1:15 - Vanessa’s introduction. She’s an expert in body language and sales.    3:00 - people decide VERY early in their first impression of you whether or not they’re going to buy from you. You can learn the skills that will make a great first impression.    7:30 - how we talk about our talents. The 5 aspects of who we are and how we express ourselves. Vanessa talks about how to learn these things and recognize them in others. We do some really fun playing with body language.    17:00 - what the stress hormone, cortisol, is and does   20:30 - the power of proximity. How close you stand to someone matters a lot.    24:15 - you don’t have to be an extrovert. Charisma and body language vary by person. Vanessa talks about playing to your strengths. 

Creative Insurgents: Living a Creative Life by Your Own Rules

How to Talk About Your Art Even if You’re A Hopeless Introvert

http://creativeinsurgents.com/23 to see Cynthia's art and videos.  :47 – Cory introduces Cynthia Morris, artist, writer, writing coach, and fabulous dancer 1:20 – Cynthia shows off her art journals a little bit and shows how she got started with them. She also mentions some resources from Frederick Frank, including Zen Drawing and Art As A Way 5:20 – how visual thinkers can quickly capture ideas and thoughts in a visual format instead of journaling or note taking 11:00 – Cynthia and Cory discuss the fact that even artists who are very experienced feel insecure or are unaware of how good they are at their art. Cynthia talks about putting your head down and building up chops. 15:00 – Cynthia shares her tips on how to finish a book or other long-term projects. She emphasizes the importance of understanding that big projects really take something from you, and you have to strategize on how to deal with that beforehand. 20:00 – Cory & Cynthia both talk about dealing with self-doubt and how to face that kind of fear 21:00 – Cynthia talks about how her dancing videos help her filter out people who are not a good fit for working with her 25:00 – Cynthia talks about what it means to live a creative life on your own terms

Art Journaling and Beating Back Fear with Cynthia Morris | CI#23

0:36 - Cory shares that living in France is not paradise, and sees it as a metaphor for everyone. "Embrace the chaos." 1:09 - Melissa's Great ClutterBust program is still open throughout October. Sign up at http://melissadinwiddie.com/great-clutterbust. 1:53 - Due to the lack of a good internet connection in France, Cory was unable to be present for the interview portion. 2:29 - Introducing Shirley Williams, abstract expressionist painter based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. 3:37 - Pricing: the surprising Catch-22 of commanding high prices. "It wasn't paying my bills!" (Tip: "When you end up having less work than what you're selling, that's when you raise your prices.") 6:55 - "I don't know if I want to be famous; I want to make my living from this!" 9:08 - How Shirley prices her work: Lineal inch pricing (tip: this is how professional galleries do it). 10:37 - The importance of getting clear on what you really want for yourself, and why it doesn't work to be a museum artist and a self-represented artist. "There's one thing that's constant as a professional artist, and that's change." 13:37 - "What I've realized is that I'm the happiest when I'm in control of my own career." Which means 50% of her time is spent marketing. 15:37 - Why she asked "Will this kill my career?" 16:37 - "There is never one opportunity, one phone call that's going to change your life, and all you need to do is sit in your studio and paint all day.... That's a dream." 17:03 - Shirley shares "a perfect example of how things can go sideways, really fast." 18:54 - Shirley's big museum show: "I thought doors were going to open magically from there." But the let-down after: "It was very clinical. It wasn't a creative endeavor. It was a very distant, off-putting thing for me." 22:20 - "It never ends... There's nobody that has the answer." 23:04 - Shirley talks realism: "One thing I've realized... is that you build your career one experience at a time, one person at a time, and one painting at a time." 24:37 - "Everything has a price, in terms of what you're going to get back." 26:24 - "It takes about nine to fifteen approaches before somebody buys." 28:15 - "I think it starts with the community. You have to build your base... Plant yourself well. Create a following." 30:18 - "Ups and downs are a big aspect.... You need several income streams." 31:36 - Shirley's typical daily schedule. "It's my life." 34:37 - "You cannot paint for a market... You've got to be yourself.... Plan your work and work your plan."

Straight Talk on the Business of Being an Artist, with Shirley Williams | CI#22

:39 Melissa talks about her experiments with her new looping app (listen to tracks here or on SoundCloud). 1:10 Cory is getting ready to move to Montmarte, and is about to open up his Authentic Online Marketing for Artists course, starting September 15 (see http://OnlineMarketingForArtists.com for details). 2:05 Cory introduces artist Matt LeBlanc (http://www.mattleblancart.com/en/). 3:05 Matt shares how he handled the career transition from marketing employee to full-time artist. 4:52 Matt's biggest key to success. 6:32 How it felt to walk in and tell his boss he was leaving to focus on his art career full-time. 8:22 How do you build an art business on the side, while raising a family and working a full-time job? "I'm not the person who has the most talent, but I'm one of the persons who will work the hardest." 9:43 "If you're gonna pick something, make sure you research it, and make sure you do it well," and the importance of not relying on a single revenue stream. 11:59 How the art market follows the trend of house sales, and how Matt is dealing with the recession. 13:14 The three things you should look at when considering a new endeavor, business-wise (hint: make sure two out of three are there before you say yes.) 15:45 The changing face of social media, Matt's experience with how Facebook has changed, and how advertising fits in. 17:16 The biggest problem that most artists have (hint: it has to do with your brand). 19:36 "It's not about the instant sale, it's about putting your branding out there." 23:30 Matt talks about his live show, Fusion (His way of creating an art opening that would stand out from what other artists typically do: watch 2012 intro video. Watch 

Matt LeBlanc on the Artist as Entrepreneur | CI#20

http://creativeinsurgents.com/19 :30 – Cory talks about spending the weekend in Birmingham, England. 1:30 – Melissa’s upcoming Get Sparked course. MelissaDinwiddie.com/get-sparked 3:14 – Stan Klein is the creator of Firecat Projects, which hosts a unique solo show model where the artist keeps all of the revenue. 8:00 – Renee Robbins did a show with Firecat about 18 months ago. Renee talks about how she worked toward the concept of her solo show. She used the Firecat show as a way of pushing herself into a new direction with her work. 11:00 – Stan & Renee talk about the collaborative process for developing the show. This new model requires a lot of trust between Stan and the artist, but it creates a more rewarding show. 14:02 – the artist needs to let people in to the creative process and the thoughts that bring the work into being. It helps people get excited about the work. 17:05 – Renee talks about how she became comfortable talking about her work. 19:55 – Melissa shares a powerful personal experience about how sharing a story and a song sold a piece of art 25:03 – How the Firecat show influenced Renee’s career financially. Several of the people from that show became subscribers to her future work. 26:23 – Stan & Renee’s suggestions on how to have a great show. 30:37 – Cory & Melissa ask for your reviews on iTunes. Click here to leave us a review and we’ll give you a shout out next episode!

Secrets of Successful Solo Shows with Stan Klein & Renee Robbins | CI#19

2:33 Introducing Jolie Guillebeau, and her struggle to make it to art school, being foiled at every turn by parents, teachers, and institutions. 6:11 What happened immediately after Jolie graduated from art school (hint: she didn't paint or draw for an entire year, paralyzed by fears, perfectionism, and the internal judge that came on board in school.) 8:00 How Jolie found her way out of the stuckness, and her first 100-day painting series (out of which 87 paintings sold, with a mailing list that started with just 42 people). 11:30 How Jolie grew her list from 42 to 270 people in 100 days. 12:55 Jolie's story of facing down her "You're Not a Real Artist" gremlins one at a time (her "Kill Bill List"). 16:16 How Jolie priced her different 100-painting series, the challenges of Name Your Own Price pricing, and finding her pricing "sweet spot." 19:00 How Jolie transitioned into being a full-time artist, and a breakdown of where her income comes from now, including her actual income goals. 22:12 Being able to say "I'm an artist" without hesitation. 23:14 "Just as important is the product is talking about the process. In fact, in some cases, it's more important!" 23:53 The importance to Jolie of connecting with her audience, and making art accessible, and how her experience in Africa makes it hard for her to price her art above $1,000. 25:44 "I really like the idea of my work being the first 'real' artwork that somebody purchases." 26:42 The World Domination Summit, and Jolie's role in it. 28:18 Keeping balance and sanity when you have a big project outside of your art life that can easily take over. (Hint: public commitment!) 31:22 Jolie's advice to beginning artists. 32:37 How Jolie's recent TEDx talk came about.

Jolie Guillebeau on Becoming an Artist | Creative Insurgents Episode 18

1:02 Melissa's upcoming improv performance on July 20th in San Francisco, and upcoming live playshop, Unleash Your Inner Creative, on Saturday, July 26th. 3:45 Cole Palmer explains what Patreon is all about (ie, an "ongoing crowdfunding model, to allow artists to create a sustainable and reliable salary with the support of their fans). 4:37 How Patreon got started. 5:50 How Patreon is different from sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. 7:00 Cory likens Patreon to an updated, egalitarian version of the old patron system. 8:41 Cory shares his perspective as a supporter of the arts, who wants to pay the webcomic artists he loves, but they don't always have something for sale! 10:15 Melissa: "There are people out there who are dying to buy something from you... if you just have a way to make it available!" 11:35 Funding and community can be combined in one place. 12:03 What kinds of artists are most successful with Patreon? Artists who already have huge followings? Or do artists build audiences on Patreon? 12:46 Examples of successful artists on Patreon: Molly Lewis, a musician earning $2,695.27 per original song from 406 patrons, and  Tom Merritt, a podcaster who is earning $11,333.68 per month from 4,156 patrons. 14:34 How did Patreon create this level of success? Why is it better for an artist to use Patreon than to set up a donation button on their own website? 16:41 "I'm an artist with a vision of creating a body of work, and being supported to do that. What does Patreon do, and what do I do, to make sure I'm successful?" 19:00 How have visual artists used Patreon to good effect? (Hint: it works best to intersect the digital world and the analog world.) 21:21 Creative and unusual ways that Patreon has been used: Chalk Children's Hospital 24:50 Some visual artists who are using Patreon: Jennifer Miller, Shayla Maddox, Ricky Colsen 26:32 Patreon's grand vision! 27:39 Tips for creating a successful Patreon campaign: http://patreon.com/toolbox    

Artists Can Get Paid to Create with Patreon - Creative Insurgents Episode 17

1:20 - If all of the changes Facebook is making are hurting your marketing, then you’ll want to check out the Facebook Marketing for Artists course here:    2:30 - Melissa Dinwiddie’s upcoming live retreat, “Unleash Your Inner Creative Playshop” is coming up as well.    3:30 - we introduce Owen Garrett from Pencilneck.com.    4:30 - Owen talks about how he got his start selling art door to door and how he ended up selling the first piece of his own art for $500.    7:10 - why Owen doesn’t tell collectors that he’s really good at selling art, and where he got his sales training   11:00 - we talk about Owen’s blog, The Colonel, and his workshop elves. This is a great little tidbit about storytelling in selling art   15:40 - *This is the gold* how Owen actually makes money - what he sells vs. what he leaves alone   22:00 - how Owen’s commercial sales lead to additional sales, and what Owen does to help that happen   25:00 - the power of systems and how Owen has trained his employees and his business to function efficiently and smoothly, which in turn brings in more money   31:21 - Owen talks, very specifically, about how he packages his art for shipping   35:30 - last year, Owen’s business generated almost $1 million in sales. He talks about some of the luck and help he had along the way  

What a $1 Million Art Business Looks Like with Owen Garrett | Ep 16

2:21 Minnie introduces artist Shannon Amidon, and introduction to the concept of the artist's residency. 3:56 Shannon shares about her month-long residency in Iceland. 4:55 How to go about getting a residency of your own (see resources below). 9:05 What kinds of organizations sponsor residencies? 10:52 Remember: residencies are competitive. Shannon's thoughts on dealing with rejection. 11:22 Shannon's history as an artist. 12:51 Shannon's vision for starting up a residency program of her own (a residency for families)! 14:36 What it means to Shannon to live a creative life on her own terms. 15:57 Where Shannon's income comes from, what she's discovered is the secret to higher sales, and the types of marketing that work for her. 18:16 How Shannon's residency experiences have changed her process and output. 19:57 How Shannon got started with grants. 22:56  The difference between grants and residencies. 24:29 Shannon's upcoming projects. 25:31 A discussion on best practices for packaging and shipping artwork. (Melissa mentioned this video by the Golden Paints company on how to build a shipping collar to keep anything from touching the surface of your paintings during shipment.) Resources and Tips from Shannon Residencieswww.artistcommunities.orgwww.resartis.orgwww.transartists.orgwww.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/763138/a-guide-to-20-top-artist-residencies-and-retreats-across-the Grants & Calls for ArtCheck your local or state arts council  www.callforentry.orgwww.artdeadline.comwww.artopportunitiesmonthly.comwww.professionalartistmag.com Tips on Applying for Grants or Residencies Start locally, a lot of grants are region or medium-specific. Have a clearly defined project or goal in mind. Explore crowd funding kickstarter, indiegogo, etc. Read and follow all directions very carefully. Take your time with the application, no last minute rushing. Have excellent images. Attend grant-writing workshops. Read other artists' proposals, preferably winning ones, to see what good applications look like. Don't get discouraged grants and residencies can be very competitive keep applying.

Grants and Residencies for Artists with Shannon Amidon | Episode 15

:30 - Melissa shares her experience with varnishing paintings - acrylic artists will appreciate this a lot 2:40 - Melissa introduces Claudine Helmuth - painter, author, licensed artist and teacher 4:09 - Claudine talks about her history of how she got started in her full time art career (she learned HTML & web design early in her career, before she went full time as an artist) 7:45 - Claudine talks about every entrepreneur’s recurring nightmare: will I make enough money - even after 13 years on the path 11:20 - How Claudine’s various sources of income break down 13:40 - Why Claudine has decided to move all of her workshops online instead of in person 15:30 - Claudine talks about her experience getting dropped from Home Shopping Network 17:40 - Claudine breaks down how she started building each of her various streams of income 22:30 - we talk about acting before you know everything and testing things out without committing to them 100% 27:45 - how Claudine designed her digital downloads that she sells for people to print out on their own and put together themselves 32:00 - Claudine really approaches her art career as a business and she thinks its fun - her attitude is really refreshing - and she talks about how her audience has helped her create new and interesting directions in her art business To see more of Claudine's work, her website is CollageArtist.com

When Is An Artist an Entrepreneur with Claudine Hellmuth | Episode 14

2:33 – Cory introduces Stephen Goldsmith, sculptor, urban ecologist, planner, craftsman. 4:45 – The problem with segregating us into categories, and not feeling permission to go outside of your chosen discipline. Example: Candy Chang. 8:13 – In order to repair the world, we have to use every tool that we have as creators, and how to introduce yourself at parties. 10:25 – How do you zoom out from the specific; Stephen as “the accidental [fill in the blank];” and people as “healthy viruses.” 15:14 – Stephen’s story of transforming a condemned building into a workspace for artists by aligning the interests of the city with the interests of the artists, and how Stephen’s commitment to social justice became part of his creative life. 24:02 – We’re part of a movement that isn’t really named yet. Each one of our failures is a building block. 27:05 – By defining the arts broadly brings creativity out in everyone so that beauty is no longer an option; beauty is the way we live our lives. 29:00 – How do you break down the mental barriers that prevent you from trying things outside of your discipline? 32:17 – Why “I’m not ready/I don’t know how to do that” is not a reason to not do what calls to you. Stepping on the path will teach you what you need in order to follow your calling. 35:34 – The importance of sharing knowledge, the 100-year plan that Stephen is working on right now (“Men should plant trees under whose shade they will never sit”), and how to make the invisible visible (using art to change people’s energy consumption behavior).

Breaking Down Creative Barriers with Stephen Goldsmith | CI #13

1:25 - Melissa introduces Jennifer Louden, author of six best selling books, workshop leader, and teacher.    4:00 - Jennifer talks about what it means to live a creative life according to her own terms - for her it means maintaining a creative practice that is separate from making money. Melissa and Jennifer are both familiar with burnout and they talk about it here.    7:50 - shadow comforts - what are they, and how do they drain your creativity?    13:50 - what is it that holds us back from taking care of ourselves? How is this different for men and women? This discussion is actually pretty profound, and I found myself thinking about it for days afterward.    18:30 - should we be happy all of the time? Is it immature to think about happiness all of the time? How do you design a life that is good, instead of just letting it happen to you?    25:00 - Jennifer shares some tools for how to build your ideal life, and deal with life when your life doesn’t go the direction you wanted it to go     28:45 - Jennifer stopped making various craft items & licensing deals because it wasn’t working with her ideals. She walked away from a lifestyle that included being on Oprah and running a large organization. She now has a little tiny team and she is much happier. She shares her experience here. 

Lifestyle Design for Artists with Jennifer Louden - Creative Insurgents Episode 12

Show Notes: 1:37 Introducing Mark McGuinness, poet, coach for creatives and entrepreneurs, founder of LateralAction.com, author of Resilience: Facing Down Rejection and Criticism On the Road to Success. 2:51 Cory jumps in and "fanboys" 3:33 Mark's secrets of productivity/creativity (which are one and the same). 5:34 "You're either doing it, or you know you're making excuses not to do it," and the keys to overcoming resistance. 7:10 "The uncomfortable comfort zone." 8:07 The story of how Mark came to write his book. 10:28 Cory on the realities of facing rejection as an actor. 11:57 How to deal with rejection when it's a regular part of your creative work. 13:09 "We take a length of gut from our bellies and serve it up... then the bourgeousie get their knives out." -Gustave Flaubert. "It should hurt!" -Mark McGuinness. 14:02 Why some criticisms hurt more than others. (And what to do about it.) 16:58 The importance of making the time, and doing creative work first, and reactive work second. 23:59 The secret behind William Carlos Williams' very short poems. ("The form following the function of the doctor's bag." Find Mark at LateralAction.com Find Mark's poetry and thoughts on poets at MarkMcGuinness.com

Resistence, Rejecion, and Resilience with Mark McGuinness - Creative Insurgents Episode 11

1:00 - Melissa got married! She talks about what it was like to make Ketubah and write a song for her own wedding. Check out her song, You Are the One for Me (The Wedding Song).    3:05 - Melissa introduces Andrea Scher, today’s guest. Andrea is a coach that helps people release their inner superhero. She’s also a jewelry artist, painter, and a photographer.    5:00 - Andrea talks about some fun ways that she allows herself to be her wisest, bravest self.    6:50 - Andrea went to New Orleans and had a Tarot reading that changed her life. She learned that art helps people heal. Art has become an offering.    10:00 - blogging is a peek inside of who she is, and it’s just an extension of what she does and who she is - which gets people really excited about her and her work   15:00 - storytelling is a powerful part of marketing. Having a great story makes the rest of your marketing a lot easier.    16:20 - your business should be fun because building a business takes time - sometimes years   18:00 - Andrea had a panic attack when she realized that some other really impressive people were teaching a class similar to hers - they, as a group, decided to cooperate and support each other. Rallying a group of people around you is key to success.    25:50 - you can take some pressure off of yourself by renaming and reframing what you do. You don’t have to call yourself an artist, or a writer, or whatever - you can call yourself a storyteller or something else that makes more sense.   

Being Brave and Making Art with Andrea Scher

Show Notes   :55 - Melissa’s Facebook auction & art sales experience (she sold 22 pieces of art)   2:45 - Cory introduces Richard Hearns and waxes sentimental about Ireland. Richard has been a full time artist since the age of 24 and has had over a dozen solo shows in Dublin and NYC.    5:10 - How Richard creates and maintains relationships with galleries. Richard has been recognized as one of the most influential artists in Ireland by various galleries and magazines. Here’s how he reacts to that.     (hint: he doesn’t like spreadsheets)   10:25 - Why Richard Chooses to have a blog. It acts as a diary, a contact tool, a marketing tool, and it’s really, really useful.    13:00 - figuring out what’s newsworthy and how to get people interested in your story   15:00 - Minnie asks why Richard decided to move to Thailand for a while, and how traveling changed his art (he got to live there and develop his work cheaply).    16:50 - printmaking. Should you sell prints of your art? How Richard is dealing with that decision right now is a great lesson for other artists. Richard & Melissa give a powerful short masterclass on how to make this decision.    23:00 - How Richard has dealt with all of the critics and gallery owners heaping praise on him, and how that experience informs his art.    27:30 - Richard reads a poem that he loves by John O’Donahue. It’s called For the Artist at the Start of Day. This is easily the most moving ending to one of our podcasts so far. 

Blogging for Publicity for Artists with Irish Artist Richard Hearns - Creative Insurgents Episode 8

Creative Insurgents is all about living a creative life by your own rules. We address topics like living a more fulfilled creative life, marketing, selling art online, and more.

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Creative Insurgents: Living a Creative Life by Your Own Rule...

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