The Start Up: A Beginning Guide to Being Self-Employed

At Spudnik Press, we see artists selling their wares online and locally through consignment and wholesale accounts. We see artists seeking illustration, web design and poster design jobs. We see artists submitting proposal for public art projects and teaching opportunities. We see artists doing their best to sell directly to consumers through fairs and festivals.

Artists often don’t have a choice but to be self-employed, yet business planning is rarely part of the art school curriculum. With no right or wrong way to begin a business, the options can be overwhelming. Plus as artists, we are often faced with the additional challenge of reconciling artistic vision with consumerism and creating a viable product.

Luckily, business advisor, Kenny Smilovich, is bringing his years of experience working with artists-turned-entrepreneurs to Spudnik Press Cooperative. This workshop will help artists define the parameters of their business and determine a business model that can work for them. Attendees will learn not only what a Business Plan entails, but how they can make a plan for their business and a road map to get there. This workshop will investigate practical concerns as well as the visionary.

Plus, attendees will learn about a wide variety of services and organizations throughout Chicago that provide resources and programs to help entrepreneurs like you thrive.

Presenter Bio:

Kenny Smilovitch is Director at the JVS Chicago Duman Entrepreneurship Center where he helps aspiring entrepreneurs develop business plans and identify project funding. He has worked with the Arts division of the Government of the Northwest Territories, and at Desrosiers Dance Theatre in Toronto, and is a lecturer in in the department of Arts Administration and Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kenny also plays guitar and has received awards from the Canada Council for the Arts and Conseil des arts et des letters du Quebec.

Finding Your Audience; Gaining Recognition is a free event kicking of our 2016 Professional Development Series What You Didn’t Learn in Art School:

Part I: Finding your Audience; Gaining Recognition 
Part II: How to Talk About Your Art
Part II: Documenting Your Artwork for Under $100
Part IV: The Start Up: A Beginning Guide to Being Self-Employed
Part V: Contracts for Creatives: How to Protect Yourself and Your Artwork 

Are you a member, but didn’t receive the discount code? Just email us! We’ll confirm your membership is current and send you the code!