THE BUSINESS MASTERCLASS FOR CREATIVES
ENROLLMENT OPENS MARCH 26TH
Let’s dismantle the idea of the “Starving Artist,” because around here, we KNOW that Artists can THRIVE.
This masterclass is designed to help you create more, sell more, and run your business with ease.
During this 9-week course, I’ll give you the exact tools and strategies you need to turn your creative passion into a profitable, sustainable career.
A GENTLE REMINDER:Your talent alone isn’t enough to sustain a creative career—you need the right business skills, too.
Until you learn how to run a profitable business that aligns with your creative energy, it will always feel like an uphill battle. That’s where I come in. Making Art Work will help you master both—so you can thrive as both an artist and an entrepreneur. Yayyy!
Over and over again, MAKING art WORK students have said it is the best investment they have made for themselves.
This course is designed to empower you to grow a profitable, fulfilling creative career.
Don’t take my word for it, hear for yourself.Your art already has so much value.
And now, your business will too.
MAKING art WORK offers you the TOOLS & STRATEGIES needed to grow your art business and boldly share your creativity with the world.
You’re already making ART. Now, it’s time to MAKE A LIVING
You are in charge of bringing value to your work. If you don't value your artwork, then who will? You are the only person who gets to establish its meaning, value, and place in the world. What a gift.
This is where MAKING art WORK shines.
In 9 short weeks, I will help you to value your work, clarify your messaging, elevate your brand, and attract an audience that’s as in love with your creativity as you are! I’ve watched hundreds of MAW Alumni sell their high-end creative work consistently, they create collections that are often purchased in minutes, launch products with their dream companies, grow their collector base (way more important than your IG followers), and run profitable, sustainable, multi-passionate events, during economic uncertainty.
If you are serious about selling your work, this is the class for you.Hi, I’m Emily.
I left art school with zero clue how to build a fine art career. At first, I undervalued my work, overworked my body, and found myself stuck in a cycle of confusion, success, and burnout. Not fun. So please—don’t do that, ok? Ok. 🙂
After carving my own (very rugged) path, I built a creative career that’s allowed me to thrive as a professional artist, retreat host, educator, licensing artist, podcast host, and speaker. And now? I help thousands of creatives—just like you—build a studio and a business that aligns with your unique dreams.
It would be an honor to share what I’ve learned and help you create more ease as you build a sustainable, profitable, and deeply fulfilling career.
MAKING art WORK is a 9-week masterclass. We begin with our Welcome Ceremony on April 3rd!
9 weekly modules, FULL of coursework + actionable assignments, are given each Monday (but you can walk through them at your own pace if you’d like).
Make connections with your peers daily in our private and thriving community space.
Weekly LIVE 90+ min Workshop sessions every week where we dig even deeper into the content and you get a chance to ask me anything! (Don’t worry these will be recorded if you can’t make it!).
How does this work?
The BREAKDOWN
We’ve lined up a new panel of Guest Expert speakers you’ll get to meet and ask questions throughout the course.
We also have 15 pre-recorded interviews from industry experts you know and love on key topics that will help you succeed in your business.
BONUS! Join a PEER GROUP of 8-10 creatives so you can move through the course alongside new friends who are just as invested in you and your journey as you are in them. Life-changing, long-lasting friendships have been born out of our MAW peer groups.
What to see inside the course?
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Build your foundation for a long-lasting Creative career
Define and establish your “highest work”
Identify where your energy best serves your business
Access the roadmap to success I followed in my own business
Clarify your business’ core values
Learn how to set quality, actionable, and aligned goals
Mindset Alignment
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Define what a lifestyle brand is and how you can organically create one
Identify your ideal customer
Learn how to attract collectors to your work
The key difference between marketing v. advertising
Recipe for reception, how to hear “YES” way more often
Create a sustainable marketing strategy & calendar for the year ahead
Learn how to flow through marketing multiple projects at once
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Create a clear brand aesthetic
Elevate your branding & visuals
Determine your brand’s voice
Styling artwork & products
Design, map, & story tell through your website
Create a sales pages that converts
Set up a shop that sells for you
Shop talk: nitty gritty aspects of running a complex online shop (listing descriptions, back-end listing details, shipping profiles, etc.)
Website traffic & SEO
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Attract a devoted audience
How to build an authentic community & create real connection
The importance of sharing the lifestyle behind your work
Strategy for growth
Social media & mental health
All the apps, tech, & equipment
Tips for staying on top of the ever-changing algorithms
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How I price everything
Pricing for the sale + pricing for the future
Establish a healthy money relationship
Create a high functioning sales funnels
How to stay “in the black” & create aligned sales goals
Expand and diversify the products and services you offer
Create a healthy product line — but maintaining the value of your highest work
How to offer commissions and not get burned out
How to host in person events: classes, retreats, workshops…
Licensing & Wholesale for Creatives
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Create a body of work that is from your soul AND resonates with your audience.
The ins & outs of building, marketing, and launching collections
How to create excitement and anticipation in your audience so they’re ready to purchase
4 Marketing methods that really WORK
4 different ways to successfully release collections
What to do after your release (because this time is important too)
Create a sustainable release schedule and avoid burnout this year
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Sharing your work in the “The 3 Spaces”
The Ultimate Marketing Plan Guidebook: a powerful marketing blueprint (used on thousands of multiple 4-6-figure launches to date by myself + MAW Alumni)
Content creation across multiple outlets for easeful & authentic growth
How to establish yourself as The Expert and also feel relatable to your audience
3 methods for effective copywriting
How to run paid ads
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Effective email marketing for Creatives
Let’s breakdown “Lead Generation”
20 ways to attract an audience to your list
Design emails that convert
How to automate your email marketing
Sample marketing copy (designed to sell your creative goods)
Email templates you can start using today
Comprehensive press outreach & customer service trainings
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Money mindset (again because we need it)
Setting your business up for success
How much is enough?
8 Pillars of a successful business
Revisiting (and elevating) your goals
Creativity + sustainability
Reverse engineering your dreams
Affirmations to support you in your creative journey to come
…plus all the BONUS content
MAW ALUMNA MONIQUE SAYS…“It’s the education you don’t get in art school, and the creative industry specificity you won’t get from business school. Worth every penny.”
What’s NEW in MAKING art WORK?
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![Flodesk]()
Flodesk
This year we’ll hear from Flodesk’s Product Education Manager, Dawn Richardson, on the BEST email marketing practices for Creatives, how to grown an email list, and create engaging email campaigns.
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![Create! Magazine]()
Create! Magazine
This year I’m honored to host Ekaterina Popova, Founder of Create! Magazine and renowed Fine Artist. She’ll walk us through navigating opportunies like grant writing, artist residencies, gallery applications, and much more.
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![Digital Butter]()
Digital Butter
Tammy Adendorff, lead designer for Digital Butter has prepared a stunning presentation on the importance of creating a Brand Style Guide along with practical applications for how to use it to elevate your business.
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![Jillian Todd]()
Jillian Todd
Virtual CFO and Money Coach for Creatives, Jillian Todd, will teach us the ins and outs of cash flow for Creatives and help us understand how managing money is the first step to building a profitable creative business.
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![Halie Torris]()
Halie Torris
Halie is an inspiring figurative artist and storyteller! She’ll give us a behind the scenes look into her creative process and share insight into how to magnetically attract aligned collectors to your work.
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![Tanya Val]()
Tanya Val
Tanya is a multifaceted creative and business owner (and also a dear friend and my retreat co-host). She’ll speak with us about how to diversify your creative business in ways that align with your core values as an artist.
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![Meagan Williamson]()
Meagan Williamson
Meagan is an incredible Pinterest Marketing Expert & Educator with over 15 years of experience in helping businesses create a successful Pinterest Marketing Strategy boosting brand visibility and sales conversion.
Want to see the FULL list of Guest Experts inside the masterclass?
This year we are joined by seven new Guest Experts bringing our total to 17 industry insiders throughout the MAKING art WORK course.
Kat Popova, Founder Create! Magazine
Dawn Richardson, Flodesk Product Manager
Tanya Val, Fine Artist & Educator
Tammy Adendorf, Lead Designer, Digital Butter
Meagan Williamson, Pinterest Strategist
Mariana Durst, Fine Artist & Brand Strategist for Creatives
Anna Nunez, Fine Artist
Jillian Todd, CFO for Creatives
Halie Torris, Fine Artist
Morgan Harper Nichols, author and illustrator
Tahlia Stanton, Fine Artist & MAW Alumna
Jenna Rainey, Fine Artist & Author
Gregg Irby, Gallerist
Ashlyn Carter, Copywriter
Shanna Skidmore, CFO for Creatives
Richard Eltringham, CEO Digital Butter
Juliet Meeks, Illustrator & Surface Pattern Designer
Meg Gleason, CEO Moglea
JENNA RAINEY
MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS
TAHLIA STANTON
ASHLYN CARTER
Is Making Art Work right for you? Let’s see…
are you an Artist who…
☑ wants to sell consistently to a growing audience?
☑ has stacks & stacks of artwork but no idea how to sell it?
☑ knows your work is good but unsure how to market yourself?
If you said yes to any of those questions then…MAKING art WORK is right for you.
In 9 weeks, I will teach how to run a profitable, sustainable creative business that works for you.
FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
✺
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ✺
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Not at all. The concepts we are covering span all creative practices, businesses, and disciplines: Painters, photographers, designers, crafters… if you make beautiful things and want to bring them to the world as elegantly and powerfully as possible, this course is for you.
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Nope! There will be creatives from all over the globe joining us!
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NO WAY. We will be covering concepts that will stretch all of us, concepts that you can take as far and as deep as you need to. In my experience, the hardest thing about being a “successful” and “established” creative is knowing how and where to channel my [sacred and scarce] excess energy in the most powerful and effective way. This course will offer you the resources to knowledgeably and confidently decide what that means for your business. In addition, the value of community only increases the further down the path you get. It can be challenging to find peers who understand you business and will champion YOU as you become more and more successful. Trust me, I understand. Peek at the syllabus.
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Oh gosh, NO. This course is THE COURSE I wish they taught in art school. It will give you all the tools, resources, mindsets, and goals needed to establish a sustainable creative business. As long as you feel good with creating, I can help you with the rest. ;)
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Absolutely! Refinement and creating an attractive brand is a huge focus of MAKING art WORK. We touch on this topic in each module in one way or another. Outside of this, I will be doing a few portfolio, social media, and website reviews as a part of the course content so stay tuned!
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Not many. You will need access to a computer or tablet, a camera (iPhone / Android, and/or DSLR), and some work you are proud of. As we get into the course, I’ll recommend some other tools, props, and supplies you might want to get, but these are the basics.
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Oh YES! Both in the private MAKING art WORK Facebook group, in the Live Q&As, and in your smaller peer groups! Conversation is such a beautiful aspect to this process and the community you will find in this course will be life changing if you allow it!
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I recommend at least 2 hours (one to breeze through the class content and one for the Live Q&A), but you will get much more out of the course if you are able to spend 3-5 hours with the content, workbooks, and in the community discussion each week.
It’s worth stating again that this course is 100% SELF-PACED. The class content will be released each Monday and we will have a Live Q&A each Thursday, but if this feels too rushed for you, it’s totally fine! You are able to take it as slowly as needed.
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The peer groups are 100% optional. If you opt in, we will assign you to a small group of 8-10 creatives based on your time preference and business stage. You will arrange meetings and talk via video chat as often as you choose (I recommend once a week). The benefits of a group like this are enormous! There is so much good in our collective wisdom, and it is so liberating and enabling to have a smaller community up to talk with and be encouraged by! These groups are self-directed so you can turn it into what you need. Some groups continue to meet even long after MAW is over, and these friendships bring me so much joy. Please note that there is a small opt-in fee for the peer groups (mostly so we can be sure that those who are in a group are committed!)
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MAKING art WORK will be available in March 2024! Make sure to get on the waitlist for special information about an early bird discount in February.
Remember, you can take this course on your own timeline. If March 22nd - June 5th is not an ideal time for you to focus on this course, no problem! You can dive in whenever your schedule allows. All of the content and Q&As will be waiting for you! -
24 months from the date the course ends. Each year alumni have the option to rejoin the course at a tremendous discount which also restarts their two year access. You will forever have access to the downloadable content including all workbooks and audio files.
We retire cycles of the course that are 2 years or older because everything is evolving at an exponential rate these days and we want to provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information inside of MAW). Visit the terms and conditions to read more.
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I’m so happy to hear that. I want you to know that you are on the right path and that your creativity is worth the all the investments you are already pouring into it (time, energy, love, money, passion, care…) because you are creating BEAUTY.
I want you to know that you can move forward with confidence and clarity. Stress and fear and suffering DO NOT have to play a role in your creative process or lifestyle. I am an open book. I will share as much goodness and knowledge as I possibly can in this course, and you are able and encouraged to ask me anything as we dive into the content together. -
You will have 14 days to request a refund. MAKING art WORK has been designed to perfectly fit the needs of professional, working creatives and I’m so confident in it’s transformative powers! If you get into it and realize we’re on different paths, that’s totally fine!
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We have a need-based scholarship program and each cohort we offer 13 tiered scholarships. We also offer a three and six month payment plans as a means of financial aid. If you’re an alumni you’ll get a special alumni discount. Form more information reach out to learn@emilyjeffords.com.
