Painting is Art, Publishing is Business

The Buzz, Balls & Hype blog recently got my attention with a multi-part series of posts titled, Writing is Art, Publishing is Business. The blog author, M.J. Rose, is a successful author of eight books and numerous magazine articles. She has a program called Author Buzz that helps authors get noticed and find readers. Wouldn't it be great to have a service like that for painters and self-represented print artists?

Wishful thinking aside, my admittedly creatively borrowed title (with homage and apologies to M.J. Rose) applies equally as well to the art biz as it does the book biz. The more authors and artists come to grips with the fact that getting work sold requires a business approach that has little do with the creative product being promoted, the sooner they understand their success quotient. I've said it too many times to have counted, "Artists who have attained success in the print market are not in the art business. They are in the business of building, nourishing and replenishing a dealer network."

It goes without saying the art must resonate or the book be a compelling read, but beyond the likability factor, there has to be buzz, balls & hype. There has to be the three Ds: Discipline, Desire and Details. When these factors are in place with an adequate budget and persistent smart marketing, success ensues. Go forth and paint. But also go forth and build ye an awesome dealer network that will love to sell your work.