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.
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Nick Haas is an interactive, graphic artist and photographer whose gritty artwork has been the focus of exhibitions in Chicago and Los Angeles. His clients include companies such as The…
Molly Crabapple is an award-winning artist, author, and the founder of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. Molly learned to draw in a Parisian bookstore. She later drew her way through Morocco…
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As a young girl, Katy had more ideas than time to work on them; the same is true of Katy today. Katy spent much of her youth overseas with her…
Shawna X. Huang’s claim to the title “Visual Stimulator” stems from her desire to engage people with thought-provoking work. She believes art is meant to be shared – and that…