How can you learn to balance making art and running a business at the same time? Running a business as an artist is like taking a ride on the craziest rollercoaster of your life. While it seems scary from afar, and there are plenty of ups and downs, it’s all about the pure joy, adrenaline, and fulfilment you experience along the way. It’s a journey! And that’s what makes it so wonderful.
It’s important to know how to maintain a balance between making your masterpieces and running the business side of things. This will help you reduce stress levels and focus more on enjoying the ride, rather than freaking out about the dips and low moments along the way.
Keep in mind that establishing a balance doesn’t mean you have to be perfect at all times – it’s about understanding how to get back up from those low moments and helping to prevent them by establishing the right mindset and routines. This puts less pressure on yourself and lets you make art and run the business smoothly, side by side.
Today we’ll be helping you establish your own healthy mindset around how to balance art and run a business. Plus, we’ll walk you through how to create a routine through setting boundaries and knowing what to prioritise as a small business owner.
Let’s jump right into it!
The Art of Balancing
Marketing, promotion, logistics, production, systems – there’s no shortage of things to think about when you’re running your own business as an artist. These things can present themselves as challenges, and when not managed properly, can lead to burnout, stress, and just all-out frustration. Not only are these outcomes undesirable for your mental health, but they can also compromise the quality of your artwork.
Knowing how to balance the daily operations of business with creating art starts with establishing the right mindset. Two of the best ways to create this mindset including focusing on your strengths and knowing when it’s time to invest in outsourcing.
Focus on Your Strengths
You are unique, and never forget it. As an artist, you have a distinctive set of talents and sense of creativity that no one else has. Sure, you may fall into a particular niche, but your style is what sets you apart from every other artist out there, and there will always be people who love what you create.
Putting emphasis on your strengths helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace, create authentic and truly passionate art, and helps you feel more confident in what you produce. It also helps you work more efficiently, as you’re not wasting time trying to perfect certain skills when you’re focusing on techniques that already come naturally to you.
Focusing on your strengths means that you should know what you do well, and use it to your advantage. Create what you’re passionate about. Throw the rules out the window. Listen to your gut, not your fears. In the end, you’ll stand out more from the crowd, attracting more people who relate to your message and see your work as authentic and desirable.
Invest in Outsourcing
While there’s nothing wrong with diving head-first into the art business as a solo artrepreneur, it’s vital to know when it’s time to reach out for help and invest in outsourcing certain aspects of your business.
Investing in outsourcing can look like many things. You could invest in outsourcing in a business coach to give you a nudge in the right direction, or invest in a new system, or invest in a VA who will take care of those loose ends you struggle to tie every month.
Some of the biggest tasks that artists often struggle with, though, include printing, framing, and the overall logistics of selling their art. From selecting the perfect paper or canvas, to making sure their prints are premium quality, to safely packaging and shipping the artwork, these tasks are time-consuming and downright overwhelming for any small business owner.
That’s why it’s important to consider using a print-on-demand platform like PrinTribe. We not only print and frame your art to museum-grade standards, but we also take care of packaging, shipping, and delivery.
Why is that so invaluable to artists running their own business? Because it means they’re able to do what they love and make art, while PrinTribe takes care of all the rest.
By outsourcing the printing, framing, packaging, shipping, and other logistics to PrinTribe, you’ll save time, reduce your stress levels, and be able to focus on your art.
Here’s how PrinTribe works:
Create your free artist account – Sign up in just a couple of minutes and start uploading your artwork to our secure server.
Select framing and shipping options – Add your digital signature, choose your framing preferences, and customise your artwork depending on what your customers want.
Ready-to-hang art on its way – In just 7 days, your high-quality framed art will be delivered directly to your customer’s door.
The first investment in outsourcing can seem terrifying, but it will always pay off in the long term with dedication and drive to grow your business. It may seem obvious, but you don’t know what you don’t know! You can’t be expected to know how to run everything smoothly as a solo business owner, and that’s why outsourcing is such an integral part of your business.
The Importance of Setting Boundaries
Pretty much all artists and small business owners feel that they need to devote all their time and energy to their work – but this simply isn’t the case.
In fact, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you aren’t taking the time to have a break once in a while. Ever heard of a little thing called burnout?
When you put every sliver of time and energy into your art business, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Overtime, you’ll find it hard to be creative, stay productive, and get motivated to make art. Setting boundaries is the best way to avoid things like burnout, and instead give yourself the time to recharge, refocus, and be at your best when it matters most.
There are plenty of ways you can set boundaries, but one of the most effective is by prioritising self-care.
Prioritise Self-Care
You’ve probably heard it a million times before, so what’s all the hype around self-care? How will it positively impact the way your run your art business?
Self-care is all about the intentional actions you take to support your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. It’s important because it helps you prevent things like burnout through giving you the opportunity to take a break, relax, and reset your battery.
Self-care doesn’t always have to look like putting on a face mask and sitting in a bubble bath (although those are certainly viable options). Here are a few other wonderful ways to practice self-care as a small business owner:
- Schedule your day hour-by-hour including time to take breaks. Within these breaks you could go for a walk, get some fresh air, do some stretches, have a snack, or anything else that helps you feel refreshed.
- Take time to rest. Try to prioritise a period of active rest for around 5-10 minutes a day by sitting still, pausing your notifications and focusing on your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths.
- Exercise at least three times a week. Make it fun by doing something you love, like going on a walk, or playing your favourite sport.
- Take time to connect with your friends, family, or even other artists in-person or online. Reach out and talk about how your day or week is going.
With these key insights under your belt, you now have a much clearer understanding of how to balance running your business and making your art. This will help you sell your art with less stress and a positive outlook, which means you can keep doing what you love for years to come.
Just remember to focus on your strengths, set boundaries by prioritising self-care, and always reach out for help! Outsourcing is your best friend and will always benefit your business in the long term.
Sign up to PrinTribe for free and we’ll take care of all the tricky bits of business, so you can put more energy into doing what you love most: creating art.
