Would it be beneficial to take business classes for artists who want to sell their own work? I'm thinking about taking classes

@Devika Aldesi
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 16:48:17 +0000

@Devika wrote:

Well I'm in business economics as a minor at uni (taking a break from Valuation of Companies right now haha) so it's biased in that direction.

I've got to say that it's definitely a good thing to know how the world of money works, even on a surface level, because we're all in it. And if you're (planning to be) a one-man-company, even more so! Even if it's only for a small-scale business, you'll be making your life so much easier by already knowing things that you WILL need to figure out on your own eventually - and that your competitors already know. And if you don't figure them out, you'll be struggling a lot more than necessary! To list a couple of things that definitely will come in handy:

Accounting basics. Know where your money comes from, where it goes, and it helps when paying taxes. Avoid losing money, and make the most of what you get!

Basics of marketing: Such as finding out who your target group is, and how to reach them most effectively. As an example, this is useful for merchandising - simply pumping out keychains won't help in the long run if your audience simply isn't interested in them and would rather have, say, iPhone covers. Or they're much more into high quality art books and would pay a premium for that. Also, what's the best way of distributing it, and what cost structure makes the most sense? (Now, Marketing consists of so much more, but let's keep it simple here)

Branding: Knowing your own product and how to manage your brand.

Business Ethics and Law: Not only to know what you should and can do, but also how to protect your own work!

Communication: Essential on all levels, but as a self-publisher the communication with your customers/audience/readers is the most vital. What's important here?

(A bit more abstract, but) Understanding the economy on a larger scale: You're part of it, like a little boat in a huge ocean. The greater economy affects your market, your job prospects, your readers, your customers. Just look at the 2008 crisis for an extreme example. On a less extreme note, understanding the laws and regulations and their changes in your country/state/wherever you live will help you make smarter business decisions.

I'm not saying you need to be a finance wiz! But taking a short class on accounting/bookkeeping and basic marketing for small businesses will definitely help a lot!

Getting dirty looks for wanting to be smart about your money is plain naivete if you ask me.What's the point in making your life harder than it needs to be? Knowledge is power! And saying "I don't want to know about money" is shooting yourself in the foot, frankly. So go for it!

(Just make sure that 1. The class has decent credentials and isn't some sort of get-rich-quick-promise; 2. it's geared towards your scale, and isn't a class about international management of giant conglomerates or whatever. It doesn't need to be for artists specifically though, the basics are the same.)

Edit:

revisionstudios:

Well, with the advent of the internet, you can certainly find the information on your own! I'm sure there are articles or youtube videos. But like learning anything freeform, it's going to take longer because the info isn't organized for you.

Absolutely a viable option! The trouble here is in one part that you won't have anyone to ask questions or get feedback from, and not knowing what to look for. It's still much better than nothing though!

Oh and have a look at university courses' reading lists! Even if you're not enrolling, you can still look at what books they're reading and borrow them at a library. Some are available in part or whole on google scholar or google books too.