Beyond Taste: Managing a Sustainable Art Practice

By Ivan Barnett, Serious Play

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” Ben Franklin.  Santa Fe’s barrio.  Image Ivan Barnett.

“Vision without systems thinking ends up painting lovely pictures of the future with no deep understanding of the forces that must be mastered.” — Peter Senge

We love to talk about taste—who’s “ahead,” who’s “over,” what’s “hot.” But after five decades as an artist and twenty-five years running a gallery, I’ve learned something quite profound: taste is not what keeps a practice alive. Decisions do.

Today, the art world is saturated with talented artists and respected galleries who are quietly stuck. Not because the work isn’t strong, but because there’s no codified operating system underneath it—no clear way to decide what to make, how to release it, how to price it, and how to build relationships that last longer than a single show or fair cycle.

“Timing is everything.” Shakespeare.  Old Santa Fe.  Image Ivan Barnett.

For artists, sustainability starts with designing and making bodies of work, not just individual pieces: coherent families and variations. It means setting realistic price bands, pacing releases so you don’t flood or starve the market, and protecting the hardest skill of all—knowing when to stop so the work still breathes with vibrancy.

For galleries, it means programming with curiosity but operating with rigor. In practice, that looks like a visible pipeline from inquiry → hold → install → close, honest review of show performance (beyond opening-night buzz), and VIP care systems that build repeat collectors without leaning on constant discounts to attract patrons.

“Less is more, mies vander rohe.”

Collectors and curators play a part too. Learning to recognize practices that are structurally sound, focused series, thoughtful cadence, transparent pricing, and healthy artist, gallery alignment, allows you to support projects that will still be strong and solid in ten years.

In my work with Serious Play, I see over and over that when you put a few simple frameworks under the work, everything changes: calmer studios and a healthier ecosystem for everyone.

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” — Sun Tzu

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