I have been going through a course called Making-art-making-money by Ann Rea which covers how to have a successful art business. Years ago I realized that the standard business model/business plan really does not work for artists. I had been working so hard and for quite a few years with some success but not enough to allow me to do it full time. I showed different business people what I was doing and they kept saying that I was doing everything right and they did not understand why I was unable to do it full time.
One main problem I have been discovering is that the standard business model pertains to selling a product. Artists are selling emotion rather than a product and figuring out how to do that has been difficult. Another issue for me has been the question of what am I selling? Is it the art itself, the style, am I a figurative painter, landscape artist, stained glass artist, etc? Intuitively I have felt like what I am creating is more than the product, I would see what emotional impact it has had for clients and technically what I have been doing that is different than anything else out there, but I was having a hard time describing what it was and tying the emotional and technical aspects together.
In going through this course I have been able to figure out what my purpose and mission as an artist is and can begin the process of narrowing down who my audience is. My mission is to Nourish Your Soul Through a Symphony of Light and Colour!
Getting to this point has been a journey of self discovery, looking at many different emotional impacts throughout my life and seeing a distinct pattern since childhood. The result is seeing how my purpose is accepting who I am, nourishing who I am/my soul and realizing how other people are seeking or doing things to nourish their soul or who they are. I am using my skills as a glass artist and painter to help others attain this.
I played the Viola from 6th grade through college and loved the sound of the instrument and enjoyed being a part of an orchestra. Looking back, it was a good experience but the performing and playing the instrument was not the part that really nourished me. Listening to symphonic music, hearing the many layers, instruments, sounds, melodies, communicating with each other and coming together, is what really nourished my soul. I find that this comes out in my artwork and I feel such a deep connection. I am working with many different elements, each one playing a different part in creating something that ultimately nourishes the soul.
