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See an Artist As Brand master in action at the ARTISAN FRAGRANCE SALON and Chocolate show this Sunday, May 5th in Seattle!

Roxana Villa of Roxana Illuminated Perfume will be showcasing her botanical essences and speaking at the event too. She sells her products to all fifty states and over seventy countries. See how beautiful a traveling booth can look. I will be there too. Stop on by!

You must purchase tickets online before the event at the ARTISAN FRAGRANCE SALON website. There are no onsite sales of tickets.

FOR DEVIANT ART MEMBERS, ETSY SELLERS, AND STUDENTS

NORMAL REGISTRATION $495

 Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 and I are bringing the workshop that has been called “phenomenal, and life transforming” back to Kansas City. Learn the secrets of connecting the power of your art to your collectors, and see how these principles can be applied at an event like Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2. It is an amazing opportunity.

All participants will receive a free pass to all three days of Spectrum Fantastic Art Live. The workshop is held at the Historic Aladdin Holiday Inn Hotel, just blocks from the convention center.

Learn more about the workshop on the ABOUT page. Read the FAQs page before signing up. See what art professors, professionals, and college students are saying on the RESULTS page.

Want to take the workshop but need more time to pay for it? Take up to six months to pay (no payments, no fees, no interest for up to six months) with PayPal’s, Bill Me Later financing option. Details on the PayPal site when you purchase.

$395 for Etsy Sellers, Deviant Art Members, and students

$495 for all others

“The Artist As Brand workshop has revolutionized the way I look at everything about my work and its relationship to my overall level of fulfillment. I am certain that the Artist As Brand experience will mark a pivotal point in my career. Thank you Greg, for your hard work, innovation, and inspiration in the creation of something so significant.”
-Ben Soward, Illustrator, Professor at Southern Utah University, 

“Your workshop was amazing! Every hour was packed with useful information–I feel like I learned a year’s worth of material in only three days. You’d think that having that much info crammed into my head in such a short period of time would be exhausting, but instead I feel re-energized. I’ve been so focused on trying to find an art job that I’d almost forgotten what it was like to paint something that I felt passionate about. Your workshop showed me that making a living and living my dream could co-exist after all. Thank you, a million times!”
-Alyssa Parsons, Student at Kendall College of Art and Design

“We received a map and tools—where to go and what to do when we got there. And confidence, that we CAN be entrepreneurs with our own art and not have to rely on other people giving us work. If you are an artist and feel a pull to be making a living doing what you love by your art, TAKE THIS CLASS. No, seriously sign up, and TAKE THIS CLASS. NOW.” 
-Gina Terzino, Artist

“Truly life changing and inspirational.”
-Chad “Hero” Hardin, Illustrator, Comic Artist

“I want to thank you for your dedication and hard work. You are amazing. I believe that small business ventures are essential to the health and wealth of our country. You have found a path through the forest of corporate trees and soon it will be a well traveled road.” 
-Shelley Masters, Artist, Muralist, Teacher

“I really enjoyed my experience at Greg Spalenka’s Artist As Brand workshop last May (Spectrum Live). It gave me a lot of insight and really helped me to clarify where I come from as an artist and as a person. This is helping me more authentically shape my current choices and know that what I’m choosing is in alignment with my very essence! Nothing is more important to me.  Big thanks to Greg for guiding and supporting me in this process.”
-Tara Larson Chang, Artist, Founder TLC Workshops

Start something you are now struggling to finish? Ha! We have all run into this challenge. Chris Guillebeau writes some nice commentary around this conundrum.

Jeremy Rifkin is the president of the Foundation on Economic Trends. He talks about the Third Industrial Revolution and the changes it will bring to the world. The entrepreneurial spirit is an integral part of this.

A pic from my patron Kelly Alton

Fans, patrons and collectors who truly love your art want to you to know they appreciate it beyond just purchasing it from you. They will send pictures of how they framed it or where they placed it in their home. Above is an example of a simple print that one of my collectors has framed, then took a pic and sent it to me.

How sweet is that!?

Of course some of you may think what is the big deal, it is just a framed poster on a wall. The big deal is that next time it could be a much more expensive piece that is hanging within this fan’s home. To take the time to frame, take a pic and send it shows these people are proud of their relationship with you and your vision and are most likely sharing you with all of their friends too.

This is the bond that artists can expect when they connect with the people who love their art. It is a different paradigm when someone buys a piece of yours in a gallery for investment purposes. Generally you will not see that art again, nor will you know who the buyer is.

Nurture these relationships and they will nurture you in return.

I was invited to bring an Artist As Brand Workshop to Seattle through the TLC Workshops. Tara Larsen Chang, the founder of TLC invites stellar artists to inspire and instruct at the Arts Umbrella studio. Greg Manchess, Brom, Iain McCaig, etc. have been guest faculty and so I was honored to bring AAB to this venue.

The day before my class, Julie Baroh of Krab Jab Studios invited me to a round robin discussion with Jon Schindehette, Creative Art Director for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast as well as author of The ArtOrder blog and the iconic fantasy artist, Todd Lockwood to speak about the world of commercial art and its alternatives.

The students for my class were an amazing group of artists consisting of a wide range of ages. A wonderful synergy developed between all of us and new alignments were created.

The class was small and cozy.

Todd Lockwood stood strong voicing his heart virtue! Much transformation took place and tears were shed as individuals realized their potential. I always feel blessed to share in this awakening of creative development. See more of the workshop here.

The day after the workshop ended I arranged a photo shoot with the amazing model Jessica Lough for imagery to accompany the new fragrance, Noir, by Roxana Illuminated Perfume. Jessica’s partner Andre and Tara helped assist in the shoot. What a team! The art spirit is alive and well in Seattle!

All photos by Tara Larsen Chang.

Amanda Palmer understands the power of her fans. Even though her financial model is a bit different from what I teach, the premise that your fans will support you is the same.

The art of doing what you love can translate into products that for this artist are hidden from view, but make a fun and unique statement all the same.

Creating promotional items that support and compliment the overall vision of your brand is what smart advertising is all about. One way to gain attention and get shared by people is creating a Lookbook through Issuu.com. Issuu allows you to publish zines, magazines, books, etc. online. You can use their free service or pay for more options, but either way you will be able to showcase a multi-layered piece of art that reflects your story or the spirit of the project to a new audience.

I have worked on two Lookbooks with Roxana Illuminated Perfume that focused on holidays, Christmas and Valentines Day. In both we use a theme that evokes the qualities of the season and showcases our work in the context of a story (literal or not) that we feel is going to resonate with people.

Above is the 94 page Lookbook called Love Essence. Click on the image to view. It celebrates a trilogy of love.

Below is the Twelve Days of Christmas holiday Lookbook that was up last year. Click on the image to view. It is still getting hits. Issuu offers you the opportunity to create unique promotions and expand the reach of your niche markets.

Your High Touch promotion is important for increasing your numbers of  fans and collectors. These are all the events you go to, to meet your people face to face. It creates a bond between you both. How you dress and carry yourself during these events reflects on you as a person, and an artist. At Comic Con for instance some artists dress up as characters and really play the part.

Robert Suchan created a character he calls ‘Aunt Barbara’ to help sell Tupperware. He has been so successful selling his products with this persona that it draws a cult following, and last year made him $275,000 in sales – a Tupperware ‘milestone.’ You could say his art is his comedic flair that just happens to sell Tupperware. Bottom line is he is doing what he loves and reaping the benefits.

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