Artist Career Consultants offer one-on-one professional support for artists, creative entrepreneurs, and creative small business owners. These sessions are an excellent way to get personalized career development support.
Consultations are for project and professional development (they are not artistic critiques or creative feedback) and are offered no- or low-cost to artists in Minnesota thanks to Springboard’s underwriting partners.
If you are stuck on a professional milestone, want feedback on a next step, or have a lingering question about your creative career, book time with an Artist Career Consultant today.
Building a creative career can be a lonely endeavor, but artists don’t have to go it alone. The Artist Career Consultant roster is full of practicing artists, entrepreneurs, and professionals who offer one-on-one support to artists, based on their expertise and experience.
We work with over 20 consultants to ensure a deep base of knowledge and a responsive, productive experience. The ACC roster covers a broad array of disciplines and professional expertise like marketing, grant and project development, web presence, technology, publishing, and more, with consultants based across Minnesota available for virtual and in-person consultation
Springboard would like to thank MN DEED, BTAP, and Elevate Business Hennepin County for underwriting free Artist Career Consultations for artists and creative businesses across Minnesota.
Header Image Credit: various Artist Career Consultants and participants. Photos by Thaiphy Phan-Quang.
Artists meet one-on-one with ACCs for a 1-hour meeting to seek advice, guidance, and direction on the business side of their career as an artist. Springboard ACCs will listen, ask questions, and suggest actions or next steps for the artist, if applicable.
Consultations are not suitable for ongoing regular check-ins, tasks requiring ongoing development or specialized knowledge, or a substitute for working with a contractor, strategic planning consultant or mentor. If you are looking for these services, Springboard staff may be able to refer you to other professionals and partner organizations. Contact us at consultations@springboardforthearts.org.
You don’t need to bring anything with you, though we strongly advise you bring anything you need during the session for taking notes (notebook, digital device). You’re welcome to send your consultant some links, work samples, documents and other materials before you meet, though they may not have time to review them thoroughly.
Our consultants have varied schedules. Often they meet with multiple artists a day, and occasionally back to back. Arriving on time for your consultation allows us to give every artist their full hour. If you need to cancel or move a consultation, please contact the consultant directly with at least 24 hours notice. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late, it’s possible that we’ll ask you to reschedule at the discretion of the consultant. Same-day cancellations or cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice can be rescheduled, but we can’t issue a refund unless there has been a medical or family emergency.
You’re welcome to schedule as many consultations as you are able to afford. If you would like to schedule additional consultations with a different consultant, please fill out another consultation request form. If you’d like to schedule additional consultations with the same consultant, please contact Springboard staff and we’ll get you connected.
Every Minnesota artist is eligible for at least one free 1-hour consultation. Beyond that, almost all Minnesota artists are eligible to receive additional free consultation time through our underwriting partners. The amount of free consultation time will vary depending on if an artist is a member of one of our priority groups (BIPOC, Native, artists with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, or an artist living in a rural area) and how many hours are still available in the program, among other factors. If an artist is not eligible through our underwriting partners, or has already taken advantage of their available free consultation time, consultations are available on a sliding scale from $50 – $125 for a one-hour consultation.
Consultations work best one-on-one. We can meet with small groups of 2-3 collaborators working together on a single project (artists, support staff, etc). If you have a larger group and would like to work with Springboard to present a workshop or presentation, please contact us and we’ll get in touch with a quote.
Because we are based in Minnesota and our consultants are most familiar with professional opportunities and resources here, the majority of our consultations are with Minnesota artists, or with artists living in neighboring states (ND, SD, IA or WI). However, we are able to meet remotely with artists outside Minnesota and bordering communities (Fargo-Moorhead, the St. Croix River Valley of Wisconsin, Sioux Falls, SD) on a case-by-case basis, depending on the topics the artist wishes to cover. In these cases, we require an hourly payment of $50 or more.
Career consultations are geared towards individual artists and teams of artists working in fiscally sponsored groups. We are able to provide consultations for non-profit organizations, but in such instances we charge a fee of $125 for a 1 hr consultation. Consultations take place over the phone or virtually. In person consultations are available per the discretion of the consultant, or to accommodate an individual’s accessibility needs. Additionally, you may be interested in our National Consulting services.
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