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![jamie heidenWeb Jamie Heiden](/contentassets/d2492d337f8a4841b98d59100cb0f8ab/imported-from-wordpress2/jamie-heidenweb.jpg)
Jamie Heiden is a photographer and artist from Holmen[/caption]
Artist learns how to grow photography business in UW-L SBDC class
Jamie Heiden was an artist and a mother, but not necessarily a businessperson. A class through UW-La Crosse’s
Small Business Development Center was the catalyst that made her all three.
“When my children were old enough, I was ready to take my business to the next level,” she says. “But I was intimidated by the business aspect of it.”
Heiden, a photographer from Holmen, says legal issues like copyright and business accounting were foreign to her. She took the class, “
Learning Community of Artists: Best Business Practices,” through SBDC once a month for 10 months starting in October 2008 and was amazed by how much she learned.
Today her business,
Jamie Heiden Photography, has blossomed. Heiden’s recognitions this past year include Best of Photography at Madison’s Art Fair Off the Square and People’s Choice Awards at both Art Fair on the Green and the Driftless Area Art Festival. She has also been featured in the national publication “The Digital Studio” and has an international exhibit at a gallery in Ireland.
An exhibit of her work will be at
The Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St., La Crosse, through March 10. A reception is from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at The Pump House.
The SBDC class covers ways to finance art, organize a creative business, keep records, learn basic accounting skills, become familiar with legal issues concerning artists, use technology, develop portfolios, market art and more. Guest speakers such as successful artists, lawyers, bankers, accountants, Web developers and others visit classes to offer their insights.
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![Above Seamus O'Riley's fish shopWeb Jamie Heiden photography](/contentassets/d2492d337f8a4841b98d59100cb0f8ab/imported-from-wordpress2/above-seamus-orileys-fish-shopweb.jpg)
This piece "Above Seemus O'Riley's Fish Shop" by Jamie Heiden will be on display at The Pump House exhibit. Heiden’s art begins with a digital photo. Additional photos are added to the base image and the layering creates a painterly look. “Each image has this kind of fairytale in it — a bit of a sag in a barn roof, clouds in the sky or birds flying,” she says. “It removes it ever so slightly from reality.”[/caption]
In the class, artists are encouraged to work together and explore common issues of artist-run businesses, says Martina Skobic, program instructor.
“It was a wonderful gathering of people who fed off each other in terms of motivation and inspiration,” says Heiden.
The majority of artists are intimidated even by an idea of treating their art as business, says Skobic.
“My goal is to help them achieve financial success without sacrificing creativity,” she says.
Are you an artist looking to take your business to the next level?
The Learning Community of Artists: Best Business Practices is a 10-month professional development program designed to empower artists from all disciplines to take the next step in building a sustainable art business. The program is a discussion rather than lecture-based format and teaches both theory and hands-on skills with an emphasis on adult, interactive learning. Participants constantly share resources, observations, best practices and more.
To learn more or sign up call the SBDC office at 608.785.8783, visit the SBDC on the first floor of Wimberly Hall or visit the
program website. The next Learning Community of Artists will meet on Sept. 19, 2012.
A Professional Development Series for Artists starts in March.
Program Instructor
Martina Skobic also provides free, confidential, one-on-one business advising to the eligible local art business owners via SBDC. Contact the SBDC for more information.
Learn more about UW-L's Small Business Development Center
The Small Business Development Center provides business advising services, business education programs and information resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout the 7 Rivers Region. The SBDC is affiliated with
UW-La Crosse College of Business Administration and its service area includes: Buffalo, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Trempealeau and Vernon counties. The center works in partnership with the
U.S. Small Business Administration and the
University of Wisconsin-Extension. Check out the
SBDC website.
View more of Jamie Heiden's photography