Today’s artist has to master their craft, think like an entrepreneur, and market their work. It sounds like a lot—because it is. But staying true to the vocational call of being an artist does not have to mean going without pay. This 6-hour workshop is taught by experienced and knowledgeable leaders and is designed to give artists the tools and resources needed to excel in their work, build a business, and fulfill their calling as a creative.
Together we will explore: business models, entrepreneurship, finding gaps in the market, what it looks like to understand who you are as an artist, developing the audience you want, and the brand you need.
Ticket includes access to 6 hours of content, workbook, & lunch.
THE ART OF BUSINESS WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Thinking like an Entrepreneur
Are artists entrepreneurs? This session focuses on understanding business models, entrepreneurship, and finding gaps in the market.
Making Money - Finances
The most common question perplexing artists of all disciplines, "How much should I price this for?" doesn't need to be a stab in the dark. Understanding taxes, budgeting, and funding sources are the bedrock of going from starving to thriving.
Getting the Word Out - Branding & Marketing
Finding a gap in the market requires artists to understand both the field they fit into and what makes their creative voice unique. The way artists craft the stories of their work connects them to their audience. This session will consider what it looks like to have a cohesive branding and marketing strategy and how that can be used to actively connect with your audience.
DETAILS
Dates: Saturday, February 10, 2024
Time: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Check-in begins at 9:15, workshop starts at 9:30 am
Location: Lochwood Branch Library Theater | 11221 Lochwood Blvd, Dallas, TX 75218
Price: $75 - Includes light breakfast, lunch, and teaching.
If the cost is prohibitive, scholarships are available. Please click here to apply for a scholarship.
Workshop Speakers
Jim Hart
Jim Hart holds a BFA from Southern Methodist University and MFA from Yale School of Drama. He has served as an actor, director, writer, and producer and performed in major theatres throughout the U.S., including Yale Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Utah Shakespearean Festival and others. Hart now directs the Arts Entrepreneurship program at Southern Methodist University. He advises university programs forming arts entrepreneurship initiatives and has published several book chapters for Theatre Communications Group, Edward Elgar Publishing, and USASBE, as well as multiple peer-reviewed articles. Hart has won six major awards in the past four years, including the Special Recognition in Entrepreneurship Education Innovation (USASBE), the Provost’s Teaching Award (SMU) and now the Sharon T. Alpi Award for Innovative Arts Entrepreneurship Pedagogy, to name a few.
Dr. Doric E. Earle, Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Earle is currently teaching finance and social entrepreneurship to SMU students using engaged learning and “real-world” consulting with his clients. His efforts at SMU include: Professor of Practice for CCPA SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Director NP & Arts Leadership Advisory, Co-Director Phillips Foundation / SMU Social Impact Hub and SMU Hunt Institute Fellow.
His knowledge of business operations, economics, finance and global operations were learned over 30 years of high caliber consulting originating in Coopers & Lybrand and culminating as Division Vice President - Affiliated Computer Services (ACS Xerox) and finally as Vice President Global Technical Operations (GTO) - CompuCom Systems, Inc. both $100M+ global IT practices – in several multinational offices.
Dr. Earle reinvented himself and now is dedicated to helping communities, social enterprises and entrepreneurs achieve collaborative, engaging and sustainable solutions.
As long-time Community Development Consultant in South Dallas. Dr. Earle has spent at least the better part of the last seven years working in underserved areas of South Dallas. Dr. Earle has started and grown a variety of for profit and nonprofit businesses, consults regularly on startup and ongoing firms and has mentored many a budding entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the nationally acclaimed urban farm, Restorative Farms. Dr. Earle as a Professor of Practice with SMU, strives to bring his students into his world of Social Entrepreneurship and intern and consult nonprofits in South Dallas, creating World-Changers.
Christine Switzer
As a storyteller, Christine enjoys crafting stories and poetry, adventuring with her family, collaborating with clients and friends, and supporting others in storytelling strategy and practice. She has more than a decade of experience as a professional storyteller in film, print, and digital spaces, and as an educator for colleges and universities.
Artist Panelists
Aryn Michelle
Aryn Michelle is a faith-based songwriter, recording artist, music professor, worship leader and mother of four from Dallas, TX. Aryn earned her BA in classical music from Southwestern University and attended the acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Aryn is the Head of the Songwriting Division for Visible Music College, an affiliate songwriter with Songfinch, and is serving as a lay worship leader at Irving Bible Church. She is currently releasing singles from three EPs entitled Beautiful, Dangerous, and Wild.
Bree Smith
Based in Dallas, Texas, Bree Smith is a multidisciplinary artist creating 2D work in mixed media paintings, sculptures, and murals. Holding a BFA in studio art, Bree expresses her idealistic perspective through bright, polychromatic pastel and neon colors.
Her work has been collected throughout the United States and Canada, and featured in various publications, including Create! Magazine, PIKCHUR Magazine, and Dallas Style & Design Magazine.
Gillian Bronte-Adams
Gillian writes epic fantasy novels, including the award-winning Of Fire and Ash and The Songkeeper Chronicles, and loves strong coffee, desert hikes, and trying out new soup recipes on crisp fall nights. When she’s not creating vibrant new worlds or dreaming up stories that ring with the echoes of eternity, she enjoys bringing life to the words on the page as an audiobook narrator.