In the last few years I have listened to a lot of podcasts about business. I have also invested in some great artist-focused business training. And I have noticed a theme. A current that was running through the waters, that I felt but didn’t recognize at first. The best leaders in business talk about developing a product, then testing the idea on your market before creating it. As artists, we are creators. We have to create. We are then left trying to find the audience that wants our finished product. We don’t want to completely change our methods of creating, or the look of a body of work just based on a whether the people we currently know want it.
Sure, there can be some exceptions to this, like commissions. But overall, this is the fundamental difference for us. As artists we have to turn slightly away from the regular business advice and find a different solution. We have to attract an audience that fits our current work. So if you know and love an artists work the best thing you can do is to share them with your friends. Help them reach out to as many people as possible. And if you are an artist, stay true to your vision. Find your tribe. They’re out there.