A how-to guide geared to artists
Whether a traditional fine-arts painter, a hip-hop songwriter, a choreographer or a skilled potter, the “artrepreneur” has to follow many of the same steps as other small-business owners to reach a wider audience -- and to be paid enough for doing so.
A local arts group offers a road map in its new resource guide, “Business of Art: An Artist’s Guide to Profitable Self-Employment.” The 265-page soft-cover publication is based on a popular seven-week entrepreneur-training workshop offered by the organization, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Center for Cultural Innovation.
“Developing a small business is a tough thing. For artists it’s even harder because they have that added dimension of oftentimes having to produce the work that they are selling,” said Cora Mirikitani, president and chief executive of the 7-year-old center. “We saw a need for a comprehensive guide to the basic principles of self-employment for working artists.”
The workbook, an expanded version of the workshop handouts, provides how-to information on business planning, marketing and promotion, money management, legal issues and how to get funding, including loans, grants and alternative sources.
It’s not a quick read, but its sample self-assessment work sheet, sales projection form, budget, work contract and press release are handy tools a creative entrepreneur could use right away.
Each of the five chapters has a related article written by the team of seven business, legal and nonprofit experts who teach the workshops.
“We walk you through figuring out your core values and what you want to accomplish to using that to build a business foundation to take you further,” said Nancy Hytone Leb, director of training at the center and co-editor of the book. As an arts management consultant, she also contributed information on how to market an arts business.
The strategic and tactical tips are relevant to any small-business owner, but the book, and its many examples, are geared to art ventures.
There are also pages of local, statewide and national resources for information on legal help, funding, entrepreneur training and support groups.
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For more information go to the center’s website at www.cciarts.org.
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