Lee's shared studio space
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Lee - Can you tell us more about your shared studio space? Do you have shared equipment like scanners and printers?
I knew an art group in Montana that rented a store and turned it into a shared gallery. It was in a remote area so they took turns manning the store on weekends when tourists were out and about. So they had a gallery with no commissions.
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That is the exact model I am building. You can see more about it here: www.leewhiteillustration.com/redrobot
We might share a basic office printer, but for real prints and scanning I will be doing that offsite. The buying power of multiple people doing something is amazing. Some people will see my gallerys rent space at $500 per month as being expensive, but you should try pricing retail/commercial space sometime. It is very expensive. If each person sells 10 prints a month they will cover their entire work space. If they sell an original painting, then it just keeps making and more money.
My idea is worst case scenario, everyone breaks even and gets a free work space. Best case scenario each artist is looking at $2k to $10k profit per month.
Of course, there is risk involved too. But when you pool a bunch of people together, the risk goes down accordingly. If you do a shared space that is NOT a retail gallery, the options become even cheaper and more availability. In this case, I took on all the risk and did it by myself. I believe that it will work so I put my money on the line. Time will tell if I made the right decision.
SVS Faculty Instructor
www.leewhiteillustration.com -
@Lee-White Sounds like a great idea. Like having a rolling art fair. Reminds me of what it's like in St Ives Society of Artists on the Cornish coast - a great artist colony that's been going for over 100 years.
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@Lee-White I absolutely love the idea of a shared shop! Does this mean David and Will are moving to Tennessee?
SVS Instructor
https://www.annadaviscourt.com/ -
@Lee-White said in Lee's shared studio space:
How cool! I see Will has a space too?!
I used to do this many years ago when I was painting portraits and loved it. Our space was also a gallery. We didn't sell much (I took commissions instead), but it was a great place to work. Would love to do it again somehow.
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So sorry to hear about the tornado that hit Nashville this morning. I'm hoping that people find their missing loved ones, everyone is able to vote, and all the power outages are taken care of soon. I hope Franklin was spared.
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@carolinedrawing Yes, just heard about this!
Check in when you can, Lee! -
@AnnaDaviscourt Not moving. Way too big of a fan of PDX!
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In Ventura, CA about 15 years ago, they converted an old mattress factory into art studio spaces. If someone were interested in setting something like this up you might be able to contact them for info. They also converted an old school in nearby Camarillo, CA into studio spaces (Channel Islands).
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@AnnaDaviscourt I'm sort of grandfathering David and WIll in because of our shared business history. ALthough I would love it if they moved here!
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@carolinedrawing said in Lee's shared studio space:
So sorry to hear about the tornado that hit Nashville this morning. I'm hoping that people find their missing loved ones, everyone is able to vote, and all the power outages are taken care of soon. I hope Franklin was spared.
@Lee-White hope Lee is doing okay too
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Thanks for the concern guys! We are fine thankfully. We think we heard the tornado. It was like 10 minutes of a loud, unending thunder sound. Unlike anything I've ever heard before. It was nuts!!!
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@Lee-White in business, you have to take calculated risks in order to grow
️ I think it's an ace idea, and I wish you the best! -
@Lee-White What an awesome idea! Would be cool if I could try the same thing up where I live
