THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman:
I am willing to put in the work for my business because I know how impactful that is, how many people I help with it. And that’s the legacy I want to leave behind. And with my art, the pleasure that my art gives people, I want to make sure that book gets in as many hands as possible, and part of that is getting the word out. I’m committed to doing the work.
Speaker 2:
It’s The Inspiration Place podcast with artist, Miriam Schulman. Welcome to The Inspiration Place podcast, an art world insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now, your host, Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman:
Well, hello. This is Miriam Schulman, your curator of inspiration, and I’m so grateful that you’re here. You’re listening to episode #237 of The Inspiration Place podcast. Today, we’re talking about guaranteeing your success. But before we get into today’s episode, I want to say Happy Hanukkah, Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year if you’re listening to this on the later side. I think it’s also winter solstice. So many things to be grateful and to celebrate. And of course, what I’m celebrating and that is that my book is coming out really soon. One of my friends told me, “Miriam, you are not telling them all the things that they get when they pre-order the book.” So before we get into today’s episode, I’m just going to go over to my book pre-order page so that I don’t forget because I did not script this episode.
This is one of those unscripted, unplugged as they used to say in MTV. Unplugged episodes, where I’m just going to be telling you, talking from the heart. If you head on over to artpreneurbook.com, and there’s this fancy, dance-y video that I created myself, you can watch that. It’s about three minutes and it tells you a little bit about the book, why you want this book. Basically, this is the artist handbook I wish I had when I first started, and that’s why I want you to have it. And that’s what makes this so important. I know it’s hard to order something and then have to wait for it, so while you’re waiting, there’s a couple of things that I’ve got on my sleeve.
First of all, it’s the Artpreneur Affirmation series. When you pre-order, you get instant access to this series. It will help you bust through your starving artist mindset blocks and get you thinking like an abundant artist. Each video is less than 10 minutes, so this is a perfect thing to cozy up with during the holidays. The other thing that I gifted for you is the Artpreneur Appendix. This will save you countless hours of procrasti-learning searching for the best resources. We’ve curated websites, directories, and tools for growing your business. You’ll find that over there. And then, the last thing which I’m so excited about is Artpreneur Live. And this will be three live, interactive coaching sessions with yours truly, your curator of inspiration. You can bring all your Artpreneur questions and get answers. And of course, we’re recording everything. It’ll be in the classroom waiting for you.
And when you pre-order, you’re entered to win a mastermind experience with me in New York City. Three winners will be selected to participate in a one-day coaching extravaganza, where together we’re going to map out your Passion-to-Profit framework for the year and indulge in a fabulous dinner on me in New York City. I would love to meet you in person in New York City. That would be absolutely fantastic. So yeah, just for pre-ordering the book. To claim those bonuses, so easy. Just purchase a paperback copy from whatever retailer you want. Grab that order number, enter your email, your name, your order number, and click the yellow button and get your bonuses. That’s it. Okay, now on with the show.
Okay, so I wanted to talk to you about two things, maybe, I don’t know if it’s two things or three things, that have been coming up recently with clients thinking about joining the Incubator. They’re asking me the same variation of a question. Actually, I’m hearing the same question from different sources. The question goes something like this. What percentage get results? What’s the difference between the artists who get results and who don’t get results? What kind of results can I expect? And all these questions are coming from a very similar place. I mean, really the question behind that is, “Will this work for me, and can you guarantee my results?” But, here’s the thing. Only you can guarantee your results. And that is true of really anything, any program you get it. It doesn’t really matter.
If you were to ask 10 course creators, 10 coaches, what percentage have success, really, does that even matter? And does that make the program any less? Look at law school and medical school. I don’t know if you saw, I’m just going by Legally Blonde, I think it was that movie. One of these lawyer movies where they usually say, “Look to the left and look to the right. One of you’s not going to make it.” 30% failure rate or whatever it is. Just because not everybody makes it doesn’t mean that the program isn’t valuable, doesn’t mean that the law school isn’t valuable. So, what makes the difference between somebody who succeeds and somebody who doesn’t? Let me tell you. Here’s the thing. My coaching program, the Artist Incubator, it’s not for everyone. It is for highly-motivated artists who are ready to put in the work towards building an art business. And building our business takes courage.
You know that Matisse quote, “Creativity takes courage?” Well, building an art business takes even more courage, because you have to put in the perspiration behind the inspiration. I do not make it a secret that it’s a financial investment to join. And when you do join, I make a commitment to you and your art business. I put in a hundred percent to make sure you’re as successful as possible. But, here’s the thing. Let’s talk about the guarantee. Of course, I can’t guarantee your success, because if you join and you don’t put in the effort, you won’t achieve the results you’re looking for. And that’s true of any program you join. You are the one who can guarantee your success. You. It’s always got to be commitment first.
I’m getting asked also on a lot of podcast interviews I’m going on, “Is there an artistic gene? Do you need talent?” And that’s actually something that I get from a lot of artists. “Well, Miriam, you say anybody can do this, but isn’t it true you have to be talented?” Well, I’ll tell you the truth. Work ethic and good marketing tramps talent every time. There is an artist, Damien Hirst. I was on a podcast recently, I brought up Damien Hirst. At first, I thought he was American, but he’s not. And then, I said, “Well, actually, maybe he’s English.” This was not an artist podcast so the host had never heard of him. But, he is an English artist. He is 57 years old, born in 1965 for those who have never heard of him. And he is from Bristol, England.
One of the things that he became famous for… He likes to feature death as a central theme in his work, so he became famous for a series of artworks in which he took dead animals, including a shark, a sheep, and a cow, and he either had them dissected in formaldehyde. And the most famous one was The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. That’s the title. And that artwork is a 14-foot tiger shark in formaldehyde in a clear display case. And that artwork, I’m just going to look it up just to be sure. I’m pretty sure it’s sold for millions of dollars. Okay, it’s sold in 2004 to Steven Cohen. He’s the American hedge fund owner, a manager and he was the owner of the New York Mets. It was sold for an undisclosed amount but it’s widely reported to have been at least 8 million dollars. Yeah, for a shark in formaldehyde.
So, you tell me. Is that good art or is that good marketing? Good art or good marketing? We’ve all seen lesser artists succeed because they’re good marketers, which that’s what breaks my heart, is that there’s so many talented artists like you who don’t have good marketing skills, and that’s why you’re struggling. And who can guarantee your success? You. But, you have to be willing to put in the work. Now, I have been willing to put in the work to be successful in my business with my art and all the things that have come with that, but I do understand the feeling of not wanting to put in the work because I’ve put on some weight since I moved to New York City, mostly because of all the good restaurant eating. And also because I’m in my fifties, I’m always getting shown weight loss ads for menopausal women. They totally know my demographic.
And I went through this one quiz and it was like they’re going to mail me the menu. And it was like, whatever it was, $8 a month. I don’t know. It wasn’t the price. The price wasn’t really why I didn’t do it. It’s just like I didn’t want to know what they didn’t want me to eat. It’s like, “Okay, they’re going to send me this menu and all my favorite foods are going to be missing from it,” or it’s going to be a lot of work to have to prep all this food and I just don’t want to put in the work. Besides that, my husband happens to like the way I look, and I don’t mind the way I look. So, who’s my body for? Me and my husband. As long as I’m healthy, that is. So yeah, I get sometimes we don’t want to put in the work for the result. You have to want it. You have to want that result. You have to be willing to put in the work, and you’re the only one who can guarantee your success.
Whitney McNeill:
Hey, it’s Whitney McNeill with messengerofspirit.com and the Spiritual and Ambitious podcast. You should read Artpreneur because it helps you step into an abundance mindset and charge what feels in alignment with your energy. She has done an excellent job in helping you create a profitable business. She also helps you kick imposter syndrome to the curb. Get your copy of Artpreneur today.
Miriam Schulman:
All right. The second thing that I wanted to share with you is I recently signed up to go to a conference in Arizona, and this is put on by Brooke Castillo. I’m recording this in November, and I know you’re listening in December. So, as of this recording, I haven’t gone to the conference yet. So, who knows? Maybe she ends up with COVID or I end up with COVID and it doesn’t happen for me, but I am so excited for this. And one of the things that I did that I wasn’t even really aware that the people don’t do this the way I do. On the conference, you can go as either a VIP, which was, I forget exactly, $2000 or maybe it was that $1997 bullshit. Whatever, I paid $2000 for it. And you can go as a non VIP, and I forget the exact amount but I think that was $200. So, cost 10 times as much to go as a VIP. And to me, it was like, “There was no question, no question that I was going VIP.”
Yesterday, Brooke had a Zoom call for those who had signed up as VIPs. And one of the things she said is that, “Hey, you signed up for a VIP, you’ve got to live as a VIP. You decide you are a VIP in your life.” I was like, “Ooh, that’s good.” And she was saying how she always signs up as a VIP, and I was like, “Huh, I always do too.” And she was saying how great it was going to be and they’re going to have a lounge, and this and that. So yeah, that’s right. And I know that just one of the perks is that’s where the good snacks are. And sometimes, it’s the only benefit of being a VIP. I signed up to be a VIP when I went to Podcast Movement and really the only perk of being a VIP was we got access to the VIP lounge.
Now, for that one, I don’t think the price difference was as much. I don’t think the price jumped from $200 to $2000. It might have been like an extra a hundred or extra $200 to be a VIP there. But, it’s not just about the good snacks. It’s about being close to the other people who also consider themselves VIPs. That’s what I was paying for. That’s what the VIP lounge is really all about. It’s not just the good snacks, it’s networking with those people. It’s building that relationship capital. And that’s the main reason I’m going.
It’s like, “Hell, there’s this in-person event. I haven’t had an in-person event in a long time. Somebody whose podcast I listened to on the regular was hosting it. There was this VIP option.” I was like, “Hell yes, I’m going.” And I’m just excited to get on a plane again. But, here’s what I want you to know. As we move into this next period, so you may have heard me talk about this on the podcast. This is the time between the years, the period between really the solstice, which we’re on now, December 20th, or you could pick the date to be Christmas Eve, wherever you want to pick it from here till the end of the year. Those 10 days, those 11 days, this is called the time between the years. This is a German concept when they weren’t quite sure when the calendars were.
And I love using this time for introspection, especially if you’re on my side of the hemisphere where it’s the shortest day of the year, our nights are long, it’s dark. We’re turning inward a lot. And this is a beautiful time to set goals for 2023. And my hope for you is that you choose in 2023 to treat yourself like a VIP, to recognize that you are a VIP. And I want you to ask yourself, “Who are you committed to being?” Who do you want to be and are you committed? Are you committed to doing those things that’s going to get you there? Now, in that last segment, I told you I’m not willing to give up my bagels lox and cream cheese. Sorry.
I’ll be a little bit more, as my husband likes to call me, a little extra snub-yer, a little extra snubble. But, I am willing to put in the work for my business because I know how impactful that is, how many people I help with it. And that’s the legacy I want to leave behind. And with my art, the pleasure that my art gives people, I want to make sure that book gets in as many hands as possible. And part of that is getting the word out. I’m committed to doing the work. I want you to think of yourself as a VIP, and I want you to think about relentless commitment, relentless commitment to your goals, because that’s what it’s going to take.
Tracy Otsuka:
Hi, this is Tracy Otsuka with ADHD for Smart Ass Women. I have women who tell me all the time, “Yes, I have a non-linear brain. Yes, I’m a creative. Yes, my passion is my art, but I can’t make a living at it.” And so, I say, “Oh, really? That’s a thought. It’s not true. And you need to read Miriam Schulman’s Artpreneur.”
Miriam Schulman:
Okay. The last thing that I want to leave you with is really on the theme of why I’m spending so much money on this conference. And believe me, I have absolutely no need to feel like I need to justify it at all. It’s just there are certain things that I take for granted that I’m doing and I don’t always share them with you because in my life I take them for granted. One of the things that I have done, and I’ve done this for many years, I would say, oh my goodness, at least since 2016, I’ve joined high-end coaching programs. I’ve joined masterminds. And I do it because I find that investing in relationship capital is so important. You’ve heard me, if you’ve been listening for a while now, sorry, if it’s your first time listening, yeah, I know I’ve been yelling at you this whole time. Whether you’ve listened to this podcast for a long time or a little time, one of the things that I preach about is the importance of email marketing.
People say to me, “But Miriam, where do I get started? How do I start?” All right. You can fast forward if you heard me say this before. There is only three ways to build your email list. One, your universe, the people you know right now. Two, other people’s platforms, getting in front of press or other people’s podcasts, or their YouTube channels, or magazines. And by that I mean earned press, like free press. And the third way is paid advertising. All three ways work, but the second thing, getting on other people’s platforms, is way easier if you have a rich network. The value of your business is always going to be proportional to how much you nurture your network. I’m not talking about handing out business cards. That’s not networking. I’m talking about building meaningful relationships and also putting yourself in places where you can make those meaningful relationships.
I’m just going to rattle off from the top of my head people who have been on this podcast who I’ve met in these situations. For example, Amber. She is the therapist who wrote this beautiful book for teenagers about healing your trauma. She’s been on the podcast. Amber Walker. We’ll make sure that we linked to it in the show notes. I met her on a New Mexico retreat. I met Flora Bowley, who’s been on this podcast on that same retreat. I have several artists, Incubator clients, who I met in that retreat. I’ll shout them out too. Carol Tasker is one of them. Oh shoot, I’m trying to remember the other girl’s name and it’s escaping me right now. Forgive me. There are a number of people from that New Mexico retreat that have become either lifelong friends or clients, or collaborators. And then, my mastermind experience with Ron Reichle.
Now, I have these lifelong friends, Jen Lehner, Patty Lennon, Anna Tsui. I have these friends who I reach out to over and over again. And that is because I invested in these kinds of experiences at the VIP level. The theme has been for today’s episode about guaranteeing our success, so I want to just circle back and kind of highlight what those things were. Number one, know that you are the only one who can guarantee your own success. It doesn’t matter what the numbers are in anyone’s program or at law school, or medical school. Only 50% of people who apply to medical school get in. That doesn’t keep people from becoming doctors just because it’s hard. You are the one who can guarantee your success.
Number two, we talked about relentless commitment and we talked about becoming a VIP in your life. And the last thing we talked about is investing in your relationships. So my friend, as you plan 2023, I want you to look at who are you being? How are you showing up in the world? What are you doing? What are your dreams? And are your actions aligning with the kinds of results? And keep in mind these things that maybe have escaped you. Are you showing up as a VIP? Do you work hard to guarantee your own success? Do you have relentless commitment? Do you invest in your relationships? All right, well, that’s it. Until next time. And don’t forget. Artpreneur on sale, head on over to artpreneurbook.com to pre-order and get all kinds of bonus goodies. Hey, you’ll get to connect with me. You want to build your relationship capital? Meet me on Zoom over there. All right, my friend. Have a beautiful week, have a beautiful holiday, whatever it is that you’re celebrating, and I will see you next week. Until then, stay inspired.
Speaker 2:
Thank you for listening to The Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/schulmanart, on Instagram, @schulmanart, and of course on schulmanart.com.
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