Enthusiast or Expert?

Is art an investment, or is it money? Collectors and advisors alike believe neither. If you are anyone in the fine art business it is safe to say that you do not believe yourself to be anything but an enthusiast. So, if no one is an expert, then how does one become successful in the business? Mark Ormond gave us some amazing tips this week.

First, he defined the art world in his own words:
The art world is...
- Competitive
- Conversation-dialogue-face to face-experience
- Fluid
- Migratory
- Interconnected
- Has strata
- Interdependent
- Interdisciplinary
- Knows the indigenous cultures of each aspect of each respective business

Then, he gave us some great tips for the art world:
1. Be yourself
2. Make the work to show
3. Seize the moment - situations never really repeat themselves
4. Network - noun, adj, verb
5. Good associations - surround people who are good for you
6. The art world operates on T R U S T
7. Honor your word - following through is important
8. People in the art world love nice people
9. The art world is small - be mindful of your reputation
10. Know the press - promote
11. Always have business cards and images of your work - website
12. Be mindful of how you present yourself
13. Go to Summer group shows
14. Institutions are self-serving
15. Galleries sometimes wait to pay the artist their commission - follow up on the work