Artists Who Work

Moving Beyond The Lucky BreakTM

to Conquer the Starving Artist Syndrome

Problem-Solving

Connecting

Training

Giving Artists the Power to Support Themselves

Our Business

The Artist Initiative is the global resource network that connects artists with the organizations that will support them in their journey to wealth.

We began in the mind of a plucky little artist, whose secret identity was that of a mild-mannered bookstore manager.

When Nerissa Street was a manager for a national bookstore chain, artists from across the region would approach her to sell products or promote events in her store. Although the artists, writers, poets, dancers and musicians that she saw had a lot of talent, they lacked the business acumen required to make them successful.

Worse, many of the artists had hired people who were taking advantage of them.

But, as a manager of a national chain, there could be serious liabilities in advising the artists of their mistakes. She started to volunteer at local arts organizations, and found that the lack of business sense was there too. The ethical dilemma bothered her so much that she decided to create this firm.

She's used her business degree and corporate experience to craft a cohesive program that addresses the spiritual needs of the artist and tackles the paradigm shift needed to consistently create well-being.

Who We Are

The rules of our community:

• we honor ourselves by being competent, professional artists;
• we honor each other by respecting each other's work, while challenging each other to improve;
• we honor our art by creating structures for wealth, education and legacy; and
• we honor our community by committing and contributing to its success.