58: Wearing Many Hats: Artist, Gallerist, and More with Kellie Miller

Some guests really need more than one episode, and Kellie Miller is one of them. A successful artist in her own right, she is also founder and director of Kellie Miller Arts, a renowned Brighton gallery representing an exciting mix of national, international and local artists. She also teaches, is involved in philanthropy and plays a major role in the creative life of Brighton - she just has to come back for another chat.
But in this very entertaining episode we talk about the realities of life on both sides of the gallery wall: the freedom (and occasional exhaustion) of wearing two hats, why curating is its own act of creativity rather than a lesser cousin to "real" art, and why Kellie believes entrepreneurship is vital in being a successful artist.
Kellie is also refreshingly honest about the business side of running a gallery - how gallery pricing actually works, why undercutting a gallery by selling direct to a client who found you through them is one of the fastest ways to end a relationship, and why she thinks art fairs have had their day. She also talks candidly about a pop-up space she lost at the last minute - and the lesson in handling disappointment that came out of it.
In this episode:
• Why being an artist and a gallery owner gives Kellie authority in supporting the artists she represents

• The invisible labour of curating - and why "you're just a curator" undersells what a gallery actually does

• How she built her stable of 70 artists, and why the window for taking on new ones is smaller than people think

• What she's really looking for in a submission

• Why keeping consistent pricing across the board is essential for artists - and what happens when artists forget that

• The real cost of art fairs

• Handling disappointment with grace - and why it pays off later

• You can find out more about Kellie and her gallery at kelliemillerarts.com @kelliemillerarts