Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Bishop.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I got the idea for Friend of The Artist after I attended Creative Conversation at Moody Performance Hall in April of 2016. The evening was a panel discussion among some of the top art educators in the area with Major Rawlings opening up the evening conversation. The panelist all agreed that outside of an academic context, there’s not any opportunities for artists in Dallas. This resonated with me because I had just completed my BFA in drawing and painting the year prior, and knew this experience all too well.
In school, I had plenty of opportunities to show my work, receive funding, and had a great studio space. After I graduated, I had little money for art supplies, didn’t have adequate studio space, and found many exhibition opportunities closed off because I was no longer a student. I knew that if I – selected as one of the top painters in my program at the University of North Texas – was having a hard time after graduation, there were many others struggling with the same thing.
After a lot of thinking and talking with friends, I decided to start Friend of The Artist as a publication because I love art books and realized that a print format is a great way to experience art. This would also be a rewarding experience to be in as an artist. When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know how to build a brand, utilize social media effectively, or even make a good looking book. I started FOA using a small bonus I received from work, built a website, and reached out to everyone I knew.
Using the website and social media, I slowly started building an audience. However, if it wasn’t for friends helping me get the word out, Friend of The Artist would have never taken off. One of these friends, Justin Archer, was vital in helping FOA get off the ground. I knew him from UNT where he’s now teaching. I called him all the time asking for advice. I was the idea, big picture thinker, and Justin was more strategic and practical. We balanced each other out.
We took submissions for our first publication in Fall of 2016, and I was surprised to not only get submissions from local artists but from all over the world. We launched the first volume in January of 2017. This was so exciting. I truly felt like I had built something that was bigger than myself, and this was very rewarding. People loved it, and the artists were proud to be included. While this felt like a big success, it was still small and there was much we had to do in terms of development. Part of the development process was realizing that I couldn’t do everything. As an artist, I wanted to have control over everything, but I couldn’t do it all, and do it well. I needed help.
Establishing roles within FOA was significant. I couldn’t do everything by myself. During a meeting to select artists for a publication, Justin and Liebergot, another friend who was a part of FOA in the beginning, volunteered to help in established roles. Justin took on the role of communicating with the artists and managing our social media, while Dannie took on the role of editor and managing the website. Having these official roles was a game changer.
Looking back on all that we’ve done is amazing. It’s exceeded anything that I could have prayed for. In the past year, we’ve published some really talented artists who have graduated from the top schools in the country like Yale and RISD, have had museum shows, and some have been full-time professors. I had no idea that so many artists of this stature would be interested in being a part of FOA. The publication has been shipped to more than 5 countries and downloaded in even more.
Perhaps the greatest success has been developing relationships with people in the art world all over the world. Each issue includes at least three artists interviews, and it’s been amazing to hear their story and gain more understanding behind their art. We’ve also collaborated with other organizations, and, in our last publication, we included an article by the founder of AucArt which is an online auction house for emerging artists based in London.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
While it’s been rewarding, the road hasn’t been easy. One of the biggest struggles, in the beginning, was getting the word out. Social media, especially Instagram, is really important for gaining an audience. However, it’s hard to gain momentum when you are just starting out. I spent a significant time trying to gain more followers and was always on Instagram.
Once we got momentum, the biggest issue I ran into was quality control with the publication. It’s such a disappointment to get an email from an artist who is upset because you got their information wrong. Their excitement is gone, and you lose their trust. Since I was mostly doing everything starting out, I was making errors that were going unnoticed. Having an editor look everything over for me, and creating a revision calendar before the publication goes out was a huge help.
Please tell us about Friend of The Artist.
Friend of The Artist is a quarterly print publication that features emerging artists all over the world. I’ve found that there is a great amount of engaging and intelligent artwork being made, but because of some invisible gap between the academy and the art world, there is a limit to the opportunities that artists have.
Our print and digital publications allow us to exhibit artists’ work in a broader context. While there are other established art publications out there, there isn’t one that includes a diverse amount of fine art mediums together like painting, sculpture and installation art. I suppose we’re really contemporary in this sense.
One of the proudest moments is when we first started, I read about an artists parent rave about their son being selected for one of the publications. After reading this, I realized that I created something much larger than myself and there was real value in what I created.
You can make things happen, but you can’t just create value. It’s something that mysteriously happens after a lot of hard work. This has been reinforced over and over again in each publication with the amazing artists we’ve published.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
So much! There are so many lessons to be learned when you start something new. It stretches you. One big thing I learned has been to rely on other peoples talents. As an artist, I naturally want to control what I’m making. FOA was my idea, and I wanted to carry it out. While this is true for art making, it wasn’t helpful as we grew. I If I started over, I would rely on more people’s talents, especially in areas that I’m naturally weak.
Pricing:
- Print Publication $25.00
- Digital Edition $5
Contact Info:
- Website: friendoftheartist.com
- Email: contact@friendoftheartist.com
- Instagram: @friendoftheartist
- Facebook: facebook.com/friendoftheartist
Image Credit:
Sarah Bishop Photography
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