Maps of Social Displacement: Conversations on Venezuelan Identity

Tumbao Contemporary Design Studio based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a local store that provides representation to Latinx emerging artists. We will be hosting an exhibition that will include the work of NYC-based Venezuelan artists including Cassandra Mayela. Her woven sculpture incorporates clothing and textiles owned by Venezuelans who migrated to Tri-state New York, mapping cherished memories and familiarity away from homeland. Cassandra will be sharing her progress “Live at the Studio,” cultivating a space of comfort and support for the shared experiences of Venezuelans as well as an overall welcoming environment to gain insight of Venezuelan displacement. The event will take place Friday July 23rd – Sunday July 25th at Tumbao Studio located on 108 N 7th St, New York, New York. On Friday from 12-6pm, there will be a soft opening followed by the official reception held Saturday night from 5-8pm with a dj set by JUNF. Donations will be collected for the Venezuelan and Immigrants Aid non-governmental organization that provides protection for forced migrant and asylum-seeking communities in New York City.

The Review after the Fair

Event - Art Fair

Do you do a review after your fair? Look at what went well, what didn’t go well. It may make a difference for your next event or the next time you come to this fair.

I worked for a Chamber of Commerce for years, and they put on world-class events. They had been doing this for years and had it down to a science. They had people in charge of each area of the event. They had volunteers under these people. Everyone had a job to do, and they all had someone to report to if things didn’t go well. Continue reading “The Review after the Fair”

Business Book Recommendations

Business Books Stacked

If you are in a creative business or thinking about starting one, here are two business book recommendations;The Business Boutique and Your Creative Career. 

These two books are aimed explicitly at starting your business. Although I think there is useful information, even for well-established artists.

The first book recommendation is Business Boutique by Christy Wright

Business Boutique is written specifically for women starting or already in business. She gets into the emotional baggage some women carry with them that most men don’t. She does this with humor and honesty. You are brought into her life as she leads you through her journey of entrepreneurship.  

The book can be used as a guide as you work on your business. 

Christy takes you chapter by chapter through the four tiers of building a business:

1. The Foundation

2. Making it Yours

3. Getting it Up and Running

4. Putting yourself Out There 

The author takes you from your “why” to setting up your company and making everything work in your life.

She does this step by step, with real-life examples and humor. The author will give you the pep talk you need to keep going while keeping it real. Running a business isn’t always fun or easy. 

I slowly read through it and worked through the steps. Rereading portions when I needed to do so.

I reached for it again and again when I needed a push to keep going.

The Second Book Recommendation is Your Creative Career by Anna Sabino

I have never loved the opening remarks more in a book, “In case no one has told you, you’ve got this.”  (This has been my mantra as I started building my own business.) 

Where the Business Boutique is specifically for women starting a business, Your Creative Career is for creatives beginning a business.

It pushes you, guides you, and coaches you through the process of going from creative to creative entrepreneur. The author doesn’t sugarcoat this or let you think this is easy. Instead, she gives steps and guidelines to get through the challenging parts. 

The book continues by providing guides for pricing art, growing your business, and how/when to market your creative business.

I have read and marked up both books. Highlights, stars, underlines are all over both books. I highly recommend both business books.

It doesn’t matter to me if you borrow them from the library or purchase them through your local bookstore. I am a big proponent of learning, but I am also frugal. Do what is best for you and your business.

Which of the two business book recommendations most interests you?  Do you have a different one which is a favorite?  Let us know in the comments what your favorites are.

Here is another article I wrote on free and inexpensive training if you are looking for other resources.

Training

books

Training or learning something new is probably not something you either have the time or money to do. I completely understand. As a woman bootstrapping a business, while working full-time, while raising children, while paying for kids in college, I completely understand the sentiment.

I also understand the need to invest in yourself and to expand your ability to run a successful business.

At a conference I attended one of the speakers stated we needed to invest 10% of our business revenue on training (or maybe it was income). Whichever one of these applies, use it. Continue reading “Training”

Free Training Available For Creatives

free training

Your business is important to you and you know how important it is keep up with your professional training as well as creating goals for your business.  You want to make this your best year ever. 

You may be like most people right now and not have a whole lot of money left after the holidays for training.  A great resource for free and/or inexpensive training for your creative business is Creative Live. Continue reading “Free Training Available For Creatives”

Do these five things today for your business

Do these five things to get your business set up.

  • Decide what type of business you are going to be.  If you are a solo creative entrepreneur, you can choose between being a sole proprietor and filing your taxes on your personal tax return with a Schedule C.  If you have one or more partners, you can’t be a solo proprietor, but you can choose to be a partnership and file partnership returns.  The last option for either individuals or partnerships are to file paperwork with your state to become a LLC or corporation.  A quick google search will get you to the correct website for your state.  

Continue reading “Do these five things today for your business”