This blog focuses on the joys, challenges and lessons of living the creative life—and make a living doing it!
Author Gayle Mahoney is an arts marketing consultant and has shown and sold her own artwork for over 25 years.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Welcome to my blog!

We have all felt the blows of a bad economy in one way or another the last year, and many artists I know have been hit especially hard. My sales were flat the first part of the year, but, thankfully, the holiday shopping season has been a bit better. My partner lost her job as a magazine editor a year ago now, so my art income is not just our "disposable" income anymore, but has become a crucial part of our monthly budget. As a result, I am putting a lot more time and energy into looking for opportunities to sell my work.

In such a bleak economic climate, one might think that artists would become more competitive with each other– but I have seen the opposite– artists are joining together to create sales and teaching opportunities, sharing ideas about reaching their audiences and offering basic life support in the form of Starbuck's or groceries. It is with that spirit that I am starting this blog; to share what I am learning as I promote my own business, and to provide an opportunity for artists to discuss the difficulties we face and solutions we find as take a ride on this financial roller coaster.

So I invite you to share your questions, ideas and inspirations. Let me know what is working—and what is not working—as you strive to make a living making art!

1 comment:

  1. Smart to start this on the winter solstice. The future can only get brighter! Let's enjoy the ride. Bumpy is good.

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