Miriam Schulman - Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living From Your Creativity

This is the book artists need to debunk all the myths keeping them stuck. If you are looking for success in your career, Miriam has written an excellent blueprint to follow.

MARIA BRITO, bestselling author of How Creativity Rules the World

Attention all artists, writers, and musicians! This is one of the most actionable books that will turn your creative side hustle into a legit business. You need this!

AMY PORTERFIELD, podcast host and author of Two Weeks Notice

The ultimate blueprint for creatives to get seen, heard, and PAID well.

JENNIFER KEM, CEO of Master Brand Institute

Miriam gives the proverbial marketing color swatch so that we can have more well-fed and happy artists!

TODD HERMAN, author of The Alter Ego Effect

Finally, there is a creative call to arms for the aspiring professional artist! This book shows that talent and money can coexist.

JEANNE OLIVER, creator of Creatively Made Business

Miriam Schulman gives you a trustworthy roadmap to running your creative empire!

JENNIFER DASAL, author of ArtCurious

Artists need to know: Artpreneur is money in the bank.

SUSIE MOORE, bestselling author of Let It Be Easy

Miriam will show you how to turn your passion into a viable, successful career you can pursue with confidence. She knows howshes done it!

DANNY GREGORY, CEO of Sketchbook Skool

Most artists grow up being told you cant make money doing that. Artpreneur challenges that belief and fuels artists ability to earn a real living.

ANDREA OWEN, author of Make Some Noise

Artpreneur will give you everything you need to make your art career profitable, successful, and personally rewarding.

JO PACKHAM, editor in chief of the Women Create magazine series

Simple, actionable, and inspiringand it leads creatives straight to the bank.

TRACY OTSUKA, host of the ADHD for Smart Ass Women podcast

If youre ready to take charge of your art life, this is the book for you!

ERIC MAISEL, author of Coaching the Artist Within

With warmth and chutzpah, Miriam teaches artists how to market and (gasp!) sell.

GIGI ROSENBERG, author of The Artists Guide to Grant Writing

Artpreneur is the ultimate guide to building a lucrative career as an artist!

SELENA SOO, creator of Impacting Millions

All creative people can use Artpreneur to put their work into the world, get it seen, and get paid for it without any of the guilt.

MICHAEL F. SCHEIN, author of The Hype Handbook

Whether youre struggling to make consistent sales or dreaming of turning your art into a full-time living, Artpreneur provides the inspiration and practical steps you need.

MATTHEW POLLARD, bestselling author of The Introverts Edge

If you are hesitant to make the leap to the artists life, be forewarned. Schulman will convince you that you cant afford to wait any longer.

ALYSON STANFIELD, author of Id Rather Be in the Studio!

Artpreneur is the artist handbook I wish I had when I started out.

ABBEY SY, artist and author of The Art of the Travel Journal

2023 Miriam Schulman

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.

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The information contained in this book should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice, decisions, or judgment of the readers professional or financial advisors. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date published. The author and the publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.

ISBN 978-1-4002-3515-5 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-3514-8 (TP)

Epub Edition JANUARY 2023 9781400235155

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication application has been submitted.

Printed in the United States of America

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Please note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication

CONTENTS

In the hot Atlanta classroom, the backs of my thighs stuck to my wooden desk chair. I was pulling a stray thread from my hem when my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. McNair, held up a piece of green felt over her white frothy hair and drawled in a thick southern accent, Does anyone know what this is?

My hand shot up as I blurted out. An eighth!

Mrs. McNair peered at me over the edge of her half-moon spectacles and pressed her thin lips together as the other kids sniggered. Apparently, the correct answer was a fraction. Annoyed, I slumped back in my chair and resumed picking at the hem. As the new girl at school, I hadnt quite caught on that it was time to swap dresses for denim shorts, but I knew an eighth when I saw itthe same shape as a perfectly sized piece of pie.

Later that day, she pulled me aside. At first, I thought I was in trouble for calling out in class, but instead she explained that every class in the elementary school designed a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. My fraction outburst had demonstrated a good understanding of shapes and proportions, so she wanted me to be the class artist and design our pumpkin.

This marked the first time in my life that I had been called an artist, or had even thought of myself that way. Like Harry Potter being named a wizard for the first time, artist was a label that caught me off guard, yet it made perfect sense. This new identity explained my unique ability to look at an ordinary piece of felt and see something others could not, and from that moment on I began to see myself differently. The simple truth was, my teacher declared that I was an artist, and I chose to believe her. Eventually, this belief drove me to answer the call. Perhaps youve felt that call as well. To declare oneself an artist isnt easy, but believing in yourself is a critical part of the belief triad for selling your art. (Well get to that in .)