I recently read an inspiring article, in the July 5th’s Washington Post, “D.C. Portraitist Breaks Starving-Artist Mold” by Thomas Heath. Mr. Heath writes about Annette Polan, a 60-something Northwest Washington artist whose portraits start at $3,000 for a 22-by-30-inch pencil drawing and can go up to $45,000 plus expenses for an elaborate painting. She sells her art directly to her customers, so she keeps 100 percent of the profit. Heath reports that Polan “…pocketed a cool $200,000 for painting people's portraits.”

In reading about Ms. Polan, there were lessons I thought valuable to all artist and entrepreneurs. Like most artist, she’s her own boss, carves her own time, works from home, travels, and has opportunity to meet famous people. Also, like most artists, work does not come easy and clients aren’t always begging for her services.

1. As Annette Polan states, “A career in the arts is not just about feeling good. Drive is as important as is talent.”
2. Networking is key to her success. She works a crowd in search of new business, attends numerous events, symposiums, and makes presentations.
3. She’s a member of relevant forums, clubs, and national organizations. We can take a lead from her in organizing an initiative that will bring attention to a relevant or current cause or issue. Ms. Polan organized the Faces of the Fallen exhibit, for which 250 artists from around the country painted the first 1,327 service members killed in the Iraq war. "I get out there," she said. "Curators know me. Gallery dealers know me. Other artists know me.”
4. Be smart, look for ways to control, and produce your own product. Learn the process. Stay in the loop. Polan started doing portraits of her daughter when she was in her early 30s. She started soliciting friends about painting their children's portraits. She charged $75 a painting so she had control over the product and the process.
5. Do your homework. Know your market and study the competition. Her big break came when she was recommended as a portrait artist to the American Pharmacists Association in the District. Polan didn't know what to charge, so she went to galleries to get an idea. Polan charged less than $10,000, which is a fraction of her current rate.
6. A job well done is your best ticket. Referrals can be your biggest source of income.
7. Get an assistant, to keep you working efficiently. Don’t get greedy and sacrifice quality.
8. Charge for expenses, blood, sweat, tears, and time. Every customer brings a certain amount of headache; make sure you build that into cost. You have very little room to complain or re-negotiate later.
9. Believe in yourself. Believe in your product. If you don’t and act like it, who the heck will?
10. If you can, sell direct. Cut out the middleman. "It's a better economic model for the artist," she says. Not only do you earn 100%, but you also retain control.
11. Find a good accountant and learn all expenses you can write-off at year’s end. Your home-office, entertainment, and travel costs are a few possible deductions.
12. Always ask for a deposit and be clear in a contract the agreement for payment and services.
13. Take time to consult and have a clear conversation about what is expected of you – what the client desires. Ultimately, you want a client that is satisfied.
14. Look for ways to market yourself and your product and ways to build on what you have. Create an enterprise. For example, Polan “…is developing a new business called Capital Artports, which holds workshops aimed at bringing the creativity she learned in the art world to upper-level business management. The price is $6,000 per session for more than a dozen people, and the target clients are corporations, nonprofit groups, government agencies and universities.”

Ms. Polan graduated with a BA in Art History from Hollins College, and she completed additional graduate work at the Ecole du Louvre, the Tyler School of Art, and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Ms. Polan has photographed and painted the official portraits of industry and government leaders, including Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, (former) West Virginia Governor Gaston Gaperton, Peter Tarnoff for the Council of Foreign Relations, Judge Rya Zobel for the Federal Judicial Center, Edward Villella for the Miami City Ballet, and Lord Baltimore for Kiplin Hall in Great Britain.

If you have comments about Lessons for Success Learned From an Artist or questions for me, contact Sandra A. Daley at info@sandradaley.com. More about my work and what I’m up to can be found at http://www.sandradaley.com and http://www.liberationtheatrecompany.org.