Ep. 22: When Your Art Business Stops Growing

Summary

Art + Audience Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Ep. 22: When Your Art Business Stops Growing
Host: Stacie Bloomfield
Release Date: June 24, 2025

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Introduction: Navigating Business Plateaus

In Episode 22 of the Art + Audience podcast, host Stacie Bloomfield delves into a universal challenge faced by many creative entrepreneurs: what to do when your art business hits a growth plateau. Stacie shares her personal experiences and offers actionable strategies to overcome stagnation, ensuring that artists can continue to thrive and evolve in their creative endeavors.

Stacey’s Personal Experience with Business Stagnation

Stacie opens the episode by recounting a poignant moment in her own business journey. She describes the launch of a new candle line for her brand, Gingerbread, which was meticulously planned and executed. Despite the careful promotion across various platforms and a beautifully photographed product campaign, sales were disappointingly slow.

Stacie Bloomfield [00:00]: “We launched. And nothing. The response was quiet. Like, eerily quiet.”

This lackluster response felt like a "gut punch" to Stacie, especially since her entire team had invested significant energy and belief into the project. The failure prompted deep self-reflection about whether she had misread her audience or lost her "magic."

Understanding Plateaus as Opportunities

Stacie emphasizes that plateaus are not signs of failure but invitations to evolve. She shares that even with Gingerbread’s success in generating seven figures, she has faced moments where growth seemed entirely stagnant. These moments, though challenging, have been pivotal in pushing her to reassess and adapt her strategies.

Stacie Bloomfield [00:51]: “Plateaus are not punishment. They are invitations. Invitations to evolve.”

Steps to Overcome Business Stagnation

To assist listeners facing similar challenges, Stacie outlines a three-step process designed to diagnose and address the root causes of business stagnation.

Step 1: Diagnose the Real Problem Before You Blow Everything Up

The first step involves pausing and conducting a thorough analysis to identify the underlying issues causing the stagnation. Stacie advises artists to question whether the problem lies with the offer, the audience, or the messaging.

Stacie Bloomfield [02:30]: “Is it the offer? The audience? The messaging? Sometimes we're selling a great product but to the wrong person.”

She highlights the importance of understanding the target audience and ensuring that the product aligns with their needs and desires. For instance, determining whether customers are buying gifts for specific occasions can significantly impact the product’s positioning and appeal.

Step 2: Do Something Bold

Once the problem is diagnosed, Stacie encourages artists to take bold, albeit small, actions to revitalize their business. This might involve experimenting with new art ideas, refreshing the website, launching a different offer, or adding a new income stream.

Stacie Bloomfield [04:15]: “Let's try a little refresh and shake things up. Get weird.”

Stacie shares her own experience of venturing into education by teaching other artists how to grow their art businesses. Despite initial reservations and self-doubt, this bold move reignited her passion and expanded her role within her business.

Step 3: Recommit with a Fresh Rhythm

The final step focuses on restoring balance and preventing burnout by adopting a structured yet flexible workflow. Stacie introduces the "five-hour a week" framework from her book, The Artist Side Hustle, which allocates time for product development, marketing, audience connection, administrative tasks, and personal well-being.

Stacie Bloomfield [05:50]: “That rhythm works because it gives you structure without burnout, action without anxiety and progress without overwhelm.”

This approach ensures that artists can maintain productivity and creativity without succumbing to stress and fatigue.

Insights and Conclusions

Throughout the episode, Stacie reinforces the notion that encountering business plateaus is a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey. Instead of viewing these moments as setbacks, she urges artists to see them as opportunities for growth and innovation. By diagnosing the real problems, taking bold actions, and recommitting with a balanced approach, artists can navigate through stagnation and continue to build successful, fulfilling art businesses.

Stacie Bloomfield [06:00]: “You're not broken. You haven't peaked. You're not behind. You're at the edge of your next evolution.”

Final Thoughts

Stacie concludes the episode by encouraging listeners to embrace change and remain resilient in the face of challenges. She invites artists to engage with the community by sharing their experiences and questions, fostering a supportive environment for collective growth.

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Key Takeaways:

• Plateaus Are Natural: Understand that periods of stagnation are part of the growth process and can lead to significant evolution.
• Diagnose Before Acting: Carefully assess the root causes of business challenges before making drastic changes.
• Embrace Boldness: Don’t be afraid to try new strategies or pivot your business approach to reignite growth.
• Maintain Balance: Implement structured routines that promote productivity while preventing burnout.

By following Stacie Bloomfield’s guidance, artists can overcome periods of stagnation and continue to develop their art businesses with renewed energy and clarity.

Transcript

[A]

We launched. And nothing. The response was quiet. Like, eerily quiet. We promoted it across our platforms, we emailed our list, we photographed it beautifully. And yet sales trickled in painfully slow. I kept refreshing the dashboard, thinking maybe it just needs more time. But deep down, it felt like a gut punch.

[B]

Wouldn't it be nice if your art business loved you back? Hi, I'm Stacey Bloomfield. After years of trial and error and late night doodling, I went from being a coffee shop manager to running a vibrant seven figure art business business that I love. And now I'm on a mission to help more artists create an art business that they love too. So I invite you to find a cozy spot, pull out your favorite sketchbook, and listen in. It's never too late to chase your creative dreams. Welcome to the Art plus Audience podcast.

[A]

Hey, friend. Welcome back to Art Audience, the podcast for creative entrepreneurs who are building something real from their art. I'm your host, Stacey Bloomfield, and today I want to talk about something that most artists experience, but we rarely say it out loud. What do you do when your art business just stops growing? Maybe your sales are stalling, Maybe your email list is flatlined, Maybe you're showing up consistently on Instagram, but nothing's landing. And you're starting to wonder, is this it? Did I miss my moment? If that's you, I want you to know this. Plateaus are not punishment. They are invitations. Invitations to evolve. I've had moments in my business, even with Gingerbread generating seven figures, where I felt completely, heartbreakingly stuck. Not like a little dip. I mean, the kind of stuff that makes you question everything. And one of the most vivid examples was our candle launch. Now, on paper, this was supposed to be the perfect addition to the Gingibur product line. I had this vision for something cozy, beautiful, giftable, something that felt like a natural next step for our brand. So we went all in. Our whole team got involved. We voted on scents together. We tested samples. We designed custom packaging with care, from the label texture to the box design, to the scent descriptions. We imagine people lighting these candles in their homes next to a gingerbread tea towel, creating little moments of beauty. It felt thoughtful, aligned, exciting. And then we launched. And nothing. The response was quiet. Like, eerily quiet. We promoted it across our platforms. We emailed our list, we photographed it beautifully. And yet, sales trickled in painfully slow. I kept refreshing the dashboard, thinking maybe it just needs more time. But deep down, it felt like a gut punch. What made it even harder was knowing this wasn't just my idea. My whole team had put energy into it. We believed in it. And when something you've built together flops, it hits differently. I started asking myself, did I misread what our audience wanted? Did I waste our time? Did I lose my magic? It's easy in those moments to spiral into. Maybe I've peaked, and that is terrifying, especially when you've poured over a decade into building something with heart. But here's what I've learned. That moment wasn't failure. It was feedback. It wasn't the end of the story. It was a turning point. It showed me that it wasn't the product. It was the positioning, the timing, the rhythm. So we paused, we reflected. And now we're reworking our candle strategy with more research, a better pricing model, and a launch that makes sense for the lives our customers actually live. Same dream, new approach because stagnation isn't the end, it's often the beginning of your next chapter. So what do you do when it feels like your business isn't growing anymore? Let me walk you through it. Step 1 Diagnose the real problem before you blow everything up. Pause. Get curious. Ask yourself Is it the offer? The audience? The messaging? Sometimes we're selling a great product but to the wrong person. Or we're talking about it in a way that's bland, unclear, or just forgettable. One of the best things I ever did was slow down and ask who is this really for and what transformation are they looking for? What problem am I solving for them? Are they buying a Christmas present for their dad? Probably not. Gingerbread doesn't cater to that audience. So are they buying a Mother's Day or housewarming gift for their mother in law? That's a pretty big possibility and we can lean in and continue asking the right questions. So we make sure our offer is clear, the audience is defined, and the hook of what makes your product special and a must have is shared. When you get clear on that, you unlock new momentum. Step 2 Do something bold Even if it's small, plateaus often mean your business is whispering, I'm feeling stale and boring. Let's try a little refresh and shake things up. Get weird. Try that rather quirky art idea. Maybe that means refreshing your website, launching a different offer, or adding a new income stream. For me, it was launching education, even though I swore up and down I would never teach. I'm sort of an impatient person and honestly thought I would be bad at it. But my years of self taught business training meant I actually knew a little bit. Something something. No MBA here. When I started teaching other artists how to grow their art businesses. It reignited something in me. Not because I stopped loving products, but because my role inside my business evolved. So what's your bold move? What's the small thing you've been curious about but afraid to try? Try that. Run towards it. The fear might actually be curiosity, and if you are curious, you might as well give it a proper go. Curiosity will lead to skill and knowledge development, which you can then put into real practice. Then, if you still love it, lean into it. It could be your next right step. Step three Recommit with a Fresh Rhythm Sometimes stagnation is actually burnout in disguise. You've been pushing, producing, performing, and now you're tired and nothing's working the way it used to. If that's you, go back to the five hour a week framework that I teach in my book the Artist side Hustle, which you can pre order right now by visiting stacybloomfield.com, one hour for product or offer development, one hour for marketing, one hour for audience connection. One hour for admin or automation. One hour for rest, play or vision casting. That rhythm works because it gives you structure without burnout, action without anxiety and progress without overwhelm. So if your art business feels stuck right now, I want you to hear this. You're not broken. You haven't peaked. You're not behind. You're at the edge of your next evolution. The answer isn't to burn it all down. The answer is to look with clearer eyes, to ask deeper questions, and to try one brave new thing when it feels stuck. It's often time to evolve, not quit. You're not starting over. You're starting next. If this episode spoke to your heart, I'd love to hear from you. Call our art and audience voicemail at 479-966-9561. That's 479-966-9561 and I might include your question in a future episode. Until then, keep showing up for your art and for your audience.

[B]

Thanks so much for tuning in. Hey, could you do me a favor? Could you subscribe to this podcast and then share it with one of your best friends, art friends? I'd really appreciate it. And then head on over to Instagram and follow me at the Leverage your art account and you can keep up with all of our future episodes. Thank you so much for your support. It means everything to have you here listening and learning. Bye.