What's the Open Studio?
and why you might quite like to visit 😊
When I first started The Travelling Artist newsletter I was primarily sharing stories about our travels, life as a working artist, and any new work.
I’d been exploring what might be possible with a subscription newsletter, and this is still the case - I’m sharing all of those things and all my content here for free.
It wasn’t until I started writing about how I started my own creative business, some of the mistakes I made and how bloody difficult it was to get started that a steady stream of questions began to arrive.
Why did I start The Open Studio sessions?
I started my own art business, Jo Scott Art, in 2010 part-time. This was a second career for me, and there wasn’t quite the information that’s now available freely on YouTube, and obviously no Chat GPT at that time.
Today, my friend Sandra has set up her own Ai assistant and called him Geoff, I’m undecided on what to call mine, but I don’t think they can replace my human experience in this industry sector just yet.
What I mean is that you can easily find answers to most of your questions online. Still, neither is it any easier to navigate the internet when swarms of creative professionals are selling you courses with persuasive sales pages and ‘click-baity’ promises.
I know I found myself at many stages of my art career thinking, I just want to know if this is a good way to start this type of work, I ‘think’ I should be doing this but I just want to run it by someone else in the industry first.
Or perhaps you’re an experienced illustrator and artist, but you want to pivot and don’t want to waste any more time or money going in the wrong direction.
There’s been more than one occasion in the last 15 years where I’ve realised it’s other people who are making more money out of either myself or my work than I am…
So what if I could help you, both openly and honestly, at a reasonable rate and without writing one of those courses with a fancy sales page and launch sequence that gives you the FOMO so bad you seriously consider taking out a loan so you can buy it?
That’s the motivation behind me starting The Open Studio
It’s one hour a month where you can come and ‘talk shop’ or ask me anything along with a small group of other very friendly working creatives and I will tell you everything I know for either £6 a month or £50 for a whole year.
Plus I run a second accountability call where you tell me what you want to achieve in the coming month and I hold you to it and check in with you a month later.
What do I know about?
I should probably qualify my areas of experience and confirm that I am based in the UK.
Selling original paintings
Working with Galleries
Pet Portraits & working to commission
Greeting Cards (self-publishing)
Greeting Cards (online market places)
Print on Demand
Pattern design/Spoonflower
Greeting cards (licensing to other publishers)
Working with a warehouse
Moonpig/Thortful & online greeting card marketplaces
Freelance illustration
Map design
Licensing artwork
Working with agents
Trade Shows
Retail Shows
Working with high street stockists/Selling wholesale
I studied art and design at York College of Art and I have a MA in Visual Culture from Middlesex University.
Between then and starting Jo Scott Art in 2010 I have over 20 years experience working with larger arts organisations including Tate Galleries, The Lowry, The Barbican Centre and The Royal Collection.
So, if you’d like to join me for a monthly chat…?
PS There are two courses that I think are worth every penny and I have done both
The Design Trust - Dream, Plan, Do - for creative business planning & support (actually any of their courses, I am a big fan and remain a member of their Business Club)
The Goodship Illustration - Fly Your Freak Flag - for if you ever get stuck creatively as an artist or illustrator
I am also a member of the Brain First community run by Amanda Perry for those of us with neuro-spicy brains. Use code OPENSTUDIO at checkout for a discount.
These are the core support tools that I use to run my business that I’m happy to recommend.