The Art Biz

Alyson Stanfield
  • 4.8 (184)
  • VISUAL ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you're working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.

  1. 6D AGO

    What are you waiting for? The real costs of postponing strategic work in your art business (261)

    The daily work of running an art business always feels urgent. The strategic work doesn't. So it waits. But postponing that deeper evaluation isn't okay. In this solo episode, host Alyson Stanfield names five specific costs that accumulate when the strategic work keeps getting pushed to next month, next quarter, next year. In this episode: Why tactical delays and strategic delays are two different problems The question Alyson asks every client when a deadline feels far away What it means to leave money on the table, and why it's such an easy cost to ignore How unresolved strategic questions become a constant tax on your attention Why execution without direction is just activity What happens psychologically every day you don't begin the work you've been putting off Resources & links Stop Being Busy. Start Being Strategic. (258) Do You Have the Art Business You Actually Want? (259) The Art Business Self-Assessment Every Artist Should Do (260) Read more in depth, get links, and see featured artists Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    17 min

  2. MAR 19

    The Art Business Self-Assessment Every Artist Should Do (260)

    My Art Business Assessment — Used with Every Client 50% In this solo episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield introduces the 3-zone framework she uses with every private client to assess where an art business actually stands. It's the same structure at the heart of the Art Business Reset workshop, and this episode is your chance to walk through it on your own. Alyson covers: The question she asks before any strategy conversation The 3 zones that account for everything you do to build your art business outside of making the work: Outreach, Presence, and Systems The breakdown of what each zone covers and questions to ask for your assessment Why you can't neglect in-person networking and follow-up Mentioned Do You Have the Art Business You Actually Want? (259) Stop Being Busy, Start Being Strategic (258) Art Business Reset on March 31, 2026 Read more, get mentioned resources, and see featured artists Email Alyson to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    22 min

  3. MAR 11

    Do You Have the Art Business You Actually Want? (259)

    Most artists didn't design their art business — they drifted into it. In this solo episode, Art Biz host Alyson Stanfield invites you to slow down long enough to ask a question most artists never take time to ask: if you were starting fresh today, would you build it this way? In this episode, Alyson covers: Why most artists are running a business they drifted into rather than designed — and why that matters What a business model actually is (and why you already have one whether you designed it or not) The difference between examining your business and evaluating it, and why the order matters The foundational question she asks every new private client before anything else The six areas to examine when you're ready to take honest stock of what you've built Read more, get links, and see featured artists Mentioned Stop Being Busy, Start Being Strategic (258) When You Want to Sell More Original Art (257) Beyond Information: Why Artists Need Frameworks (251) Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term art career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    19 min

  4. MAR 5

    Stop Being Busy, Start Being Strategic (258)

    Being busy is boring. In episode 258 of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield makes the case that most artists are so deep in execution mode that they never step back to evaluate, redirect, or ask whether any of it is actually working. This episode draws a clear line between working IN your art business and working ON it, and explains why both matter, but one gets almost all of the attention. IN THIS EPISODE Why execution without direction is just activity, and what it costs you. The side-by-side difference between IN and ON work across four common artist tasks The two failure modes: too much IN (reactive, no filter) and too much ON (perfect systems, no execution) What working ON your business actually looks like in practice, including the questions to ask Why multi-year plans have lost their usefulness, and what to hold onto instead QUESTIONS TO ASK IN YOUR "ON" TIME What is actually working — and why? Is this still where I want to go — and why? What on my to-do list no longer serves me? What has the best potential for a long-term payoff? Where am I playing it too safe? How can I enjoy my art business even more? Read more, get links, and see featured artists Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    24 min

  5. FEB 26

    When You Want to Sell More Original Art (257)

    Selling products — giclées, pillows, aprons, notebooks — made sense when you started. But if you've been asking how to sell more original art and not getting traction, something may need to shift. Host Alyson Stanfield draws on her background as a museum curator and educator to explore what actually gets in the way and what to do about it. In this episode: Why the pivot to products is understandable, and when it starts working against you The fear that drives you away from leading with originals What collectors are actually buying when they choose to live with original art The screen equalization problem: why your $4,000 painting and your $40 print look identical online (and what to do about it) Two tactics for selling more original art Read more, get links, and see featured artists Check out Elevate Your Art: Museum-Quality Standards That Command Higher Prices Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    28 min
  6. Healing Your Money Allergy with Hannah Cole (256)

    FEB 12

    Healing Your Money Allergy with Hannah Cole (256)

    Artist and tax advisor Hannah Cole knows firsthand how shame can poison an artist's relationship with money. When her dad's accountant asked "When are you gonna get a real job?" instead of helping her understand quarterly taxes, she experienced the dismissal that makes so many artists avoid financial conversations altogether. In this episode, host Alyson Stanfield and Hannah explore why artists develop allergies to money talk and what it takes to build confidence with your numbers. Hannah reveals: Why "when are you gonna get a real job?" creates a lasting money allergy How believing money corrupts prevents you from advocating for fair pay Her ritual for making bookkeeping feel like self-care instead of dread Why you must have a separate bank account for your art biz What losing 20 years of art in a hurricane revealed about capitalism and grief Connect with Hannah: SunlightTax.com The Sunlight Tax podcast LinkedIn: Hannah Cole Instagram: @sunlighttax Tiktok: Sunlight Tax Youtube: Sunlight Tax   Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    53 min
  7. Building Community Through Art: The Lights Out Model (255)

    JAN 29

    Building Community Through Art: The Lights Out Model (255)

    Daniel Sipe and Karlë Woods didn't set out to start an arts organization. They just wanted to talk to artists during the pandemic. Four years later, Lights Out has produced 95 artist documentaries, thrown 18 popup exhibitions across Maine, and built a funding model that includes everything from $10 monthly donors to six-figure state contracts. Their story, shared with host Alyson Stanfield, offers a masterclass in starting before you're ready, investing in what matters (yes, including marketing), and building something sustainable through collaboration rather than competition. They reveal: Why a power outage became the best thing that could have happened at their first art show The $800 investment that felt reckless at the time but proved essential to their credibility How they turned what could be seen as competition into their superpower The state contract that nearly bankrupted them before it saved them The simplest way artists can support arts organizations in their communities Read more, see images, find resources mentioned   Connect with Lights Out Website Videos on YouTube Instagram Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals.   Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    44 min
  8. Art World Gatekeeping Forces Artists to Compete with Damien Davis (254)

    JAN 22

    Art World Gatekeeping Forces Artists to Compete with Damien Davis (254)

    Damien Davis is a visual artist and writer who questions the art world's power structures from an artist's perspective. In this conversation with host Alyson Stanfield, he exposes the gatekeeping mechanisms—from application fees to institutional approval—that keep artists competing for artificially scarce opportunities instead of recognizing the abundance they could create together. Damien reveals: How learning business skills like grant writing and fundraising allowed him to stop waiting for gatekeepers and reclaim his studio practice Why he defines a successful artist as simply someone who keeps making art, regardless of galleries or institutional validation How barriers like application fees serve to keep artists competing for resources that should be abundant Why people at the center of the art ecosystem benefit from keeping artists in perpetual competition with each other How his writing exposes exploitation directly while his colorful sculptures draw viewers into uncomfortable conversations about erased histories Read more, see images, find resources mentioned Connect with Damien: Website and Newsletter Instagram Hyperallergic Articles   Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals. Think you'd make a good guest on The Art Biz? Read This The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.

    52 min
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4.8
out of 5
184 Ratings

About

Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you're working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.

Information

  • Creator
    Alyson Stanfield
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    262
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alyson B Stanfield, Art Biz Success
  • Show Website
    The Art Biz

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