My passion is to help artists implement new strategies so that they thrive $$ financially! And I know how to do it, read on…
Many artists are struggling. They dream of supporting their families with their art. But, they are told that art is not a viable career, or that “art and money shouldn’t mix”. They do what the art world tells them to do, but get very little results.
On the other hand, some artists are thriving; they are making a great living with their art.
So what’s the difference? It all comes down to one thing: BUSINESS STRATEGIES.
If you are struggling to make art a viable career, understand that IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. We have all been fed untruths about art that have trained us to behave in a way that has held us back from success.
The good news: the moment you decide to implement new strategies, you will break free of that “starving artist” paradigm forever.
I can help you. I’ll share the easiest strategies that I’ve used, that work, so that you can transform your struggle into a healthy art business.
FIRST, understand that you CAN earn a good living with your art, once you implement strategies used by other thriving artists.
I’ll share with you the most powerful, yet simple, strategies that will grow your art sales and earn you enough money to quit your day job. (To get started today, sign up for my 11 week free coaching course by email, here.)
Sometimes, just a few small changes can make a big difference.
I’m here to show you what those changes are. And if you implement them, you WILL see results.
WHO AM I:
My driving force is to help empower people to take action to create a life that they want!
In the late 1990’s, I decided what kind of life I wanted to live; I wanted to travel most of the year and work for myself in a creative business. It took a few years, but I eventually arranged my life in that way.
You could say that I live a dream lifestyle, traveling the world while running a gallery space in San Clemente, California and selling art for a living. But I have to warn you, I work very hard for it all!
I have dedicated the last twenty years to developing strategies to sell the artwork of my husband, Drew Brophy. After thousands of hours of study, research and hands-on-experience, I became an expert on art licensing, deal making, and selling art. I learned how to grow our art sales beyond multiple six figures, every year since the late 1990’s.
All while traveling two to three months a year; and sometimes more than that.
I started writing a blog in 2009, so that I could help other artists along the way. And then I started sharing my information in books:
WHY I AM ABLE TO GET RESULTS FOR ARTISTS:
I don’t just talk about how to earn a living selling art, like so many other art business experts do.
I actually make a full-time living DOING IT – and it is what has supported our family of four, living in a Southern California beach house for two decades.
My art business strategies have earned my family over $300,000 consistently, year after year, since 2002. All from selling the artwork of a little-known surf artist, Drew Brophy. We have never had a year, not even during the recession, where we sold less than $150,000 in art.
This is significant, because, galleries and companies rejected Drew’s art the first ten years he was an artist! But we didn’t give up….
Drew and I don’t run our art business like the art world has told us to. We tried that once, and it didn’t work.
In our early days, we followed some of the “rules” of fine art and galleries and tried to do what a “real artist” is supposed to do.
That didn’t work out. When we tried to follow the rules of the stuffy, elite artists, we were broke.
But we didn’t give up. Instead, we said, “Now, let’s try doing things our own way.” And we started to study businesses that were thriving and artists who were doing well, and we modeled our business after them.
It wasn’t long before we saw a turn-around in our own art sales. I remember the first year we made $350,000 in sales. It blew me away that we had cracked the code! And that’s when we said “wow, we really can do this!”
Artist friends started to come around, asking for advice, because they wanted to know how we were doing it. Soon, so many artists were coming to me for help, that I had to start blogging to answer all their questions. Then, eventually, I offered one-on-one Consulting .
I’ve consulted hundreds of artists since 2009 and I’ve taught thousands, guiding them to create a viable business for themselves. In the process, I have learned even more about what works and what doesn’t work.
I have found, through these personal connections, that artists in other countries are making the same mistakes as those in America. It’s as though we all have fallen into the same “starving artist” trap, around the globe!
AND the great news is, mistakes can be corrected easily and quickly once you know what they are and how to correct them.
You are probably wondering “what are these mistakes” and “how can I change them.” I’m glad you asked!
START HERE:
1 – Sign up for my free email coaching newsletters. This is where you get the most value, as I share a lot of secrets in my newsletters that I don’t share on my blog. AND IT’S FREE.
2 – Read my blog articles, which are chock full of mind-blowing ideas and strategies.
3 – If you have a specific problem, deal, pricing issue, etc., set up a paid consulting session with me for one-on-one personal assistance.
4 – Get my life-changing, Amazon best-selling book ART, MONEY & SUCCESS – it will be a resource that you will refer to for years to come.
5 – Visit my ARTIST RESOURCES page for more solutions and for my ONLINE COURSES.
Most of my material is free; I limit my paid one-on-one consulting to only a few sessions a week, as I’m too busy selling art!
But, I put my heart and soul into all of my coaching, even the free stuff, because I’m passionate about ending this crazy “starving artist” paradigm.
WHAT ARTISTS ARE SAYING ABOUT MY GUIDANCE:
“I read every email you send. Each one is so valuable to me! I have a file of all of them and refer back often. Thank you for sharing your gift. You are a treasure! Just an update for you as well on the case you helped me with a few months back…everything is going extremely well; I feel like I really dodged a bullet with your help. Thanks again! Many blessings, Tabitha Paige”
“I haven’t had a conversation with someone this knowledgeable in my whole life! A lot of people tell me that I should sell my work, but you are the first person who has been able to tell me HOW, in a viable way.” Joe Mahoney
“I took a lot of great steps toward furthering my career after we last spoke. You motivate me without the heavy duty or covert shaming pressure I have felt from other coaches. I need a positive encouraging you-can-do-it attitude. I know this because you have it and it works for me.” CutZy McCall
Read more Testimonials here.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME:
I started writing my blog and my books in response to the many e-mails I’ve received over the years asking how we got my surf lifestyle artist husband, Drew Brophy, to a great level of success.
I’m a world traveler, practicing yogi, a sometimes-surfer and I dabble in producing tv shows and seminars. I have a great husband and we raised 2 kids. We travel together, a lot, for several months every year. I stuff my hands into a lot of projects, and that’s what keeps me happy.
My Philosophy: I believe that you can create the amazing life that you want. Anyone can. It just takes deciding what you want, then gradually making it happen, while chipping away at the things or people that hold you back from doing it.
Many years ago, I decided that I wanted to travel the world with my family and run my business from just about anywhere. And that’s what I do.
My past life: My first real job was at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, at the USA Army Medical Research Institute for Chemical Defense, working for the Government, doing top secret stuff researching chemical defense in laboratories. If I told you more, I’d have to kill you….
Then I worked a few years in the trucking business at the docks in Baltimore. (Those were interesting times!)
In my early 20’s I ventured across country from small-country-town Maryland to Southern California. I spent the next 15 years in the student-insurance industry. It paid well, but was soul crushing. I dreamed of leaving the cubical world for a more fulfilling existence in the arts.
The Good Life: In the early 2000’s, I escaped the cubicle grind with my wits intact and together with my husband, created Son of the Sea, Inc. This is the company in which we operate all of our business ventures.
During the last two decades, acting as agent and brand manager, I’ve successfully built up Drew Brophy’s lifestyle art brand, bringing him the status of being the top licensed surf artist in history.
My expertise lies in licensing, marketing and promoting art, which are the topics I most like to write about.
I’ve produced DIY videos and T.V. shows about art, including THE PAINT SHOP TV SHOW and the “Paint Pen Techniques with Drew Brophy” DVD.
My ultimate goal is to help as many creative people as I can by sharing my experiences, mistakes and knowledge.
My Vision: My vision for the future is that artists and creative types the world over will find success and happiness and that the term “starving artist” will become a silly thing of the past. For me, it is a silly thing of the past, and I want it to be for everyone else, too.
You can help me make this vision come true by finding success in the creative world for yourself, and by helping others.
CONNECT WITH ME ON:
My Newsletter (where you get all the really GOOD stuff, for free)
Thanks for reading!
Maria xxoo
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Feel free to comment on any one of my blog posts when you have a question, comment, complaint. If you’re going to complain, go easy on me. I sound tough, but I’m really a soft mushy cupcake inside!
Maria Brophy
P.O. Box 836
San Clemente, CA 92674 USA
E-Mail: consulting at mariabrophy . com
PLEASE: If you have a question for me about your art, your career, or anything that falls under consulting services, go to my consulting page for instructions first!
TO REACH ME BY PHONE: If it’s regarding consulting or a question I can answer on my Facebook page, please follow the instructions on my consulting page first. Do not call me until we have an appointment set up – that way I can be of greater help to you.
If you are the MEDIA or PRESS or you want to HIRE ME as a speaker, please call me at 949-678-8133.
AFFILIATES: You will notice that I recommend only a few e-books, bloggers and courses. All of them, I have tested. I only recommend items that I first purchased myself and have first hand experience with, AND that I believe in.
It’s not your fault if you’re struggling with earning the living you want, with your art. You just haven’t learned HOW to yet. The only difference between a ‘starving’ artist and the artist who is earning six figures is this: The six figure artist has learned a few strategies needed to run a successful art business.