Erin Bell talks with openness and honesty about her journey from a life constructed around corporate consulting to a life constructed around making art, theatre, and her new business, Bull City Photography. Erin generously shares valuable marketing tips that she picked up from her work in market research and strategic branding that can be used by artists at the local level.
Erin Bell graduated from Duke in 2011 with a bachelor’s in Psychology and a masters in Management Studies. After working the past 5 years as a marketing and business strategy consultant, Erin quit her job in February 2017 to pursue artistic endeavors. Erin now works with Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern as a stage manager, webmaster, and graphic designer, and earlier this year she founded Bull City Photography. Support Little Green Pig via their Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/littlegreenpig
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Time break-down:
(Note: This episode was recorded at the end of 2017, so when Erin mentions “Earlier this year…” she’s talking about 2017.)
[0:00] Episode intro and Erin’s bio
[1:05] Erin’s path: College degrees in biz and psych, careers in market research and strategic branding, taking a sabbatical from the day job and getting back into art
[7:48] Bull City Photography: a new venture. Erin’s visual sense and the value of professional photography and design
[13:23] How did Erin manage the transition from a tightly constructed schedule (in consulting) to a wide open space to fill?
[15:30] Recovering from “the cumulative wear and tear of not being my own person”
[21:13] The fun and joy of photo shoots
[24:05] Marketing and Business Tips for Local Artists: timeline, costs, analytics, goals
[28:33] Why don’t local artists do these things?
[31:45] What to prioritize in marketing? Design and Collaboration!
[34:03] What’s next for Erin?
[35:23] Thank you and sign-off
*If you’d like to book a session with Erin, mention you heard her on Artist Soapbox and you’ll get an ASBX discount.*
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