Oakland. She also lectures on the Business of Art and Locating New Markets for Art at various organizations in the Bay Area.

Her eclectic background brings a fresh and new perspective to the business world and the Arts Community. Ms. Zlatar is originally from Latin America, has a degree in Marketing, an MBA, is fluent in Spanish and French and is an avid photographer and improviser.