Artists Supporting Artists

Last weekend I invited several local and Denver artist friends to join me for a pot-luck Artist Brunch. This particular gathering also included a special guest speaker Alyson Stanfield, artist, and author of the newly published “I’d rather be in the studio!, The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion“. I was introduced to Alyson through “The Art Biz Coach” Newsletter. (Run, don’t walk, to sign up for this enews gem NOW!). In February of this year I signed up for the smARTist™ Telesummit 2008 I had been reading about in Alyson’s newsletter. Alyson, the Art Biz Coach, was one of thirteen speakers. Her delivery and material made me take note and take stock.

In her newsletters following the teleconference, Alyson mentioned doing a nontraditional book tour to discuss her new book. It seems she was interested in meeting artists. Since I have wonderful artist friends, the connection to me was obvious and a brunch was born.

The arts were well represented in my living room. There were several painters. jewelry designers, a plasterer, an author, muralists, a fiber art artist, a potter, an interior designer, web designers and more. At Alyson’s request most brought small portfolios to share. In addition to a lovely morning of good food and great conversation we had the pleasure of meeting new artist friends and seeing a sampling of works.

It was inspiring to be surrounded by such depth and breadth of talent but also by such business acumen and focus. It was my honor to be bringing together these artists with someone who enthusiastically supported and identified with the experience of making a living from their passions. When real art meets real life great things can happen.

There were a variety of questions asked about marketing concepts, websites, newsletters and blogs. Alyson impressed everyone with her knowledge of these subjects. Her book is more a reference guide to marketing than a book to read once and put on your bookshelf and forgotten. You’ll want to keep it on your desk within reach as a consult.

Where has your real art crossed paths with your real life this week? Was it a welcome reunion or a disastrous collision?