RISD Careers’ “Art of Business” Series Teaches Skills for Creative Career Longevity

RISD Careers launched this year’s Art of Business series to help students and alumni take their business ideas, studio practices, and freelancing to the next level. The series features six speakers who cover topics like business planning, contracts, taxes, marketing, licensing, pricing, and managing finances.

“Artists and designers are entrepreneurial by nature, using their creativity to innovate and bring meaningful new work into the world,” Senior Career Advisor Scott Malloy says. “All of this can benefit their creative business or studio practice."

The series began with Carving Out an Authentic Creative Business, a talk featuring muralist, illustrator, brand designer, and organizer Amanda Beard Garcia 12 IL. She discussed her journey through unexpected twists and turns while running a creative business—from relying on day jobs to freelancing and finding community—and the advice she’d give to her younger self.

She encouraged session participants to create work purely for themselves and do whatever it takes to get it seen. “Every year, I try to push the envelope about how much more exciting I can make something within a small budget, something I’m excited to create and share with people,” she explains. 

 “As artists and creative people. It’s easy to find ourselves pitted against each other. It’s important to turn that on its head and approach it with an abundance mindset.”

Amanda Beard Garcia 

She also noted the importance of celebrating community over competition and described creating murals alongside other artists as some of her most joyful working experiences. “As artists and creative people—especially when we exit our art school bubble—it’s easy to find ourselves pitted against each other,” she said. “It’s important to turn that on its head and approach it with an abundance mindset.” 

Garcia’s session was followed by The Art of Story as a Creative Business Tool, led by Story Magic Founder and CEO Jessica Mastors, who unpacked story as a mission-critical business skill for creatives. She showed session participants how to take control of their professional narratives and move their careers forward.

Later in the series, Luke Blackadar, deputy director of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, presented Five Good (Legal) Habits for Working Artists. Blackadar, an arts and entertainment lawyer, urged the audience to treat their creative practice as a business. He covered copyright and the importance of obtaining a contract. “Contracts mean opportunity for the most part, but they still are a liability because usually, both parties will have some type of duty under the contract,” he says. “And if you fail to fulfill that duty, well now you've defaulted and now you're responsible for rectifying the situation.”

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Blackadar framed the legal aspects of running a business as integral skills rather than afterthoughts and encouraged artists and designers to develop proactive habits that can prevent common challenges as they build their careers. One audience member asked how they should navigate artificial intelligence and prevent the use of their work without permission. 

The remaining Art of Business sessions will cover taxes for artists and creative freelancers with expert Hannah Cole, strategies for managing uneven income with The Dots Between founder Tamara Bates, and a freelancer’s roadmap led by photographer Grace Rivera 15 PH. 

Visit the RISD Careers website to register for future events or watch recorded sessions from earlier in the year. 

Kaylee Pugliese
January 29, 2026