When Designed to Sell by Jen and Omar Noory came onto the scene, I got very excited. Here is a guide devoted to pairing two things I love: business and art making.
The idea that we can make art that is designed to sell is both appealing and not appealing. What about making art for ourselves, from our original impulse? Doesn’t a commercial aim stifle our creativity and originality?
Maybe, maybe not. Every artist has her own approach, her own motivation for making things and her own commercial or non-commercial agenda.
Sitting at my favorite cafe in Boulder with my cortado and GF cookie, I dove into Designed to Sell, an Unconventional Guide sponsored by The Art of Non-Conformity. With an open notebook and open mind, I pored through the colorful and inspiring pages.
One thing was clear to me right away: I may not be ready to sell quite yet. The book encourages a commercial aim – for artists who are proficient enough at their art to sell it.
I am still in the learning stages of my craft. Maybe that’s true, maybe not. This notion did not stop me from drawing a lot of inspiration from the guide.
One of the great things about Designed to Sell is that it’s geared toward doing the work required to make money. The authors built a challenge into it: buy this guide and use it to make $5,000 from your art.
That challenge got me thinking. Fueled by coffee, I mind mapped several ways I could make money from my art. This fostered a new perspective on my art. Maybe I am ready for commercial time.
I’m still thinking about this. I love people, books or programs that make me think in new ways, and Designed to Sell does that. I’m an affiliate for Unconventional Guides but I’m sure I’d recommend this even if I weren’t.
The step by step guide helps creative people break down the often-confusing path to profit. Full of lots of inspiring examples of how other creative people have prospered, this guide is great for anyone who is ready to take the leap from making to selling and profiting from their creativity.
Links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a percentage of income on each sale through this post. I only recommend books and courses and people I truly believe in.
I had never heard of the Unconventional Guides. I remember their story from the $100 start ups – this is something to keep in mind – I’m a little too scattered right now to commit to this. However, I did buy the Art + Money ebook – i went through your links!
Glad you found them here, Vickie! The Art + Money is a great place to start, and I know you’re already well on your way.
Thanks for using my affiliate link!