Entrepreneurship in the Arts: Creating a Lucrative Business – Full Session
John McDavitt
John McDavitt has owned and operated McDavitt Design, an artistic service business, for the past 13 years. After earning a substantial income in one month airbrushing t-shirts as a teenager John decided that he would be an entrepreneur. Along the way John has created and designed murals for residences and businesses. He has been involved in designing, creating and operating a successful haunted attraction, The Asylum Experience. John's now renders services including sculpture, illustration, product engineering and computer design for clients including Thomas the Train, Felt Kids, Lamaz Toys, Wilton Industries, Badger Airbrush and others.
In this seminar presented at the SEA (Self-Employed Artists) conference in February 2008, visual artist John McDavitt shares some of what he has learned as an artist/entrepreneur. He addresses topics such as the various types of business entities an artist may start, how to go about building and exploiting your network of professional contacts, why it’s important to know your own preferences, strengths and limitations, how to balance home and work life, and how to find your natural market.
