Artist & Mentor

Ann Rea

Once upon a time, a prestigious* art school granted a hopeful 17 year old artist a scholarship.

What Ann Rea didn’t know was that she would be learning how to make art for the next five years, but not how to make money.

Less than two years after graduating she was working a dull corporate job that left no time or energy for creative expression.

Every day, for over 14 years, Ann endured long commutes and dreaded meetings with her “Team Leader” nicknamed “Snotty Scotty.” Every year that Ann drifted farther away from her art marked a decline in her sense of purpose and self-confidence.

One day, Ann and her co-worker Angela sat complaining about their jobs again. But, Angela was fragile from dealing with Stage-4 cancer.

Because of that, Ann redirected the conversation by asking Angela…

“If you had a magic wand that could ensure your success, what would you do?”

Angela said, “I’d be an interior designer. I love design.”

“What’s stopping you?”

After a long pause, Angela said, “I’m too afraid.”

“Are you more afraid of becoming an interior designer than you are of Stage 4 cancer?”

Because of that, Ann became less afraid of dying and more afraid of not living. She decided to turn her dream of being a successful artist into a plan.

Ann started working with art galleries. But they demanded exclusivity agreements even though they were:

  • not selling enough of her art
  • taking 50% in sales commissions
  • discounting her art
    preventing her from contacting her collectors, an illegal but common practice

Until finally, Ann quit her job and moved to San Francisco to become a full-time artist. The first thing she did was fire her representatives.

Ann tried conventional sales and marketing until she realized that she wasn’t selling goods or services. Her “product” is emotion.

So Ann reviewed art history and studied luxury marketing. She discovered a pattern that shapes every successful artists’ niche, The 4-Part Code

Ann wrote a plan to sell over $100,000 of her art during her first year as a full-time artist. She sold $103,246 of her art without:

  • representation
  • connections
  • family support
  • trust fund

For over 16 years, Ann has been helping 21 different types of fine artists from 23 countries and counting through workshops, courses, and her signature Making Art Making Money™ program.

Ann Rea’s art, and business savvy, have been featured on ABC, HGTV, Creative Live, The Good Life Project, in Career Renegade, and by the San Francisco Chronicle, The Wine Enthusiast, Art Business News, Fortune, and Inc. Magazines. Ann’s mentor, Wayne Thiebaud, an art icon, praised her artistic talent.

Ann’s vision is to help over 10,000 artists take their power back in less than ten years from the scarcity and permission-based art establishment.

* Prestigious comes from the Latin word “praestigiosis,” meaning “deceitful.”

Making Art Making Money