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...
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Beyond Information: Why Artists Need Frameworks (251)
The Art Biz
What happens when you realize the way you've been working isn't sustainable? When you've built something successful but it's costing you sleep, peace of mind, and the very things you set out to protect? In this solo episode, host Alyson Stanfield gets really vulnerable with a question most artists face at some point: Who am I if I change the way I've always done things? It's about the pressure to maintain what you've always done because that's what you identify with, the FOMO that makes you say yes when your gut says no, and the overwhelm that comes from adding more and more to your plate....
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From Relief to Revenue: 5 Years into Her Art Business with Dawn Trimble (250)
The Art Biz
host: Alyson Stanfield In 2020, Dawn Trimble was laid off from her interior design job during the pandemic while navigating a divorce—and she felt relief. That moment became a turning point. Within months of painting full-time, she launched her first collection, which sold out in days and matched her corporate paycheck. Dawn talks about the practical steps she took to build momentum, what she brought from her design background into her art business, how she thinks about creativity as service rather than self-expression, and why she believes the most important thing any artist can do is...
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Artist Friendships that Lead to Collaborative Exhibitions and Opportunities (249)
The Art Biz
host: 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. 🔦HIGHLIGHTS 01:50 How their friendship evolved into collaboration...
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Being the Artist I Want My Son to See with Stephanie Brown (248)
The Art Biz
In part one of this conversation (episode 247), Stephanie Brown shared how she strategically funded her education and built her early career foundation. Now it's time to talk about what happens next: the messy, real, day-to-day work of sustaining an art practice. Stephanie breaks down her actual income streams with host Alyson Stanfield—sharing her five-year vision for gallery representation and explaining how becoming a mother made her bolder and more focused rather than holding her back. 🔦 HIGHLIGHTS 03:50 Stephanie’s income percentages from consulting, speaking, art sales,...
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The Strategic Artist: Zero Debt Art Degrees with Stephanie Brown (247)
The Art Biz
Too many artists graduate from art school with crushing debt and then spend years figuring out how to make money while trying to maintain a studio practice. Stephanie Brown did the opposite. She graduated from a private art school debt-free, secured a fully funded MFA, and has been treating her art career like a business from day one. In this conversation with host Alyson Stanfield, Stephanie breaks down exactly how she did it, and why being strategic about money doesn't make you any less of an artist. 🔦 HIGHLIGHTS 02:00 Why interactive art transforms viewers into participants and creates...
info_outlineArtist 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 corrupts prevents you from advocating for fair pay
- Her ritual for making bookkeeping feel like self-care instead of dread
- Why you must have a separate bank account for your art biz
- What losing 20 years of art in a hurricane revealed about capitalism and grief
Connect with Hannah:
Email me to discuss strategic consulting for your long-term career goals.
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The Art Biz is recorded on the traditional land of the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Ute tribes.