What role does support—technical and emotional—play in building an art business?

Support is 50% of what’s needed to succeed, and that includes tech support, emotional support, and bucking you up when you’re down. Growing this business is painful, and that pain is completely normal and will never go away. As a solopreneur, this is a lonely road. You’ll have many times throughout the year where you think ‘this is so hard, why do I keep doing this, I’m going to quit, this is just a hobby, no one’s buying art.’ When you have a support structure that comes down at your lowest point, picks you up, and says ‘I’ve been there, I know what you’re feeling, keep going’—that’s the path to success. Without support, artists hit their low points and give up, telling themselves all the familiar excuses. But with someone there who’s been through it to provide perspective and encouragement, you keep moving forward. That support structure is essential for long-term success.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-01-08