Meet A Thriving Artist

Profiles in excellence

Meet A Thriving Artist

At first blush, you may see little commonality between a successful fine artist and a sales professional. The first will likely be highly introspective, free-spirited, and all right brain, right? The sales professional? Outgoing. Organized. Driven and determined. Focused on results.

This month we introduce you to John Palmer, a renowned Houston artist and business owner who shatters most if not all of the artist stereotype. He’s savvy about business. He builds lasting relationships with clients, gallery owners across the country and fine art collectors. He’s passionately focused on evolving his art and growing his brand. He works tirelessly on his business plan.

And, he’s definitely not starving.

“John really embodies a business success formula,” says Charlotte Landram, a highly successful leader of sales organizations, professional coach, and founder of High Impact Training & Coaching Systems in Phoenix – and Palmer’s sister. “He knows exactly what he wants to do and what he wants to accomplish. He knows instinctively what it takes to be successful, and he’s willing to work hard at overcoming the odds to achieve success. He’s also a team builder, and he surrounds himself with people who can and do help him succeed.” (For more of Landram’s insights see sidebar, The Personal Side of Success.)

An interview conducted by business writer Jill Van Dierendonck

John Palmer has built a signature style, reputation and art business in a phenomenally short period of time. He started painting in 1998, shortly after the sudden death of his dad.

“I was going to school, and majoring in business,” Palmer says. “I told my family at dinner one evening I needed to do something different. I quit school, bought 10 canvases and some paint, and started painting. I sold two paintings, and was able to pay rent and buy some more supplies. That’s how I started, and one thing led to another.

“I used art to heal the pain of losing my dad,” Palmer adds. “Painting allowed me to cope, and it became a therapy to work my way through it.

“I paint because I have to now,” he adds. “If I’m away from my studio for a few days I lose focus and my sense of purpose. I have to keep painting to keep growing; it’s not an option now.”

According to Landram, her brother truly embodies an ‘anything is possible’ storyline. And, if she didn’t know him so well, she might catch herself marveling at his quick – yet sustainable – beating of the odds.

“John just decided to paint,” Landram says, “and he turned to a small network of friends to help him sell his first works. He financed himself with a credit card. He built a studio to work out of. He traveled internationally to study with other artists.

“Now, his art is literally around the world,” Landram says.

Unquestionably, Palmer’s college business courses – and probably an entrepreneurial spirit his sister says he had when he was a kid – have played a critical role in enabling him to create and grow a successful art practice. He’s truly an accomplished artist, salesman and business owner – all rolled into one.

“John spends 50 percent of his time on the business side of his art, and I think that is the key,” says Taft McWhorter, his business manager. “Most artists focus on their art nearly 100 percent of the time. If they have any time left, then they’ll think about a sales strategy. They assume because it’s good art, it’ll sell itself.”

But, having a great idea or a great product isn’t enough, according to McWhorter. “The art business absolutely parallels other businesses this way. Millions of highly talented and creative people are not succeeding to the level they might because they can’t get their product in front of their consumer.”

Stand apart from the crowd, competition

Palmer and McWhorter are definitely on the same page when it comes to growing John Palmer Art.

“I think the main area in which John has been able to flourish centers on his ability to create long-term clients, or collectors, as they’re known in the art world,” McWhorter says. “We work hard to nurture these relationships. Our job every day is to stay in the face of our collectors, galleries, interior designers, art publications, and lifestyle editors.

“All day every day -- beside selling art – those areas have to get attention,” McWhorter adds.

Palmer and his marketing team connect with collectors at least every couple months – through letters, postcards announcing new installations, and personal phone calls.

“We also host a handful of parties every month to honor an individual collector,” McWhorter explains. “John uses these events to say ‘You’re a major part of my career…and I sincerely appreciate your business.’ “Collectors feel honored,” McWhorter adds. “We want them to feel pride in being a collector.”

Palmer is also very hands-on when it comes to working with gallery owners.

“A gallery in New York may represent 50 artists,” Palmer says. “That’s a lot of people to negotiate with. That’s a lot of artists waiting to get a solo show. It’s a simple fact: Galleries work with the people they know – the artists who stay in their face. We call them, we send new images, we let them know when I’m going to be in town. We constantly stay in touch.”

“That’s really how we beat out other artists,” McWhorter adds. “If John’s art isn’t hung in galleries, it’s hard for people to buy.”

Painting, planning business success

How does an artist maintain a successful art practice? How is success measured in this business?

“When you’re living a life of purpose and focus you surround yourself with people attracted to helping you expand the business,” Palmer, says. “Conversely, when you’re not purposeful and focused, countless things will come up to distract you, and sidestep your progress and life.”

“It’s a constant driving force for us,” McWhorter adds. “I think what makes a huge difference is that John and I meet every single morning to map out the day, and what’s coming up for the week, month and even year ahead. We really have two minds coming together as one, and the most phenomenal ideas come out of these conversations,” he adds. “If we don’t plan it out it’s too easy to let it slip. We remind ourselves, ‘This is what I need to do today, this week,’ and we’re accountable to each other to keep everything on track.”

According to Palmer and McWhorter, professional artists fall into three categories: those who struggle, those who teach and those who make a living with their art. As you might expect, the representative percentages shrink as you go down the short list.

“What happens to a lot of artists is they get established in a gallery, and then they keep creating a mass style of art because they have to,” Palmer says. “I won’t let myself fall into that trap. Otherwise, your art becomes too stagnant, dead even. The idea is to keep growing. When people come to see my art, it’s a window on my life, and it changes and evolves over time,” Palmer adds.

Palmer’s business is indeed on a solid growth path.

He’s working to complete a new 4,200 square-foot studio in Houston, as well as opening a private gallery in New York. He’ll soon publish his forth and fifth books, coffee table-style books highlighting his most recent works. His paintings are featured in a dozen galleries around the globe, including London, New York, Seattle, Palm Desert, Calif., and Scottsdale, Ariz., and he’s negotiating with others in Paris, Berlin, Cape Town, and Barcelona. His newest works are called collage biographies, partially inspired by Andy Warhol’s iconic portraiture pieces of celebrities and almost-famous faces of the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Palmer has completed collage biographies for several of his collectors, and is working on a series of others for well-known sports personalities and entertainers.

Another lofty goal Palmer shares could change the business of art for tomorrow’s talent.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be in a position to honor the people in my life – and the people who work for me – with encouragement to be open and creative. I want to be supportive of them and enable them to evolve, too,” Palmer says.

The personal side of success

Charlotte Landram knows her brother as well as anyone – and she also has a pretty good handle on what makes him successful. She describes six of Palmer’s personal qualities that make a difference in his business success…and could in yours as well.

▪ John uplifts people. He makes you excited, and energizes you. You see that he enjoys life, and that he wants to get the most out of every minute. You want to be around him because you can instantly feel this same uplifting energy.

What personal energy are you sharing with the people you interact with every day?

▪ John is highly passionate about his work, and highly prolific. He devotes a ton of time to perfecting his art – sometimes by allowing himself to paint something bad. He believes you have to allow yourself to experiment – and even fail – to truly get better.

How do you challenge yourself to get better? Do you work to develop new skills – or are you satisfied with what you know now?

▪ John is willing to take huge risks. He funded the construction of his first studio/gallery on a credit card. He knew he had to take a leap to create an environment that properly supported his art. He knew he had to do something unique to bring people to his art. Even with the success he enjoys today, he’s still taking risks to grow his art and business.

Are you comfortable jumping off the high dive…or do you prefer to dangle your toes in the water? How do you calculate the risk-return of your business decisions?

▪ John is very focused on the day-to-day business of his business. He realizes he can’t do it all alone, however, and has hired a great team to work with him and share his success. As he reached the point in his career when he knew he was limiting his success by trying to handle everything personally, he hired like-minded people to manage things he couldn’t do.

Are you fully committed to the growth and evolution of your business? Do you enable your employees to share your success?

▪ John invests a lot in the growth of his art career, and he maintains a very long-term perspective. He takes the time to get to know gallery owners, and tries to figure out how he can help them attract collectors, stage successful shows, and grow their businesses. By making these connections, he solidifies his reputation and develops mutually beneficial long-term relationships.

Who are the gallery owners in your business? How can you best feed these long-term relationships?

▪ John takes very good care of himself. He feeds both his body and mind to produce the energy required to perform at high levels every day.

Do your daily habits (eating, exercising, meditating, etc.) contribute to a feeling of well-being? Does your daily routine leave you feeling energized…or lethargic?

Palmer: Nothing abstract about building a successful art business

While John Palmer describes himself as an abstract artist, his tips for selling himself and succeeding in the business of art are very concrete and real. These tips are applicable to all professionals looking for an edge over their competition.

1. Find a mentor. I seek out other successful artists and try to find out as much about them as possible. Even the details of their lives. What time do they go to bed? What do they eat? Model yourself after someone successful, have them guide you toward your success. There aren’t many books to spell out how to achieve success as an artist, but there are people who have made a tremendous difference in my life and career.

Every year I’m fortunate to be able to travel abroad, and study with other art professionals. I get inspired, and find new energy from the experiences, the people I met, places I visit. My art evolves after every one of these trips. There’s really something unique about learning from others.

2. Respect relationships. Artists often put themselves in a desperate situation. They may sacrifice a relationship with a gallery over something as short-sighted as selling one piece behind the gallery owner’s back (against a verbal or written contract). You just have to stay smart business wise, develop a long-term focus, and show genuine respect for others.

3. Treat your business as a business…and be professional. It’s so critical to meet deadlines. For example, on commission works, I really strive to get everything done a week before I promise it. I treat clients as the special people they are. Often, I see artists almost repel the very people who are helping them succeed. You might sell one piece, but what impression have you made?