Because it’s never too late for a new beginning.
For more than twenty years, I’ve been writing this weekly blog about the business side of art. Before that, I spent nearly two decades publishing art‑business trade magazines and producing industry trade shows. That’s long enough for the truth to be told: I went and got old, and mostly it seems like it happened when I wasn’t looking. But I’m okay with that because I’ve come to realize aging is a privilege.
Altogether, those four decades add up to a long stretch of time — enough to watch cycles rise and fall, and to notice a few patterns. I’m finding that despite the years piling up, my older readers and I just keep working. We keep learning. But our perspective begins to shift.
The questions get bigger.
Instead of only asking How do I market my art? You start asking:
- What does a creative life look like over decades?
- What really matters?
- How do I keep my work meaningful and joyful as the years go by?
These are questions I’ve been thinking about for a long time, especially lately. So I decided to create a new place to explore them. (You might recall I launched a Facebook group called Older Artists in 2020. It grew to 220,000 members.)
My new project is called Older Artists, which I am publishing on Substack—a platform well-suited to more personal writing. When you check it out, and I hope you do, you’ll find the first published essays ready for you to explore.
This isn’t a replacement for Art Marketing News. I’ll continue showing up here each week, just as I always have. I maintain a keen interest in keeping AMN focused on the practical side of building an art career.
Older Artists is something different — a space to write about the deeper side of a creative life. Its perspective is born from the wisdom of age. It speaks to the ways artists stay connected to their work as the years go by.
I write Older Artists for people in their later years who still enjoy creating—but this time without shame about what they didn’t do or anxiety about what comes next. It’s an art project in words with purpose and a point of view.
For 40 years, I guided artists from the shore on how to row the boat. With Older Artists, I’m in it with them, oar in hand. Writing these essays has become the most personal and satisfying work I’ve ever done.
If it resonates with you, I’d be humbled and honored to have you join me.
Older Artists → https://olderartists.substack.com
I’ll see you here next week.
Warm wishes,
Barney
Hello Barny!
You’re a truly great person! You’ve been helping artists for a long time, including me, by sending your essays and helpful marketing tips. Thank you for that, forever!
In this heartless world where profit alone drives people and no one cares about you, you always keep up with us, 220,000 people worldwide. Thank you again for your support!
Alex
Alex, thank you for this. I’m glad the work has been useful to you over the years. Hearing that it’s helped you — and so many others — means more than you know.
All the best!
Barney
Im open to becoming more self-initiated to release codependence on a gallery for sales.
Sonja, that’s a strong place to stand. Becoming more self‑initiated isn’t about rejecting galleries — it’s about not being dependent on them to move your work into the world. It can feel challenging at first, but it’s also one of the most empowering shifts an artist can make.
You already have the mindset that matters most: a willingness to try. That’s the first real step toward becoming a self‑representing artist, and it opens more doors than people realize.
Thanks for adding your voice here. All the best!
Barney