Like many artists, Matthew Cortellesi had a problem: He was great at making art — but terrible at selling it.
Then he made three basic changes to his business, and sales picked up. "I've gotten so many orders," Cortellesi said recently.
What changed? It's a simple formula that any artist can follow: First, create a headquarters. Next, package your work. And finally, build relationships.
In this article, you'll see how each part of the formula Cortellesi's business — and how it can impact you too.
Entrepreneur had an idea: What if we picked one talented artist who struggles to make a living from their art, and paired them with a coach who specializes in turning artists into entrepreneurs?
Cortellesi fit the bill: He's a New York-based photographer who's been at it for 30 years, capturing unique images of the urban environment (like the one at the top of this article). When we connected, he had an active Instagram account but almost no sales strategy. People would DM him to ask about buying prints, and he was selling about 40 a year for $375 each.
Entrepreneur paired him with Carolyn Edlund, founder of Artsy Shark. She teaches online courses and works directly with artists, to help them make a living off their art.
Cortellesi and Edlund met for two coaching sessions. You can hear their full conversation on Entrepreneur's Problem Solvers podcast, either by clicking here or by listening in the player below.
Underneath, we'll break down the three main lessons that Edlund taught Cortellesi — and how it can help your art business too.
Cortellesi had about 10,000 followers on Instagram, which Edlund said........