How Do You Become More Business-Like?

​What would it mean to think of your art practice as a business? Does that idea make you cringe? Many artists believe a business mindset will turn them into an alien being, a steely-eyed accountant instead of a creative. 

Nothing could be further from the truth. When artists don’t have workable systems for handling the business side of art, they spend too much time on administrative tasks. 

You can develop business skills by using basic learning strategies. Identify what’s important to you, research to discover new information, practice, experiment, and find the solutions that work. Gradually you will free up more time and creative energy for your art practice.

Begin with small steps, so that you concentrate on putting the fundamentals in place. Becoming more business-like is not a personality change but a new set of behaviors, things you do on a regular basis.

Here are some activities where you could begin:

1. Pick three goals for your art practice. Your goals might include spending more time making art, applying for grant funding, or finding gallery representation.  Be specific about your goals.
   
   
2. Set up a schedule for working on your goals, and measure your progress at the end of each week.  Share the results with a friend or colleague. 
   
   
3. Track the time you spend making art vs. the time you spend on administration. 
   
   
4. Create a simple ledger, listing income and expenses for your art practice. 
   
   
5. Keep all your art/business receipts in one place.
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6. Find a workable system for organizing images of your art. 
   
   

Remember, the reason to develop business skills is to free up more time for making art! 

​​​​Mary Edwards, Ph.D
Career & Life Coach for Artists
“Left Brain Skills for Right Brained People”
Instagram: coachingforartists.maryedwards ​