“The days in the studio have to follow an intuitive path," says Toni Cogdell.

How Can Artists Streamline Their Art Business Without Losing Creative Flow?

When painter Toni Cogdell made the leap to becoming a professional artist, she knew that she needed to get organized if she wanted to reach the collectors who could support her work.

“I spend a lot of time in the studio and can find it hard to switch to a more organized business mode,” Cogdell explains. 

It’s a challenge artists often face: how to manage the business side of their art practice without it becoming a distraction from the creative work itself. Then Cogdell starting reviewing all the ways Artwork Archive could streamline her art business. Once she set up her account, she knew she'd found the right fit.

“Creating my account and entering all of my artworks into Artwork Archive made me feel as if I really was a professional artist,” she says. “This system and the team behind it really gave me confidence, and continues to do so almost 10 years later!”

Read on for Cogdell's in-depth review of Artwork Archive and all the features that streamline her business tasks to allow her creative life to flourish.

Toni Cogdell’s cozy studio on a recent morning.

Create a Professional Sales Process for Your Artwork

The time that Cogdell spends making her work is sacred. “The raw and intangible themes I work with mean that my creative process can feel quite chaotic,” Cogdell explains. “The days in the studio have to follow an intuitive path.”  

Her paintings combine abstract and figurative elements along with collage and textured washes to create deeply insightful portraits of the interior lives of individuals. In her work, she aims to “look beneath the skin to find the through-line of us, our hidden journey,” she says—charting an exploration of “how we live on the inside and the ways in which we connect with the world around us.”

Toni Cogdell, The Song Inside, 120 cm x 90 cm, acrylic, Spray paint, collage, oil paint & oil stick on canvas, 2024

When it came to sharing this heartfelt work with the world, Cogdell was looking for a solution that was simple, and easily accessible wherever she found herself. 

“When someone clicks to inquire about a piece, I receive their message through Artwork Archive, often while I'm painting,” she explains. “I can quickly pick up my phone to read their message, and the process can then begin—I send them back an invoice Artwork Archive generates for me, and the system is with me for every step until the painting is ready to ship.”

For artists who have made the important decision to pursue more sales for their work, a structured sales process can be one of the most challenging aspects to develop. Cogdell credits Artwork Archive with helping her establish professional systems that instill confidence in both herself and her collectors.

The peace of mind this brings has been invaluable: “It makes me feel as if my business isn't separate from my creativity; selling work and building relationships with clients doesn't have to be outside of your creative life, alien and jarring, it can exist within the studio as part of your own unique, crazy-beautiful routine.”

Toni Cogdell's artist website, with her Artwork Archive profile embedded.

Turn Your Website Into a Sales Channel for Your Art

One of Cogdell’s most effective strategies has been embedding Artwork Archive's Public Profile feature directly into her website, creating a bespoke shop that feels authentic to her artistic voice.

“I have incorporated the Public Profile feature into my website and it now acts as a beautifully presented sales page within my own website,” she shares. “I promote the fact that in between exhibitions there will always be work in my studio available and people can check back to my ‘buy’ page to see what is there at any time.”

This strategy has helped her maintain consistent sales and establish direct relationships with collectors. “It has become a place people can bookmark and return to, and makes it clear that I sell work directly from my studio as well as through galleries, but without making my website feel like just a shop.”
 

Make it Easy to Create Sales Opportunities Wherever You Are

Perhaps most transformative for Cogdell has been the ability to turn her smartphone into a portable sales tool.

“I have a shortcut to it on my phone, as well as on my laptop, so it goes with me everywhere,” she explains. “One tap on my phone screen and I have everything about my work in front of me.”

This mobility creates selling opportunities that would otherwise be lost:

“If I am out somewhere and someone asks me what I do, I can easily show them my work on Artwork Archive on my phone, or tell them more about pieces, as I have all the information I will ever need with me, right there—a mini portable gallery!”

The ability to respond instantly to inquiries has made a real difference for her sales. "If I am having some chill time watching TV for example and someone contacts me via Instagram about wanting to buy a painting, having Artwork Archive right there on my phone means I don't have to move or rush off anywhere to deal with it,” she explains. “I can give them the information they need immediately, and even send them an invoice and collect payment, all with Netflix on pause!"

Toni Cogdell, Within me, be Still, Acrylic, Spray Paint, Collage, Oil paint and Oil pencil on canvas, 80 x 60 x 5 cm

Build Long-Term Collector Relationships

Beyond the immediate transaction, Cogdell has leveraged Artwork Archive to develop deeper relationships with her collectors.

“I can immediately know which pieces a buyer has already purchased in the past, where they are for shipping, and what contact we've had so far,” she says, “so that really helps to build relationships as well as finding new homes for paintings.”

This client history allows her to see what themes, techniques, or moods are really driving her collectors, and becomes particularly valuable when reaching out to past collectors about new work they might enjoy based on their previous acquisitions. 

Bring in a Support System — Even in the form of a Digital Studio Assistant

Toni Cogdell, Pandora, 130 cm x 100 cm, acrylic, spray paint, collage, oil paint and oil stick on canvas, 2024

As Cogdell dug more into the features available in Artwork Archive, she realized that it could function as so much more than an art inventory platform. It's become a virtual studio assistant that keeps her business running smoothly.

“Every day I open Artwork Archive on my laptop, it feels like a personal assistant and just somehow reflects where I am, both with the work I am making and the series of paintings that are building, and with where it's going in the world, to galleries or new homes.”

This helps her maintain perspective on her work: “I sometimes just look at it and scroll through the paintings to get some kind of overview of the works that are emerging from the studio. I find that so useful, a way of stepping back and just getting a sense of where you are, what's coming out in the work, thematically and visually.”

She realizes that being an artist is a marathon, not a sprint—and the work she’s making today can feed into tomorrow’s inspiration. Even on difficult days, having all her work and collectors’ information in one place—and seeing all the different places her work has found itself in the world—provides reassurance.

“On days when I feel overwhelmed and full of doubt, I go to Artwork Archive and it somehow makes me feel a little more sure and in control, it can even give me ideas of where to go next and what plans to make.” 

That support can make all the difference. “Running a studio and art business single-handedly is tough, and Artwork Archive makes me feel as if I'm not alone.”

“I go to Artwork Archive and it somehow makes me feel a little more sure and in control,” says Cogdell.

Toni Cogdell’s Top Tips for Getting Your Art Business Up and Running

1. Integrate business into your creative life: Rather than viewing business tasks as separate from creativity, find ways to blend them seamlessly. “Selling work and building relationships with clients doesn't have to be outside of your creative life, alien and jarring, it can exist within the studio as part of your own unique, crazy-beautiful routine.”

2. Present your work professionally: Being able to respond confidently with accurate information about your work builds collector trust. “Staying organised and being able to respond to people professionally is a huge factor in any art business.”

3. Start organizing early: Even with just a few pieces, establishing professional inventory and sales systems builds confidence and creates a foundation for growth. “At any stage of an art career Artwork Archive is a real asset. From just keeping track of a few artworks you have begun to make in your spare time to operating a full-time art business.”

4. Find your own unique path: Artists should develop systems that align with their personal creative process rather than following someone else's model. “I think it's so important to know that there isn't one way, one right way, to run a creative business, there is only YOUR way and that needs to be one that suits your work and the things you want to put out into the world.”