Three years ago I told you about NFT scams (part 1, part 2) that artists receive. Those are still going on, but there's a new scam in town -

Podcast Invites to gain control of your social media platforms.

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​If you’ve recently received a very flattering, flowery email inviting you to be featured on a podcast or Instagram Live - especially one associated with a recognizable account - you are not being discovered. You are being targeted.

Let me break this down so you know exactly what’s going on.
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The art world is full of passion, creativity, and dedication—but it’s also full of challenges. Recently, I had an experience that reminded me just how delicate our creative community can be. I received an email expressing unsolicited opinions about another artist’s work. ​My instinct was to get the claws out—I always want to fiercely protect those I care about, both personally and professionally. 

After taking a moment to reflect, I realized the sender was either having a bad day or is just that type of person in general. Either way, I knew I needed to take the high road both for the sake of professionalism and to move forward being the best version of myself. That moment of choice reinforced an important lesson:

The way we respond to negativity can define our character far more than the negativity itself.

​Artists can protect their autonomy while maintaining an ethical and professional relationships with galleries. One of the most important steps is ensuring that any expectations or limitations on sales or visibility are clearly documented in contracts or agreements AT THE VERY START OF THE CONVERSATION.

​Ambiguous verbal expectations leave room for misinterpretation and can make conflicts more difficult to navigate. A written agreement ensures both the artist and gallery understand their responsibilities, from commissions and exclusivity to marketing support and exhibition commitments. It also safeguards the artist’s financial investment, protecting thousands of dollars’ worth of work.

The healthiest galleries know how to work with artists without limiting their autonomy. They focus on the works they represent, trust the artist’s professionalism, and see independent sales channels as complementary rather than competitive. Galleries that operate this way elevate artists, maintain strong partnerships, and build long-term success — without creating fear or control.

The artist–gallery relationship is often described as a partnership rooted in trust and shared goals. In theory, both sides support each other’s success. But in practice, I’ve seen that relationship become strained when a gallery begins to impose restrictions that extend far beyond the work they actually represent. As a consultant working with multiple artists across different stages of their careers, I’ve encountered this firsthand — and it revealed just how outdated and unbalanced some gallery expectations still are. 

The old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do" is alive and well with me.

Well, sort of.

I don't like to tell anyone what to do. I prefer giving advice and insight, and let them decide if they'll follow my suggestions. But, when it comes to the help and services I provide others versus the help and services I provide myself... well, that's where this applies.

For years I have been honored to work with and sell a ton of abstract art by a fellow Louisianian - Amy Dixon. She had just started with the Charleston gallery a couple months before I got the job. We had a ton of success together!

I would be remiss after my recent post directed at artists appreciating their galleries' staff if I didn't talk to the galleries, too.

​I learned a lot working for Karen Hewitt Hagan at Hagan Fine Art. As a client to Legacy, I love that we still work together. And I still learn. She's pretty great.

​One of the biggest things that I learned early on was:

I was talking to a gallerist friend recently about how things have been going for her gallery. The art market has been having a lot of issues lately, and so galleries and artists have to work a lot harder to sell, but aren't necessarily seeing the strong profits for their hard work. Summers are especially difficult. 

Ever since starting my business, I've been given all sorts of advice and suggestions here and there from friends, family, and peers. One suggestion I've been given numerous times is setting up something that provides passive income.

As I mentioned in my very first blog post, when I was working at Hagan Fine Art in Charleston I met a lot of artists and answered a lot of questions and offered free advice. 

There was one particular artist that I met during that time. She was energized about being an artist and had big goals for herself. Like so many artists, though, she knew there was a lot to figure out to fulfill those goals. It was actually talking with her on that slow and hot summer day in the gallery that made me think I could create what later would become Legacy Art Management.

The election is over. Half the country is happy. The other half is not. I'm not going to get into the politics. I have my beliefs and opinions, but that's not why I'm here today. I'm not going to change anyone's mind that disagrees with me, and no one is going to change mine.
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I just want to share the wisdom of Toni Morrison with all my artist friends and peers. No matter if you're a writer, a dancer, a painter, a sculptor, or whatever your creative nature may be:

​On September 25, 2024, rain started coming down on my little town of Saluda and over 500 square miles of Western North Carolina. When it started, the hurricane hadn't even made it to land... it was still out in the Gulf. 

By 7am the next morning Helene made her way up here. Our power went out, and stayed out for almost 9 days. We lost internet connection at home for even longer. The loss of such creature comforts, like a hot shower or even just flushing the toilet without having to collect buckets of water from the pond, was not lost on us and are extremely appreciated. 

I grew up with numerous hurricanes down in Louisiana. I experienced Irene and Sandy while in NYC. And then there were a handful we also experienced during our time in Charleston.

But Helene... this was something totally different.

When we made the decision to move from Charleston, really the only difficult part of that decision was leaving Hagan Fine Art and its owner, Karen Hewitt Hagan. I spent close to ten years working with Karen in helping her grow her gallery business, her artist roster, and selling millions of dollars worth of wonderful art. It was a proud period of my life.

At the beginning of August, some news came out. After fourteen years, Karen sold her gallery. WHOA! 

And, so... with every chapter that ends, a new one begins. I'm so happy Karen will be focusing on painting more and sharing her knowledge through workshops. I'm also thrilled to now include her as an independent artist and Legacy Art Mgt. client. I just finished building her an artist website on Artcloud. Check it out:

www.KarenHewittHagan.com

Welcome Karen! Thank you for choosing Legacy Art Management to help you grow your online presence for your art!

My career as an archivist has introduced me to more database systems than I can count. I've enjoyed learning different platforms over the years and have even had the opportunity to beta test a few.
As an archivist, the number one piece of advice I can give any artist is this:

A spreadsheet is not an inventory management system.

A spreadsheet is an excellent tool for organizing information. An inventory management system is designed to manage a business. As technology has evolved, artists have more choices than ever before. Generic website builders, art-specific inventory systems, CRM platforms, online storefronts... the options can feel overwhelming, especially if technology isn't your comfort zone.

Rather than asking, "Which system is the best?" I encourage artists to ask, "Which system will best support the way I work today, and the way I hope to work five years from now?"

When we bought our home in Saluda, I knew there were a handful of artists and galleries in the area, but I didn't realize exactly how big of an art community this town is. Saluda has a population of just under 650 residents. So, it was a great surprise to see 9 brick-and-mortar gallery/studio locations and over a dozen working artists living here. That's 3% of the population!

I have gotten to know and worked with a number of these artists and galleries over the past two years. Being a printmaking artist, myself, I see the need to help my art community market itself to become an art destination the way Charleston, Naples, and even Asheville are.

It's amazing how quickly April turns into October, especially when you have a business to run. Prioritizing does not always help you fit in the little things that you want to do - like adding to your blog. 

So, what has been happening? Just as this blog post's title says - it's been a whirlwind few months. All the focus has been on my amazingly talented client, Alice Williams. We had been planning on a month-long trip she was making back home in the States, and decided to add two 3-day workshops and an exhibition in two different cities to the tail end of her trip. 

My educational background was Art History and Studio Art with a focus on Printmaking. For years (over a decade!) after college, I didn't do any printmaking. I didn't have the money to rent a studio, a space in my home to create a proper, and didn't make the time. 

My husband, Ethan, has always been rooting for me to get back into it. The first (and only) print I did while still living in New York was an abstract view looking down the bike path of the Manhattan Bridge. This was his commute every day for the thirteen years he lived in Brooklyn. He used it for the cover of a chapbook he wrote called Cadence. 

Have you ever received an email inquiry like this:

For my husband's birthday in 2016, I got him all the fixin's to start beekeeping. We joined the area association, took the beginner's tests and got to keeping bees.

We would spend hours just watching them fly to and from their hive, working hard to build up their colony and their pollen and honey reserves. Every two weeks we would go into the hive to inspect their progress and their health. It's hard work, and you do have your failures, but the payout of learning about them and observing their world has been amazing.