You'll notice I use the word "sell," which is often anathema in artistic circles. Yes, yes — we, as artists and educators, have been taught that what we do, what we create, is something that cannot be monetized. "How," ask our teachers in the academy, "can one put a price on the beauty of Monet's Water Lilies or the thrill of hearing Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand?" This is a fine philosophical discussion to be had at a dinner party, but for the purposes of entrepreneurship, it is counterproductive.
Your primary goal as an arts entrepreneur is, in fact, to sell a product, an experience or a service. This "selling" may be through the actual exchange of money for goods (as in an art gallery), the promoting of an experience that has an entrance cost of some sort (a concert, dance recital, play, musical, museum) or the offering of a service in exchange for compensation (a children's choir, a dance studio, an after-school art program or a pottery course for seniors).
You may not always be selling directly to the consumer of your product — in many charitable-educational arts institutions, a third party often pays for the experience of another consumer (i.e. a foundation pays for a free dance program for inner-city children) — but, whether it be through the means of marketing or development, we, as arts entrepreneurs, are most definitely "selling."
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