How to Support Your Favorite Artists (Besides Buying Art!)

Aloha artists and art lovers! If you are like me you love the feeling of supporting your fave artists and small creators, but sometimes we are on a tight budget (or let’s face, could never begin to afford allll the art that tickles our fancy!) and need to find other productive ways to show them we care!

Well luckily for all of us there are actually a number of ways you can show your support that cost absolutely nothing, or at least nothing more than you would have spent anyway on things you need.

7 Ways to Support Artists (other than buying art!)

1. Bring friends to our openings and exhibitions (even if it’s a small one!) to introduce then to out art in a meaningful way.

2. Talk us up if you hear of any artistic opportunities or gigs, or if you hear a friend or family member is looking for original or custom artwork.

3. Forward us artistic opportunities you happen upon or that come across your radar, even if there’s no firsthand connection.

4. Sign up for our newsletters and be active on our social media posts. The more meaningful the comments, the better :)

5. Share our work (with credit) on your socials occasionally.

6. Suggest our art, prints, or merch as gifts in conversation with others just like you would suggest a retail store if you hear someone saying they are looking for “the perfect item.”

7. Purchase products from companies that sponsor us through ads or product placement as it really helps show that we are great creators to work with who have audiences that buy.

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And if you'd like to support this small artist, here are some links to do so: Thank you so much for being so generous with your time!🎨💖

Need new art supplies? Any purchase through my Blick link helps a lot!

Find me on Instagram

Sign up for my newsletter

Here's my Skillshare link that includes a free month trial

Prints and original art is available in my Shop

👉And just sharing my YouTube vids with someone you think would like them is a ginormous help! Thank you!!

12.4.2022

[blank canvas image credit: Angela Roma from Pexels]

4 Great Reasons You Should Start an Art Blog

If you saw my video last time about the 11 essential things every artist website should have, I had to cut myself off from going on a tangent discussing why every artist should have a simple blog on their website in order to make that video concise. However I made some really good points in my lil diatribe, which I felt merited its own video, so here you go today!

Even if you don’t think this could possible apply to you (or even if you’re scared that it might and don’t want the “extra work load”) I urge to strongly considered even just blogging once every other month. I promise, it get’s easier over time and you will be so glad you did.

4 Reasons to Start an Artist Blog:

1. It let's the algorithm know your website is active

2. Visitors to your website will see that you are active and current

3. Potential clients or curators will know you are actively working and open for business/art opportunities

   3b. Potential clients + curators can learn more about you which will *hopefully* make them more devoted to your work

4. It's like a personal journal of your own artistic journey that you’ll be grateful you made

So don’t be shy! Get started today!

3.20.2022

11 Artist Website Essentials

We talk a lot here about what your small art biz needs to succeed. At the top of that list is a website, so today I am breaking down 11 components that you definitely need to have for a successful, professional art biz website.

Today’s vid has a lot of information in it, but don’t stress having every single thing finished and perfect before launching your creative website. Really items 1-4 must be ready at launch, and the other things you can work on and add as you go.

Below is the list of all the other helpful videos I reference during this one. Just bookmark this blog post and come back to each video one at a time as you’re ready to tackle each step. And don’t forget I am always here to guide you one-on-one through my Creative Coaching programs if you like more of a hands-on approach with feedback for creating your website.

11 Things Your Artist Website Must Have:

1. A gorgeous gallery with great pics! Even if you are just starting out and only have 8-10 artworks to post, it’s never too early to make sure they are high quality. Here’s a video I made about the easiest way to take quality art photos using natural light and a smart phone. And here’s one if your art is shiny and has a glare.

2. Social media links. If someone has taken the time to visit your website, they probably like your art enough to want to follow you so show them all the ways they can right from your home page!

3. Contact info. Definitely make sure folks can send you a message because you never know what kind of commissions or opportunities you’ll miss out on if folks can’t reach you. Don’t share your phone number here though, just a contact form and email.

4. About Me page. This is a casual way folks can get to know you. Think of it like a conversational introduction to why you do what you do. I’ve got a video for you here on how to write a short About Me that really compels people to want to learn more about your journey as an artist.

5. A Bio. This is different than the About Me page; it’s a little more factual and might be something you come back to later as you’ve progressed on your educational or professional art journey. When you are ready though, ya Birdie has got a video for you right here.

6. An online Shop. Give the people what they want... the ability to purchase your artwork - yay! Here’s a great video on how to create a tempting and beautiful online art store (or an alternate video if you’re really only ready to sell through Instagram for now).

7. An Artist Statement. It doesn’t have to be a long one if you’re just starting out, but folks who visit your website and like your work definitely want to know about why you create what you do and what you’re hoping your work will do in this world. It’s one of the trickier things for artists to do, but one of the most important. Go make a cup of tea and watch this video full of step-by-step information and inspiration for writing an exciting artist statement that will really connect with your audience.

8. A listing of any Awards, Accolades, Press, and your CV. Basically any documents or links showing other people have paid attention to you as an artist, or that you have started to make your mark on the professional art world. Again another one I have a video for that you can watch when you’re ready.

9. A blog. I know, I can hear the groans from here, but all this is is a simple place to update your audience on any interesting artistic projects, happenings, exhibitions, ventures, or art-related events that may be going on in your life or studio. It really only needs to be updated every month or two to show both your website visitors as well as search engine algorithms that you are an active artist working on current projects. There are multiple great reasons to host your own art blog, which I’ll tell you all about in this video.

10. A Newsletter sign up form. Another great way to connect with your audience is by having a newsletter. Trust me, you do not want to rely solely on social media for connecting with your audience. You need to have a way to connect with your audience and collectors that you are in complete control of by sending out periodic newsletter updates. Here’s a video explaining why this is so important, and how to write a great one.

11. Legal stuff. Definitely the driest part of your website, but a total necessity. Just clear a few days from your art biz calendar and learn how to tackle this beast right here. Luckily, you really only need to do it once, and then just check on or update it yearly.

12. OPTIONAL: A custom art or services contact form. If you provide anything custom, such as family portraits, murals, graphic design, or even consulting or tutorial sessions, having a distinct contact form to get the conversation started between you and your potential client shows that you are a professional in control of the situation and their artistic needs will be met. A real win for both of you!

Now I know that’s a lot of info for you all in one day…

But don’t worry! I have compiled all of those videos on one playlist right here you can save on YouTube and come back to as you are ready for each step.

And of course I am here as a Creative Coach that is more than happy to help you through each step of setting up a beautiful website you can really be proud of. I also do website reviews to give a helpful critique of what you’ve already got setup with a ton of suggestions to really help it shine. Drop me a line here to chat further about options.

Featured Videos:

Brand Yourself and Get Recognized

How to Photograph Artwork Using Natural Light

How to Photograph Artwork Without a Glare

How to Write an About Me for Artists

How to Write an Artist Bio

Setting Up an Attractive Online Art Store

Open an Instagram Shop for Free

How to Write an Artist Statement

How to Write an Artist CV

4 Reasons you Should Start an Art Blog

How to Write an Exciting Artist Newsletter

5 Legal Things Your Artist Website Must Have

3.6.2022

What to Name Your Art Business?

Hey there chickadee, what do you call your small art biz? Do you just use your real name? Or maybe an alias? Do you have it registered legally? Or have you even thought that far ahead yet?

While coming up with a good ‘art name’ may not be on your radar, it’s definitely something to think about before you go and get too famous because whatever people get to know you as first, usually sticks. You want to make sure that you are becoming known by a name you can grow with and live with for the rest of your life (and beyond!).

On today’s Ask an Artist I’ve got five tips to help you land on an individualistic artistic moniker that will help you establish and brand yourself as the independent artist you already are:)

Five Tips for Choosing a Great Art Business Name

1. First off, have you thought about whether you would like to use your real name or an alias? There are benefits to both, your name will never get ‘old’ but using an alias is a little more private and can be easier to remember. Occasionally artists even include a descriptive word (see tip 4)

2. If your going to use anything other than just your legal name in the business name, make sure not to choose anything too narrow that may pigeonhole you down the road. Like beware or using something related to fanart or a certain subject matter as you may want to grow beyond that later on.

3. Try to be thoughtful of difficulties your audience may have with spelling or remembering your biz name.

4. Using the words ‘art’ or ‘painting’ or ‘printmaking’ or ‘tattoo’ within your moniker can help you not only get found on search engines, but can also help to be a mini-marketing opportunity when others see your name in comments or communities.

5. Once you think you’ve come up with a great moniker/biz name, the last step is just to check it online and on the platforms you plan on showing your art on to make sure it’s not a name that is taken (at least not by anyone super big!). If it is… unfortunately you may have to go back to step one.

2.6.2022

How Do Artists File Taxes?

Aloha artist... are you all pumped up to start your taxes yet this year? Or still a little early to be stressing it?

Well I agree!

Which is why I am getting a nice head start for those of you running a small art biz this year by creating a video full of tips and advice to make filing your taxes as a small art biz owner that much easier this year. Because simpler taxes is always great news!

Disclaimer: I am not a Certified Personal Accountant nor trained in any other way to do taxes professionally nor to give specific tax advice. These are just tips that I have personally implemented or have researched for this video from 3rd party websites as well as irs.gov, but they are not meant to act as a specific guide for you since each person/business/state/situation is different. Use these suggestions as a jumping off point for your own research:)

How to file taxes as an artist

1. Don’t lie! It may be very tempting to fudge some numbers or not report all your sales so your taxes are a little lower this year, but the IRS is not messing around and they can come collect back taxes for up to 10 years - with the addition of all kinds of penalties and interest (and maybe even a taw lawyer for yourself too!). So do your peace of mind a favor and go ahead and report every sale and don’t take false deductions.

2. Have a business bank account and business credit card to help keep your biz finances separate and organized from your personal finances. This way you can look at all your expenses as purchases on your credit card and all your income as deposits in your bank account. Ideally, you will put all of your business expenses on one credit card which you pay off in full at the end of every month. Even if in the beginning your expenses are higher than your income and you have to use money from your personal bank account to pay off your business credit card on time (to avoid accruing interest), that’s ok. It’s totally normal. Still doing it this way will be better in the short and long term for keeping things organized and being able to see exactly what kind of money your small biz is brining in.

3. Make sure to keep all of your expenses and income organized not only into their own accounts, but into their own categories within your accounts. Income should be split into categories like, ‘Retail Sales, Wholesales, Services, Digital Products’, etc. according to what your art biz consists of. Your expenses should have categories like, ‘Internet, Computer Hardware, Mobile Phone, Shipping, Office Supplies, Art Supplies, Resale Merchandise’, etc. This way when the time comes, you will know exactly where your business had to spend money and exactly where that money came from. You know, stuff the government is really interested in knowing. **I really like the free accounting software Wave (not affiliated) because once I set it up, it automatically separates my various incomes and expenses for me. Once a month I just go through and check on things and make a few tweaks and I’m done with all my bookkeeping. Let me know if you’d like a video specifically on how I set up and organized my own art biz bookkeeping down in the comments below :)

4. Have your art business registered locally as its own entity to collect and pay state sales taxes throughout the year on all your art sales and services. I know, I know…. more taxes?! But yeah, you gotta do it. The good news is that by paying your sales taxes all year long a lot of your bookkeeping will be maintained making these end-of-year taxes soooo much easier! Plus, you have to be registered in order to take deductions (which you definitely want!!).

5. Once you’re paying federal income taxes at the end of the year, have your business registered as it’s own enterprise such as an LLC or Sole Proprietorship with its own business name. The difference between and LLC and a Sole Proprietor usually has to deal with the size of the small business and whether you have anyone working for or with you. You can watch the video for a more in-depth description of each (including pros and cons of declaring your business either one), but essentially, if you’re like me and a one-person enterprise, you’re most likely going to want to stick with a Sole Proprietorship.

6. You’ll probably need to fill Self Employment and 1040 forms including W-9s from any freelance or contracted work you’ve done, and W-2s for any regular employment you’ve had throughout the year. Just follow the directions on those or use an online tax service (which I strongly recommend and use myself!).

7. When it’s time to file, make sure to look for ALL the deductions!! Sit down for a minute and think about every little thing it takes for you to make sellable art, and then to market it, and then to actually sell it. From your art and shipping supplies to your website hosting to the cell phone you use to post on your art-related social medias to the milage you drive to show or deliver your art to the money you spend on editing/workshops/gear to improve your artmaking abilities… it’s all tax deductible because it helps your small business to function and to grow. This is where filing taxes - even as a super tiny newbie creator - makes it all worthwhile.

8. Yay! GREAT NEWS.. showing a profit every year while starting out is not a requirement for filing taxes! This is awesome news that means that you are allowed to show a net loss for five of your first seven years in business. Sounds almost unbelievable right?! That you could get all these deductibles for your biz having not made enough have to pay Uncle Sam anything yet!?! Dang! But it makes total sense. Most businesses, from the tiniest creative venture to the biggest venture capitalist-backed corporation, are understood to have large start up costs with small initial revenues associated with them as they are just starting out and getting their name in the market. It’s one of the things that make the US such an entrepreneur-friendly country, that the gov knows it takes time to make that first bit of money, and that you’ll get him once you’re good for it;)

9. Newbie Artists Beware: Don’t file art biz taxes and declare a bunch of deductions unless you are ACTUALLY selling art or art services. Because what can happen if you aren’t really selling and aren’t really trying to sell, is that the IRS can look at your sizable deductions and literal zero gross sales and decide your (potential) art biz is actually a ‘Hobby’ which means you can no longer write off any art related deductions. From what I understand, it can be really hard to shake that label from the IRS for years to come even once you are more legit and really do need to take deductions so don’t shoot your future self in the foot on that one!

Hopefully you found today’s blog + video super helpful! If so, make sure to subscribe to the weekly blog roundup so you never miss any good tips OR when I ask my audience for input or suggestions!

1.16.2022

How Much Do You Love Doing Your Art Biz Taxes?

Oh boy oh boy, it’s that special time of year…. tax season! I know it’s still a bit early to deal with for a lot of us, but since I have been asked from time to time about how to handle income taxes when owning a small biz, I figured early is better for this particular topic. I want you to have all the good info to procrastinate on!

But before I can offer advice, I need to know just what you’re curious or confused about? Have you ever even claimed your small biz and filed sales and use taxes? Do you use accounting software to keep track of your income and expenses throughout the year? Do you make the most out of your deductibles?

These are just a few things to think about when filing taxes with the IRS, and they are important!

For the next 24 hours I’m featuring a series of questions on my Instagram Stories to find out just where you chickadees are regarding filing federal and state taxes for your small one person art biz, so pop over there to take the survey and get some of your questions answered in next week’s video.

FYI This video will not be a step-by-step tutorial on how to file your taxes since every person/state/business/situation is different (not to mention that I could probably get in some kind of legal trouble for doing so!), but it will be a series of tips and suggestions that will help you navigate the confusing world of declaring small biz income for Uncle Sam.

PS If you’re not on Instagram, feel free to respond to the above queries or drop a comment or question of your own regarding filing your small art biz taxes below. I’m excited to help you all realize that filing taxes is way less daunting than you may think, and is really beneficial to your biz in both the short and the long run.

After taking the survey, make sure to tune in next week for all the good tax advice this Bird can muster! We can do this!

1.9.2022

5 Legal Things Your Art Website MUST Have!

Do not get sued! Yikes!

Every website these days (yes, even your teeny tiny lil humble artist portfolio) must have five legal items on it to make sure you are compliant for visitors in the US and the EU. I was unaware until recently just how essential these things are, so as soon as I figured out how to be compliant, I wanted to share them with you!

5 Things you Definitely Need on Your Art Website:

1. Privacy Policy You have to tell folks what kind of data your website tracks and how you’re going to use it. There are different requirements for the US and Europe so you’d better make sure to follow all the rules!

2. Cookie Banner + Policy Letting people know you are taking analytics and giving them the option to opt out of non-essential monitoring. This is also about the personal privacy of your website visitors.

3. Terms + Conditions This tells folks that if they are on your website, it’s on your terms. This lets people know what to expect so they can’t get upset and sue you for being offended by your content, or if they simply don’t like the way you do business. This part tells people, hey , if you don’t like it, then leave because by staying on my website you are agreeing to using my website in the way that I, the creator, see fit. This also let’s folks know that they cannot take your content off your website and use it as their own, but if they submit comments or images to your site, then you can use them for anything.

4. Disclaimer The disclaimer tells people that your website and its content are your opinion and any instruction or advice they get from you is their own responsibility and you do not guarantee everything to be perfect or without flaw. It also let’s people know that you do not guarantee any company, product, or third party that may be featured on your website either.

5. Refund Policy Definitely essential if you ever want to sell goods or services, that way there is no question should an issue ever arise. This one can be written by you in casual, understandable English according to however your particular policies are and don’t need to be written in legalese.

Here are the companies I used for my legal jargon:

I am not affiliated with them and get no money from you using their services, nor can I legally bind myself to or guarantee their products. This is just a simple recommendation of what I am using for my website.

https://termly.io/

https://www.websitepolicies.com/

10.3.2021

Get Your Art + Products in Shops!

How exciting would it be to see your art or art products on the shelves or walls of local boutiques and restaurants?!? To be able to walk around town showing your friends which businesses to pop into to see your work in person??

Not only is it so satisfying, but it can become a great way to generate another source of income within your many small art biz channels.

This question comes from one of my long-time YouTube subscribers Shona Renae Savage, who has definitely been an active and positive part in this Bird’s community. Thank you, Shona!❤️ She writes…

“What are the step-by-steps of how to approach a local business with your art/merchandise such as stickers, T-shirts, mugs etc? Do you call ahead, email, snail mail a sample of your merchandise, or simply show-up with a business card and merchandise? Should there be contracts; how does that all work? Is it a different approach for a restaurant or dental office vs. a gift shop? Not quite there yet but I have goals. Art takes time.”

It sure does, Shona! And patience is one of the best things we can have as artists!

Tips for Landing Your First Spot in a Local Business

• Make sure you are a good fit for the business you’re looking into. Make sure your work will elevate the atmosphere of the shop or office and be able to articulate how it will do so when you’re speaking to a manager or owner.

• Go into the business in person during a time they are not busy. If it’s a shop or restaurant, bring examples of your work or products that you can easily hold in your hand (but is bigger than a phone screen) and show it to the first employee you talk to as a way to get them on your side and interested in your work BEFORE going to find the manager for you. Be super friendly, big smiles, and if you notice they’re busy, don’t bother them and come back when they’re not.

• Realize that you will need to approach different businesses in different ways depending on if it’s a retail shop, a restaurant, or a medical or business office. Use tact, dress appropriately, and be super courteous to whoever you approach. Be professional (ie. likeable) and they’ll want to work with you! Watch the video for specific examples of how to handle different types of businesses, but no matter what, you should have a biz card and some kind of example, flier, or write-up you can leave.

• No matter where your work or products wind up, make sure to have a specific contact person or liaison to deal with and have set parameters for what’s expected. How much will the shop take as a cut? When will you get paid? (If it’s an office or restaurant, they probably won’t even sell for you. They’ll probably expect you to leave a biz card on the wall so the customer can buy from you directly.) How often should your art or merch be restocked or changed out? If it’s a retail shop, are they purchasing wholesale or are you consigning? How long is your work going to be featured in that business? These are a few examples of things you’ll want to have worked out beforehand, but there may be others. It’s not a bad idea to have even an informal contract written up so that both parties are on the same page.

• Be wary of shops that want you to pay them in order to sell there. I have had success volunteering 1-2 days a month at an artist co-op where I sold my Sock Monsters, but as a rule of thumb if you are paying the business to have your work, then they have far less motivation to actually sell your stuff because they have already gotten their slice of the pie.

• And the best advice I can give is to become part of the community of the local boutiques and restaurants where you want to sell. People like to help artists that are also invested in their own small businesses; it becomes a beautiful and uplifting cycle. Watch the vid to learn EXACTLY how to gain all the benefits of being a working artist in a local community (including gaining tons of new and inspiring friendships!)

  8.15.2021

3 Ways to Add Some "WOW!" to Your Art

Making your artwork really stand out can be a difficult task these days considering just how many incredible artists there are currently working in the world today… but it’s totally essential if you ever want to gain some real traction!

Now there are an infinite number of ways to create notable artwork, and today I’m super psyched to share three fantastic ideas to add a real ‘WoW’ factor to artwork that pretty much any artist can implement within the work they are already creating. I have personally used all three of these methods within my own work, and have gotten wonderful feedback each time.

How to Wow!…

1. Play with proportion

   Making something unusually small or large can be a really unexpected, surreal, or memorable treat for your audience, especially if they are able to experience it in person. This also make for great selfie-with-your-art moments with the added bonus of people wanting to publicly post their interactions with your artwork (so make it easy for them to tag you!!)

2. Make people laugh

   Bringing out emotions like sadness, longing, or even hope or nostalgia can be a very powerful tool for connecting deeply with your audience, but in this case, laughter truly is the best medicine. It takes a certain skill to create quality art that also makes folks literally want to laugh out loud, and because it’s so rare, your art will stand head and shoulders above similar artists. This is another way to make your art super-shareable as folks genuinely love cracking a smile with their friends and followers.

3. Use familiar materials in a new or unusual ways

   People love feeling inspired to try new things, see objects in new ways, and interact with the world around them in unusual ways so sparking some imagination within your audience by doing or creating something they have never seen before will make you a favorite artist your audience will keep coming back to out of pure curiosity if nothing else. And yep, you guessed it… folks love sharing jaw-dropping or just plain old weird content too… so give them something unusual to impress their followers with!

Featured Artists:

Claes Oldenburg

Salavat Fidai

Bry Marie

Sarah Ann Sweeney

Zeezytat

Dorielle Cami

Callen Schaub

Ai Weiwei

Erika Iris

7.18.2021

10 Lessons Learned from a Lifelong Artist

Sometimes we wish we could go back in time and give advice to ourselves as a younger artist, such as words of encouragement or tips to start growing an audience right out of art school.

Today I've got a video for you sharing advice that my younger artist self would have loved to get a little earlier than I actually did, which may be right on time for your art journey now!

No two art careers ever look exactly the same, but if you'd like some guidance navigating your own personal artistic journey, pop over to my website and check out all the different (and surprisingly affordable!) mentorship opportunities I have available for you.

In a nutshell…

1. Gallery representation is far from the only way to make it as an artist

2. Begin building up your own name recognition as soon as possible

3. Create your own collaborative events or happenings

4. Learn skills like marketing and bookkeeping

5. Be your own best advocate - get excited about your artwork!

6. Only take advice from other successful creatives on the path you wish to take

7. Say 'yes!' to as many artistic opportunities as possible

8. Be active in your local artistic community

9. Build up other digital skills to showcase your work in the best ways possible

10. Never stop learning and honing your skills - seek outside help when you need it!

And when you are ready for a little outside help of your own, check out the variety of mentorship packages I offer to assist in any stage along your artistic journey.

6.6.2021