Early Bird Enrollment opens February 11th.
MAKING art WORK
MAKE A LIVING WITH YOUR ART
Let’s dismantle the idea of the “Starving Artist,” because around here, we KNOW that Artists can THRIVE.
This is the year you step into your biggest dreams.
JOIN ME IN THIS POWERFUL 9-WEEK MASTERCLASS, WHERE I GIVE YOU THE TOOLS & STRATEGIES NEEDED TO GROW YOUR ART CAREER.
HEAR FROM OUR ALUMNI!
This course is designed to empower you to grow a profitable, fulfilling creative career. Over and over again, MAKING art WORK students have said it is the best investment they have made for themselves.
Don’t take my word for it, read it yourself.
You’re making ART.
Now, it’s time to MAKE A LIVING
You are in charge of bringing value to your work. If you don't value your artwork, then who will? You are the only person who gets to establish its meaning, value, and place in the world. What a gift.
But how?
This is where MAKING art WORK shines.
In 9 short weeks, I will help you to value your work, clarify your messaging, elevate your brand, and attract an audience that’s as in love with your creativity as you are! I’ve watched hundreds of MAW Alumni sell their high-end creative work consistently, they create collections that are often purchased in minutes, launch products with their dream companies, grow their collector base (way more important than your IG followers), and run profitable, sustainable, multi-passionate events, during economic uncertainty.
If you are serious about selling your work, this is the class for you.
Hi, I’m Emily
I left art school without a clue as to how to run a fine art career. I began my career by undervalueing my art, overworking my body, and generally struggling my way into success. Don’t do that. Ok? Ok. :)
After charting my own rugged path, I grew a Creative Career as a professional Artist, retreat host, educator, licensing artist, podcast host, speaker... Now, I teach thousands of creatives (just like you) to create a studio that fulfills YOUR unique dreams.
Let me be your guide to building a sustainable, profitable, beautiful career.
MAKING art WORK offers you the TOOLS & STRATEGIES needed to grow your art business and boldly share your creativity with the world.
MAKING art WORK is a 9-week masterclass. We begin with our Welcome Ceremony on March 21st!
Weekly modules with coursework + actionable assignments are given each Monday (but you can walk through them at your own pace if you’d like).
Make connections with your peers daily in our private and thriving community space.
Weekly LIVE 60-90 min Workshop sessions every Thursday where we’ll review the module of the week and you’ll get a chance to ask me anything! (Don’t worry these will be recorded if you can’t make it!).
How does this work?
The BREAKDOWN
We’ve lined up a new panel of Guest Expert speakers you’ll meet in our LIVE Q&A sessions throughout the course.
We also have 15 pre-recorded interviews from industry experts you know and love on key topics that will help you succeed in your business.
BONUS! Join a PEER GROUP of 8-10 creatives so you can move through the course alongside new friends who are just as invested in you and your journey as you are in them. Epic long-term friendships have been born out of our MAW peer groups.
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Build your foundation for a long-lasting Creative career
Define and establish your “highest work”
Identify where your energy best serves your business
Access the roadmap to success I followed in my own business
Clarify your business’ core values
Learn how to set quality, actionable, and aligned goals
Mindset Alignment
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Define what a lifestyle brand is and how you can organically create one
Identify your ideal customer
Learn how to attract collectors to your work
The key difference between marketing v. advertising
Recipe for reception, how to hear “YES” way more often
Create a sustainable marketing strategy & calendar for the year ahead
Learn how to flow through marketing multiple projects at once
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Create a clear brand aesthetic
Elevate your branding & visuals
Determine your brand’s voice
Styling artwork & products
Design, map, & story tell through your website
Create a sales pages that converts
Set up a shop that sells for you
Shop talk: nitty gritty aspects of running a complex online shop (listing descriptions, back-end listing details, shipping profiles, etc.)
Website traffic & SEO
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Attract a devoted audience
How to build an authentic community & create real connection
The importance of sharing the lifestyle behind your work
Strategy for growth
Social media & mental health
All the apps, tech, & equipment
Tips for staying on top of the ever-changing algorithms
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How I price everything
Pricing for the sale + pricing for the future
Establish a healthy money relationship
Create a high functioning sales funnels
How to stay “in the black” & create aligned sales goals
Expand and diversify the products and services you offer
Create a healthy product line — but maintaining the value of your highest work
How to offer commissions and not get burned out
How to host in person events: classes, retreats, workshops…
Licensing & Wholesale for Creatives
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Create a body of work that is from your soul AND resonates with your audience.
The ins & outs of building, marketing, and launching collections
How to create excitement and anticipation in your audience so they’re ready to purchase
4 Marketing methods that really WORK
4 different ways to successfully release collections
What to do after your release (because this time is important too)
Create a sustainable release schedule and avoid burnout this year
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Sharing your work in the “The 3 Spaces”
The Ultimate Marketing Plan Guidebook: a powerful marketing blueprint (used on thousands of multiple 4-6-figure launches to date by myself + MAW Alumni)
Content creation across multiple outlets for easeful & authentic growth
How to establish yourself as The Expert and also feel relatable to your audience
3 methods for effective copywriting
How to run paid ads
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Effective email marketing for Creatives
Let’s breakdown “Lead Generation”
20 ways to attract an audience to your list
Design emails that convert
How to automate your email marketing
Sample marketing copy (designed to sell your creative goods)
Email templates you can start using today
Comprehensive press outreach & customer service trainings
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Money mindset (again because we need it)
Setting your business up for success
How much is enough?
8 Pillars of a successful business
Revisiting (and elevating) your goals
Creativity + sustainability
Reverse engineering your dreams
Affirmations to support you in your creative journey to come
… and all the BONUS content
WANT A DETAILED LOOK INTO THE MODULES???
JUST A FEW OF OUR GUEST EXPERTS…
JENNA RAINEY
MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS
TAHLIA STANTON
ASHLYN CARTER
Be honest,
are you an Artist who…
☑ wants to sell consistently to a growing audience?
☑ has stacks & stacks of artwork but no idea how to sell it?
☑ knows your work is good but unsure how to market yourself?
If you said yes to any of those questions then…MAKING art WORK is right for you.
In 9 weeks, I will teach how to run a profitable, sustainable creative business that works for you.
Unless you know how to be a professional, you cannot sustain this career.
Until you know how to create a profitable business built around your energy, you won’t get to show up as the Creative Entrepreneur you aspire to be.
I’M HERE TO HELP YOU DO BOTH BEAUTIFULLY + VIBRANTLY
LEARN HOW IN MAKING ART WORK
Join us inside of this beautiful, transformational course.
Hear from Our Alumni!
Since 2019, I have been helping Artists and Creatives like you. I’ve watched hundreds of alumni sell their high-end creative work. They create collections that sell out, collaborate with their dream brands, grow their collector base, and run profitable, sustainable, multi-passionate events and retreats.
Krista Coons
“Emily helped to build up layers for us. There were answers to questions I didn't even have yet, because I didn't know to ask them of myself or anyone else! I think, above all, I found encouragement, an increased measure of self-awareness as an artist, and a new way of looking at the way I do things as a whole because of the work done in the modules. I felt as though the course helped me grow my mindset from ‘look at these lovely things I make when I can spare a minute’ to ‘I am a businesswoman with important things to share through my work as an artist.’
With the release of my holiday collection, I tripled my sales and number of orders from last year. On the day of the collection launch, I made more in one day than I had made in my highest-grossing month! I was able to put more effort into the things that were important and I was so proud and happy with not only the work I put into my ceramics. MAKING art WORK enabled me to implement systems and tell the story of my work that resonated and helped people find value in what I make.”
Natalie Eslick
“MAKING art WORK was the perfect catalyst for supercharging my decision to focus entirely on my creative business and leave my day job for good. The structure of the course walks you through step by step from the basic principles, mindsets, then strategic elements required for running a successful creative business, into marketing and practices to support sustainability. It would have taken me the better part of a decade to work all of this out on my own, and Emily's gentle, generous, and comprehensive teaching style really facilitates your own implementation, regardless of what sort of creative business you have. This is information that I will be referring to for many years to come, and I am so grateful that I made the decision to invest in myself and take MAW - the confidence it has given me is worth its weight in gold!”
Juliet Meeks
“Besides all of the comprehensive content - from how to set up your online shop, market yourself in a way that feels like YOU, and then of course the steps to actually selling your work - learning from Emily is a treat for your soul. She makes you feel like you have your very own unique magic to bring to the world (which you *do!*) and learning from her is simply inspiring and motivating in a way that is hard to quantify.
MAKING art WORK will help you build a foundation for your creative business no matter what stage you are at - beginner or advanced. The teachings and philosophies inside the course will stick with you and guide you for years to come!”
Hear from more alumni who invested in themselves
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Launch day arrived, and I was set to release my collection at 2:00 PM. At 2:46 PM — 46 minutes EXACTLY — I had sold out completely. I was in tears.
I had created my business & successfully sold out my first collection during a PANDEMIC.
The call in my heart and soul was completely validated after all these years of struggling with how I would get myself to be a professional artist.
Making Art Work’s greatest lesson is to first believe. Believe in yourself, in your art, in your message. It all matters. It is needed It is important.
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“Before Making Art Work, no matter how hard I worked and how much energy I poured into it, I didn’t really feel like my business became more solid. The commissions started to wear me out, a lot of the money I earned went back into my business and little remained. It didn’t feel sustainable and I didn’t trust my work to support me.
My husband and I wanted to start living and traveling in/with our self-built home on wheels in September , and I dreamt of providing for the both of us with my art. We wouldn’t need much – a minimal €900 a month was the goal, but I really wasn’t there yet. And so February came and I took the plunge!
Boy did it pay off! Emily taught me so so much, I think even more than I can realize right now. I’m not only sitting in our self-converted van in Norway at the moment, but I managed to double my income, grow my social media following significantly, and actually enjoy marketing. I now can provide for the two of us and maybe most importantly: enjoy it all again.”
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I have been on the cusp of taking my art and art education businesses to the next level and Making Art Work has helped hugely to really make that happen. Going through this course helped to push me over the line into taking action on things that I was holding off on.
It filled so many crucial gaps in my knowledge on how to best move forward with my businesses in a style and form that best suits my needs and those of my customers. This course was an incredible investment that I know will pay off exponentially!
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“I’ve elevated my conversations about my collections and my connections with customers (and would be customers). I’ve also been able to really improve how I share my process and my work - through video and photography. I feel like I have a much clearer path forward and attainable goals. MAW left me feeling like I am not alone, and our shared stories have been both affirming and inspiring.”
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“I feel there is a lot more clarity and intention to how I've been operating for the past 6-months after completing it. I'm now thinking quarterly and able to plan out a lot of my content in advance which had not been possible previously.
As an illustrator and author, my business has grown so much since joining. I feel confident in how I share my work with the world and love how it's connecting with them in the ways that I've learned to share it.”
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Wow, I’ve met sooo many goals I've taken Making Art Work. I got special mention from an art competition from a dream store of mine, got picked up and featured as a new artist in a couple of very cool galleries, did heaps of commissions, launched a new website with an online store for original and prints, got so many lovely people following my journey on Instagram... what else? Oh, so much! I am so so so deeply grateful for all of Emily's teachings and for encouraging me constantly to keep doing the work.
If you have any additional questions, slip us an email at learn@emilyjeffords.com! We’re happy to answer any questions.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ✺
Do I need to be a “fine artist” to get the most out of MAKING art WORK?
Not at all. The concepts we are covering span all creative practices, businesses, and disciplines: Painters, photographers, designers, crafters… if you make beautiful things and want to bring them to the world as elegantly and powerfully as possible, this course is for you.
I am an established creative, will this course be too basic for me?
NO WAY. We will be covering concepts that will stretch all of us, concepts that you can take as far and as deep as you need to. In my experience, the hardest thing about being a “successful” and “established” creative is knowing how and where to channel my [sacred and scarce] excess energy in the most powerful and effective way. This course will offer you the resources to knowledgeably and confidently decide what that means for your business. In addition, the value of community only increases the further down the path you get. It can be challenging to find peers who understand you business and will champion YOU as you become more and more successful. Trust me, I understand. Peek at the syllabus.
I’m just starting out. Will this course be too much?
Oh gosh, NO. This course is THE COURSE I wish they taught in art school. It will give you all the tools, resources, mindsets, and goals needed to establish a sustainable creative business. As long as you feel good with creating, I can help you with the rest. ;)
Will you help me refine my portfolio and website?
Absolutely! Refinement and creating an attractive brand is a huge focus of MAKING art WORK. We touch on this topic in each module in one way or another. Outside of this, I will be doing a few portfolio, social media, and website reviews as a part of the course content so stay tuned!
Do I need to be in the U.S. to participate?
Nope! There will be creatives from all over the globe joining us!
What tools and supplies do I need?
Not many. You will need access to a computer or tablet, a camera (iPhone / Android, and/or DSLR), and some work you are proud of. As we get into the course, I’ll recommend some other tools, props, and supplies you might want to get, but these are the basics.
Can I purchase modules individually?
Because this course is designed to build upon itself and bring your business all the way to profitability and sustainability, the content is not available in individual modules.
How long will I have access to the course content?
24 months from the date the course ends. Each year alumni have the option to rejoin the course at a tremendous discount which also restarts their two year access. You will forever have access to the downloadable content including all workbooks and audio files.
We retire cycles of the course that are 2 years or older because everything is evolving at an exponential rate these days and we want to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information inside of MAW). Visit the terms and conditions to read more.
Will I be able to ask questions along the way?
Oh YES! Both in the private MAKING art WORK Facebook group, in the Live Q&As, and in your smaller peer groups! Conversation is such a beautiful aspect to this process and the community you will find in this course will be life changing if you allow it!
How do the peer groups work?
The peer groups are 100% optional. If you opt in, we will assign you to a small group of 8-10 creatives based on your time preference and business stage. You will arrange meetings and talk via video chat as often as you choose (I recommend once a week). The benefits of a group like this are enormous! There is so much good in our collective wisdom, and it is so liberating and enabling to have a smaller community up to talk with and be encouraged by! These groups are self-directed so you can turn it into what you need. Some groups continue to meet even long after MAW is over, and these friendships bring me so much joy. Please note that there is a small opt-in fee for the peer groups (mostly so we can be sure that those who are in a group are committed!)
How many hours a week will I need to devote to MAKING art WORK?
I recommend at least 2 hours (one to breeze through the class content and one for the Live Q&A), but you will get much more out of the course if you are able to spend 3-5 hours with the content, workbooks, and in the community discussion each week.
It’s worth stating again that this course is 100% SELF-PACED. The class content will be released each Monday and we will have a Live Q&A each Thursday, but if this feels too rushed for you, it’s totally fine! You are able to take it as slowly as needed.
What if I get into the course and realize it’s not for me?
You will have 14 days to request a refund. MAKING art WORK has been designed to perfectly fit the needs of professional, working creatives and I’m so confident in it’s transformative powers! If you get into it and realize we’re on different paths, that’s totally fine!
When will you be offering this course?
MAKING art WORK will be available in March 2024! Make sure to get on the waitlist for special information about an early bird discount in February.
Remember, you can take this course on your own timeline. If March 22nd - June 6th is not an ideal time for you to focus on this course, no problem! You can dive in whenever your schedule allows. All of the content and Q&As will be waiting for you!
Ok, I’m 99% sure this is for me. What else should I know?
I’m so happy to hear that. I want you to know that you are on the right path and that your creativity is worth the all the investments you are already pouring into it (time, energy, love, money, passion, care…) because you are creating BEAUTY.
I want you to know that you can move forward with confidence and clarity. Stress and fear and suffering DO NOT have to play a role in your creative process or lifestyle. I am an open book. I will share as much goodness and knowledge as I possibly can in this course, and you are able and encouraged to ask me anything as we dive into the content together.
Do you offer financial aid?
We do offer payment plans as well as a limited scholarship program. If you’re an alumni you’ll get a special alumni discount. Reach out to learn@emilyjeffords.com for more information.
