When an artist or creative first comes to Little Deer CC, what problem are they usually most relieved to hand off?
There’s this romantic idea of what an artist does, but it’s only partly true. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by all the “other stuff” that a professional artist, at any stage of their career, has to do.
Artists today are stuck in a constant cycle of administrative heavy lifting: finding opportunities, updating CVs, reformatting portfolios, wrestling with websites... and that’s before even trying to keep up a social media presence. That’s often the first thing to fall off the list.
We take on that burden. It frees up energy for the artistic part of being an artist. You don’t have to do everything yourself. In fact, it may not even be possible to do it all and do it well. Having more time for your art simply leads to better results.
What kinds of services does Little Deer CC actually provide day to day?
We approach it from two angles: creative support and social media support.
On the creative side, a big part of the work is hunting down opportunities and helping artists apply successfully. In that sense, I am an “agent lite.” Anyone who has applied to exhibitions, grants, or residencies knows how much energy that takes. I can take on some, or all, of that process.
Because my background is in the arts, I have a deep toolbox to draw from. We provide practical solutions, such as:
- Organizing and formatting portfolios into flexible templates so a body of work is ready for different situations.
- Copywriting and editing for CVs and artist statements.
- Career research and strategy.
- Technical solutions, like managing an artwork archive or setting up online sales platforms.
What changes for artists once that work is no longer living in their head all the time?
Artists often get stuck in a "busy loop" where they aren’t really making work anymore. It becomes constant email checking, scrolling, and administrative tasks. It’s surprisingly hard to break out of that cycle.
When that pressure is lifted, there’s suddenly time and headspace. Sometimes artists even struggle to let go of the loop at first, but once they do, they realize they can focus on being creative again.
Many artists feel like they should be able to handle everything themselves. How do you respond to that mindset?
Artists are often expected to “do it all” because most services don’t actually understand what artists need. There’s also a persistent idea of the artist as a lone-wolf figure.
But being an artist is also running a business. It’s unrealistic to expect a business to grow sustainably on the back of a single person. An artist should be putting their energy into their highest-value, most skilled activities, because that energy is limited and valuable.
Diverting that energy to tedious or unfamiliar tasks can be a real waste, especially if it eats into your most potent creative moments. I don’t ask my doctor to change my oil, and I don’t ask my mechanic to take my blood pressure. It doesn’t make sense to expect artists to wear every hat their business requires.
How does working with Little Deer CC affect an artist’s confidence when applying, posting, or putting themselves forward?
It opens the field of opportunities wide.
When you’re working alone, you tend to limit yourself to what feels like a safe bet. With us, there’s fresh energy and less uncertainty. We can find you more opportunities, both safe bets and riskier shots to take. We can be confident for you.
How is this different from simply outsourcing busywork?
The busywork is actually essential to a sustainable artistic life. If you want to show your work, attend residencies, or apply for funding, there will always be research, organization, and paperwork involved.
We’re not pretending that part disappears. We’re here to reduce it to something sustainable so it supports the artist instead of overwhelming them.
After a year of working with Little Deer CC, what do you hope is different for an artist?
My hope is that their day starts and ends with the creative process instead of apps and emails. The evolution of their body of work shouldn’t be put on hold because of maintenance.
Finally, what would you say directly to an artist stuck in the email-and-app loop?
Don’t forget why you started doing all this extra work and what it was meant to support. If the admin and marketing begin to overshadow the creative pursuit, it’s time to refocus.
