Collage-Lab Biz Academy 2024

The Academy builds on Collage Biz – a six-week, work-at-your-own-pace course that I created in 2021. The class itself was pre-recorded and designed to be “evergreen” so, in other words, it is basic information that doesn’t really change over time. The new Biz Academy will build upon the lessons presented in Collage Biz, and offer updated information and resources. But that’s not the best part – the Biz Academy is a very hands-on implementation-oriented course.

We’ll start with hands-on, step-by-step guidance to tackle the tasks that are presented in Collage Biz.

The weekly breakdown looks like this:

• BUILDING YOUR BRAND
• SETTING UP SYSTEMS
• SELLING YOUR WORK
• PROMOTING YOUR WORK
• GROWING YOUR PRACTICE
• PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

Inside these modules, we will cover starting a business, building your personal brand, social media, websites, email lists, artist statements, marketing, bookkeeping, inventory, pricing, shipping, grantwriting, calls for artists, galleries, exhibitions, ALL.THE.THINGS.

You’ll get 6 weeks of live training, plus 6 weeks of “get it done” sessions for implementation. There will be 3 additional sessions where I can audit your website, your social media, your artist statement, or whatever element of your biz that you want critiqued. These “hot seat” sessions offer 30 minutes of live feedback and actionable suggestions. You are guaranteed at least one “hot seat” and may get other opportunities based on total number of students.

Who is the Academy for?

Take this short quiz and see if the Academy can help you:

1. Do you have a clear vision for your art business, including your target market and artistic style?
2. Have you researched and understand the basics of pricing your artwork competitively?
3. Are you able to confidently talk about and present your artwork to potential buyers?
4. Do you have a basic understanding of marketing strategies, such as social media promotion and networking?
5. Have you considered the logistics of selling your artwork, such as packaging and shipping?
6. Are you prepared to dedicate time and effort to the administrative tasks of running an art business, such as bookkeeping and inventory management?
7. Do you have a plan for growth and expansion in your art business, such as creating new collections or seeking out gallery representation?

If you answered “yes” to most of these questions, you may be ready for taking the next step by applying for the Academy.

The Academy is not:

• This is not a done-for-you one-size-fits-all solution. You will have to make business decisions of your own, based on the trainings, information, and resources.
• This is not a collage workshop – we won’t be touching our scissors or gluesticks.
• This is not for total beginners – you need to already have a desire to uplevel your collage practice with professional business decisions.
• A guarantee that you will sell your art, gain followers, get grants, win prizes, or any other monetary desire. You will have to do the work, evaluate your results, and make decisions based on your experiences.

I talk about the Academy in the latest edition of Inside the Lab on YouTube.