How do I do what I do?
Not how do I create what I create...that's a whole other story, but how do I have a business?
I get questions similar to this at art fairs all the time....how long have I been in business, how many art fairs do I do a year, that kind of thing. I guess it's kind of drilled into me that the artist statement is very important, which doesn't say squat about how to make a business. It usually goes something like, "I have a very important degree in some form of art, I combine some fancy art terms together to create the fantastic amazing thing that is my art."
Magic happens....la la la.....I'm in business selling my art.
Not. Quite.
So I think I'll divide this into a few portions to A) not bore you to tears with a 500 word essay and B) to get a series of blogs going to give me practice blogging and to get you to come back to read more!
It all started in 2001....
After spending 4 years chasing after an Interior Design degree from the U of M and then failing portfolio review (I used too much color....seriously....that's what they told me), I wanted to switch to Graphic Design and 1) missed the transfer date and 2) there was a waiting list to get into the program.
I had taken a couple foundations Graphic Design classes and was severely disappointed. One of them was taught by a grad school student who referred us to our books when we had a software question. Yes, I know I paid $300 for books, but you should still be teaching the class and not letting the books do the teaching. If I wanted that, I would teach myself. (Which I had done a lot of up to that point anyway.) I didn't want to be in school for 8 years, so I went after an associate's degree rather than a bachelor's. I transferred out of the U and went to Globe College, now Globe University. I graduated in June 2001. Then September 2001 happened. And you had a better chance of getting hit by a bus than finding a graphic design job. Not only was the job field saturated with prospective designers, the design firms were laying off more than they were hiring. I was working at tile company as a "design consultant" which meant I helped customers choose the right beige tile for their unbuilt homes. If someone came in looking for something snazzy for their backsplash, I nearly had a heart attack.
Anyhoo....I went on a interview for this great place, Hot Dish Advertising. As a Christmas call back kind of thing, I sent this gift box greeting card. A little hard to explain, but short explanation is I handmade something. A co-worker at the tile place told me that I should really go into business for myself making things. In March of 2002 I filed my DBA papers with the state, and Inkblots was born.
So....step one. After you've pounded your head against every solid surface trying to decide if you want to create a business and finally come to the conclusion that yes, I'm a glutton for punishment (kidding....), your first step is to do homework! There are some awesome websites out there that give great tips and steps for starting a business. While most of them are not geared towards art business, the basics are there and you can pick out the relevant pieces.
The hardest part is to remember that though you are making art, in the eyes of the people that take all of your money (the IRS), it's a business just like any other. You have to treat it like one!
Next time....what did I do when the paperwork was done?
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