Lessons from Asheville, NC
As you may know, I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina last week to participate in Alyson Stanfield’s Art Biz Mastermind Workshop. As I begin to make a transition into being a full-time artist, it’s invaluable to me to take part in workshops that will help me clarify my goals and reflect on my past achievements. While I’d love to do nothing but paint, turning my art into a successful business will require me to invest in the “business” aspects of my art and impose some discipline into my best practices. Lucky for me Alyson’s workshop was exactly what I needed. It provided me with the opportunity to not only focus on my goals and the tasks needed to support them, but also to connect with others working through the same process. I learned so much from the group!
Asheville wasn’t all workshop time though! Heidi and I visited studios throughout the expansive River Arts District and I got together with a few local artists who work with mixed media and encaustic. I loved that all the studios are open to the public every day of the week and I am amazed by how supportive the artist community is in Asheville. I am inspired,too, by so many who have successfully turned their art into a career.
With many hours to reflect on the train ride home, I doodled and considered my goals going forward. I find that my greatest hope is that my art will bring forth feelings of happiness and positivity. Art can and does change the energy around us and I endeavor to be a part of generating a shift that promotes feelings of joy and cheerfulness. To that end, I want to create a variety of ways my art can be accessible to anyone who wants to collect it. Upon my return home, I have begun creating larger pieces while also taking time to compose collections of small pieces too. I will continue to work both digitally at home and with mixed media in my studio.
Last week was truly transformative for me. Thank you Alyson and all of the other artists who took part in the Asheville workshop. If you are an artist looking for this kind of guidance, consider Alyson’s Art Biz Mastermind Workshops. The next one is scheduled for February 5th – 6th in Atlanta, Georgia.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
xo
Dora
