How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist

[Artists Unite]

CAROLL MICHELS – ARTIST-ADVOCATE, CAREER COACH, AND AUTHOR
SELECTED FOR SECOND INTERVIEW IN THE “LIVING HERO” SERIES

Caroll Michels, an artist-advocate, career coach, and author was selected as the June 2009 guest in the “Living Hero” series, produced and hosted by visual artist and poet Jari Chevalier. This was Michels’ second interview in the series – conducted in conjunction with the publication of the sixth edition of her book How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul (New York: Henry Holt and Company, June 2009).

The 38-minute interview – which can be streamed or downloaded at http://jari.podbean.com -- covers a diverse range of topics, including: have things really changed in the art world?; what is new in the world of art marketing; what are the odds of acceptance?; what is possible for the creative spirit?; artists and authority figures; current leverage points for artist-advocacy; social networking sites; secret code Web site pages; using print-on-demand services; Picasso’s confession; and Caroll Michels’ dance immersion.

“The series is devoted to explorers, pioneers, mavericks, and brave hearts who are cutting new pathways of thought, knowledge and action to help and serve the rest of us in the here and now. These are people who often have their eyes on the future: They are, in this sense, visionaries,” said Jari Chevalier, founder of the series.

Caroll Michels served as chairperson of the Fine Arts Advisory Board of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was also on the faculty of the New School for Social Research. Her artwork has been exhibited in museums and cultural centers in the United States and abroad, including the Georges Pompidou Museum in Paris; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and Exit Art and the Institute for Contemporary Art/The Clocktower in New York City. Michels has received numerous grants, including those awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council for the Arts; the New York Council for the Humanities; and the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture/UNESCO. She was a fellow at the Alden B. Dow Creativity Center in Midland, Northwood University, in Midland, Michigan.

She is the founder of the Artist Help Network (www.artisthelpnetwork.com), a launching pad to help fine artists mine resources on career development and career challenges. In the fall 2009, she will teach a course based on her book at the Ringling College of Art and Design, Continuing Studies and Special Programs, in Sarasota, Florida.