The COVID-19 pandemic has created shaky ground for artists and for businesses throughout the world. Quarantining policies have forced many of us into our own creative bubbles. In a lot of cases, the forums to sell our work – shows, conventions, galleries, and the like – are not an option as events disappear from the calendar or places of business are deemed non-essential.

What do we do in a time like this? We put our art into the world, and we want it to be seen, but the platforms for being seen are changing right now. For many of us, it impacts our income.

Now is the time to acknowledge that we are better together than alone. Even in a time of self-isolation, finding ways to collaborate, support each other, and boost each other up is key if we are going to be seen and heard in a virtual world. Artists are by nature creative, and collective creativity is what will help us in circumstances like this.

And with that in mind, we have a forum we can use to advance this discussion about how to support each other in the art community. “Webinar Week: Small Business Recovery during a Pandemic” is a full week of webinar interviews. Each of the 15 sessions features a different expert speaker from a different industry, and the art community will be featured on Friday, May 15 from 1-2pm Pacific! Host Melissa Forziat of Melissa Forziat Events and Marketing will interview Andrew Thompson of #ArtistAlleyOnline and Andrew Art Illustration to discuss “How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Art Community and What Some Are Doing in Response.”

This session is free of charge and will feature a Q&A after the interview as well as a live chat. We can use this opportunity to support and share ideas with each other! Not able to attend live? Sign up anyway so you can get the full recording. If you are feeling isolated or concerned about the future of getting your work out there, come join us for this discussion.

We can find new ways to make sure our work gets seen, make new friends, and band together to help our art community grow and thrive.

Want to join the conversation? Check out any of the sessions in Webinar Week, especially the May 15 session for the art community. Learn all about the event and register for free here!