How are you feeling? Most of us still find ourselves in this strange and disorienting time that art agent Lilla Rogers is calling “the inbetween time”, where our usual way of life has suddenly been torn away and we’re not yet quite sure what our new world will look like. Many of us will be confused, anxious, frightened or bored, and many will also find themselves under increased financial pressure whilst also juggling other needs and commitments.
We’re delighted that more than 12,000 artists around the world have already signed up to take our business course for creative people, MATS MBA (Money BadAss), for FREE (usual price £179/approx. $220) as our gift to you at this time – for context, that’s enough to fill New York’s Radio City Music Hall twice over! The course includes tons of videos, worksheets and downloads, which come together to create a 100+ page playbook and your own personal formula for success. We hope that it will be a source of support, comfort and inspiration as we navigate our way through this strange time, and our aim is to give away at least 20,000 free spots – if you haven’t registered yet, check it out here.
Vibing a cool career in MATS MBA (Money BadAss) by Make Art That Sells student Hopping Mad Productions. Lilla says: “Think of a time in the future when this is all over. Think of what you want your career to look like. What will you be doing? What art what are you be making? Let me help you get there.”
Top art agent and Make Art That Sells co-founder and teacher, Lilla Rogers, wants to help you to reframe this time as an opportunity for reflection, for sorting out what is important and what isn’t, and for creating an exciting and uplifting new future. Lilla says: “New opportunities will emerge, I promise you. I’ve had my own creative business for 35 years, and during that time I’ve been through four global downturns and numerous recessions without going out of business or laying off employees, so I feel I have some insight to share. As creative people, we have tremendous power to spread positivity in our communities, and that has never been more important than at the current time. I invite you to reframe this experience, to stay positive and open to opportunities, and to remain grateful for all the little things that we have.”
Being a creative person is itself a huge gift at this time: it gives you an outlet to relax and forget about current events, a way of supporting your community emotionally, and a means to connect with other creative people around the world.
What do you enjoy doing to relax and unwind? Lilla says: “Lately I’m crazy about embroidery: it allows me to focus my hyper focused personality in a way that is productive and calming.”
Lilla’s embroidery. If you missed it, check out her recent Facebook Live event where she shows her embroidery and talks about the importance of creativity and positivity.
Making art that doesn’t sell – art just for you – has arguably never been as important as it is right now.
Lilla writes: “It’s fantastic to make art that sells and make money from your art, but when you make personal art, just for you, you remind yourself of what you love: in other words, who you are. It be a quick drawing in a sketch book, something to put on your wall because you love it, or a gift for a friend. When I was younger, for example, maybe around 18 or 21, I used to decorate the envelopes when I wrote to my best friend. She was a lovely person who was so appreciative of my art, and doing that allowed me to relax and enjoy it: it was the opposite of having someone who was judging my art or having a client who was dictating it in some way. I think that that would be a wonderful way to reach out to loved ones at the current time.”
Lilla adds: “When you’re making art to pitch to a client or for an actual job, even if you’re really confident you’ll still have some considerations in the back of your mind about whether the client is going to like it: is it too edgy or not edgy enough, should I dumb it down a little, will they want this or that. When you create art just for yourself, you obliterate that voice, and instead get back in touch with your pure creative essence. It gives you a chance to rediscover what colors you love, how you like to work, what subject matter you love to draw.”
Stay safe and stay home, and keep making art.
Lots of love
The Make Art That Sells team xxx
