An Artist's Success is 80% Psychology and 20% Strategy

(Transcription)

Artist, Travis Krause, Greeley, Colorado

Travis Krause: 00:03 It’s internal things. Adjusting and refining my belief system in my head. It’s in my heart. It’s definitely me and my ability to, I guess keep my attention on making and selling art and it must, uh, send out a radio signal to all the other people that be my stuff. The roadmap became clear. Becoming an artist. There’s no clear definite like you don’t go to school to do this and follow step A and B and C and have your residency and then get your, you know, principal, you know, with your group you actually have to make up the whole thing as you go. So just having some steps in place that help, um, give you, I don’t know, the path that unveils itself as you go and I get, having faith in that happening is, has been the biggest thing. So I could see it more clearly than I ever could before.

How did you get more focused?

Travis Krause: 01:08 Part of it is having specifics, so saying things like, Oh, I want to be an artist. It doesn’t mean a whole lot, but having a business earning of X amount of dollars in X amount of time through your art skills with your audience, that makes a lot more sense. And so those clues to that are a lot easier to find than “becoming an artist.”

What’s the intention of the program?

Ann Rea: 01:36 This is the result here that we’re looking for is to make art that we’re proud of and that does something that’s meaningful and we make money.

What insights did you gain?

Travis Krause: 01:48 Seeing how my artwork can help people above and beyond the value of having something hanging on their wall. It’s been an incredible insight.

What perspective must artists change?

Ann Rea: 01:59 So many artists are so self involved and they’re writing their artist’s statements, which make me want to puke. And, uh, there’s just no lens on how can you be of service to others? How can you create value for others? That’s a very different lens to look at the world. But all the artists who we admire.

Ann Rea: 02:24 okay,

Ann Rea: 02:24 or who have gained any level of traction, they all, they create value and they, they love on their audience.

What’s changed?

Travis Krause: 02:35 Yeah. And that’s the other cool thing that’s been happening is, um, in all sorts of ways as people I’m finding they’re very appreciative of what I do for them and it instead of me like, Oh, please buy my artwork and me having to be really appreciative of them for, for doing that. Like it’s a favor or something. They really, they super appreciate whatever I can create for them. Um, and they tell me about it, which is awesome. They thank me for hooking them up with things and doing things for them. And it’s nice to have that kind of support and it really changes the role of the artist. So, um, I’m in a lot more of the driver’s seat, but for doing good things.

Do you get referral art sales?

Travis Krause: 03:20 Absolutely. 100%. That is the thing. I, the biggest change I’ve made, um, is like, even if, if somebody has a good experience with me, whether they buy artwork or not, I always ask for a referral.

Do you feel pushy when you ask for a referral?

Travis Krause: 03:37 No, it feels pretty conversational. It’s just, it’s very natural now. It’s like I don’t know. People want to do it anyway. Right. And so you just giving them that little tiny nudge that they have permission to do that. Yeah.

Why don’t some artists apply?

Travis Krause: 03:57 I appreciate you putting the course together and, and, you know, maybe some of those people who have hesitations at the beginning, I can understand cause they’re, it’s a big investment, but once it plays out, I think they’ll find a huge return on their investment if they’re following the program with fidelity.

Ann Rea: 04:16 It’s just like making art. You’re never gonna not be working on your craft. You’ll always be working on your craft and with your business you’re always working on your business. So.

Travis Krause: 04:30 Maybe that’s what people are looking for is like this one silver bullet that’s going to fix all of it. And it’s not that, it’s all of these little steps along the way that start to add up and layer up.

Ann Rea: 04:43 Well, that’s why I call it an iterative process. It’s not a straight line, right? It’s like you’re going to go around this realm and you’re going to improve, but you’re also going to have to go do it again. And then again, and it’s just never going to end. But every time you go around, you step up and you step and you step up. So it’s not like you’re spinning in a circle that’s never ending. You are actually ascending to greater levels of confidence and skill and more importantly, more of course with connect with that is more sales and those sales build on more sales. If you think about, if you ask this person, they give you one referral or two referrals, it’s just exponential. It will. And to the point where you’re booked your book solid.

Travis Krause: 05:31 That’ll be a great problem to have. Um, I do see that in the foreseeable future.

Should other artists apply?

New Speaker: 05:36 I would say if they really, if they wanna make money making art, they should sign up for the course. If, they wanna make more money making art, they should sign up for the course. And if they want to have some strong changes inside that are for the positive, they should sign up for the course. If they’re not clear on their thinking, like if they don’t know what they want out of it, maybe that would be the only time not to, but sometimes that would actually help them cause they clarify their thoughts on what they’re looking for.