Tag: motivation

How to Draw Courses & Sales Funnel Update | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 34

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Hi there! In this episode I talk about my sales and marketing funnel, through which I share my online video course on drawing and sketching.

Valuable Information for Artists

I think there’s not enough information out there about marketing and sales for artists. This is one of the white spaces I’m trying to fill up with my work.

As I’m very business oriented, and enjoy recording videos and podcasts, and writing – I try and leverage these skills to share my business insights.

Sales Funnel for Artists

My sales funnel is essentially a website. The goal of the funnel is to lead potential customers through a purchase process.

I sell several products using my funnel.

A funnel is a must. It’s a system that’s meant to automate as much of the sales process as possible.

I want to grow really big and reach and positively impact as many people as I can. One of the best ways of doing that is actually getting many students into my courses. A system like that is a must if you want to be well-organized and achieve some significant level of success.

Can You Sell Art?

It doesn’t really matter what you sell. The most important part is doing the proper research work. You need to know your market and customers really well.

You need to do audience research, competitors research and much more.

The New Course I’m Adding to my Sales Funnel

I’m currently in the last stages of working on a new, third course to include in my funnel. The course will go for 97$, and customers will be charged after a 7-day free trial.

This course is really meaningful, because it’s where I plan on finally getting some profit margins (for example when compared to my first course that goes for 24$).

Want to Learn More About Sales and Marketing?

I’m starting to talk about these topics a little more on my YouTube channel, as part of my Business Monday series.

If it interests you be sure to tune in to that. Here’s a Playlist of all the episodes: Liron’s Business Monday Show.

Let me know here / on YouTube if there are other topics you’d like me to talk about. I want to make this useful and practical.

And this is it for today, I hope you liked this one!

Artist Corner

Today I talked about Shari Blaukopf. She is an amazing artist from Montreal, Canada, and her urban-sketching style has a special place in my heart.

The reason is that this is what got me initially into watercolor painting. I fell in love with urban sketching, and the loose painting style that is so often seen alongside it.

She is an incredible painter and graphic designer. She actually had the opportunity to learn from Edgar Whitney, who is a master of the medium.

Shari also teaches as part of the Urban Sketchers organization.

You can learn more and see her work in her websites:
http://www.blaukopfwatercolours.com/
https://shariblaukopf.com/about/

Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

 

How I Make Money From My Art | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 31

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In today’s episode we’ll talk about how I make MONEY from my art.

Today’s going to be a special one, as it’s the audio taken from one of my recent videos, that’s a part of my new series – Business Monday.

(if you want to watch the video, you can do so here: How I Make Money From My Art)

In it I talk about the connecting point between art and money. It’s aimed at people who want to make money from their art, as well as entrepreneurs who want to build an art business.

QUICK NOTE – NEED YOUR HELP

If you find interest in this series (Business Monday), I’d be thankful if you leave a comment. Let me know what you thought of this, and what other topics you want me to cover.

I want this to have valuable information FOR YOU (:

Now let’s talk about how I make money from my art. Also note how I’ve included some things that work in general. These are tangentially related, and don’t necessarily make money DIRECTLY.

WHAT WORKS & MAKES ME MONEY

Here are things that work for me and actually make me money.

Books – I am able to sell my books in different channels. I was also able to sell the Spanish language rights, making my book How to Sketch available in additional countries in Spanish!

Courses – This is something I’ve been devoting many hours to producing, marketing and selling. My courses are selling on both the Udemy platform and on my own website (DrawAnythingUSee.com).

YouTube – This is obviously my favourite platform (; I’m really enjoying producing content here, and it actually WORKS. I receive valuable feedback from you, that helps me know what you want to see more of.

Instagram – Another platform I’m really enjoying right now. It’s also the best way to connect with me, if you want to hit me up with a quick message. I’ve been putting a lot of effort into YouTube and Instagram for the past 2 years.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK & DOESN’T MAKE MONEY FOR ME

Reddit – As a social media platform, it used to help me a lot in the past, but not so much.

Licensing my art – I tried websites like Society6 and RedBubble, but that didn’t really work as well.

Smashwords – A digital book distributer. I have some of my books distributed through it. As I mentioned in the video, I think 2 months on Amazon made me more money than two years on Smashwords and it’s 8+ different distribution channels. Haha.

Selling my art directly – This is something I haven’t really focused on much so far. I let it come naturally to me. Which brings me to my next point…

MAKING MONEY TAKES TIME, EFFORT AND PATIENCE

When I really audit myself and try to find correlations between my success… It is glaringly obvious that the things that really worked out for me are the things I spent A LOT OF EFFORT, WORK AND HOURS ON.

At the end of the day, success takes a lot of time.

The things I succeeded in so far are really things I thoroughly researched and worked on. It’s things I had a natural inclination to put more work into, but on the same token – it could have ended but being different things.

The message is that PERSISTENCE IS KEY. You have to keep pushing through until what you are doing works – or learn when to stop and move onto something else.

A SMALL CAVEAT

I think it’s important to audit yourself and your work. If you’ve been doing something for 10 years and you don’t get results, maybe it’s time to move on.

Or, if you enjoy it regardless, do it while recognizing it won’t make money, and not relying on it financially.

I hope you enjoyed today’s different format. Now let’s move on to the artist corner.

Artist Corner

Today I talked about Thierry Duval, a Parisian watercolor artist.

I originally came across his work through Instagram.

He paints beautiful scenes from France (mainly Paris, I believe). His work is realistic – photo-realistic. He has a very strong sense of light in it as well.

I’m fascinated by his techniques. He works in a very measured and calculated manner to achieve his realistic results. He uses masking fluid, and glazed quite a bit.

I highly recommend you check out his Instagram, where you can see some of his work processes and final artwork: Thierry Duval on Instagram

Also, be sure to check out this webpage, showing many of his beautiful works: Thierry Duval Artworks

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

 

The Artist Curse – When others LOVE your art, but you DON’T | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 30

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Today we’ll talk about the artist curse, what it is and how to possibly deal with it.

How I learned about the artist curse

I initially came across this phrase in a video by Mark at Draw Mix Paint channel. Mark is a fantastic oil painter I highly recommend you check out. ESPECIALLY if you do watercolor.

In any case, he described this concept in several of his videos.

The artist curse is when you don’t enjoy your art the same way others do. You don’t see it the same as others see it. You sometimes don’t understand why others like it.

Why I’ve been thinking about the artist curse

Lately I’ve been experiencing more and more of this.

I think I’m a bit of an oddball. I am able to enjoy some of my art, and see the beauty in it. But only to some extent, and only some of the time.

Because I was so lucky to build a following of amazing people on YouTube and Instagram, I receive lots of feedback.

Even ME, as someone who enjoys their art, is constantly blown away by the feedback.

This also happens when I paint outside. Passerby’s comments are many times positive, while I feel lie “I have no idea what I’m doing” haha.

Why the artist curse occurs

I believe there are several reasons for why we (for the most part) simply can’t enjoy our art in the same way others can.

Process – We slowly see our painting come together. During the process, it’s easy to lose track of the vision. It’s easy not to be able to see how this mess in front of us is supposed to turn into a beautiful piece of art.

Others come by and see it for the first time with fresh eyes. They quite literally see it better.

Lack of objectivity – Because we are the artist, the creator, it’s hard being objective about our work, and seeing it for what it is.

This also connects to…

Familiarity – Not being able to “smell ourselves”. It’s hard for us to recognize our own style, strengths and tendencies. We are simply too close to the picture.

Many have commented about how they loved my style, and how it’s really distinctive. But – to this day I don’t really see it. All I can do is create as best as I can. But on the other hand – it does appear to have its own style.

The funny irony

Mark pointed this out, and it made me laugh as I was able to relate.

Usually, the artists who have the most doubts and shyness around their skills, are the ones who make among the most beautiful kind of art.

I would assume this isn’t 100% true, but from what I personally experienced so far it’s darn close to that.

On the other hand, artists who seem to have this blind confidence, also tend to have some series weaknesses in their style, technique or skills.

Living with the curse

There are several solutions to alleviate the artist curse. I suspect that due to the nature of objectivity, it never completely goes away. But you can definitely ease the symptoms.

1. Use second hand impression. Share your are with others in a manner that allows them to be objective. Instagram is great for that.

This way you’ll slowly learn what others respond to. You still won’t be able to necessarily enjoy your art as much as others, but you’ll definitely learn more about how it’s accepted by others.

2. Find OBJECTIVE criteria. Judge your art based on objective criteria and signs. Here are some good examples from the visual art world – “Is my drawing accurate? Is this angle correct? Is this the right value? Does the color express what I wanted it to?”

There you have it! Well, that last one may be a little more subjective haha. But you get the point.

And if you come from a different artistic background – try and find your objective criteria!

3. If you are very shy and unconfident about your art – I would suggest learning to become better at ACCEPTING compliments and taking them at face value (gee, looks like someone DOES like your artwork!).

4. If you feel like you have nothing more to learn, and your work is fabulous, I’d suggest asking for some opinions by others and seeing if they match your beliefs. If they do – mad props!

5. Finally – have fun! Art isn’t perfect. We all express what we want, in the ways we can. Above all I want you to enjoy what you produce (:

And with that being said, time to move into the artist corner!

Artist Corner

Today I talked about John Constable, a renowned British oil painter who lived from 1776 to 1837.

He was a landscape painter who worked in the traditional oil style. Among his best works is “Wivenhoe Park”. This is also the first painting of his that I came across.

John wasn’t financially successful. He gained more popularity after he passed away. His work was embraced in France even more than in the UK.

He mostly painted scenes from the Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home. It is now known as “Constable Country”.

You can read more about him on Wikipedia: John Constable
And also check out “Wievenhoe Park”

As a side-note, I also recommended Alvaro Castagnet – as an artist who does seem to enjoy his own art like others, with lot’s of confident. Check out his work here: Alvaro Castagnet.

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron

Did you Mess up Your Painting?? How to Fix a Watercolor

Hi there, I hope you are doing great! Today we’ll talk about how to fix your painting when you messed something up (:

Here’s the full video, scroll down to read more.

Many Painting Mistakes Can be Fixed

People (myself included) make the assumption that in watercolor nothing is reversible. This is false.

Many, if not all mistakes can be corrected.

Only some types of mistakes can’t be corrected. These usually involve dropping dark paint in large quantities in an area that’s supposed to be light.

However, paint can be lifted. Brushwork can be improved. Things can be darkened and so on.

The Ugly Stage of a Painting

This is something worth mentioning. Most paintings, no matter the medium (oils, acrylics or watercolor) tend to go through an ugly / incomplete stage.

It may lead you to believe you are messing up, when in fact you are just early in the process.

I’d encourage you to NEVER give up on a painting. The it’s far likelier you’ll give up too soon than too late. So give it a chance!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed the video and vibed with the message.

Let me know if this helped!

And I’ll talk to you again really soon.

– Liron

 

Can You Teach? What Gives Us Permission to Teach Others | Liron Yanconsky’s Podcast – Episode 29

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What gives us permission to teach others? And to charge for it?? These are the questions I’d like us to answer today!

A Question in a YouTube Comment

I was asked about this in a YouTube comment. One of my followers there wanted to know – how do I know I can teach?

The funny thing was – I immediately knew the answer!

Listening Allows me to Teach

What I do is share my knowledge as I learn it. I don’t front or pretend, but rather simply share things as I learn them.

I actually feel very lucky. Building an audience on YouTube has allowed me to gain a lot of feedback.

What I do is listen to what you say, and react. Once I saw many followers started asking me about when I’ll create a course, or a book – I knew it was time.

Teaching Watercolor Painting

I’m relatively new to this medium, so up until perhaps 6 months ago, I haven’t even thought of teaching it.

But then comments started piling up. People were asking me to teach, and I started feeling comfortable with the medium. So I went for it!

Listening Has more Advantages

I really focus on that in the episode. Aside from helping me gauge when I can teach, listening has done much more for me.

It gives me new ideas for videos and podcast episodes (like this one!). It allows me to learn what my strengths and weaknesses are.

I also think my growth is consistent (and rapid at times) because I listen. I try to provide exactly what YOU want me to, as long as it’s “in my lane”.

It’s how I got my idea to start (and continue) Business Monday, or my upcoming series “From Watercolor to Pen Sketch” (that I probably will turn into a series).

To Teach You Have to Know

I do think that in addition to the above, in order to be a good teacher – you have to actually know what you’re talking about.

I think the perfect combination is having good intentions + knowledge and experience. I strive to hone and improve both of these.

If you can teach people something they do not know, and you come from a good place, you will have a positive impact.

Also, if you can provide others with teachings they CAN’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE – that’s the real magic formula.

I’m trying to leverage my personality in anything I do. It’s the one thing that makes me truly unique.

Conclusion

I really think there are two sides to this.

One side is being self-aware, and knowing your skills, strengths and weaknesses. The other is LISTENING to others (awareness that’s directed outwards).

I hope you enjoyed discussing this concept! Let’s move onto the artist corner!

Artist Corner

Today we talked about John Yardley. He’s a FANTASTIC British painter.

John has a very interesting life story. He was a banker all of his life. Then, at the age of 53 he decided to devote his life to art.

His inspirations are Edward Seago and Edward Wesson.

I love his style. He tends to not overcomplicate things. His style is less stressful and doesn’t necessarily require working super-fast. It doesn’t make you worry about everything being connected, but it works really well!

I love his unique color scheme as well.

You can read more about him here: John Yardley on ArtNet
And you can watch a really good APV video here: Watercolour Moments: John Yardley

And Here’s where you can find me (:

You can support me on Patreon

Check out my YouTube Channel – Liron Yanconsky

Or ask me questions on Instagram – @LironYanIL or Snapchat – @LironYan3

And this is it. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I’ll talk to you again real soon!

– Liron