The Fantastic Workshop, Year Two.

Last year I was a guest at the first Fantastic Workshop in Nashville Tennessee. As an artist and as a sole proprietor, I was a little unsure of my direction and felt I needed a change. The workshop helped me out of my rut and got me moving with purpose again. Since last year, I have stepped into the role of an Independent Artist. My year, as a direct result from the workshop, has seen a successful kickstarter, the start of a passive income stream, a raise in income, and the ground work for several future projects. Most important, my sense of purpose continues to grow as I walk the path of an Independent Artist.

What is the Fantastic Workshop? It is a four day even full of artist discussing business, sharing numbers, talking shop, giving art demos, and lots of one on one time with the instructors. There is a lot of actionable advise given by good people who want you to succeed. It also takes place on a campus that feels like Hogwarts. That makes it all feel magical.

I was a little worried that year two would be a bit of a repeat but I really think it was better.  There were a few of the same talks (talks that need to happen each year) but I was able to pull out more actionable info this time around. Sam's talk on Salesmanship is one that I could listen too many many more times. Stephanie Law's presentations on Kickstarter and Expanding your IP into the mass market were two of my favorites. Sean Andrew Murray challenged us to look at things a different way again. All this great business info was being given by artist. That of course meant that there were some great art demos too. They ranged from materials to personal exploration. Aside from the staff, the attendees were so knowledgeable and skilled.

That was my short review of the Fantastic Workshop. It was a very rewarding experience, again. Worth every penny. If you are considering SmArt School or IMC, consider this one too. It will leave you feeling very empowered.

1FW Workshop Delivers!

After a long weekend in Nashville Tennessee, I am back in the studio and feel flooded with information and ideas from my time at One Fantastic Week’s inaugural workshop. What a great experience! The four day event focused on best business practices and business models for artist as well as Demos and art making with the talented staff. I was honored to be one of three special guest and very thankful to Pete and Sam for the invitation. 

The full staff consisted of Annie Stegg Gerard, Kelly McKernan, Sean Andrew Murray, Justin Gerard, Sam Flegal and Peter Mohrbacher. 

So lets talk business…

I came to the show with some general ideas about how to move forward as an independent artist. By that I mean creating the art that I want to create and marketing it in a way that generates enough money for me to pay the bills and grow. The majority of the staff have moved away from the freelance jobs as their chief source of income. The panel discussions, one on one time with the instructors and talk of hard numbers erased all doubts about this being a plausible and justified career move. Among the highlights for me were the discussions on Salesmanship, Crowdfunding, Social Media and forming an LLC.

Now lets talk art…

1FW’s goal was clearly about improving the artist’s business practices but the art portion can not be overlooked. Demos and discussions by the instructors were nothing short of amazing. I connected to Justin Gerard’s talk on storytelling in art so much that I completely started over on my project mid show. Annie, Justin and Sam all demystified oil painting materials. Pete and Sean shared their digital painting expertise as well. Sean’s art walk was another highlight. It helped everyone see the stories left behind in architecture and our environment. 

Working through ideas and refining narrative.

Those of us that work within the sic-fi/fantasy spectrum of illustration all know that our community is the best. Everyone is there to help one another with technique and encouragement. I have never met a more sharing and supportive bunch. It was neat to see how some of the instructors are walking away with new ideas and plans for the future as a result of the workshop too. In art we are all students, at all times.

There were a lot of take ways from the show. Chief among them was that my ideas will work and that I need to trust them moving forward. Over the coming weeks I will be reconfiguring my web presence and start laying the ground work for upcoming projects. Wish me luck and follow along on social media or sign up on the mailing list to see that I am up too. Thanks!