I’m Carolyn Edlund, and I know what it takes to build a creative business.
Before I ever advised artists about running a small business, I spent decades building my own.
I started as a studio artist, creating a line of ceramic jewelry and accessories and turning that work into a full-time business. Over the course of twenty years, I sold my collection to more than 1,000 retailers, exhibited at hundreds of trade and retail shows, worked with sales representatives, filled wholesale orders, and sold directly to customers. I learned firsthand what it means to create work, find customers, and turn my dream into a profitable business.
After twenty years of successfully selling my own studio work, I took a position as an outside sales representative in the art publishing industry. There, I received professional sales training that expanded my skills and changed the way I thought about selling. I applied those strategies successfully and was recognized as Rep of the Year.
Why I Founded Artsy Shark
Given my experience, I realized how proven sales strategies could be applied to an artist’s business to produce real results. Understanding your customer, developing relationships, communicating value, following up, handling objections, and asking for the sale were skills that could be learned and practiced.
Artists are often taught how to create excellent work, but rarely how to sell it. I saw an opportunity to share what I had learned and help artists become more confident and effective in the business side of their careers. That inspired me to found Artsy Shark in 2009.
I created this site to give artists practical business information they could put to use. Since then, Artsy Shark has grown into a substantial resource, offering hundreds of free business articles, artist features, directories, courses, videos, consulting, and other services designed specifically for artists and makers.
How Artsy Shark Can Help You
If you’re ready to take the next step in your art business, you can work with me through private consulting, explore our library of online courses for artists, or apply to become a Featured Artist on Artsy Shark.
You can also access hundreds of free articles on the business of art and our resource directory for practical information and opportunities you can use right now.