Artist Friendships that Lead to Collaborative Exhibitions and Opportunities (249)
Release Date: 11/20/2025
The artists who don't wait to be chosen (264)
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Why the Lone Artist Mindset Keeps You Small (263)
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What are you waiting for? The real costs of postponing strategic work in your art business (261)
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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 â 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)
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Most artists didn't design their art business â 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 â 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)
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Selling products â giclĂŠes, pillows, aprons, notebooks â 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)
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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 KarlĂŤ 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: ...
info_outlinehost: Alyson Stanfield
Alicia Bailey and Melinda Laz are part of a four-artist collaborative group in Denver that's been working together for years because it's made them better artists.
In this conversation, they share the practical realities of collaboration: the systems that keep things organized, the communication that prevents problems, and the trust that makes it all possible.
If you've ever wondered whether working with other artists is worth the effort, this episode will show you what's possible when you get it right.
đŚHIGHLIGHTS
01:50 How their friendship evolved into collaboration over 25 years
04:10 The early collaborative work between Alicia and Melinda
05:30 Expanding from a duo to a four-artist collaboration with Catherine Chauvin and Sharon Strasburg
08:30 Why they choose loose collaboration over a more formalized collective
10:40 Drafting proposals together without ego
13:20 Choosing "Perseverance" as their theme to allow broad interpretation
16:10 The systems they use to stay organized and on track
18:00 Why one person serves as the point of contact with galleries
20:40 The importance of going to lunch and doing studio visits
25:40 Learning when to say no to opportunities that don't align
36:20 Communication, clear expectations, and getting everything on the table
40:20 Keeping ego in check while maintaining leadership
đTHE ARTISTSâ ACTION FOR YOU
Go to openings and talk to other artists, especially those whose work you feel a resonance with. Go view art even if it's not an opening, then dig deeper by looking at artists' websites or social media pages to learn about the community right in your backyard. Don't be afraid to reach outâsend that Instagram message, ask for coffee, introduce yourself at the opening. Artists want to talk to other artists and form community.
đ To read more, see images, find resources mentioned, and leave a comment, visit https://artbizsuccess.com/friendships-collaborations
âď¸ Connect with the artists: https://aliciabailey.com and https://melindalaz.com
đ§ RELATED EPISODES
Interested in collaboration? Check out these episodes:
Multiply Your Audience and Expand Your Showâs Impact with Jill Powers (ep. 27)
Knit Democracy Together with Eve Jacobs-Carnahan (ep. 64)
Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (ep. 86)
A Collaboration Between 2 Artists that Led to Creative Growth (ep. 183)
đś Community can support your journey in so many ways. We have that kind of community in Essentials for Artist Success. While there are plenty of lessons in our vaultâincluding our current focus on The Artist's Annual Review and planning work we'll dig into in Januaryâour real emphasis is on action and progress. We're here to help you move forward without getting bogged down in more information than you need. Find all the details at artbizsuccess.com/essentials
â°ď¸ 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. Hereâs how ~~~~> https://artbizsuccess.com/pitch-podcast/