Networking

By Carolyn Edlund

Artist Debra Disman is an entrepreneur, teacher, writer and successful artist who shares her career story in a two-part interview. She created her business in a deliberate and multi-faceted way, and continues to be involved in many endeavors, all of which help to build her reputation and drive more business. Debra shares her experience for the benefit of emerging artists . . .

AS:  Tell us about your background and how you got involved with decorative painting.

DD: I majored in Painting at the University of Iowa, and was also in the Iowa Writers Workshop in Poetry.  After college I moved to San Francisco and taught at the De Young Museum Art School. This set me off on an arts teaching career that took me all over the Bay Area providing art classes, workshops and trainings, primarily funded by grants and fellowships that I wrote or co-wrote.

During that time I was painting and creating mixed media work and was commissioned to do a piece of “art furniture”, a painted chair. I fell in love with the process!

By chance, I discovered the Paint Effects Shop and Studio where the techniques of Decorative Painting were being taught. I couldn’t believe a place like this existed! I had never seen a business model like this close up – the combination of art and commerce, retail and instruction, with no apology!  I inquired and was later hired on the strength of my teaching experience and painted furniture work.

Having traveled and lived in Europe, I was fascinated by the historical aspect of many of the finishes we taught, as well as by their contemporary applications. Informed by my own experiences and study of art history, I began to develop my own approach and voice. I acquired clientele and thus my business grew. When Paint Effects ceased to exist as an entity in 2001, I went out on my own.

The field of decorative painting has so many applications and takes place in so many different environments. It really helps to have diverse artistic, technical, business and people skills.

AS:  You took business courses to help you get started as an entrepreneur. How did this help you and what have you incorporated into your business practices?

Most art schools don’t train us to be business people or entrepreneurs, which is exactly what you have to be if you don’t plan to pursue a full-time teaching career or have some other form of income. So it is important to embrace the process.

I had actually been conducting my business for over five years when I began attending the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center in San Francisco and took “Start Your Own Business” and “Business Planning” classes. In addition to creating a business plan, I was given an overview of the totality of running a business, a context for many of the issues I was dealing with, and a community of people to interact with around those issues. I met my awesome web designer, Dianna Jacobsen of Jacobsen Design through Renaissance, where she also studied. I was introduced to many basic concepts – not just financials, the business plan and feasibility – but the concepts of networking, marketing, and connecting with others. My experience at Renaissance showed me a way out of isolation, which I think is a great pitfall for visual artists, even those actively involved in business, as we tend to work solo.

Subsequently I joined and was active in Business Networking International (BNI), social (online) networking communities, and Professional groups like MeetUp.   In addition, I began training with the International Association of Colour Consultants and Designers (IACC) to enhance my color skills and developed a further network there. I can see the line from Paint Effects, to the Renaissance Center, to BNI, to online networking, to professional groups. I made extraordinary connections through these associations, which had a powerful effect on my career.

AS:  You have mentioned writing, and expressed that it is something that you love. Is writing a skill that you think aspiring artists should develop?

DD:  Being able to write comprehensively is a crucial skill to have – in all fields. It helps you clarify your own ideas, plans and goals, and also communicates these to others, which is necessary if you are going to have any measure of success professionally.

One of the joys of doing this interview is that I can share and offer advice on what I didn’t do, as much as what I have done! I didn’t write a business plan initially, nor would I have if I did not attend the Business Planning Class at the Renaissance Center. I had been taught to organize my thoughts through writing, and that skill has proved to be invaluable. Whether it was writing lesson plans, grant proposals, website text, or articles, writing intelligibly has been critical to my livelihood. So, when I did get to writing the business plan, I was comfortable with the process.

Writing dovetails with marketing activities, educates others about your art, and raises public awareness of it. I became a columnist for the Bay Area Women’s Journal, and the opportunity to write about decorative painting gave me a whole new view of what this multi-faceted art form contributes to our world, and my own relationship to it. Writing gives us the opportunity to offer advice and inspiration to others, which is another way of giving back.

Visit again for Part 2 of her interview, in which Debra discusses marketing and time management techniques.