160. How to Make Money as an Artist with Miriam Schulman

If you’ve ever been told you can’t make a living off your art, today’s episode will help dispel that lie and get you back on track. Today’s guest is artist and author Miriam Schulman, who is the founder of the Inspiration Place podcast. She teaches artists how to price their arts and how to make a dang living doing what they love. Even if you don't consider yourself an artist, what you do based on your talent is art. The world is kind of ugly right now. There's a lot going on that isn't great, and we need your art. We need your talent. We need your beauty out there in the world. Miriam is one of those great, amazing business coaches that really help artists do that and do it well. In her upcoming book “Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living from Your Creativity,” Miriam offers 14 lessons to help artists price and sell their work. Miriam says one of her favorites is understanding the difference between prestige and charm pricing. Charm pricing (like a $14.97 price tag instead of $15) can attract penny pinchers, and the numbers are processed by the logical part of the brain.  Whereas prestige pricing is processed by the feeling part of the brain. Research showed that people were more likely to buy a luxury item like a bottle of champagne when it was rounded (like a $40 instead of $38).  So, when you’re selling something like art or you want someone to invest in a premium product, Miriam suggests tapping into that feeling side. She sometimes says we lower the price, and we think we're making it more affordable. No, you might be doing your clients a disservice right because if you make something too cheap When it comes to marketing, Miriam still believes email and even physical mail are tops. She says you can identify one to 200 people who are your hottest prospects for something, and it pays to send them physical mail. She suggests save the dates, postcards for awareness, and even taking your sales page and turning it into a printed booklet. With email, she notes the engagement rate is higher, and you have more control over who will see your message. In her book, she offers advice about how to nurture relationships as well as practical lists like which words to use in your messaging. Look for more tips in her book “Artpreneur,” which will release on January 31, 2023. Other Game On Girlfriend podcast episodes you might want to check out:  It’s Never Too Late to Start with Communications Expert Lee Caraher: https://sarahwalton.com/start-with-communications/  I Have So Much to Give, But I’m in a Fog: https://sarahwalton.com/robin/  The Marketing Tactic You Need To Stop Using, Right Now: https://sarahwalton.com/carolyn/  Why Zigzagging Your Path Means More Success:  https://sarahwalton.com/susan/  You can check out our podcast interviews on YouTube, too! http://bit.ly/YouTubeSWalton   Thank you so much for listening. I’m honored that you’re here and would be so grateful if you could leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts by clicking here, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking “Write a review.” Then we’ll get to inspire even more people! (If you’re not sure how to leave a review, you can watch this quick tutorial.)