The solution isn’t more design tricks. I t’s a brand kit rooted in your identity. In this episode, I explain why identity comes before design, and how a brand kit can build trust while saving you time and energy.
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]]>Remember when the first step to looking professional as an artist was ordering business cards? That’s exactly what I did when I started out.
These days, I don’t even have current business cards, but I do have a strong brand identity, and that’s far more powerful.
You don’t need stacks of printed materials anymore. Your website, Instagram, and email list do most of the heavy lifting for your art business.
But whether digital or print, every marketing piece you create needs to send the same clear message. That’s where too many artists stumble.
The Problem with DIY Design
Here’s the tough love that I can only say after so many years of experience: most artists think they’re better designers than they really are.
Artists thrive on creative expression, which can lead to trying a new font for every postcard, experimenting with endless Canva templates, or switching colors on a whim. That’s creativity, but it’s not communication.
Designers focus on communicating a clear and consistent message. Without that, your materials end up looking scattered. One postcard looks nothing like your website. Your Instagram doesn’t match your emails. The result? Confusion for your audience and a lost opportunity to build trust.
Listen
Or listen and subscribe on your favorite app by searching The Art Biz with Alyson Stanfield.
Identity First
Before you start choosing fonts or colors, you need clarity about your identity as an artist, which is why this is developed over a long period of time alongside your art. Ask yourself:
- What story are you telling through your art?
- What kind of experience do you want people to have when they encounter your work?
- How do you want to be remembered?
When you’re clear about these things, design decisions become easier and more authentic. Skip this step, and no amount of design polish will save you.
The Solution: A Brand Kit
A brand kit is your shortcut to consistency. It holds your key design choices in one place:
- Fonts and colors
- Logo or wordmark
- Artist photos
- Templates for postcards, emails, or social posts
- Words and phrases that capture your essence
With a brand kit, you stop reinventing the wheel. Every touchpoint, from your website to a thank-you card, looks and feels like you.
Over time, that kind of consistency builds trust. It’s like showing up to every art opening wearing your signature hat: you’re instantly recognizable.
Build Your Brand Kit with Support
You don’t have to figure this out alone. Inside my Essentials program, we build your brand kit together.
I provide the framework, and you get feedback from me and a community of artists. It’s like a crit session but for your marketing (and friendlier). You’ll walk away with tools you can use again and again, saving time and energy for the studio.
Remember: identity first, then design, then consistency. That’s the path to a strong brand—one that helps your art stand out and makes it easier for collectors to remember you.
Learn more and join us inside Essentials.
Related Episodes
These episodes feature guests who have clarity about who they are as artists and what they want from their work:
The post Why Every Artist Needs a Brand Kit (239) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>In this episode of The Art Biz, astrologer and coach Bonnie Gillespie shares how artists can work with their natural wiring instead of against it.
The post Enoughness, Astrology, and the Artist’s Path with Bonnie Gillespie (215) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Are you ever curious about how we are wired? Why we make certain choices, how we show up in the world, and what drives us to keep creating even when things feel uncertain?
The older I get, the more curious I am about these things—especially when it comes to helping my artist clients. I see more and more that what works for one artist isn’t necessarily going to work for another. Personal preferences, life circumstances, and individual personalities all play a role in shaping an artist’s journey.
That’s why I seek answers—and often find clues in surprising places.
In this episode of The Art Biz, I talk with Bonnie Gillespie, an astrologer and coach who helps creative people—artists, performers, and entrepreneurs—lean into their gifts and overcome self-doubt.
I’ve enjoyed Bonnie’s astrological readings and wanted to share them with you as we kick off the new year. Perhaps you’ll find something to consider—not in a predictive, “your fate is written in the stars” kind of way, but as a tool for better understanding yourself—your strengths, your patterns, and the rhythms that influence your work.
Although Bonnie looks at my natal chart as an example, this episode is really about you. We discuss:
- How astrology can help you understand your creative flow and business decisions.
- The role of “enoughness” in an artist’s life and why it’s essential to separate self-worth from external validation.
- Simple ways to use astrology to stay motivated, inspired, and aligned with your artistic path.
I encourage you to listen with an open mind—there might be a takeaway that helps you move forward with more confidence and clarity.
Listen
If something resonated with you, please drop a comment below or share your biggest insight with me on Instagram.
Don’t miss new articles, podcasts, programs, and some of my favorite discoveries.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter.
Bonnie Gillespie Quotes
“Enoughness is less about ‘I’m good. I’ve got this,’ and more about ‘Whatever happens, I know I’m enough.’”
“You cannot let your enoughness rise and fall off what other people say because you can’t control what other people say. You can control what you say to yourself.”
“Venus is the planet of love, money, and enoughness. It’s the exchange of values for valuables. Venus says, ‘I receive because I am, not because I do or perform or please.’”
“Your work as an artist is to heal people who don’t have the ability to turn strong emotions into art. Your art helps people understand what they’re going through.”
“Sometimes, we need to spiral. Sometimes, at the bottom of that pit of despair is the next creative genius thing that we have to make.”
“When you understand how you are wired, you stop fighting against yourself. Your chart isn’t a set of rules—it’s a tool for self-awareness and working with your natural rhythms.”
“The stuff you are doing today is what will show up in your bank account five years from now. It’s the result of the work and relationships you’re building now.”
Consider how you are wired.
What motivates you? What keeps you inspired?
How can you honor your natural rhythms rather than fighting against them?
Mentioned
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or “Tapping”)
Bonnie’s Use Your Moons Chart Harmony on YouTube
What Your Birthday Says About You Free Training
Related Episodes
These episodes are about knowing who you are as an artist.
About My Guest
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. As a weekly columnist, she began demystifying the casting process for actors in 1999. Her most popular book is Self-Management for Actors, the curriculum upon which much of her teaching is based.
As a producer and Emmy-honored casting director, Bonnie specializes in indie darlings. Whether casting, coaching, or putting the woo in Hollywood with some Chart Harmony, she is passionate about leaving this world better than she found it.
Bonnie lives by the beach on unceded ancestral Tongva land with her partner, Keith Johnson, the luckiest man in the world.
Follow Bonnie on Instagram: @chartharmony
Don’t miss new articles, podcasts, programs, and some of my favorite discoveries.
Sign up for my weekly newsletter.
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]]>What works for one artist might not be *just* a bad idea for another—it could also be a huge waste of time. Or even damaging.
Since learning Human Design, I’ve changed much of my approach to teaching and coaching to reflect the differences among artists—differences that they were born with. I wanted to share this tool with you.
The post Every Artist Is Designed Differently and What It Means with Jahje Ives (178) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>I want to share a tool I was introduced to a number of years ago that helps me in life and in my business. And it’s helped many of my clients.
It’s a life map, of sorts, called Human Design.
My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Jahje Ives, an artist and a Human Design coach and guide. While I have worked with Human Design guides in the past, Jahje is the first artist I have met in this realm.
I wanted her insights as to how knowing your Human Design could help with your art and art business.
To get the most out of it, you have to have a little woo in you. As Jahje says, you might need to put on your tinfoil hat.
She’s going to tell you about the 5 different types of people according to Human Design (and Quantum Human Design):
- Manifestor (Initiator)
- Projector (Orchestrator)
- Manifesting Generator (Time Bender)
- Generator (Alchemist)
- Reflector (Calibrator)
We discuss what each would mean for an artist. Human Design has taught me that there are no two people alike. We are each unique in our gifts and our approach to life and business.
What works for one artist might not be just a bad idea for another—it could also be a huge waste of time. Or even damaging.
Since learning Human Design, I’ve changed much of my approach to teaching and coaching, which is reflected in my Essentials art-marketing program and community conversations. I’ve started tuning in to the differences among artists—differences that they were born with—so that I can meet them where they will be able to thrive.
This episode probably isn’t for everyone, but if you’re open to the journey, please continue to listen. Maybe something will ring true.
Listen
Jahje Ives Quotes
“Can we just make this easy in life? Like can’t there just be a user’s manual for what I’m supposed to do?”
“Getting to see this map of who people were born to be was sort of the missing piece to why they were struggling to be somebody else.”
“It’s basically like being handed a map—an energetic map—to who you were born to be.”
“I’m telling you the story of who you were born to be.”
“[Human Design] is really a system that gets us out of our heads and back into our bodies and back in touch with like what our instincts are.”
“Why would you waste your precious energy on someone who’s not going to listen, who’s not going to shift, who doesn’t want it?”
“Instagram is great, because you can share it out on Instagram. You don’t need an invitation to be on social media.”
“It’s when you start to realize there’s nothing wrong with me—there’s actually so much right with me—and now I know what my gifts are and the things that I may have been ignoring are actually where I need to start concentrating that I can start feeling less unaligned.”
About My Guest
Jahje Ives is a Human Design Specialist, QHD Family Coach, and Transformational Artist who fuses her human design knowledge with her 15 years of experience as an artist, small business owner, and parent coach to help clients transform and re-align their lives with ease.
She is also a practicing artist with a studio just outside Philadelphia, PA. Her latest project exploring the 64 Gates in Human Design to create intuitive portraits of her clients to root them into the story of their Human Design.
Follow her on Instagram @jahjeives
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]]>She aims for the stars! “Higher than the heavens,” as she put it to me.
And she knows she can’t get there by herself. She needs strong gallery representation and a team of people behind her, and she’ll tell you why. This is the story of an artist who fully appreciates her gallery.
The post The Art Biz ep. 175: Why I Want Partnerships with Art Galleries with Evita Tezeno appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>So many artists are down on their galleries and considering leaving them.
There are absolutely many reasons not to stick with your gallery, but that’s a different post and podcast episode.
I wanted to share the story of an artist who is thrilled with her gallery and who recognizes the value that gallery brings to her career.
[ Why Artists Should Embrace Galleries ]
My guest for this episode of The Art Biz is Evita Tezeno—an artist who has grand ambitions for herself.
Not content with the status quo, Evita aims for recognition by prestigious honors like the Guggenheim Fellowship (check 
) and the MacArthur Fellowship, the so called “genius” grant (check ).
She aims for the stars! “Higher than the heavens,” as she put it to me.
And she knows she can’t get there by herself. She needs strong gallery representation and a team of people behind her, and she’ll tell you why.
Listen
Mentioned
- Frank Frazier
- Luis De Jesus Los Angeles
- New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) art fair
- Untitled art fair
- Anita Bateman, associate curator, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- “Solace and Sisterhood” at The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
Evita Tezeno Quotes
“I had this dream that an angel came to my door and gave me a blueprint of another style.”
“This dream was right on target.”
“[After Denzel Washington bought 8 pieces in 2019] I was able to get another studio and I have never worked for anyone again.”
“The gallery now has me working larger. I love working larger. I love it.”
“I consider myself a visual storyteller.”
“[My life coach] has gotten me to dream bigger than I ever thought that I could dream.”
“I want more museum collections and I want my work also to be known, not only nationally or regionally, but internationally…. So we are reaching toward the sky or the heavens.”
“The art career that you dream of or you envision does not come easy. You have to struggle. You have to go through necessary pains to get to where you want to be.”
Related
Also very much related are these conversations with artists who approach their careers with a great deal of intentionality:
Discerning Your Direction as an Artist with Marianne Lettieri (234)
Beauty, Rigorous Research, and Purpose with Noelle Phares (224)
About My Guest
Evita Tezeno (b. 1960) is a Port Arthur, Texas native and graduate of Lamar University. She lives and works in Dallas. Tezeno’s collage paintings employ richly patterned hand-painted papers and found objects in a contemporary folk-art style.
Tezeno is the recipient of the prestigious 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Fine Arts from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in New York and the Elizabeth Catlett Award for The New Power Generation. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art; African American Museum of Dallas; Perez Art Museum Miami, FL, and the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA.
Follow her on Instagram @evitatezeno
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]]>Above all, knowing your brand (how you want to be perceived in the eyes of others), helps you make decisions. If opportunities aren’t aligned with your brand, you say No.
The post The Art Biz ep. 133: How You Want to Be Perceived as an Artist with Alexandra Squire appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>In his book, Blink, author Malcolm Gladwell makes a convincing case that you have exactly two seconds to make an impression.
And remember that you only get one shot at that first impression. People might give you a second chance, but they’ve already judged you. You’ll have to work hard to overcome that judgment if it’s less than flattering.
That’s where a strong artist brand comes into play.
Not too long ago, artists didn’t have to worry about things like their brands. But in an increasingly competitive market, and the noisy online space, we will do better when we know where we fit.
A brand is not a logo.
Let’s be clear. A brand is not a logo. A logo is only the visual expression of a brand.
Branding expert Re Perez says, “A brand is a desired perception.”
Your art is created in the studio. Your brand is created in the mind. Not your mind, but in the minds of others. Your brand exists in the minds of viewers, buyers, collectors, and gallerists.
Above all, knowing your brand (how you want to be perceived in the eyes of others), helps you make decisions. If opportunities aren’t aligned with your brand, you say No.
Branding makes you memorable, which therefore leads to more fans. Branding might also lead to higher prices and more consistent sales.
It also helps you make decisions because your selections should align with your brand.
Your art is the basis for your brand.
The first step to becoming a branded artist is always the work. That means it looks like you did it and not like a variety of styles by your various mentors or teachers.
This is why studio practice must come before anything else. You have to make lots and lots of art!
Once you have that art, you can think about how it should be presented in the form of marketing materials: your website, blog, business cards, letterhead, brochures, and so forth.
My guest for this episode of The Art Biz, to talk about her intentional artist brand, is Alexandra Squire.
Alexandra was clear from the get-go about what she wanted her business and career to look like. She hired professionals to help her pull together a branded identity to present her work to the world. And it was always based on the work. Her strong work backed up the beautiful packaging.
Alexandra and I talk about her decisions, marketing, and how she finds time for her painting and business while raising three young girls.
Listen
📄 This Week's Assignment
Consider your artist brand. In particular, think about and even write in your journal about this one question: How do you want to be perceived in the minds of others?
If you want to take it to the next step, consider whether your social media, newsletter, website, marketing material, and exhibition venues are aligned with how you want to be perceived.
Highlights
- Alexandra’s long and winding road to becoming an artist. (3:25)
- “I looked at myself as a brand.” (7:09)
- Marketing yourself effectively. (11:26)
- Hiring professional help for your photography. (14:03)
- Your brand exists in the eye of the viewer. (18:42)
- Making the trade offs that pay off. (22:16)
- The moment when you identify your artist brand. (26:20)
- How Alexandra shows and sells her work. (28:15)
- Keeping an artist’s schedule while raising a family. (33:38)
Alexandra Squire Quotes
- “I decided from the beginning I wanted to be a certain type of artist.”
- “You have to present yourself in a certain way, and that’s how people will view you.”
“I turned down a bunch of opportunities that I felt didn’t best reflect my brand.”
About My Guest
Alexandra Squire is an abstract painter defined by the pairing of vibrant colors and muted tones to create simple yet deceivingly complex works. She focuses on blending and layering to make pieces that are rich in color and depth with unexpected palettes. Her paintings serve as a metaphor for life in that they depict the multitude of ways in which our experiences meld together. Alexandra’s work has been exhibited nationally, and her paintings are a part of private and corporate collections throughout the United States.
Follow her on Instagram: @alexandrasquireart
The post The Art Biz ep. 133: How You Want to Be Perceived as an Artist with Alexandra Squire appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>We discuss the genesis of this body of work (It’s a great story!), how Sara Lee focuses on the long game, how she keeps her ideas, and how she balances motherhood with her studio practice.
The post The Art Biz ep. 131: Injecting Personal Narrative into Your Art with Sara Lee Hughes appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>I’m a huge fan of the photographer Sally Mann who, in the documentary about her work titled What Remains, said that it never occurred to her to look outside of her home, family, and immediate vicinity to find inspiration.
So many artists feel they need to travel. To find exotic locations. Never exploring what is right in front of them or what they encounter in their daily lives.
This results in missed opportunities to make art that is uniquely your own.
In this episode of The Art Biz I talk with Sara Lee Hughes who is deep into a body of narrative paintings with recognizable imagery that is steeped in her personal story—going so far as to include her self-portraits in many of them. (As in the many faces of Sara Lee in the painting above.)
I wanted to ask Sara Lee about making work with her life experience at its core, and, honestly, the market for art that is so personal. The bottom line: Will art sell when it’s focused on the artist’s personal narrative?
Sara Lee says her ultimate intention is that she gets under your skin. That, when viewing her paintings, you start to question your actions and might even find yourself reflecting on the encounter weeks later.
We discuss the genesis of this body of work (It’s a great story!), how she is looking at her art in terms of the long game rather than seeking quick gratification, how she keeps her ideas, and how she has created a discipline that balances motherhood with her studio practice.
Listen to the Podcast
Highlights
- Waiting, Father Daughter Dance, and other paintings inspired by Sara Lee’s life. (1:55)
- The family letters that have helped Sara Lee navigate her true self. (6:57)
- Sara Lee’s 12-ft superhero cape and what it represents. (9:05)
- Painting from experiences results in sincerity. (11:15)
- Asking yourself questions can lead to your next inspiration. (14:55)
- Sara Lee’s decision to use her own face in her paintings. (18:19)
- The value of painting the part of your history that isn’t talked about. (21:32)
- There are parts of your story that anyone can relate to. (25:17)
- Using a list—rather than a sketchbook—to keep your ideas. (27:04)
- Does personal work sell? (30:20)
- Sara Lee’s approach to her art business, her schedule, and balancing motherhood. (32:39)
Sara Lee Hughes Quotes
- “These tossed-off sketches are seeds for the work that I’ve done in the last five years.”
- “When I paint from my own experience, there’s a sincerity in my paintings.”
- “All of my work is my personal experience, so who better to use than myself?”
- “My intention is to resonate with you through the works that have inspired me to be an artist.”
About My Guest
Sara Lee Hughes is a narrative painter living and working in Lockhart, Texas. Her representational narratives are influenced by growing up in the south during the 1970s and 80s with divorced parents and operate as metaphors for discovery, other-ness, identity, connection, balance and truth. As a body of work, they highlight moments, memories, and ideas that mark a journey of navigation through the differences between her gay father, straight mother and the socio-cultural norms of the era and those proceeding.
In her work she is most interested in exploring and sharing the connection she had with her father before his death of AIDS, the profound guidance it had on her life, and how this personal experience fits into our country’s broader social and cultural heritage.
Sara Lee studied classical drawing and painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she earned a certificate in painting and printmaking. She earned her MFA in painting from Pratt Institute.
Follow her on Instagram @sara.lee.hughes
The post The Art Biz ep. 131: Injecting Personal Narrative into Your Art with Sara Lee Hughes appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>Willie talks about the faith he has in his practice as a result of being consistent throughout the years, why he prefers to approach his studio in the spirit of play, and how he uses visualization.
The post Play tops work, connection tops solitude, and confidence tops fear with Willie Cole (126) appeared first on Art Biz Success.
]]>There’s always plenty to be learned from artists who have been making a go of it for decades. Just think about how much has changed in 30 years!
In this episode of The Art Biz, my guest is Willie Cole, a self-described perceptual engineer with an impressive list of collaborations under his belt and even more in the works.
Willie and I spoke about the faith he has in his work as a result of being consistent throughout the years. And, actually, why he says work is a bad word and prefers to approach his studio in the spirit of play.
We discuss his art and why he challenges people to perceive recognizable objects, like shoes and musical instruments, in new ways.
Willie has also perceived what is possible for his art and career in new ways by considering possibilities beyond galleries and museums. He says, “They are part of the game but not the whole game.” (Yes, he used the word game. Again, adding an element of play to his vision.)
You’ll hear how one of his Instagram posts—where he mocked up his art as if to appear on the cover of Vogue (see below)—led to collaborations with major fashion brands. Such opportunities continue coming his way, which might be the result of his faith in his practice.
Spoiler: Visualizing success plays a role.
Highlights
- Willie calls himself a perceptual engineer, but what exactly does that mean? (3:12)
- The importance (if any) of showing the materials Willie uses to create his work, including parts from 75 guitars. (5:35)
- “Planning makes it feel too much like a job.” How Willie approaches his work instead. (11:02)
- A peek inside Willie’s studio. (13:58)
- Work is a bad word, but play can make your business better every day. (15:55)
- Staying in a playful mindset in every stage of production. (19:15)
- The value of improvisation and the value of not knowing everything. (21:08)
- Willie feels like the luckiest business person in America. (23:40)
- The business-minded people that make up Willie’s team, and insights into his collaborations. (25:36)
- Propelling yourself forward in spite of your fears. (35:24)
- The difference between fashion industry collaborations and gallery relationships. (37:51)
- The music on Willie’s current playlist and what is coming up next in his work. (40:28)
Willie Cole Quotes
- “I enjoy making your brain stutter.”
- “Play is play, and the opposite of play, I guess, would be work.”
- “It becomes work rather than play when it becomes a money making business.”
- “Knowing has limitations, because once you find something, you only see it as that.”
- “I feel like the luckiest business person in America.”
- “When passion marries intention and it can be monetized, it’s work but it’s also just joy.”
- “To proceed with confidence and fearlessness, I have to believe that opportunities connect.”
- “Connections open up so many doors, they keep the fear way behind me.”
Related Episodes
Geoffrey Gorman philosophizes on living the life of an artist.
Alicia Goodwin talks about how she is always looking for the next opportunity.
Christine Aaron confronts risk, rejection, and resilience.
Laurence de Valmy discusses how she boldly reached out to art world influencers.
About My Guest
Willie Cole calls himself a perceptual engineer. Whether he is using the symbolism of a steam iron or the shapes of high fashion shoes and recognizable music instruments, he challenges how we look at things.
While he has had solo exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Miami Art Museum, and Montclair Art Museum, Willie embraces nontraditional avenues for his work, such as collaborations with major fashion brands. He is represented by Alexander and Bonin Gallery in New York, Maus Contemporary Gallery (Alabama), Gavlak Gallery (Los Angeles/Florida), and Kavi Gupta Gallery (Chicago). Willie lives and works in New Jersey.
Follow him in Instagram: @williecoleart
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