Collaborating on Your Art Business with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin (#86)

Collaborations aren't for the faint of heart—especially for artists
who are used to working alone and making decisions without having
to get approval from another human being. But my guests today have
figured out how to make it work.

In this episode I talk with Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin
about how their Cold Wax Academy got off the ground. They were my
guests way back in episode 9 from 2017 when we discussed the
publication of their book, Cold Wax Medium. Their collaboration
has only deepened since that time, and in this interview you’ll
find out what makes their combined efforts work so well.


Rebecca, Jerry, and I discuss the format of Cold Wax Academy, how
they make decisions together, how they find new members, and what
they would do differently with the benefit of hindsight. We also
talk about one of my very favorite topics—systems—and the
technology they use to keep their joint venture going.


Highlights




Rebecca and Jerry reflect on the timeline of their
collaboration. (2:37)




Rebranding your business with the help of professionals.
(6:18)




Making the transition from live teaching to the online Cold
Wax Academy. (11:04)




Replacing income lost from cancelled live workshops. (12:37)




The pandemic-induced “oh crap” moment that changed
everything. (17:03)




How to know when it’s time to hire help. (20:19)




Collaborating with another person in every important aspect
of your business. (24:08)




Tools that maximize your communication efforts. (26:53)




A high level overview of the offerings of Cold Wax Academy.
(29:00)




The key to making a paid membership work. (33:57)




How to determine what content to offer for free and what to
charge for. (37:58)




Adjusting your offerings starts with knowing what your
audience wants. (38:47)




A look at the numbers of the Cold Wax Academy community.
(43:37)




Lessons learned from the timing and building of a business.
(45:34)




What’s coming up next for Cold Wax Academy. (49:42)




 


Mentioned




Cold Wax Academy




Rebecca Crowell




Jerry McLaughlin Art




Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations by
Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin




Episode #9: How Two Artists Self-Published and Are Promoting
a Successful Book Together




 


Resources




Full show notes including photos and listener comments




Art Career Success System




Art Biz Success Planning Sessions




Art Biz Success Community




Intro and outro music by Wildermiss




 


First posted: artbizsuccess.com/collaborating-coldwax-podcast


Let’s do this together: https://artbizsuccess.com/community


Music by https://wildermiss.com


 


 


Quotes




“We have this great collaboration and I couldn’t have known
ahead of time how exciting it would be to develop this
program.” — Rebecca Crowell




“Hiring a third person has given us more energy to devote to
the business itself.” — Jerry McLaughlin




“What we produce is infinitely better because we’re both
doing it together.” — Jerry McLaughlin




“As we go we’re learning more and more about how to interact
with people and how to involve members.” — Rebecca Crowell




 


About My Guests


Rebecca Crowell has been a professional artist for thirty years
and is widely known for her innovative painting techniques
involving cold wax medium and oils. She teaches these methods
both in the US and internationally. Her work is handled by fine
art galleries in Chicago, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Telluride, and
Dublin, Ireland and is found in hundreds of private, public, and
corporate collections. Rebecca holds an MFA in Painting and lives
in rural west-central Wisconsin.


Jerry McLaughlin has been a working visual artist for twenty
years and has exhibited at galleries throughout the U.S. His work
is in collections around the world. An expert in all things cold
wax, he focuses his major energies on painting, teaching, and
writing. Trained as a pediatric intensive care physician, he also
holds a certificate in adult education from the University of
Washington. Jerry lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.