Does An Artist's Confidence Sell Their Art?

(Transcription)

QUESTION: What was your challenge as an artist?

Zoey Zoric: Primarily time. And that one is still a challenge. It will be a challenge for a while. But confidence and focus.

Ann Rea: When you say time, you mean not having enough time? Or feeling like…

Zoey Zoric: Not having enough time and having my time divided with too many commitments. So trying to simplify my lifestyle.

Ann Rea: So is the program helping you prioritize and carve out time?

Zoey Zoric: Focus, the focus is definitely improving the time issue. Being able to prioritize more effectively is definitely helping with the time.

Ann Rea: Okay, good. You look like you’re bathed in glowing light from Heaven, by the way. (laughs)

QUESTION: What was your other challenge as an artist?

Zoey Zoric: I feel fairly confident with myself as an artist. But there is a lot of missing pieces like in terms of the business aspect. What it is that I need to succeed. And already I feel like I’m so much more closer to being in the right path of success.

QUESTION: Think you don’t have enough time?

Ann Rea: So what’s interesting is that people think that they have a time issue, When really what they have is a focus issue.

Zoey Zoric: Yes, yes, but honestly the greatest improvement I’ve seen since I started the course is confidence.

Ann Rea: Oh, cool.

Zoey Zoric: That has been by far the biggest difference, I’ve found, in myself. And I think it was my art battle post

Ann Rea: Right.

Zoey Zoric: That you noticed

Ann Rea: Yes.

Zoey Zoric: So with the confidence I find I am saying yes to more strategic things. And definitely thinking about how this will position my next move, how it will position me and how important it is. You know, if it is something that I want to say yes to or it is something that I am going to say no because I need to focus.

QUESTION: What did Zoey learn about selling her art?

Ann Rea: Thank you Ann Elizabeth Rea. Thank you for the making art making money program. I’m still only in the beginning of my journey through the courses. But after spending much time going through recommend reading list. This has already shifted me in profound ways. I recently participated on large Toronto art show. And on the urging of another artist friend decided to take part in an art battle event within the show. This was a twenty minute live painting competition on stage in front of a massive audience alongside seven other artists and I don’t paint fast and I don’t paint acrylics. I was terrified. But after all the mental shifting and reframing. I’ve been experiencing through MAKING Art Making MONEY, I saw an opportunity for personal growth And I took it. I’ve likely would have never done this before the program. What an experience and funny the painting I created sold.

QUESTION: Does increased confidence sell more art?

Zoey Zoric: And I’ve had invitations in the past to participate in this art battle but there was always an excuse. There was always an easy out. You know there was something that I knew that I didn’t want to do. It never appealed to me getting up on stage.

Ann Rea: Right.

Zoey Zoric: in front of a massive audience.

Ann Rea: Right.

Zoey Zoric: It was horrifying. But this was in conjunction with a larger Toronto art show and I knew that is was going to give more exposure. Much more exposure get my name out there. And then just the whole fundamental challenge of, can I do a painting in twenty minutes?

Ann Rea: Right. On the whole, I’ll tell you, I’m not a big fan of cropped up competitions. However, I don’t give a damn. You got the results that I’m most in favor of.

Zoey Zoric: Yes, that was it for me. It was more of a personal challenge for me. Of, okay I’m going to get up on stage. I’m going to be far beyond outside of my comfort zone.

Ann Rea: Right

Zoey Zoric: That was the biggest thing.

Ann Rea: So yeah I’m not a big fan of black and white thinking. I think there is a lot of gray areas. And what worked out is that you sold the painting. Also because you were I’m assuming exhibiting in the same space. Going up on stage makes sense. Because you are going to drive traffic to your exhibition space. So in this scenario cool.

QUESTION: Are you ready to be “on stage?”

Ann Rea: If you want to be an artist you want to be a successful artist. Guess what? You’re going to be on stage on some level. For me I had to get comfortable with being interviewed. And being on TV and all this other stuff. I had no idea that was coming down the pipe. But that’s part of it so, you’re in training for that. And it’s a good thing, get used to be being on stage. Whether it’s a literal stage or it’s an interview like this. Or whatever it is, it’s good. And when your confident and focused, it’s really not a problem. It’s really pretty easy.

Zoey Zoric: Oh yes.

QUESTION: Zoey is not succeeding alone.

Ann Rea: Have you been working with study partners? Have you taken advantage of that?

Zoey Zoric: Yes I have and everyone has been incredibly supportive. People make eye-opening suggestions. And ask very thought-provoking questions. And I love it.

Ann Rea: Ya

Zoey Zoric: I don’t know what I love most.

Ann Rea: So a lot of artists will hesitate, they’re like “ugh”, I have to talk to other people. Strangers, other artists and I get it ’cause some artists can be bitchy and jealous and competitive and snobby, but do you experience any of that?

Zoey Zoric: None, none at all, none at all, it’s amazing. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming And it feels like everyone is also very simpatico. Every single person that I’ve spoken to it seems there is a very smiler mindset going on.

Ann Rea: Yeah

Zoey Zoric: Even regardless what type of artist we are.

Ann Rea: Right exactly and it’s a very eclectic group. Not only are we talking about 18-20 different types of creative disciplines. We’re talking about different ages, levels of experience. People who have been selling their art and maintaining a living through the sell of their art for forty years. We’ve got one of those. To people that never sold a piece of art in their life. And so, you know. Foundational business and marketing strategies as they apply in fine art though are universal.

QUESTION: Think your art will sell itself? Think again.

Zoey Zoric: I feel like I’ve always just stood back and let my artwork sell itself. Which I’ve always felt was a little bit of a cop out. Because I would much rather be proactive I would much rather be involved in the sale of my art work.

Ann Rea: Right, but it doesn’t actually sell itself. And it never actually did just sell itself.

Zoey Zoric: Right

Ann Rea: Right, but you’re taking more ownership and responsibility For your success now.

Zoey Zoric: Yes

Ann Rea: And that’s the key difference. ‘Cause a lot of people say I know it didn’t sell itself. That’s like putting a for sale sign outside of a house and just someone is going to come along and buy it. There’s more to it, there’s more to it than that. And the more to it part is actually fun.

QUESTION: How has confidence changed your results?

Zoey Zoric: Yes Recently I had, after I had enrolled in your course and feeling the boost of confidence and taking more risks, I had another artist friend invite me to a gallery for a possible promotional taping. For a tourism video. And that was all the information I was given. And I was like you know what, let’s say yes. Let’s see what happens, let’s go. And again I’m not one for film and cameras and being the center of attention. I also don’t like surprises in terms of if I’m going to talk about something. I want to know what I’m going to talk about so I can prepare. But I was like you know what screw it I’m just go I’m just going to go to this thing. So now I’m a part of a promotional video for Toronto tourism that is airing on American Airlines.

Ann Rea: Yay! Now let’s just back up, if Miss Toronto had not had an increased level in her self confidence what would she have said to that opportunity?

Zoey Zoric: Oh no no no no no, much too busy. much too busy, no.

Ann Rea: The lady who didn’t want any psychology is thrilled about her increased level of focus and self-confidence. She’s not saying ‘Damnit Ann Rea! I spent all this time and I’ve got increased focus and self-confidence. And it helped me sell a painting’. I’m not hearing that.

QUESTION: What happens when you have a clear goal?

Ann Rea: People think they’re going to have to go searching for these opportunities. What’s so cool is what you realize is that when you have a goal, these opportunities are already here. They’re all around you it’s just that the goal allows you to notice that

Zoey Zoric: Yes, yes.

Ann Rea: or not dismiss them like out of hand like you were about to do with this promo, you know Wow, you could’ve just let that go by really quickly and now that’s fantastic.

QUESTION: Should other artists enroll?

Zoey Zoric: I was a skeptic and I watched your webinars for, I think more than a month, I was watching and I was very skeptical, and what is going on here? This just doesn’t seem right. What is this? And I even remember one of the first times I spoke out at one of your webinars and it was exactly the 80 percent psychology and 20 percent strategy. ‘Cause I was like, wait, no, that’s not at all what I’m after. I want strategy, that’s the part that I need help with, that’s the part and now that I’m here, I’m so glad because now it’s really opened up my eyes as to what it was that I really needed in order to even be on the right track for strategy.

Ann Rea: And by the way, you’re gonna get a ton of strategy.

Zoey Zoric: Oh, I’m so excited.

Ann Rea: You’re just in course one. We have to start with psychology because I think if your mind is closed and you’re skeptical like you were in the beginning,

Ann Rea: Mhmm.

Zoey Zoric: You’re gonna dismiss all the strategy I give you.

Ann rea: Yes, yes.

Ann Rea: So be brutally honest and tell me, what were some of your skeptical thoughts because I’m intrigued by this whole thing and I get it, a lot of artists have been taken advantage of, they’ve been ripped off, don’t get me started I could just tell you about all the ways I’ve been ripped off as an artist, but what were your specific skeptical thoughts what were one or two that were like, mm ya

Zoey Zoric: Well, even just, the psychology of it all, you know I was like, that is such a cop-out answer what do you mean psychology, no I want the strategy let’s cut to the chase, give me the formula how do I sell, c’mon, show me the money For me, that was it and the further along I got, and then hearing more and more and then realizing that, oh no no no this is much deeper than a simple business formula.