sharing some links on art and business

For a while now I've been doing some serious thinking, research and reading about the business of being an artist. I've shared some of my thinking about this here, here and earlier here. Today I thought I'd share some of what I've been listening to and reading lately about business and art. I hope you'll find something interesting and useful among the links.

I recently listened to this interview with Lisa Congdon and this one with Crystal Moody. Although very different, both offered lots to think about and plenty of inspiration, too. Both of those sites, Smart Creative Women and The Abundant Artist are great resources for information and inspiration if you feel like poking around a bit.

Have you been following along with all the changes going on with Etsy? The site is always changing and evolving. The most recent change is that they are going public (NPR has a good article on that here). With each of Etsy's changes there is always a flurry of discussion among the Etsy sellers. Some people threaten to leave Etsy. Some do leave. I'm not 100% sure what I think about all of it. I read an interesting post about different measures of success on Etsy and it brought up some very good points about the benefits of Etsy that aren't usually talked about. Do you sell on Etsy? What are your thoughts?

My friend Jaime has put together some helpful information for artists who are just getting started selling their work. It's hard to know where to get started and it's great that she's created this list. She is a wonderful resource herself. So helpful and generous with her experience. I love getting glimpses into her garden and her studio, too.

Do you know the work of Stephanie Ryan? Last month she wrote a post on her blog about her evolving brand. Branding is such a complex topic and there are so many ways of going about creating and developing a brand. I like getting a glimpse into an artist's thinking behind what they're doing, whether it be creating a painting or developing their brand.

Not too long ago I found the Elle & Co. blog when I was bouncing around Pinterest. Every time I visit I learn something new or come away with some food for thought. Her site is very clean, bright and easy to navigate and her posts are straightforward and informative without being dull. If you're at all interested in blogging, design or branding, go take a look.

Finally, although I have been trying to streamline and focus and weed out anything that might distract me from painting, the other day I saw that Creativebug has cut their subscription rate in half. Now it will cost only $4.95 a month for unlimited access to their classes. I cancelled my subscription as spring rolled into summer last year and I was spending more time in the garden, but each month I was tempted to start up again as they announced their new classes. This month I don't think I'll be able to resist any longer (hello, fabric design!):



What about you? What have you discovered lately?