Local nonprofit Art Boost helps artists develop the business skills they need to build sustainable careers

Artists can spend years honing their craft, but learning how to market their work, value their art and build a brand can be a challenge.

Art Boost, a Dallas nonprofit that grew out of the Business Council for the Arts’ Leadership Arts Institute, aims to bridge that gap by helping artists develop the entrepreneurial skills they need to make a living from their work

“We’re trying to fill that systemic gap in the structures that support artists, because we’re not always supporting them as entrepreneurs,” says Emi Matsushita, one of the three Art Boost co-founders.

Along with Chip Van Pelt and Lake Highlands High School alumna Leslie Sakal, the organization is now in its fourth year of programming and became an independent nonprofit in May. The nonprofit hosts conferences yearly where artists spend one to two days focusing on the business side of art. Along with proceeds from the conferences, the organization receives funding from Business Council for the Arts and Southern Methodist University.

The trio met during their time at the Leadership Arts Institute program. Sakal, a Lake Highlands resident, is currently the managing director at Andersen Consulting. Garland resident Van Pelt is a retired creative director, and Matsushita, a Carrollton resident, is a creative entrepreneur and educator at University of North Texas and Dallas College.

How has Art Boost evolved since it first started?

Sakal: The original idea was a series of workshops called “Things I Didn’t Learn in Art School.” Because the idea came out of the Leadership Arts Institute, a cohort program that trains people to serve on boards, the group decided to culminate its work in a yearly conference.

The first year focused heavily on visual arts, with sessions on finance, marketing, legal issues, grants and public works. In the following years, we became more inclusive and eventually added sessions for music and literary arts.

What did you see artists struggling with that helped inspire Art Boost?

Matsushita: When I was younger, I started dancing in middle school, and I loved it. When I reached the point of deciding what to do with the rest of my life, I thought, “Oh, I can’t do dance. I can’t do that.”

I started down a path thinking I wanted to be a doctor, but I was still dancing the whole time. Eventually, I realized that my colleagues and I were struggling with the same things. Nobody had a clear answer for how to become an artist or guidance on how to navigate that path. That’s the problem.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about making a living as an artist?

Sakal: I think there’s a misconception that if I create something, people will be drawn to it. If I just make things, people will find me. Artists are really focused on creating, but they don’t necessarily realize the amount of effort and consistency it takes on the business side to get noticed.

Matsushita: There’s a big misconception around understanding the value of an artist’s product or service. Artists have been told by society that their art isn’t important. But when you look at the economics of art and the fact that people use it in everything, from marketing and language to visuals and experiences, you see that someone is making money from it.

Van Pelt: We’ve focused on helping artists learn practical skills, but what surprised me about Art Boost was the desire for community. People are looking for a sense of family and support.

What are you teaching artists during the conferences?

Van Pelt: The theme of this year’s conference was “Find Your Breakthrough.” We identified areas where artists face obstacles to building sustainable businesses. One session focused on “Break Through the Money Wall,” which covered pricing and other financial issues. We also provided a workbook to help participants evaluate their needs.

Matsushita: One of our four pillars was community and breaking through together. We had participants assess where they stood in each area so they could identify gaps and choose sessions that addressed their needs. At the end of the conference, we guided them through writing action items they could commit to completing.

Sakal: One of the really interesting sessions this year was creative retirement, which focused on planning financially for retirement as a creative entrepreneur. We’ve also offered programming on finding artist residencies, pricing work, copyright, using customer relationship management systems to reach clients and guiding clients through the customer journey.

What changes are you planning for next year’s conference?

Sakal: Next year, we’re moving to a one-day format. The past two years, we’ve held day-and-a-half conferences, and we learn something new every year through feedback from artists.

We plan to offer more focused programming at the conference and complement it with more frequent events throughout the year that explore specific topics in greater depth.

Will artists be able to access Art Boost’s conference materials outside of the annual conference?

Van Pelt: We’re working on that. We have videoed all the sessions this year, so there is something coming up. But right now, it’s just the conference.

Sakal: I think in order to drive the growth of Art Boost, we want to be able to make available content and resources to people who support Art Boost as members. We’ll probably have some sort of membership where you can get access to all previous content and exclusive content for members. But likely, we’ll also have a bunch of free resources on the website.

We also give scholarships for people who really want to attend Art Boost. We have scholarships available every single year, and it’s really important to us that our programming is accessible to all kinds of people.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.