You are a creative and talented artist and have worked hard on perfecting the skills that relate to your art.  I know that you are now at the next step of sharing your work with the world and wanting to make a living at what you love.  What are some of the steps that you have followed to start that process?

    I realized that I needed to make the transition from working at my art, to being a working artist. I decided to look into business resources in town and on-line and found that there was funding support through the SBA and lots of on-line information, face-to-face and endless on-line consultation support through SCORE and a course  
on writing a business plan through MountainBizWorks , a local non-profit that provides training and financing for small-business owners. Ultimately, I chose to start with the course on writing a business plan which gave me the initial business tools I needed and transformed myself into a professional artist entrepreneur.

Being an artist AND an entrepreneur are both big jobs.  How do you balance the two, and what have been some of your biggest successes and challenges?
    Yes, both are big jobs! Balance is defined as a noun, however, it feels much more like a verb in the attempt to achieve it. My tendency has been to spend too much time focused on making art to the sacrifice of the business or I spend so much time researching marketing, selling tools, finding opportunities, etc. that my creative spirit dwindles and I find myself fearful about the whole process--a sign that I'm definitely out of balance.
    It's a given that I'd rather spend my time creating, however, I need to be successful selling my work to continue following my passion. I know that structure is the answer for me. I have to dedicate time in the office and time in the studio each week. I also recognize that improving my business skills informs my work and furthers my opportunities.
    I'm really at the beginning of this journey so the challenges of learning my craft and learning the business are still frequent and the successes can seem quite subtle in the grand scheme. It is incredibly satisfying to give birth to a piece that really works for me. I've successfully sold some work which truth be told was also challenging because I'm not yet comfortable with the recognition of what is such a personal and private process for me.
    My greatest challenge involves my emotions: my biggest nemesis is Fear and my warrioress, Trust, isn't strong quite yet! I've always worked for others which means I had predictability and a team of people, many behind the scenes, making the organization work. In living the creative life of an artist entrepreneur, I get to take on  
all the roles to some degree and create my own structure.
    Overall, I find that I am successfully making good choices on this path. I align myself with teachers, organizations, colleagues and resources that are most beneficial to me personally and professionally and I choose to spend my time in situations with positive energy. I also serve my art and business community because  
it is satisfying to help others pursue their life's work. My service work has returned a commission, great alliances and has improved my business skills and my visibility tremendously.

As a solo-entrepreneur I am sure that you work alone a great deal of the time. I can definitely see where being involved in both the art and business communities would be helpful to not only provide visibility but also feedback from your peers.  Does this additional task help or hurt your balance?  Has it made you considering outsourcing some the things you have to do so that you can focus on what truly interests you?
    You know, just today I thoughtfully chose not to pursue a community-based activity that I strongly wanted to support. It is difficult to say no to respected colleagues and organizations that are doing great work and have a need for what I can offer. As a woman and a service-oriented person at that, I am still learning to honor my own needs first--leaving California for these Blue Ridge Mountains was a defining choice in that direction. I sought out a town that would be supportive to me as an artist and I've come to learn that being an artist is so much more than making art!
    The aspect of producing something out of organic materials, creating my work, as well as making stands out of metal parts, bases out of wood....all of it is incredibly empowering for me. I feel inventive and independent. That sense of independence and financial concerns were initially driving my choices for my business. It was in the  
process of writing my business plan that I learned that building in "professional fees" was part of determining my fixed costs. I hadn't considered the concept of hiring an accountant, tax advisor, etc. Soon after, I spent days trying to figure out how to file my taxes as an artist. Most people I know turn over their information to a tax  
preparer as a matter of course, but I've almost always done my own taxes and surely with the on-line program it should have been very doable. What a waste of time!
    With the level of passion I have for my work and my new business sensibilities, I've become much more sensitive to recognizing when I'm not using my time wisely. In fact, when I start complaining about repetitive tasks, I pause to consider my choices. A few weeks ago, I discovered that buying weekly meals from a small business owner was surprisingly cost effective and saves me hours each week!
    I recently read that home based business owners tend to think that they are being smart and frugal to do everything themselves. Rather, the author stated that, outsourcing as soon as possible, hiring others to handle their areas of expertise, reducing your time on "non-revenue producing, time-sucking administrative duties" while you focus on generating money through your work was the path to success. The phrase, "you have to spend money, to make money" comes to mind. Now I'm a believer!
    I still choose to learn about marketing tools, search engine optimization, what I need to keep track of for tax time, because I want to understand how these things are best done. I want to be sure that when I hire someone to create my website, do my taxes or write my press release that they know what they're doing and that I give  
them what they need to be successful. I expect to outsource production level work once that is developed so that I can focus on more personal, complex work as well.
    I've also come to believe that by investing in others in support of my work, I'm helping to expand the art buying community. I can't complain about the narrow art market and withhold my part in the economy or choose to buy products from corporations that create wealth for the minority rather than from small business owners.  
Lastly, I notice when other artists remain devoted to their work and let the other aspects slip by--talk about all those less desirable tasks will inevitably come up in conversation when a group of artists gather. Secretly, I tend to think that I'm developing a competitive edge by building a team of business alliances who do what they're  
good at while I do the same!

Thank you so much for sharing your artistic journey with us Michelle.  Do you have any parting advice!  AND where can we see your work?
    I have the privilege of knowing many talented artists in my community, most of whom do not have the necessity to make a living at their art, but do want to cover their art expenses and get recognition through sales and exhibitions. Sometimes I think they roll their eyes behind my back when I start talking like a business  
person! It seems somehow sacrilege to taint the artistic process with the realities of what it takes to get the work out in the world--I sure lost my romanticism a while ago. I just want to encourage any artist who wants visibility to consider themselves a professional. It can change how you view the whole process and how people view you and your work.
    I currently have work at Merrimon Fine Art Gallery in Asheville, NC and on my website, michellesumares.com . Thanks, Dawn, for inviting me to speak about my experiences.