Your Art Career Deserves Better Than Spreadsheets

Watercolor artist Marilyn Rose always wanted a studio assistant. Now she feels like she has one.

Can You Keep Your Art Business Organized Without a Studio Assistant?

As artists, we have the best job in the world. But it also takes a ton of work.

That’s certainly what figurative watercolor artist Marilyn Rose has found. She is an award-winning exhibiting artist, and she teaches her expressive art style through a variety of online courses and in-person classes and mentoring opportunities that she has created over the years. In her own exuberant watercolors, Rose emphasizes what she calls “the intuitive qualities of the medium itself.” But she wasn’t finding all of the administrative tasks that come with being an artist intuitive at all.

To manage all her roles, Rose says, “I was using a combination of (dis)organizational tools.” She had a photo album on her computer for images, a spreadsheet for exhibition and competition entries, a database program for invoicing, and an accounting program to track revenue and sales tax. The result? "Nothing was integrated."

Then she found Artwork Archive.

“Artwork Archive has replaced ALL of those pieces,” she shares excitedly. In her review of Artwork Archive's features, Rose quickly found how she could simplify her creative life with just one tool. 

In this edition of our Art Business Diaries, Rose explains how the path to a sustainable and profitable art practice wasn't paved with staff or assistants—it was built on smart organization. 

Rose teaches plein air watercolor courses, and loves getting out to make work that way herself.

Don’t Let Disorganization Stand in the Way of Your Success

Before finding her organizational solution, Rose juggled a patchwork of disconnected tools to manage her watercolor practice. This fragmented approach created real barriers to her success.

Rose felt constantly distracted, and even worse, she found herself avoiding opportunities because the administrative burden felt too heavy. 

It took some time to transfer all of her information over to Artwork Archive, but once she did, the difference was like night and day. "I no longer avoid entering shows because I am overwhelmed by keeping track of entries,” she says. “And I no longer find myself disqualified because I have entered an image in a previous year or because I have 'double booked' the display of a painting."

Marilyn Rose, In a Hurry, Watercolor, 11 x 15 in

She can also provide quick responses to opportunities: "When a client is interested in a painting they have seen, either on my website or social media, I can find out if it is still in my inventory and easily locate it."

Create Your Own Virtual Studio Assistant

"I always wished I had a studio assistant to handle the administrative tasks necessary to manage my business," Rose says. "With Artwork Archive, I finally feel as if I do."

Marilyn Rose's Public Profile page. Artwork Archive is easily accessible wherever you have an internet connection.

What Rose has discovered is that organization isn't just about being tidy—it's about having integrated systems that work together to support her business goals. By consolidating her various organizational tools into one system, her administrative tasks are easy to keep track of.

With her Artwork Archive account fully set up now, "the business aspect of selling and displaying my fine art no longer takes as much time as it once did,” she says, “freeing me up for the creative part of my life as an artist." 

Build an Organization System That Travels

Rose is constantly on the go, frequently teaching outside her studio. She needs to easily access her business information from anywhere she finds herself.

"I keep documents such as supply lists, tips for students, etc. on my Artwork Archive site so I can easily send students a link," she explains. "Especially handy when I am out of my studio... and since I do a lot of plein air painting and teaching workshops, that is particularly important."

Rose can now paint—and stay organized—on the go.

This mobility means she doesn't have to choose between being present for her students or managing her business effectively. Artwork Archive travels with her, providing the same benefits whether she's in her studio or painting by a canal.

Stop Just Being Reactive, and Start Planning for Success

Perhaps the most significant shift in Rose's approach has been moving from reactive business management to proactive planning. Instead of scrambling to meet deadlines or respond to inquiries, she now stays ahead of opportunities.

"When I see a call for entry I wish to enter, I automatically enter it into Artwork Archive, knowing I can decide which painting I will enter at a later date," she explains. "The calendar and reminder feature of Artwork Archive reminds me so that I don't miss deadlines or delivery dates."

Marilyn Rose, Monty (left) and Strutting His Stuff (right), Watercolors, both 15 x 11 in

She also keeps her portfolio up to date to ensure she’s ready for any opportunity that presents itself. “Using Artwork Archive to inventory my work means I can automatically post the images to my website in a gallery," she says. "I love how I can easily generate code to integrate my portfolio pages from the site directly into my SquareSpace website... and I'm not a programmer."

It only takes a bit of preparation to stay on top of her art career now, Rose says—which allows her to be strategic about which opportunities to pursue and ensures she has time to prepare properly for each one. She knows from past experience that this is a luxury that disorganized artists rarely experience.

Track the Business Side of Your Art Practice

Now that she knows the administrative side of her practice is taken care of, Rose can focus on making work—and on sharing that work with the world.

“I often do commissions,” Rose says, “and I love how I can bill in increments, when I accept the commission and when I ship it."

She has also impressed her collectors and clients with the professionalism of her communication. “I invoice all of my sales through Artwork Archive,” she says. “I can now keep track of who owns my paintings,” making it easy to see who has purchased which pieces in the past, and finding collectors who might be interested in her new work.

The Sustainable Artist's Secret Weapon

As Rose has discovered, a sustainable art practice doesn’t require an extra pair of hands—it just needs smart systems that reduce administrative burdens and maximize creative time.

With Artwork Archive, “Staying organized is as easy as entering an image once I finish a painting," she explains. This simplicity is the hallmark of effective organization—when the system is easier than the chaos, maintaining it becomes natural.

Marilyn Rose, Another Day at Pike's Market, Watercolor, 11 x 15 in

And isn't that, ultimately, the goal of every organizational system—to create more space for creativity to flourish?

Marilyn Rose’s Top Tips for Building Your Virtual Studio Assistant

As Rose found, a little organizational effort can go a long way. Here are her top four lessons from her art career journey: 

1. Make Organization Part of Your Creative Routine: "My biggest tip to anyone starting out with Artwork Archive is to make updating your work in your own online inventory a regular part of your art practice. It will pay off." By incorporating inventory updates into her workflow as soon as she completes a painting, Rose ensures her records stay current without creating overwhelming backlogs.
    
2. Start Where You Are, Not Where You've Been: "When I discovered Artwork Archive, I had a backlog of years of un-inventoried work and felt overwhelmed with starting with the platform. I would advise artists to start with the present, and you can slowly go back and include work, either as you have time, or as you have inquiries about those older pieces." A slow-and-steady approach makes dealing with your backlog both manageable and immediately beneficial. Plus, migrating might not be as hard as you think.
    
3. Recognize Organization as Essential, Not Optional: "When I started out, I never realized how important the organizational part of the business was going to be to my success as a fine artist." No matter where you are in your art career, you will always benefit from staying organized.
    
4. Use Integrated Tools, Not Piecemeal Solutions: "It took me a while to realize that I didn't have to 'reinvent the wheel'... that there was an integrated tool like Artwork Archive that could help me." And if you need extra support from the Artwork Archive team to get your backlog inventoried, reach out today.

Marilyn Rose, Tilghman Island Country Store, Watercolor, 15 x 11 in