Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Farley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda, appreciate you 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?

The name ‘Colony Art Collective’ is inspired by the honey bee. Bees are unique insects because they thrive best when they can build things together in a colony. In my mind, creatives can be very similar. Every artist in the collective has a special talent on their own but when we collaborate together on one platform, I believe we can build something even greater.

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.

Ever since, graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2020, I’ve been working towards bettering myself as an artist. I took on large commissions, hosted my first solo exhibition, and even illustrated a book. While learning how to push myself forward and sell my own paintings, I realized I had a passion for helping others as well.

Earlier this year, I created Colony Art Collective, an online retail site where people can buy artwork from both myself and other artists. Every artist in the collective sells the work they want while my company handles the listings, shipping, and even promotions. We even provide every artist with a biography space where they can say whatever they want to about themselves, as well as provide other ways someone can reach out to them for commissions and extra support.

All of the proceeds go straight to the artist and those working the website. As a young artist myself, I’ve struggling with finding easy platforms to sell my work without giving up the majority of my profits – and I want Colony Art Collective to be different.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

When creating my business, I decided I wanted to create my own website rather than using a site like Etsy. Although Etsy is great for the right seller and it would have given me a quicker start, I really wanted a space where I could control every part of the process. I created a system where once a piece of art is purchased, the artist is guaranteed their correct payout in a timely manner as well as a page dedicated to all the artists.
I also added filters so the customer can either browse all art, or search for specific artists and categories.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Starting a business is always hard – especially when your business is a website. I rely heavily on both social media and in-person networking. While Colony Art Collective is active on both Instagram and Facebook, I also attend local art markets where I can advertise my artists’ work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.colonyartcollective.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colonyartcollective/

Image Credits