The Core Values of Artistry

The marrying of art and business. It's the only way to bridge the gap between a hobby and a career. How many artists would love to be paid a full time wage to create? To paint? To act? To write? To dance?

So what's the difference between a hobbyist and a full time creative?

Answer: CORE VALUES.

When you can articulate your core values, you can use them to build your brand and ultimately to sell your services and/or your creations.

So what are core values?

Disney's are imagination and wholesomeness. The U.S. Air Force's core values are integrity, service and excellence.

Core Values are the driving principles that help you to make decisions on a daily basis and to define what you stand for as a person and a business.

For Example:

If you know that one of your core values is JOY, then everything about your work and your marketing materials had better exude JOY in the audience.

If CREATIVITY is a core value of yours, then your website had better be visually stunning.

Most artists never take the time to articulate their core values and so they come across in their work as hobbyists -- someone who doesn't create a strong positive or negative reaction from their audience.

Articulate your core values, infuse them into your work, infuse them into your message, and your world will open up.

A Couple Samples of Strong Core Values:
www.fromthebarrio.com (Passion, Community, Education, Leadership, Impact)
www.edge-book.com (Leadership, Collaboration, Excellence, Risk)

Join me!

Let's further the conversation of core values at the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation's "One State: Together in the Arts" conference June 1st, 2009 at 3pm.

Please also feel free to discuss your own core values in the comment section of this blog and we can begin the conversation early!