What are you waiting for? The real costs of postponing strategic work in your art business (261)
The Art Biz
The daily work of running an art business always feels urgent. The strategic work doesn't. So it waits. But postponing that deeper evaluation isn't okay. In this solo episode, host Alyson Stanfield names five specific costs that accumulate when the strategic work keeps getting pushed to next month, next quarter, next year. In this episode: Why tactical delays and strategic delays are two different problems The question Alyson asks every client when a deadline feels far away What it means to leave money on the table, and why it's such an easy cost to ignore How unresolved strategic questions...
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The Art Business Self-Assessment Every Artist Should Do (260)
The Art Biz
My Art Business Assessment — Used with Every Client 50% In this solo episode of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield introduces the 3-zone framework she uses with every private client to assess where an art business actually stands. It's the same structure at the heart of the Art Business Reset workshop, and this episode is your chance to walk through it on your own. Alyson covers: The question she asks before any strategy conversation The 3 zones that account for everything you do to build your art business outside of making the work: Outreach, Presence, and Systems The breakdown of what...
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Do You Have the Art Business You Actually Want? (259)
The Art Biz
Most artists didn't design their art business — they drifted into it. In this solo episode, Art Biz host Alyson Stanfield invites you to slow down long enough to ask a question most artists never take time to ask: if you were starting fresh today, would you build it this way? In this episode, Alyson covers: Why most artists are running a business they drifted into rather than designed — and why that matters What a business model actually is (and why you already have one whether you designed it or not) The difference between examining your business and evaluating it, and why the order...
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Stop Being Busy, Start Being Strategic (258)
The Art Biz
Being busy is boring. In episode 258 of The Art Biz, host Alyson Stanfield makes the case that most artists are so deep in execution mode that they never step back to evaluate, redirect, or ask whether any of it is actually working. This episode draws a clear line between working IN your art business and working ON it, and explains why both matter, but one gets almost all of the attention. IN THIS EPISODE Why execution without direction is just activity, and what it costs you. The side-by-side difference between IN and ON work across four common artist tasks The two failure modes: too much IN...
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When You Want to Sell More Original Art (257)
The Art Biz
Selling products — giclées, pillows, aprons, notebooks — made sense when you started. But if you've been asking how to sell more original art and not getting traction, something may need to shift. Host Alyson Stanfield draws on her background as a museum curator and educator to explore what actually gets in the way and what to do about it. In this episode: Why the pivot to products is understandable, and when it starts working against you The fear that drives you away from leading with originals What collectors are actually buying when they choose to live with original art The screen...
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Healing Your Money Allergy with Hannah Cole (256)
The Art Biz
Artist and tax advisor Hannah Cole knows firsthand how shame can poison an artist's relationship with money. When her dad's accountant asked "When are you gonna get a real job?" instead of helping her understand quarterly taxes, she experienced the dismissal that makes so many artists avoid financial conversations altogether. In this episode, host Alyson Stanfield and Hannah explore why artists develop allergies to money talk and what it takes to build confidence with your numbers. Hannah reveals: Why "when are you gonna get a real job?" creates a lasting money allergy How believing money...
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Building Community Through Art: The Lights Out Model (255)
The Art Biz
Daniel Sipe and Karlë Woods didn't set out to start an arts organization. They just wanted to talk to artists during the pandemic. Four years later, Lights Out has produced 95 artist documentaries, thrown 18 popup exhibitions across Maine, and built a funding model that includes everything from $10 monthly donors to six-figure state contracts. Their story, shared with host Alyson Stanfield, offers a masterclass in starting before you're ready, investing in what matters (yes, including marketing), and building something sustainable through collaboration rather than competition. They reveal: ...
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Art World Gatekeeping Forces Artists to Compete with Damien Davis (254)
The Art Biz
Damien Davis is a visual artist and writer who questions the art world's power structures from an artist's perspective. In this conversation with host Alyson Stanfield, he exposes the gatekeeping mechanisms—from application fees to institutional approval—that keep artists competing for artificially scarce opportunities instead of recognizing the abundance they could create together. Damien reveals: How learning business skills like grant writing and fundraising allowed him to stop waiting for gatekeepers and reclaim his studio practice Why he defines a successful artist as simply someone...
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Practicing Steady Confidence as an Artist (253)
The Art Biz
Host Alyson Stanfield reveals an uncomfortable truth in this solo episode: the problem isn't that you don't know enough. The real challenge is building the confidence to act on what you already know. After 23 years of teaching artists, Alyson has realized she's been contributing to information overwhelm when what artists actually need are practices that build steady confidence. In this episode, you'll discover: The five major confidence killers that derail your plans Six practical confidence-building practices you can start today Why your January plans typically fade by February How to close...
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Stop Waiting for Opportunities and Start Shaping Them with Ebony Iman Dallas (252)
The Art Biz
host: Alyson Stanfield In this coaching-style episode, host Alyson Stanfield coaches Ebony Iman Dallas through the challenges of building a sustainable public art career while navigating motherhood, a regional market, and the fear of rejection. Ebony makes 90% of her income from public art but struggles with systems, marketing that highlights events instead of her work, and waiting for opportunities instead of creating them. If you've ever felt stretched between creative work and life responsibilities—or stuck in a local market—you'll recognize yourself here. HIGHLIGHTS 01:30 Ebony's...
info_outlineThoughtful artists often hesitate to share their work publicly—not because they’re lazy or unclear, but because they don’t want to contribute to the “noise” online.
In this solo episode, host Alyson Stanfield unpacks that fear and explain why it’s often a mask for perfectionism. You'll hear why your content doesn’t need to be perfect, polished, or viral—it just needs to be true.
She also shares mindset shifts to help you move from performance to presence, broadcasting to connection, and perfection to permission.
Whether you're struggling to post, over-editing everything, or just trying to trust your voice again, this episode is here to remind you: you’re not the noise. You’re the signal.
[00:00] Workshop intro: From Followers to Collectors
[01:45] The fear of adding to the noise
[03:20] You’re not the noise—you’re the signal
[04:50] Where “quality over quantity” falls apart
[06:30] Some of your best content might be the quickest
[07:15] When perfectionism poses as professionalism
[08:10] What quality really looks like (hint: not polished)
[09:25] You can’t control who sees it—just share
[10:40] Shifting from performance to presence
[11:35] Final encouragement: show up with trust
[12:15] Workshop + Essentials invitation
[13:00] Closing thanks + where to find more
🎧 RELATED EPISODES
These episodes also have an emphasis on mindset:
Risk, Rejection, and Resilience with Christine Aaron (ep. 114)
What Your Failures Are Teaching You with Laura Petrovich-Cheney (ep. 95)
Are You Playing It Too Safe in Your Art Business? (ep. 92)
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Christa Forrest (ep. 91)
📖 To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and see our featured artists, visit artbizsuccess.com/noise
🎯 Ready to make a plan that actually supports your art business? Join me for the Followers to Collectors planning workshop on September 9-10, where we’ll map out how your audience moves from discovering your art to feeling confident buying it.
You can sign up or get on the waitlist here. Or join Essentials for Artist Success today to get access to this workshop plus ongoing support, live coaching, and two additional planning workshops throughout the year. Details at artbizsuccess.com/essentials.
⛰️ The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.
~ ~ ! ATTENTION INDIGENOUS ARTISTS and BIPOC ARTISTS ! ~ ~
This is an invitation to all Indigenous and BIPOC artists, wherever you are in the world, to share your story here on The Art Biz. Here’s how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/