Quotes from attendees:

 

"I have learned so much about how to be unstoppable in the arts while attending SEA! I am thrilled at how empowered I feel entering the art world with the knowledge I've gained here as well as the individuals I've been able to meet!"      - Audrey Laviolette, Beloit College (WI)

 

"Thank you for such an empowering weekend! Each session was filled with useful info from 'been there done that' presenters. I felt most energized by the roundtables and one-on-ones...I walked away enriched and enthusiastic about taking my creative business to the next level!!!"

   - Toni Greathouse, University of St. Francis Business Incubator (IL)

 

"I was a presenter this year, and the Beloit and Millikin and other students and professionals who attended my workshops were intelligent, committed, and super-positive about improving their skills and serving their communities. I was really moved by the seriousness with which they approached the weekend - and on top of that we had a lot of fun in the workshop. SEA provides a unique forum for arts and an entrepreneurial approach to inform each other, ideal for students and recent grads."

                  - Daniel Levy, Daniel Levy Music (NY)

 

 

What did you learn while attending the conference?

 

I will be able to sell my work and promote myself as an artist

 

Plan. Plan. Plan - Execute

 

How to find my value as an artist and that I can support myself and family doing something I love

 

Business cards are a must

 

The importance of a trademark and how to establish a good one

 

Time management, talking about myself, and legal issues for musicians

 

The wide range of levels of applicability to me in my career

 

I can use the experiences I have in my life to create my identity as authentic and unique

 

I learned more about how I can sell my art

 

New terms and insight on how to be a working artist

 

Better ways to communicate

 

Resume set up, portfolio set up, and how to network professionally 

 

 

How will what you learned affect your education and activities?

 

 

I am joining a ceramic studio to start pursuing my goal

 

Very inspiring - I want to get to work

 

Bring more of a professional aspect to class - think about what I am learning and how it translates into a business

 

Implementing these new tips into how I talk with people

 

I will start considering how I want to present myself after graduation

 

It motivates me to go learn more about these topics

 

Extend my social media reach

 

The knowledge I have learned will definitely change my education. My focus is shifting towards writing more and more, and have been inspired to get working

 

I can now see a potential and way to keep pursuing art

 

I believe it will increase my money and business presentation

 

I have more passion and drive

 

Along with art therapy, I will be able to research more about how to support myself as an artist

 

I'll integrate my new knowledge into my teaching entrepreneurship courses next year (Educator)

 

I will have more excellent information to share with students (Educator)

 

Perhaps try alternative approaches with administration to get them to understand the importance of entrepreneurship in the arts! (Educator)

 

 

What did you learn or gain from this session?

Looking at all things as fueling and inspiring art

 

Being professional is crucial in all aspects of the arts.

 

To respect yourself and your art. Overcome stigmas - starving artist, tormented artist

 

Be smarter with the financial parts

 

How many aspects go into running, creating, establishing and marketing your own business

 

How to pitch a business. Know your business in and out

 

I learned how important networking is to establish a successful business

 

I gained knowledge of what is required to plan and what should be incorporated into a business. 

 

The in's and out's on how to create and keep a business going while still being a student

 

Collaboration, teamwork, dedication

 

I learned what a trademark is and how to pick an effective one

 

Social Media strategy tips

 

Learned about live stream social networks to engage with your community

 

How to come across to a customer without being too aggressive

 

Different perspective in selling and how to talk with people

 

How to actually implement these techniques and how to create a sustainable business

 

How to keep my costs down

 

I learned more about what actually needs to be considered in order to come up with accurate pricing

 

A concise overview of the basics of writing an artist's resume, bio and statement. Helpful to know what to think about.

 

The importance of practicing things I'm not very interested in to be a better professional

 

Learned terminology and concepts I was not familiar with

 

Difference between different types of financial terms and how they work

 

Strategies for persistently working towards goals

 

Tricks to finding clients & narrowing target audience

 

How to handle LLC vs. S-Corp

 

Ways to go about finding mentors and proper mindsets for starting a business

 

Knowledge about branding

 

Advances don't have to be repaid. Foreshawdowing is important. Rewriting and revisions is necessary. Persistence. Editors have your best interest. There are multiple resources for finding an agent. I learned so much from this session!

 

Freelance starts as soon as you do. It's okay to ask clients about their budget and follow up with payments.

 

To be consistent!

 

New resources for building my freelance career

 

How to effectively create, organize and present a portfolio

 

How to deal with clients and contracts

 

I got ideas for how to organize my invoice system and how to use my interests to find new approaches to work

 

Valuable advice about simplifying my tasks

 

So great - such a positive discussion on how to freelance and all the things you can do to make a living and also how to do it

 

Read contracts carefully, go with your gut, develop personal relationships

 

Publishers don't look at "is this good" they look at "Can I sell this?"

 

New social media I wasn't aware of. Plans over the day, month, year!

 

What I need to do regarding taking on contracted work and the precautions I have to take regarding taking care of myself and my assets

 

 

What has this session inspired you to do?

 

Schedule appointments with the right people to get my business started

 

I will copyright my latest work NOW!

 

This session has inspired me to follow her advice, to use the presentation principles, list 3 things that are really stellar about yourself, and list the most important things first. Also, I shoud work on an elevator pitch and strengthen my story.

 

I am isnpired to go to more mock interviews and increase my skills when speaking about myself

 

Publish my art

 

Write more about my artwork

 

Rework my resume

 

It's gotten me past the fear of being overwehelmed (with social media). Small goals, starting out on one or two platforms is much more manageable.

 

Be more active in social networks and focus on my brand

 

To make a stunning portfolio

 

I was inspired to not give up if my work gets rejected. These two authors have hundreds of rejections and they didn't give up.

 

Take sculpting and writing

 

Be more proactive in writing

 

Talk more with the speakers

 

Seek new resources

 

Join Facebook groups for motivation and accountability

 

To begin working for myself and not do free work

 

I am going to start documenting all my work and organize it in categories

 

Really think about and prepare for landing contracts

 

Rework my portfolio. Customize it for each job.

 

Create a coordinated marketing plan

 

Get started on my pricing and branding, take risks, and learn from mistakes

 

Find mentors

 

Be more hopeful but practical about freelancing as well as take the business side more seriously

 

Get my own professional business cards ASAP!

 

Buy my own domain name

 

To begin to see my art as a business

 

Organize finances more efficiently - track profits

 

To not write off finances but try to learn and understand them better so I can be more successful

 

Incorporate writing into my everyday practice

 

Go home and work on my resume and artist's statement

 

Determine a better system for pricing my own work

 

Use the worksheet for determining my hourly rate

 

Offer to critique work in classes other than my own (Educator)

 

Have a personal Facebook with a nick-name and professional Facebook with real name

 

Develop a better public speaking presence

 

Re-define my value proposition

 

Remember people's names, be more engaged in the person than the sale

 

Think about the "story" of my brand

 

Launch a personal website

 

Begin planning my trademark, consult with others, and develop it before launching my business

 

This session has inspired me to take full advantage of everything that is available to me on campus and off.

 

Find others with similar interests to build a creative team

 

To start to create more art and look into selling my artwork part time

 

Thinking about a business pitch for next year

 

This has inspired me to stop being a startving artist, to not make art for free; my art has value. It made mt think, knowing and understanding why I do things, if it is for a good reason. Express myself.

 

Stop letting myself be limited. Use my life experiences, including obstacles to keep, savor, and use my art.