We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nina Miller a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nina, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
I shared a tent with 3 other artists from a studio at my first show. I didn’t have much to sell, had never sold my glass art, and had no idea whether anyone would want it. I sold quite a few pieces, but what pleased me most was the interest people had in how it was made. I discovered that I loved talking about it. My only disappointment was having to pay over to the studio owner much of my profit for supplies, kiln firing, and my share of the show expenses. I began to buy my own supplies and equipment at that point, and a year later I had my own studio. It was both exciting and scary, being responsible for my own art from start to finish, and I made a lot of mistakes. Doing shows on my own is a lot of work, but I still enjoy talking about how I make things!
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.
When my youngest son started school I volunteered for teacher appreciation and made birthday gifts for teachers and staff. Each year I’d learn to make something new, and one year I took a glass fusing class. Usually by the time I’d made 34 of the same thing I’d be sick of it! Glass was different. I kept doing it, and eventually I was selling in shows and galleries. More recently I worked in a gallery where I discovered that I love selling other artists’ work too. A few months ago I started my own gallery, online, called Artisans Collective Stl. I have invited old friends to be part of it, and new artist friends have found me. I love a challenge, and learning how to start and promote this business is a fun one. Some of our artists are new to the business of selling, but they need only provide me with photos and descriptions of their work, then I place it online to sell. They’re learning to pack their art, but I provide the shipping. Even experienced artists benefit from others promoting their work. I do social media and ads in a different way from most galleries, featuring one piece by one artist every day. I care about the art collectors in a way that’s different from many galleries, even though I’ve never met them. I follow up each sale with personal contact, and at the end of the year I sent a small handmade gift to every purchaser. I want to offer all kinds of art so I’m constantly looking for new artists to add to the fold. I try to provide the artists with a service that’s both useful and profitable.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
There are two artist organizations in Missouri, one local (Greater St. Louis Artists) and one state-wide (Best of Missouri Hands), that provide terrific support to artists through meetings, shows, teaching and volunteer opportunities. There are Facebook groups for each type of art, where artists freely share techniques and photos of their work. On YouTube there are videos that show techniques and examples of every kind of artwork. There are so many resources available that I find I have to limit the time I spend learning in order to have enough time to create.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I came into the art business after a career in the computerized ticketing industry, followed by years of looking after my sons. Let’s just say I’m not a young person. At first it was exhilarating to load up the car, haul all the boxes of glass, put up the tent, sell all day, then do it in reverse at day’s end. Now, some years later, it’s more exhausting than exhilarating. Working in a gallery taught me two things: I loved selling other artists’ work, and it was easier to create a few pieces at a time and take them to the gallery than to do a show. I branched out into more galleries – enough to effectively replace doing shows – and then started my own online gallery too. I can now work at a pace I prefer, and can take 1 box of glass out at a time. I still find shows exhilarating, and will probably occasionally do some (indoors, no tent) but mostly because I love the pressure of a deadline to create.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://artisanscollectivestl.square.site/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisanscollectivestl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092378585160
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-schatzkamer-miller-40385a9/