S1 E29. Canadian-based artist advisor Pennylane Shen launched her company, Dazed & Confucius, to provide artists with the knowledge and practical skills needed to navigate the contemporary art world. In this episode, Pennylane shares her perspective on building an art career and why she’s so passionate about working with artists. Here’s what we discuss:
1. Pennylane’s inspiration for launching Dazed & Confucius, and how it has grown since 2006.
2. Why artist’s goals are unique, and the importance of creating a plan that facilitates success in the art world.
3. Setting boundaries to avoid burnout and keep a sustainable practice.
4. Recognizing that resistance is normal—we all experience it—and why it’s important to be aware of it.
About Pennylane:
Pennylane Shen is an artist advisor, curator and educator. Since 2006, her company
Dazed and Confucius has offered
one-on-one consultations to over 1000 artists each year and business development seminars worldwide. While Dazed and Confucius caters to artists' needs such as marketing and career support, what sets them apart from other art advisories is their core philosophy: prioritizing strong concept and identity building first and foremost.
Pennylane’s interest for her clientele is, simply put, improvement of the work itself. Her strengths are in seeing the weak points in a body of work and recognizing how it could reach a wider audience. This may involve technique, concept, ethos and commentary. Pennylane holds a Master’s Degree in
Visual Culture Theory from NYU and has lectured at various forums throughout Canada, the US and the UK. Hers is a no-nonsense, holistic approach to address an artist’s practice such that it can more fully realize its potential. Ultimately, Pennylane guides artists toward a more secure and refined sense of the artistic identity upon which they will build their practice and career.
Join our newsletter: