02/ 27/ 2006
Q: I'm going to graduate soon with a master's degree in fine arts. It's always been my dream to make money with my art, but I also know how difficult that can be. Do you have any suggestions?
A: The concept of a starving artist may seem romantic, but romance doesn't pay the bills. Still, the idea of starting a business based on your art is smart because it would allow you to make money doing something you love.
Starting a business of any sort is never easy, but one prerequisite is that you base it on something that you enjoy doing. If it works, you'll be fortunate enough to get to do it all day, every day.
Many artists dream of finding galleries to display and sell their work. While this is a possibility, it's not an easy one to achieve, and it takes years to build the reputation necessary to command the kind of fees that pay the bills.
I advise a more practical route. An artist wanting to start a business needs to find a niche and serve it. Take Linda O'Neill, an artist living near Boulder, Colo., for example. After receiving her bachelor's degree in fine arts, O'Neill wanted to become a studio artist and sell her paintings. Before she could do that, she knew she needed some work experience. So she took a job as a digital painter for George Lucas and his Industrial Light and Magic studios in Marin County, Calif.
A few years later, O'Neill and her husband moved to Colorado. Though she looked for work, she knew that it was time to venture out on her own. Her initial business plan was to do digital photo restoration, based upon her experience at ILM.
But then she met Abby, a dog O'Neill and her husband rescued from the animal shelter, and her business was born. It started one day when she painted a portrait of Abby for fun. It turned out great. Soon, she was painting the portraits of her friends' dogs and Abby Creek Studios was born (www.AbbyCreekStudios.com). Since then, O'Neill has become one of the top dog portrait painters in the country.
She recently received portrait commissions for Guide Dogs for the Blind and the National Greyhound League. Her business has expanded into prints and cards, available both online and at retail outlets.
O'Neill attributes her success to her connection with dogs and being able to translate that into art. Her word-of-mouth advertising is successful because of her love for animals, as well as her ability to capture the personality of her models.
What advice does O'Neill have for others who want to turn their art into a business?
1. Do what you love: O'Neill is a firm believer that any artist who wants to succeed in business has to create what it is they love, or else the art they love, while also keeping an eye out for a market.
2. Market your business, then market some more: It's good to paint or create what you love, she says, but don't lose sight of the fact that you're also a businessperson. Because O'Neill spends considerable time and effort marketing her art, 8 percent of her business comes from outside Colorado.
She has an ad, for example, that runs consistently in the national magazine, The Bark, and she directs potential customers to her Web site where they can see samples of her work. She also does plenty of online search engine advertising, so when surfers type “dog portrait” or “pet art” into search engines, ads for Abby Creek Studios appear.
The business lesson from this successful entrepreneur and gifted artist? “Do what you love, but don't forget to get your name out there!”
