You need to decide and affirm who you will be in this economy. Will you devour the negative forecasts and give up? Will you pretend nothing is wrong? Will you lie low until the storm has passed?

Don’t be haunted by fears of having to be both artist and businessperson. As the title of the book says, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” The real fear shouldn’t be in the doing; it should be in the NOT doing.

Ethical violations that might have gone unnoticed in the past can spread like wildfire today. Your little misstep can get you blackballed, and your story remains online for everyone to access instantly.

Readers can tell when you’re out of your element--and you can tell, too. You struggle with words when you’re trying to write about something for which you have little enthusiasm. Write about what matters most to you and draw us in with your passion for the topic.

If you intend to remain in this art game for a long time, you have to be disciplined. You’re not only an artist, you’re a businessperson. You have to be devoted to both creating your art with tremendous passion and to promoting it with equal enthusiasm.

From successful artists, you can get ideas for marketing, promotion, themes, media, and technique. You can find out how you might use assistants in the studio or office. And you can be inspired by stories of overcoming obstacles.

When you consider submitting an exhibit proposal, keep in mind that you will be judged on the strength of your curatorial thesis. Make sure it is sound. Get very clear on what the exhibit is about before you sit down to draft your proposal.

There is no right or wrong way to submit a proposal unless you’ve been asked to write it in a particular format. Grant applications come to mind. Always follow directions for grant applications.

How much should you give? There is no right or wrong answer. It depends on your income, your inclinations, your community relations, your productivity, and much more. Only you can decide what the appropriate level of giving is for your current situation.

Life is full of risks since nothing is certain. But some things seem to be riskier than others--like leaving a day job to devote time to your art. When looking at opportunities, try a semi-scientific approach and assess the risk.

Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. How long should someone remain on your mailing list? Or, more to the point, why should you keep someone on your mailing list after five years if you never hear from them and they never bought anything from you?

But I believe that the more you learn, the more you realize that you know only a scintilla of what there is to know. We should always be learning--regardless of the field we’re in.

Are you communicating in a way that shows you in your best possible light? Or are you messing with a good opportunity?

Most galleries don’t count on a single artist to survive. Likewise, most artists can’t count on a single gallery, retail outlet, or exhibit venue for their survival.

Decide how you want to go down in the history books and use that name for the work that will be associated with it. Use a different name for work you don’t consider to be on par with your serious art.

Using a company name puts you in league with all of the companies out there who are manufacturing and promoting unremarkable products. You’re different. Art is different. Art is not a mass-produced product. It’s remarkable!

Before you do anything, consider any ramifications your sale would have on your relationship with galleries, dealers, or other retail outlets. There’s no reason to make enemies while having a sale.

Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, jeweler, photographer, fiber artist, woodworker, or ceramist, you can do the same. Treat your art like it belongs in a museum and you just might see it there someday.

Whether you’re ironing out terms for an exhibit, workshop, commission, or gallery contract, protect your interests by using these four tips to keep you from making the wrong assumptions.

Do you have a hard time saying No?  The problem with saying Yes to everything (which essentially means being a people pleaser) is that you end up saying No to yourself and everything you want for your life.

Without execution, you just have a bunch of good ideas. The trick is taking those ideas and turning them into real commitments--commitments you know will boost your visibility and reputation, which will get you closer to your goals.

Now it’s time to make a list of everything you’d like to do to promote your exhibit. As you’re making this task list, keep your audience in mind. Who needs to know you’re having an exhibit?

If you know you have an event, exhibit, class, gallery talk, or workshop coming up, don’t put off your marketing. Start your promotions right now.

This is the day I give you reminders of what you should be doing to build your career and reputation and to sell more art. This is an incomplete list that reflects some truths as I see them at the moment.

But always remember that if you want to be considered a professional, you must not only THINK that being an artist is a real job, you must also communicate it. Here are some ways to do that.

Get all of your tasks gathered in one place and make a habit of looking at your list every night before you leave your workspace and every morning before you get started on your day.

Perform a blog checkup. Make sure you’re showing your personality. Double check to see that you’re starting a conversation and not just talking at people. Verify that it’s easy for people to get information from your blog and to be updated on your goings on.

Your poor Web site. You got so caught up in blogging, newsletters, and the latest technology, that your Web site has been neglected. Or maybe you’re so happy you finally got it online that you forgot about it for the last two years. When is the last time it was updated?

We all have them. All of us. Don’t ever think you’re the only one who has ever had a slump. Whether it’s lethargy just thinking about promoting your art or angst about getting back into the studio, a slump is a slump. Here are 10 things you can do to hasten your emergence from a slump.

I received this query from Bonnie Hurst: “What constitutes a show/collection of paintings? I realize that in order to be marketable I do not need to show a random collection -- which currently is all I have. Does a collection need to have more than the artist and style in common? How many pieces are generally in a show?”

Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean that you are no longer responsible for these tasks. It just means that you move on to an action that is more productive than feeling bad about something that occurred in the past.

Trade spaces with artists in another city. What I mean by this is use your connections and creativity to organize an art exchange with an artist or a group of artists outside of your usual stomping grounds.

If you’re still using only a formal staged shot taken in a photo studio, I urge you to replace it or add to it. You’re an artist! You need to be more creative than that. We want to see you at work and in action.

Ask for help when you need it. Whether you’re asking for advice, for physical assistance, or for resources, there is no shame in seeking help. Collective problem solving doesn’t make you weaker. It makes you human.

I am amazed by all the newsletters I receive from artists I’ve never heard of before. And I certainly didn’t approve being added to their email lists. This is spamming someone.

If your work is difficult to photograph, your time is probably best spent making the art and then hiring a genius photographer to capture its special-ness. At the same time, you need to become competent with using your digital camera and software.

Like everything else, e-marketing takes effort. In order to reap results, you must think of each component as part of a comprehensive strategy.

Do you know who your competition is? Many artists don’t like to think of themselves as competing against someone and, frankly, I don’t either. But we all have competition.

The end goal might seem overwhelming, but the baby steps will help you get there. Let’s say the goal at the end of your path is to have a solo exhibition at the art museum in your city or town. Here are some baby steps that will help you make progress.

Do you know what you want? What you really, really want from your art career? Or are you just going through the motions of what I and others tell you you should be doing?

Your Web site has a fancy form on it that encourages visitors “Please sign up for my mailing list.” And still, your mailing list flounders. Why?

Why do you exhibit your art here or there? What makes you pay a $25 entry fee or spend 6 months building a new body of work? What do you get from it in the long run?

How do you know when a juried exhibition is worth your time and effort? There are no guarantees, but you have to ask a lot of questions without allowing yourself to be intimidated by the circumstances.

Realize that you will always have to squeeze in the business stuff while you continue making art. Sure, there will be times when one is weighted more heavily than the other, but your art should always take precedence. Your art should always be first.