The Artist’s Bible
Introduction

My name is Richard Gipe and I am the founder of Art-Exchange and Legacy Fine Art. Prior to coming into the art business in 1994 I owned and operated a boutique NASDAQ broker dealer in Orange County. I raised capital for public and private companies. As an investment banker I had unique bird's eye view of many different businesses. My job was to determine what worked and what didn't and direct capital investments accordingly. It is entirely possible many of the tried and true business principals I discovered in my investment banking capacity may serve the working artist well.

Writing a Bible is a daunting task, and no Bible is written overnight. Our plan is to lay down bricks one at a time like building blocks an artist might build his or her career upon. These installments will be published in SellArtSmart, our monthly newsletter designed to help the working artist* like you with the business side of being an artist.

I invite your feedback. If you can add to or refine our building blocks, if and when, our book is finally published, a year or so from now, all of the artists who read The Artist's Bible will benefit from our collective wisdom.

For now The Artist's Bible will unfold one chapter at a time and will come to you entirely free through SellArtSmart. It is my suggestion you create a folder and save these chapters as they are released. Like the Bible you can refer to a specific chapter which might help you the most at a specific stage in your career.

When you are frustrated with your life you might pick up the Bible to gain solace. When you are frustrated with the business side of being an artist, pick up The Artist's Bible and read a relevant chapter.

In my capacity at Art Exchange and Legacy Fine Art I have observed the simplest principals of business being violated with impunity by artists deep in their careers. What seems basic or simple to a businessperson must seem incomprehensible to some artists. This book is an effort to set the record straight. Success is a fairly straightforward process, fairly simple to understand but hard to attain. The secret, it seems, is not as much in the knowing as in the doing. But knowing precipitates doing, so here is how you can know how to be successful in your career as an artist.

*A working artist is someone who earns all or part of his or her living from the sale of art.

Chapter One
Genesis

Genesis is a book of beginnings. Whether you are at the beginning, mid-career, or in the twilight years of your passage as an artist, there are basic building blocks of success and you can begin using them to your advantage. As you observe (a talent most artists are good at) successful people, don't they make it look easy? If one does the right things, success does come easy.

Have you ever known great singers who are not successful? How about a great actor who never seems to get the good parts? Conversely, have you known successful singers who can't sing, or actors who can't act, or dancers who can't dance?

Obviously being great at your craft is not enough. Many great artists go to their graves undiscovered while other lesser talented mortals go on to fame and fortune. Why, because it is not always the best art that sells, it is the best sold art that sells.

It isn't fair! Life isn't going to be fair. You shouldn't expect anything about success to be fair. Who you know can be life changing for an artist. Sometimes that person chooses you and sometimes you may choose that person. We will deal in greater detail later with this subject of who you need to make it a point to know.

Honing your craft to a state of excellence while you hope to be discovered is a recipe for disaster. There is a fine line between "being true to your craft" and "being commercial" and I don't pretend to know exactly where that line is.

This I know, having money doesn't suck. Having the knowledge your bills are paid is not a bad thing. Living and working in an environment as stress free as possible promotes a longer life for all of us. If it is true an artist must suffer for his or her craft, then suffer as little as possible.

The Artist's Bible is not a place to dwell on the following points at any great length, but perhaps one of the most important building block for success is having your life in order. Eating healthy foods, being hydrated by drinking lots of water, staying in shape, avoid nicotine, not drinking to excess, and getting adequate sleep are all basic and obvious points we should all know.

Yet it remains many fine folks don't eat healthy foods, drink everything but water, are in shape all right but the wrong shape, smoke, drink to excess, can't sleep and therefore can't focus.

You will have to find your own way in these areas. It is not in the knowing it is in the doing. Knowing the right things to do is an intellectual pursuit. Doing the right things is a matter of character.

Know this, to choose the path of the visual artist is to choose one of the most difficult career paths possible. First, creating great art is supposed to be hard. When the viewer gazes upon your work he is not supposed to utter the great wisdom, "my kids could do that in school". Second, every third person you know considers himself or herself to be an artist so there is much competition. Even if you are a great artist, convincing the entire world or even your home town of that fact requires an equal skill on the business side.

Let's summarize. It isn't the best art that sells; it is the best sold art! Your chosen profession is a very hard one, often filled with rejection. There is much competition for those top spots in the art world. The best artists are not necessarily the ones basking in the sunlight. Don't fear success, don't block success, having money doesn't suck. If you want to be successful read The Artist's Bible over and over until you know it enough to do it.

Coming in future issues:
Organize For Success
The Business Plan
Hope Is Not A Strategy-The Strategic Plan