Click to Enlarge

Cornwall artist Tracy-Lynn Chisholm. (Etienne Ranger, OBJ)

"Artists Feed Souls," read an ornate glass pane in Tracy-Lynn Chisholm's art studio in downtown Cornwall.

But Ms. Chisholm's 17-year painting career has taught her that successful artists also need to eat to keep working. That means artists must follow sound business practices and develop entrepreneurial skills in order to thrive and to continue creating the art they love. Business versus creativity? "It's a 60-40 split – 60 per cent of your time is marketing, 40 per cent is production," she said. "Some days it's more like 80-20."

Ms. Chisholm, 35, urgently needed business guidance and funding suggestions in 2006 when she opened Serenity Studio to paint and to give art lessons, and more recently, when she established a six-artist co-operative to increase the studio's profile and the artists' visibility. "It's no longer a home-based business – now it's a commercial business, so I had to jump through those hoops. I am taking a big risk again because my taxes are going up, (and) my insurance is going up," she said.

She turned for advice to the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre, an organization established to help small business owners and entrepreneurs succeed in Cornwall and the neighbouring counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

In October, the Business Enterprise Centre hosted ARTpreneur, a one-day conference specifically designed to teach area artists the skills they need to become successful, self-employed entrepreneurs. Alyssa Blais, the centre's business consultant, began organizing the event in May. "I was starting to see a lot of artists coming through our doors and they all wanted information on the business side of selling their art," she said.

To support the conference, Ms. Blais took advantage of funding provided by the Ontario Ministry of Culture to promote development of the arts in the region.

Aimed at musicians, visual artists, actors, poets, writers, photographers, magicians, comedians and dancers, the conference program included sessions by guest speakers on 'guerilla' marketing, e-business, intellectual property law, merchandizing and arts funding opportunities at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. "Our intention was to educate (artists) in business acumen so they could take their art to the next level," Ms. Blais said.

When Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger arrived to officially open the conference, he told OBJ he was overwhelmed to see a capacity crowd of 130. Another dozen artists had to be turned away by conference organizers. "The arts are alive and well in our region," he said. "I never in my wildest imagination thought (artists) would fill a large banquet room – it was an eye-opener."

Mr. Kilger said the conference was strongly supported by the city of Cornwall and economic development associations within Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry because a vibrant artistic community has become critical to the area's economic diversification and rebranding. "It has a very, very real economic value – for the community and the region. (The artistic sector) really adds another facet of our lifestyle that doesn't always get the exposure it should, and becomes an economic factor greater than you realize."

Conference keynote speaker Michael Shumate, author of Success in the Arts and graphic design professor at St. Lawrence College, said, "Talent alone is not sufficient for success." He tells artists they must also have "smarts," which includes using creativity to market their art and to network effectively to get the breaks they need. "Being an artist means being a professional, not a prima donna."

Ms. Chisholm said the conference has helped coalesce area artists, who have generally relied on larger centres like Ottawa and Montreal as primary markets. She said that's already starting to change. "It's almost like we've been underground (in Cornwall) and the seeds are just starting to push through now."

Ms. Blais said a business in any sector can be successful if it has the right tools, networks, information and community support. "It takes a community to believe in the arts just like it takes a community to believe in farming or any other kind of sector." She pointed to Merrickville, a small town that has become a popular tourist destination largely because of its vibrant artistic and cultural community.

For the 2009 ARTpreneur conference, Ms. Blais plans to build on this year's success. "We're planning for 200 people and thinking about making it a more hands-on, two-day event."

By Jeff Esau

Special to the OBJ