Building Your Art-Based Business during Covid-19: Part 1

What a time to be alive! I’m sure most of us didn’t think we’d be in this position 3 weeks ago, but here we are, watching far too much Netflix and getting far too little vitamin D.

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the whole world hard, and we’re all feeling it together. Art of Where is a business that was built from the ground up like most artist-run stores and we symphathise with you, our co-entreprenuers! We understand that small businesses are really struggling right now and that every business is adjusting to new realities on a daily basis. While no one chose to be in this situation, we can choose what to do with our newly found abundance of time. In our eyes, this means putting time towards the things that usually get put off during the rush of regular life. While there is unfortunately a lot that is out of our control right now, there are still some things we can do to be productive and ensure that we’re not starting from zero once things start to normalize.

I’ve brainstormed a few different things that you, as a small business owner, can do to build your art-based business now so that you’re even stronger once this is all over and you hit the ground running once again.

1. Get back to the drawing board, literally! There are a lot of things that we put off as a business because we simply don’t have the time. It seems as though our creative desires end up getting trumped by the need to complete the practical and the logistical. Well one good thing about being locked inside for a few weeks is that we now have plenty of time! Use this time to practice your creative abilities and create some new art! You and your customers will thank you later when you have a whole new collection to launch!

2. Try out some new products! Dsigning is FREE! Ask your customers what they would like to see Sometimes we get stuck in a rut with what we know will work and we don’t take the time to experiment. While there’s no pressure you can finally take that time to experiment with different products and get some feedback from your customer base! Maybe you have a successful notebook line with us and your paper orriented customers would like something wearable like scarves! Formating your art for our various products can be time consuming so now's the time to get on that! Play around in our Design Lab and see what tickles your fancy! Having more products is never a bad thing, and since our mockups create the images you need for your product listings, creating products is always FREE!

3. Stay productive and challenge yourself! We’re all struggling right now with a complete lack of routine. Sure, time off of work can be fantastic, but only when you have something more enjoyable to fill your time with! This, however, is not a vacation, and the threat of boredom is real. A great way to add some structure and routine to your days is to give yourself a challenge! Challenge yourself to create a design every day. Maybe create a new collection a week. Try stepping outside of your artist comfort zone. Maybe you're a painter who'd like to try a new medium? You decide! This is a great way to add some structure but in a fun way that will also profit your business in the long run. Have a challange idea? Share it in the comments below! Maybe someone else will find it as rewarding as you!

4. Branding! How’s your brand’s aesthetic doing? Maybe it’s time to give it a little update! Have you had a change to create your custom labels or your artist cards and stickers? If not, now’s the time to do it! Use this time to give your brand a little spring cleaning and get all your branding ducks in an order. Customers always love a good aesthetic!

As a fun little initiative to help boost your businesses back up once this crisis has cooled down, we’re going to be introducing a sample program! Coming in the not too near future, this program will give you 50% off 1 of each product. This is a great way to try some products you haven’t before! Who knows what you may love until you’ve had a chance to try it! We’ll be keeping you all updated on when that’s starting, but keep your eyes peeled and start brainstorming and designing in the meantime.

Those are a few of our top business building tips for while we’re all stuck in limbo land, but we will have another blog post coming soon with even more great tips!

Until next time, stay home and stay healthy!