Art is the original startup. Someone has an idea, makes something, and tries to convince the world it’s worth paying for. The founders in this section are building businesses around creative work. Galleries. Art platforms. Creative studios. Design firms. The companies that prove art and commerce can coexist. Uncomfortably sometimes, but they coexist.
These interviews cover the full art world and its business side. Visual arts. Digital art. Art technology. Creative agencies. The platforms connecting artists with audiences and the businesses making creative careers sustainable. Because talent alone doesn’t pay rent.
The founders here navigate a unique tension. Art is supposed to be pure. Business is supposed to be practical. Building a company at that intersection requires a kind of fluency in both languages. The conversations here reflect that.
You’ll find insights on monetizing creative work, building art platforms, marketing for artists, and the challenge of putting a price on something subjective. Also the democratization of art through technology, which has changed everything about how art is made, distributed, and consumed. If you’re building in the creative space, these founders understand the strange overlap of inspiration and invoices.
iStockbyGettyImages This week at HOW Design Live, Andrew Delaney, Creative Director, iStock by Getty Images spoke to the 8 design trends that are changing visual communications. Trends that have largely been…
Meet 8 design trends that are changing visual communications
I make a habit of acting on the assumption that everything is possible. There are people who have walked on the moon, so there’s always a solution to make an…
[quote style=”boxed”]I take off several months per year to make art. That time off (I call these months “divergent”) makes the remainder of the year (I call these months “convergent”)…
[quote style=”boxed”]Make culture a priority. I’m a firm believer that culture isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.[/quote] Dean Graziano has more than 15 years of experience in entrepreneurial ventures, including…
[quote style=”boxed”]Have a compelling vision of why your business is going to make a real difference in the world and get your team to share in that vision. [/quote] Sheldon has…
[quote style=”boxed”]I would read as many books on branding, behavioral economics and basic accounting as I could lay my hands on.[/quote] Jeffrey Apeakorang Manu is creative thinker with an entrepreneur…
[quote style=”boxed”]ACTION! The best way to bring anything to life is by acting on it. Nothing will ever get done if action isn’t being taken[/quote] Part organizer, part artist, Justin…
[quote style=”boxed”]Believe in yourself and what you are doing. Belief will get you through anything. Employees that also believe in what you are doing certainly helps too. [/quote] John and Felicia…
[quote style=”boxed”]Be passionate in what you do. If there is no passion, you will not succeed in whatever you are doing.[/quote] Katherine Fleischman is a publicist and Founder of the…
[quote style=”boxed”]I’d have worked with more discipline in the beginning, and with more focus which projects to take on, so as to have developed better momentum. And I’d have certainly…
Silvia Quintanilla and Francesco Rugi are an art/design duo that works under the name Carnovsky and have gained great recognition for their RGB project, presented for the first time in…
Meet Silvia Quintanilla and Francesco Rugi – Artists at Carnovsky
[quote style=”boxed”]I always say that being brilliant at only one thing is a career death-sentence. It encourages comfort zones and being complacent. I suggest always learning a new skill.[/quote] Artwell…