art and artists, Volume 5 number 10, November 2003 The Business Of Art In How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist, author Carol Michaels says that the first step to making a living as an artist is to reject the “myth of the artist.” This myth is based on the idea of trading off many things that other people value for the right to be an artist. Being an artist and making a living as an artist are two different things but not necessarily oppositional. An artist who wants to sell work must enter the marketplace, which, depending on the artist’s goals, may be a complex system of networks or may be a singular contact. Examples of both may be found in Ester. Iron Amenities, a locally owned ironwork and horseshoeing business, is generally booked two months in advance for custom ironwork. Owner and artisan Tom Hart, who creates ironwork for fences, railings, signs, and interior pieces like mirrors, curtain rods, bookends, etc., says that seventy-five percent of his customers are referred through Spaulding Interiors and the remainder are mostly word of mouth. Tom does not advertise. Gary Grata creates beautiful glass objects such as wall vases and other household accessories. He quite candidly states that as much as he enjoys working with glass using the fused and slumped process, he doesn’t take the whole thing real seriously. Generally, he sells everything he makes and when he considers increasing his exposure through a web page, he puzzles about the difficulty of maintaining adequate inventory. Judie Gumm Designs, another locally owned business, has a store in Ester and also sells its line of nature-inspired jewelry in forty to fifty shops throughout Alaska and somewhere around another fifty shops in the states. Dick Gumm who has worked as full-time business manager of Gumm Designs for the last ten years, cites inventory as the business’s greatest challenge. “Inadequate inventory and you lose sales and too much inventory will kill you with taxes,” says Dick. Artists are those who believe that they are artists. They experience the process of creativity, which may be the culmination of a particular direction of their work, or it may be something new and innovative. Whatever the process, the product, in the eyes of the artist, is good, it is worthy. Each of the artists in this article came to believe that their creations were marketable. Judie Gumm was twenty-one and living in Denver, working as a secretary when a friend talked her into taking a lost wax jewelry-making class. “You’d be good at this,” her friend said. Their first jewelry-making shop at home consisted of a candle, two pieces of wax, a needle in a cork, and an exacto knife. Then, as Judie describes it, she was both fired and quit her secretarial job at the same time. She went on unemployment and started working on her jewelry in the crown studio of a dentist who had died. During her ten weeks of unemployment she worked seven days a week, ten hours a day. It was at this time that Judie had what she describes as an epiphany. “I was walking, looking at the sky and noticed a cloud and then saw a bird’s wings in the cloud.” This became her first successful ring design. She wore what she made and literally sold the jewelry off her body. Gary Grata attributes his inspiration to a slide presentation seven years ago at the Bear Gallery by artist Dale Chihuly. This inspiration convinced him to follow a long-held interest in art. He’d worked in construction for twenty years but a severe back injury was another reason that he went back to school. He describes his time at the university as a “good time” during which he was fully engaged in classes such as drawing, 2D design, and metalsmithing with Glen Simpson. Four years ago Gary had his first booth at the University Women’s Christmas Bazaar and sold everything. Tom Hart took a class at Hutchison Career Center many years ago from instructor Lee Spears and learned the basics of welding and forge work. It was during some of the forgework demonstrations that Tom realized that he was hooked. “For the shoemaker all the world is shoes; for me, all the world is ironwork. I’m always looking at the welding, wherever I go,” says Tom. Although Tom studies the work of others, he feels very strongly that he does not want to replicate. Rather, he likes to use his imagination and create new designs. Tom enjoys the challenge of new projects and says that it’s not unusual for him to dream about his work. Following a “work dream” often he’ll wake up and figure out how to complete a new design. Reflecting on the business success of these three artists may invite one to question whether their products are art or craft. Tom, Gary, and Judie all agree that the label is insignificant. It’s the object’s quality, uniqueness, and attention to detail which they strive for—that’s what brings the buyer to their door(s). Judie Gumm has a rigorous calendar of trade shows (in Alaska and Outside) such as the buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, two open houses each year at the local/retail shop, and selling at shows in Seattle and the Fairbanks Holiday Market. In addition to this they wholesale to numerous shops. Judie’s pieces can be found in Anchorage, Sitka, Ketchikan, and King Salmon to name a few places. Quite modestly and matter-of-factly, Gary says that he sells everything he makes. He records everything so analyzing the bottom line should be easy. His conclusion regarding the bottom line is that “if I’d quit buying tools, I’d probably make money.” Until now, Tom has never agreed to an interview, though he’s been asked several times by the New-Miner. Between his ironwork and horseshoeing, he’s booked. He does not want to expand his business. He makes a good living and enjoys making things work out at an anvil. Terry Glendinning is a member of the Visual Arts Committee of the Fairbanks Arts Association. Judie Gumm's work may be viewed at www.judiegumm.com.
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