What qualities do Creatives have in common that make adding a membership model to their business a perfect fit?

We'll tell you! In today's episode I'm joined by my friend and Mentor of 5 years and Membership Expert Stu McLaren to talk about the wild success Artists are seeing in the membership space.

And by success we mean, growing 7 figure memberships in just a few years, while inspiring art and creativity, and creative business skills for thousands of people across the globe.

It's inspiring, to say the least, to see this rapid growth of PROSPERITY and THRIVING in an industry that was once known for its starving, struggling mentality.

Days of the Starving Artist are gone as Creative Business owners today, myself included are changing the narrative forever more.

It turns out there is one single quality many of us share that makes Artists especially successful at starting, building, and running memberships.

In today's episode, we share

• what that one quality is among others that makes Artists perfectly suited to add a membership to their revenue streams
• how many different kinds of creative memberships there are with very specific skills being taught
• how to know if starting a membership might be something you want to do
• what owning a membership, not 1 but now 2! has done for me both personally and professionally

If this episode has thinking about what it might be like to start a membership or you have one going already but don't know how to grow it effectively, you're in luck because Stu's free workshop is happening now:

How to Turn What You Already Know, Love, and Do into a Profitable Business

Just click here to join the workshop for free

If I could go back and mentor my younger business self, the one who said yes to her dream of becoming a Professional Artist, the lessons learned that I share in this episode is what I would say.

Today, March 7 marks a celebration of not only 17 years of making a consistent living with my Creative Business but this February 2024 I celebrated 20 years since the very first Creativethursday.com site went live, featuring my Art work.

Back then I was so busy trying to make it all a go, that I didn't even know (or think I had the time) to intentionally hold a vision and actually plan out where I wanted to be 20 years ahead. For the longest time I was living in a pinch me state, wondering if what I was building wasn't just a temporary dream.

Turns out it wasn't a temporary dream, but one that would grow to help and support you in your Creative dreams too.

What would it have been like if I had the insight I have now when I first started?

That's the wish right, and yet it's the 20 years of lived experience starting, building, and growing my own business that was the ONLY way to gain this insight.

And now I get to share this wisdom with you, while also applying it to my vision for the next 20 years.

So, let's go! Together

In this episode I share 20 plus lessons I learned in 20 years of building Creative Thursday, covering a variety of topics from

• the power of intention
• keys to Creative Business Success
• how to navigate your business boundaries
• why knowing and tracking your numbers is essential
• what I wish I had known sooner

Gift for you! Download the 20 ways to make income as a Visual Artist

Click here to Download

Get excited! welcome to another favorite edition of Artist Success Stories.

In this episode I'm joined by three of our Alumni; Heather Harrington, Joanna Smith, and Marissa Parsons sharing

• how they first decided to follow their passion
• what's helped them find and keep the courage to pursue the professional Artist life
• how they show up with consistency
• the value of self-discovery + authenticity in the art-selling process
• the benefits of personalized mentorship
• the significance of community and support in building an art business
• why it's so important to celebrate accomplishments and stay grateful for the process
• and the transformative effects of choosing to join us in Artful Selling

Hip Hip Hooray! It's here! Only Open Once a Year!

Doors to Artful Selling are OPEN starting now through Tuesday, January 23 @ 11:59 pm PST

🎨 Transform Your Art Business:

Craft your Art Sales + Marketing Plan for 2024 and beyond. Make more art, sell more art, and turn your dreams into reality.

💡 Get Clarity and Achieve Your Dreams:

This time, it's about follow-through! Having a Sales and Marketing Plan is the most effective way to confidently and consistently sell to your Ideal Collectors online. Let's build a thriving business that supports a life you love.

📆 Your 12-Month Product Launch Plan:

Know what you're creating, when you're launching it, and how to price it for PROFIT.

📱 Create Your Social Media Plan:

Unlock the secrets to impactful social media strategies.

📧 Create Your Email Marketing Plan:

Learn the art of email marketing for successful art promotion.

🌟 Ready to Make Selling Your Art Easy?

We can't wait to welcome you!

Join us!

https://artfulselling.com/

You can find all things

Heather Harrington @lifeandwhim on instagram

Joanna Smith @joanna.smith.5876 on facebook

Marissa Parsons @marissaparsonsstudio on instagram

First ~ thank you for your kind messages about our recent loss.

Holiday time, depending upon how you like to approach this season, can be filled with long to-do lists, countless visits, parties, and celebrations, or if you're like me, a perfect time for a peaceful reset.

Very intentional about how we choose to spend Christmas, Sean and I often opt for a quiet celebration which leads to a perfect opening to dream, plan, and prepare for what's next.

Over the past few years of a rapidly growing business, this has been the best time to get caught up and reset, from organizing to planning along with getting a head start on upcoming projects, especially those happening at the start of the new year (get excited and save the date! the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge and Coaching week starts Monday, January 15)

On the last episode I invited you to send me your questions about time management, and this is the first in a series of 3 answering what you asked about the most with today's part 1 focusing on a very popular topic: Social Media, specifically how I plan my Social Media from content creation to posting.

In this episode, I share with you:

• the BIG mistake I see many Artists making when it comes to how and when they post to their Social Media
• what you must have clarity on FIRST to effectively post to your Social Media
• why it's important to understand your relationship with selling and being sold to
• how I like to plan my Social Media shares
• my best practices for planning and posting your Social Media content

See you January 15 for an inspiring + fun 2024 Planning session!

Join the Profitable Artist Planning Challenge + Coaching Week

we start Monday, January 15

Join the Artful Selling Waitlist

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

You can find all things Marisa and Creative Thursday

creativethursday.com

and on instagram and facebook

@creativethursday

Did you hear the news? Not only am I now a happily married Mrs!

During my time away from the podcast I had an epiphany, a realization about what's been missing, what can no longer take a back seat, and the dreams I'm fulfilling in 2024.

I've got a lot to fill you in on and I'm starting by sharing the story of the Cranky Bunny, and the inspiration behind a brand new idea and Artist community I just opened that I've been thinking about since 2006.

I'm also excited to invite you to come have some holiday fun, creative painting time with me starting Monday!

Join me for the Ornament Painting Workshop starting Monday, December 11

https://ornamentpainting.shinepages.com/

Specifically, what keeps you from putting your work out in the world for sale?

Is it:

• that it's hard for you to part with your originals?
• you're afraid of the response how it will be received?
• you're concerned it might not sell?

And what does it mean if your work doesn't sell?

Welcome to another session of Creative Business Coaching over coffee where Artist Una Marz courageously, and vulnerably answers the questions above when she asked for coaching help to understand her fears around releasing her original works.

Una and I talk through her fears after I share several announcements from

• Sell A Piece of Art Challenge starting this Monday! to
• Opening registration to my first in-person painting workshop in Los Angeles this November
• To the story of how the opportunity to design my first box of cards for Papyrus came to be.

Join us for Sell A Piece of Art this Week

sellmyartthisweek.com

Join me, with my dear friend and award-winning floral designer Alyssa Van Guilder of Apotheca Flowers for our in-person floral design + painting event and creative business brunch.

Save your spot for 1, 2, or 3 days

Floral Design + Painting Workshop

You can find all things Una Marz at @una.marz

 Card box featured above Creative Thursday by Marisa for Papyrus cards.

Works every time!

In all my years of Art making, sharing, and selling there's always 1 step I take that helps me in every area of my creative practice.

In today's episode, I share with you my go-to tip to help you:

• kick-start your creative inspiration
• stay consistent with your Creative Practice
• complete a series of work
• share your work with the world

Enjoy + happy creating!

Visit the new paintings at creativethursday.com and for an invitation to a preview and pre-sale of new work click here to join the Creative Thursday Collector's List

Continuing the topic of generating multiple revenue streams in your business, in this episode I'm sharing part 1 of 2 episodes with a list of 15 proven ways to profit from your Art.

Everything I'm listing in this episode and the one coming next week are all proven ways I've generated revenue in Creative Thursday over the past 16 years.

It's a well-known fact that for a business owner to have peace of mind, you want to have multiple revenue streams, some more passive than active, and what I'm emphasizing today is to have recurring revenue built into (at least 1, if not more) of those streams too.

My friend and business coach Stu is hosting his 1X annual FREE Workshop all about how to turn what you know, love, and do into recurring revenue in your business, and part 3 is today! You're not too late to join us, and he's also hosting a Masterclass this Sunday to catch everyone up at 8 pm ET

Jump in and join us here

Join us for the Sunday Masterclass

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

Did you hear about what happened to Etsy sellers last week?

After 16 years of selling Art online, getting an early start also selling on Etsy, there's one non-negotiable that I emphasize to ALL of the Artists I have the opportunity to work with, and I'm sharing it with you in today's episode.

The recent Etsy events reminded me just how important this one tip is an inspired 2 more I'm sharing especially if I were getting started selling my Art online today.

In this episode I talk about:

• the most important assets in your business and how to protect them
• the trends that are happening in online selling and how to prepare for the changes coming
• how to get noticed faster than when the algorithm chooses to feature you, and without paid ads

If you want to put these tips into practice as soon as next week, Come join us! I'm hosting my Sell A Piece of Art Workshop + Coaching Week and you're invited.

Click the link below to register

sellmyartthisweek.com

To get the latest updates, click here to join the Creative Thursday List

What's your go-to when you're just not feeling inspired?

How do you get back into that Creative flow?

In today's episode, I share a story about a recent experience that I almost talked myself out of multiple times, which ended up being a game changer for me on so many levels, from learning new skills to, to future business opportunities to energizing my Creativity flow even more!

Because, as you may know, I've been painting up a storm this month and have never been so excited to making Art again.

And TODAY in celebration of a return to prioritizing creativity, for the first time all year, I'm releasing a group of original paintings. My "Coming Back To Art" Collection is launching @ 11 am PST via email first. Join the list and view the new collection as soon as they're released at creativethursday.com or click here.