What if times of economic uncertainty could actually be opportunities for your art business to grow?

In today's episode, I share my 21 years of experience surviving (and thriving) through recessions, pandemics, and everything in between as a professional artist. If you've been wondering, "Is anyone still buying art right now?" - this episode is especially for you.

The answer is YES - people absolutely buy art in all economies! In fact, during challenging times, people crave the inspiration, joy, and perspective that only art can provide.

In this episode, I share:

• My personal story of how I pivoted during the 2008 recession to create my first online course when art sales dipped
• Why having multiple revenue streams is crucial for weathering economic storms (and how I quickly created new income during the pandemic)
• The importance of looking for opportunities rather than dwelling on negative news
• How research shows creativity impacts our mental and physical wellbeing, creating even MORE opportunity for artists
• A special invitation to our second annual Shiny Squirrel Summit

I've been running Creative Thursday for 21 years now, surviving both the 2008 recession and the pandemic by staying nimble and focused on possibility. When the world seems chaotic, I don't retreat - I lean in to find new ways to share my art and knowledge.

If this episode has you thinking about diversifying your creative income streams, you're in luck! Our second annual Shiny Squirrel Summit is happening soon, with 12 amazing expert speakers sharing exactly how they've created multiple revenue streams in their art businesses.

Join us for FREE at shinysquirrelsummit.com - it's going to be value-packed, inspiring, and exactly what you need to set your creative business up for sustainable success in ANY economy.

Welcome to another edition of Artist Success Stories!

In this episode I'm joined by three of our Artful Selling Alumni; Lisa Kurt, Jessica Tepora, and Dionna Vereen sharing how

• they transformed self doubt and feeling scared into turning points in their creative business
• fear may be a clue to what's actually calling you
• making what you love affects your sales
• following your dream impacts the people in your life, especially your children
• it's never too late to come back to your dream
• developing your muscle for planning also develops so many invaluable life skills
• making Art helped heal during tragedy
• practicing 2 specific qualites can make all the difference in how you sell your Art

Doors to Artful Selling are OPEN for a special summer session starting now through Wednesday, May 29 @ 11:59 pm PDT

Join us!

https://artfulselling.com/

🎨 Transform Your Art Business:

Craft your Art Sales + Marketing Plan for 2024 and beyond. Make more art, sell more art, and turn your dreams into reality.

💡 Get Clarity and Achieve Your Dreams:

This time, it's about follow-through! Having a Sales and Marketing Plan is the most effective way to confidently and consistently sell to your Ideal Collectors online. Let's build a thriving business that supports a life you love.

📆 Your 12-Month Product Launch Plan:

Know what you're creating, when you're launching it, and how to price it for PROFIT.

📱 Create Your Social Media Plan:

Unlock the secrets to impactful social media strategies.

📧 Create Your Email Marketing Plan:

Learn the art of email marketing for successful art promotion.

🌟 Ready to Make Selling Your Art Easy?

You can find all things 

Lisa Kurt @lisakurt

Jessica Tepora @jessteporaart

Dionna Vereen @dionnarama

Marisa Cummings @creativethursday

Get excited! welcome to another favorite edition of Artist Success Stories.

In this episode I'm joined by three of our Alumni; Heather Harrington, Joanna Smith, and Marissa Parsons sharing

• how they first decided to follow their passion
• what's helped them find and keep the courage to pursue the professional Artist life
• how they show up with consistency
• the value of self-discovery + authenticity in the art-selling process
• the benefits of personalized mentorship
• the significance of community and support in building an art business
• why it's so important to celebrate accomplishments and stay grateful for the process
• and the transformative effects of choosing to join us in Artful Selling

Hip Hip Hooray! It's here! Only Open Once a Year!

Doors to Artful Selling are OPEN starting now through Tuesday, January 23 @ 11:59 pm PST

🎨 Transform Your Art Business:

Craft your Art Sales + Marketing Plan for 2024 and beyond. Make more art, sell more art, and turn your dreams into reality.

💡 Get Clarity and Achieve Your Dreams:

This time, it's about follow-through! Having a Sales and Marketing Plan is the most effective way to confidently and consistently sell to your Ideal Collectors online. Let's build a thriving business that supports a life you love.

📆 Your 12-Month Product Launch Plan:

Know what you're creating, when you're launching it, and how to price it for PROFIT.

📱 Create Your Social Media Plan:

Unlock the secrets to impactful social media strategies.

📧 Create Your Email Marketing Plan:

Learn the art of email marketing for successful art promotion.

🌟 Ready to Make Selling Your Art Easy?

We can't wait to welcome you!

Join us!

https://artfulselling.com/

You can find all things

Heather Harrington @lifeandwhim on instagram

Joanna Smith @joanna.smith.5876 on facebook

Marissa Parsons @marissaparsonsstudio on instagram

Spontaneous creation or being prepared ahead of time with your content? which do you prefer?

Continuing on with our series, part 3, of answering your Time Management questions; I'm opening this episode with a few more social media creation tips, specifically for video, while also sharing more tools to help you get and stay organized with your assets, marketing plan and project management.

• what and when I record behind the scenes to use in my social media marketing
• app recommendations for video editing
• my favorite project management tools and how I use them specifically for my social media planning

Yay! it's almost go time!

We start Monday, January 15

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

Be honest: how's your 2024 Social Media plan looking?

Are you feeling ready with a big picture strategy in place, or are you reading this thinking, Marisa what are you talking about "ready", I barely know what to post tomorrow let alone the rest of 2024

Would you like to feel more prepared when it comes to your marketing?

What if this is the year you could change the hamster wheel approach of: overwhelm + procrastinate = now I feel behind so why bother with any sort of plan at all ~

to breathing easier because you feel clear and excited about what you're creating and sharing with the wonderful people who can't wait to see (and collect) what you're working on.

On this first Creative Thursday of the new year, the energy of clarity that comes with a clean slate is on your side which is why I'm excited to welcome you to part 2 of the Time Management series where I'm continuing to answer your questions and sharing tips on how to organize your social media content so that you're not constantly trying to figure out "what to post" and wondering whether what you post will actually help you reach your people and grow your Art business.

When I find myself getting overloaded by a long list of to dos, a simple practice of physical and/or digital organization is the best place to start to catch my breath and clear my head.

With that approach in mind let's get into some practical tips to help you get organized.

In this episode, I share:

• what tools and apps I use to organize and back-up my assets
• how I organize my photos and social media images so that they're easy to find
• what apps I use to enhance and elevate my photography

It's getting close now...let's kick off the new year, with an inspiring planning session together.

We start Monday, January 15

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

First ~ thank you for your kind messages about our recent loss.

Holiday time, depending upon how you like to approach this season, can be filled with long to-do lists, countless visits, parties, and celebrations, or if you're like me, a perfect time for a peaceful reset.

Very intentional about how we choose to spend Christmas, Sean and I often opt for a quiet celebration which leads to a perfect opening to dream, plan, and prepare for what's next.

Over the past few years of a rapidly growing business, this has been the best time to get caught up and reset, from organizing to planning along with getting a head start on upcoming projects, especially those happening at the start of the new year (get excited and save the date! the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge and Coaching week starts Monday, January 15)

On the last episode I invited you to send me your questions about time management, and this is the first in a series of 3 answering what you asked about the most with today's part 1 focusing on a very popular topic: Social Media, specifically how I plan my Social Media from content creation to posting.

In this episode, I share with you:

• the BIG mistake I see many Artists making when it comes to how and when they post to their Social Media
• what you must have clarity on FIRST to effectively post to your Social Media
• why it's important to understand your relationship with selling and being sold to
• how I like to plan my Social Media shares
• my best practices for planning and posting your Social Media content

See you January 15 for an inspiring + fun 2024 Planning session!

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

we start Monday, January 15

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

You can find all things Marisa and Creative Thursday

creativethursday.com

and on instagram and facebook

@creativethursday

Did you hear the news? Not only am I now a happily married Mrs!

During my time away from the podcast I had an epiphany, a realization about what's been missing, what can no longer take a back seat, and the dreams I'm fulfilling in 2024.

I've got a lot to fill you in on and I'm starting by sharing the story of the Cranky Bunny, and the inspiration behind a brand new idea and Artist community I just opened that I've been thinking about since 2006.

I'm also excited to invite you to come have some holiday fun, creative painting time with me starting Monday!

Join me for the Ornament Painting Workshop starting Monday, December 11

https://ornamentpainting.shinepages.com/

Specifically, what keeps you from putting your work out in the world for sale?

Is it:

• that it's hard for you to part with your originals?
• you're afraid of the response how it will be received?
• you're concerned it might not sell?

And what does it mean if your work doesn't sell?

Welcome to another session of Creative Business Coaching over coffee where Artist Una Marz courageously, and vulnerably answers the questions above when she asked for coaching help to understand her fears around releasing her original works.

Una and I talk through her fears after I share several announcements from

• Sell A Piece of Art Challenge starting this Monday! to
• Opening registration to my first in-person painting workshop in Los Angeles this November
• To the story of how the opportunity to design my first box of cards for Papyrus came to be.

Join us for Sell A Piece of Art this Week

sellmyartthisweek.com

Join me, with my dear friend and award-winning floral designer Alyssa Van Guilder of Apotheca Flowers for our in-person floral design + painting event and creative business brunch.

Save your spot for 1, 2, or 3 days

Floral Design + Painting Workshop

You can find all things Una Marz at @una.marz

 Card box featured above Creative Thursday by Marisa for Papyrus cards.

Hi! It's me Marisa, your Creative Biz Bestie sharing the scoop on

• why
• how and
• when to get support as a Creative especially if you're pursuing Creativity as your career.

I break down the possibilities for learning in my multi-layer cake approach to education, along with

• the choices you'll make when it comes to investing in your education
• how to be discerning when getting support from experienced Mentors
• and how to know if they are right for you
• how to determine your budget for investing in your support

I also talk about the importance of when and how to choose a Mentor who has Coaching expertise,

• the skills that make a good Coach
• the training needed
• to practical and intuitive guidance

And in response to an Expansive Artist member request for more Mindset recommendations from podcasts to books I share some of my favorites with you.

Join us for Sell A Piece of Art this Week Challenge + Coaching

https://sellmyartthisweek.com/

Want to know when spots open up for 1:1 Coaching again

email us at support@creativethursday.com

See you over on Instagram for some Creative Business Coaching @creativethursday

Did you get a chance to listen to episode 317 (part 1) and 318 (part 2)

WARNING: Don't listen to part 3 until you've listened to parts 1 and 2 in order.

I kid, and yet I don't.

I'm guessing you're a freedom seeker like me and you like to do things your way, and I get that.

I can't make you listen to these episodes in order. You are free to listen to them, however, whenever you like. But if you really want to get the most from tuning into this series of episodes, listen to them, and journal your honest answers to the prompts in order.

Ok, I've said my peace. On with part 3! :)

So you've been doing "all the things" to sell your work and you're still not having the success you want?

You're trying to make changes in your "Mindset" but the changes aren't sticking? WHY?

And the defeat you're feeling is starting to get you down and making you question whether this Artist life is actually meant for you?

What can you do about it?

While we have access to a lot of education around the practical steps to selling your Art + Creations, there aren't enough conversations around this very important piece to selling your work ~ mastering your ENERGY.

Let's keep the conversation going with part 3, the final installment of a 3-part series.

In today's episode, I'm sharing how to change the habits that may be holding you back from finding consistent success + sales with your Creative Work.