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

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 . 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."

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Straight Talk on the Business of Being an Artist, with Shirley Williams CI#22 is an episode from Creative Insurgents: Living a Creative Life by Your Own Rules by Cory Huff.

This episode is 37:01 long.

This episode was published on Oct 1, 2014.

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