We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carol Ward. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carol below.
Hi Carol, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
There are many types of consultants out there, especially in the arts sector. From people who specialize in assisting clients to buy art, to conservators for museums, to interior decorators and beyond.
What I really wanted to do with naming my company “Outside the Lines Consulting” is showcase my ability to do just that, think outside the box for my clients and along with that my skillset of being able to help a range of clients with my creative thinking and problem solving skills.
On any given day I can be working with an emerging artist to develop a business plan and marketing strategy for themselves, while also locking down a rental of a property I oversee for say a music video and also developing a pop-up market or exhibition for a retail space or museum.
I love juggling multiple projects at one time, and combining both the business and creative side of my brain to think outside those lines for my clients.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I have 20 years of collaborative leadership in for profit and non-profit management, financial oversight, fundraising, strategic planning, Board relationships and grant-winning cultural program development.
I’m an art historian with my BA from Mary Washington College, and two Masters Degrees, my first in Museum Education from the College of New Rochelle, and second in Art History from Hunter College.
I have presented the keynote address at CLHO (Connecticut League of Historic Organizations) on connecting an historic site to the community, the annual NYCMER (New York City Museum Educators Roundtable) conferences on bringing contemporary art into an historic house museum, at Mary Washington College about the future of careers in art history and the museum field and the New-York Historical Society on Alexander Hamilton (the man and the musical).
Articles I’ve written have been published in The Magazine Antiques, The Historic House Trust journal, the American Alliance of Museums Magazine, Antiques Weekly and catalogs for the Bruce Museum, Morris-Jumel Mansion and Keno Auctions.
My book “Visions of America: The Morris-Jumel Mansion” was published in 2015 and I have recently appeared in the documentary on the making of the hit musical “Hamilton.”
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The book that has impacted me the most is the “Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums” by Franklin Vagnone. Frank is a close friend and mentor, and this book was written and published during my tenure as Executive Director of the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
Frank is the person is became my biggest mentor in my career and taught me the most about “thinking outside the lines,” especially in the museum world.
The book demonstrates how museums, and the arts in general, need to think like businesses to ensure customer/visitor experience is a top level. That we in the arts world can’t settle for the status quo or do a “bait and switch” with the visitor on what they’ll be seeing at our museums.
I’ve taken a lot of these lessons and morphed them into my practice as a consultant, and use them on a regular basis with my clients as I help them navigate their business and target markets.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I recently moved from New York City to Massachusetts and needed to pivot to a whole new target market for my business.
This involved learning a whole new state, literally, of where towns are and which were most viable for the services I had to offer.
In addition to that I had to rebuild my network and introduce myself to lots of new people to build up my client base again. This was hard, but not insurmountable, as there is a great and dynamic and diverse arts community around New England.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.outsidethelinesconsult.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outsidethelinesconsulting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outsidethelinesconsulting/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-ward-5985a420/
Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Carol S. Ward