The Game of Art:
Career Development & Presentation for Creators

Getting Lucky

Whether you've been active in the marketplace for some time, or are just now ready to try your hand at selling your work, you've probably noticed that luck and chance have a pesky way of showing up as either helpers or detractors--no matter how "in-control" you'd like to be. While creators always act in concert with forces beyond their control, there is much to be gained from techniques and attitudes (both ancient and modern) which understand this relationship. 

"We are artists living in a market society, it is the reconciliation [between the market and our gifts] that we must seek."
                                        -Lewis Hyde

In The Gift (a brilliant classic on the value of art) author Lewis Hyde describes the two inherently incompatible spheres that any creative individual must move between; he calls these the "market economy" and the "gift economy". The services on this page deal with engaging the market economy--on your own terms, and with a courageous yet playful attitude.

​If you're an emerging creator (just hearing your call at any age) or a returning creator (recovering from illness, or setbacks of any kind), "soulful" career development and presentation services will prepare you to meet the marketplace with confidence. We all hit plateaus when the techniques that worked in the past simply don't do so anymore. Even with material success, we may begin to feel out of balance--as if we're primarily following marketplace trends and not our own muse any longer. 

Platforms Belong on Shoes, Right?

I love this sentiment shared by the wise and witty writer, Dani Shapiro in Still Writing. Yet as she points out, if we want to engage with the marketplace, we'll need to build and maintain an online presence--along with protecting our studio time and tending to our families, health concerns, second jobs, and the like. Your presence can unfold organically over time as one element builds upon the next, or a major effort may be in order for an initial launch or a re-launch reflecting who you are today.

In our celebrity-oriented culture the pressure to curate the perfect image of yourself and your work on social media may leave you feeling overwhelmed, depressed or perhaps just bored. You may also feel like you could easily spend as much time posting to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook (and the like) as you could creating your work. Perhaps you're on the other end of the spectrum and have ignored these potentially beneficial outlets altogether for these very reasons. Let's talk about your goals, time limits, and of course, your work. Together we'll develop a "just right" approach that gets your work seen, but doesn't turn your life into a​ never-ending quest for "followers" and "likes"! 

Let's Strategize:

  • the power of story - telling yours well
  • "sane" social media presence & platform building
  • website and blog essentials
  • pitch and query letters
  • client and collector correspondence
  • bios, cv's and artist statements 
  • newsletters & email management 
  • press releases, media inquiries, direct mail
  • digital and print portfolios
  • interview prep and practice
  • identifying the people and venues best suited to understanding & appreciating your work
  • 21st century patronage: crowdfunding, etc.
  • understanding the link between creativity & longing/depression/being stuck
  • handling rejection & envy while honoring your calling

 "The artist seeks the challenge, the difficult thing to do; for his[or her] basic approach to life is not of work but of play. . . . Life as art, and art as a game." -Joseph Campbell

The Trickster in the Marketplace:
​Playing the Game with Awareness, Humor & Soul

If art is a game, as the mythologist Joseph Campbell asserts, ​then why not call upon your archetypal trickster in order to play this "rough game" with passion, playfulness and discernment! Professional and compelling presentation combined with a deep understanding of your eternal artistic lineage will increase your odds of marketplace success while reinforcing a sense of adventure and confidence and as you move from the studio into the marketplace and back.

Fees for strategic career development and presentation sessions are $125 per hour, which includes one follow up or review of materials via email. As with my mentoring services, I offer a sliding scale in certain circumstances. Please feel free to ask.

Interested in a hybrid session split between developing effective and authentic career and presentation strategies while deepening and fortifying your gift? No problem--we can divide the session. Check out the Soul-Centered Mentoring page for more on understanding your artistic calling. Devotion to your gift comes first--the marketplace follows.