Running an art business is both rewarding and, at times, stressful. The best way to reduce stress is to be organized. Having an organization system in place will allow you to focus on important tasks like marketing and creating and reducing time searching for misplaced things.
The main reason why many artists finding it challenging to stay organized is that there are many things a working artist has to think about during the day, like keeping supplies organized, keeping the inventory of products up-to-date, accounting, and dates of upcoming events.
Luckily, we have over 20 years of experience operating an art business. We will share some simple organizational tips with you that will improve your time management to focus on important things like creating art and promoting your creations.
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Art Supplies
An easy way to increase your studio time productivity is by keeping all of your supplies organized in your creative space.
Lable Containers – use a label maker to make labels for all of your storage containers.
Storage Bins – keep all of your essential documents, finished artwork, and works in progress in archival storage boxes.
Mason Jars – keep the art supplies you are using on new projects in mason jars next to your easel stand or drawing table.
Storage Chest – a great way to keep supplies organized in a small room is by using a 12 drawer storage bin. These bins do not take up a lot of space and keep a small art room organized.
Door organizers – an over-the-door organizer can provide easy access to art supplies and business supplies without taking up much space.
Designate Areas
Have a specific space for different jobs like packaging artwork, finished art storage area, promotion supplies like business cards and brochures. Proper storage and designated areas can free up a lot of time so you can focus on creating new works of art. Put everything back in the designated areas so you will be ready to work the next day.
Keep An Inventory Of Art Supplies
Keep a log of supplies on hand like different acrylic paint colors, pastels, canvases, and drawing paper. You will spend less time ordering new materials because you will know exactly what you need to purchase.
Use Google Docs, Excel, or even a notepad to create a supply inventory form so you can be sure to have everything you need for new art projects.
For more information visit, How To Do A Product Inventory Sheet.
Accounting
At first, you might get away will documenting your sales in a little notebook, but when sales increase, you will want to have a better system for reporting income for the upcoming tax return season. There are many accounting software available for small businesses like Quickbooks. There is a learning curve related to accounting software, but you will get the hang of the process once you do it a few times. If you are struggling, you can find helpful tutorials at Udemy for under $15.00.
Tax time can become very stressful if you are not organized. You could easily find yourself spending multiple hours trying to gather all of the information you need to bring to your accountant. It only takes a little time to record sales and expenses daily, reducing unnecessary stress in December.
Use Containers
There is an extensive range of storage container sizes available online that will help you to keep everything organized in your studio. Use the bins to organize specific supplies for jobs like shipping materials, office supplies, finished artwork, etc.
Place the containers to easily be accessed and label them to locate what you are looking for quickly.
A great place to store bins is in the corner of a room where they will be out of the way.
Content Calendar
Selling art locally and online is hard work, and many jobs need to get done during the day. If you do not have a calendar for specific jobs like posting a blog post or sending a newsletter to your mailing list, you could find yourself losing sales.
A content calendar will prevent you from forgetting important tasks that build your business. Create a spreadsheet for when you will send emails or write blog posts. You can even use a simple tool like a calendar to document when you need to publish your content.
Social Media Calendar
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram have changed the way businesses conduct marketing and the way people discover new products and services to purchase. With so many different jobs an artist have to complete in a day, little things like posting on social media can feel overwhelming and take up a great deal of time.
Creating a social media calendar and writing on your to-do list what needs to be posted and when will free up a lot of your time. Tools like Tailwind will also save some time by scheduling Pinterest pins and Instagram posts in advance.
Phone Numbers
Keep an organized list of all the phone numbers associated with doing business. A good thing to do is separate numbers into categories and save a copy on your computer and a paper list if something happens to your computer, and you lose all of the numbers.
Inventory Art
Keep an accurate inventory of the art you have on hand. This includes original art, prints, and other products you sell. Your list will make it easy to order new products without investing in items you already have an abundance of.
Photo Archive
Designate a folder on your computer for all your artwork photographs. It is also a good idea to keep them on an external hard drive just in case something happens to your PC. The last thing you want is to one day wake up, and all of your art images are gone forever.
Final Thoughts On Organization Tips For Artists
No matter how big or small your art studio is, there are great ideas for keeping storage spaces organized and more efficient. Many storage bins can be found in discount stores to keep the costs down.
You will find that your work time will be more productive if you have an art studio organization plan. It might take some creative planning, but the time invested in organizing your workspace will be worth it in the end.
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