Membership Agreement
Membership Agreement
What Strong Artist Life Offers
Strong Artist Life is dedicated to the process of helping artists find their best creative work and developing the materials and confidence to get their art ready for gallery submissions.
Our journey together will be a thought provoking and co-creative process that will inspire you to improve your personal and professional potential. As your guide, I will listen, observe, question, suggest, support, encourage, inspire, and motivate.
Our interaction with each other will always be undertaken with care, honesty, and positivity by me and each member of Strong Artist Life. This agreement outlines not only what Strong Artist Life provides but it also outlines the expectations of how the members of the group interact with each other. In this way, we create the foundation of a supportive and trustworthy environment for all.
My role, as your guide, is to support your artistic goals, empower you, and encourage you.
In the end, it is each artist’s responsibility and right to make whatever changes or decisions they see fit even if they may not be what I suggest. This is, after all, your creative journey.
Services
Strong Artist Life
18 bi-weekly group meetings comprising of member art critique/feedback, art life, and business discussion.
Meetings will take place via video conference calls using Zoom and will last from 60 to 120 minutes.
Meetings will take place at at 4pm CST every other Wednesday beginning October 2nd, 2024 and ending June 4th, 2025.
Meetings will be recorded and posted.
If you are unable to attend a meeting, your work will not be critiqued.
If you don't post your work in the appropriate place before the deadline, your work will not be critiqued.
In the unlikely event (power outage, personal emergency, etc.) I may need to reschedule the group meeting and will work with the group to find the best time.
Access to the Strong Artist Life portal which hosts meeting links, recorded meetings, and other materials as makes sense.
Access to a private communication group, using the app Slack, to share artwork, continue discussions, ask questions, offer support, etc.
Limited email support from your coach for “sensitive” matters. Otherwise, conversation should be shared on the private chat group for the group’s benefit and input.
If you need technical or administrative assistance or support, email Pamela at pamela@strongartistlife.com.
Share/Receive
Strong Artist Life is a community program. With that understanding, you are responsible for giving as much as you receive in our group calls and in the chat tool by engaging with your fellow members. It is your responsibility to show up and be seen so that you can receive wisdom, support, and ideas from others. It is also your responsibility to be heard and share your knowledge and opinions with others. Sharing your work, your ideas, and your feedback is a critical part of this group’s momentum and your success.
This does not mean you must reply or respond to each and every post from other members. It does mean, however, that you put aside a few minutes during your week, at least, to touch base with the group and respond to any posts that inspire a response and/or share your work or thoughts in your own post.
Show Up
Your presence in the group is mandatory because without you, the group is smaller - not just in size but in energy, support, input, creativity, and motivation. See You Belong Here below.
When you join our online meetings, it is imperative that you are present, speak to the subject at hand, and that your camera is on and is showing you - not a wall or static photo of you or a black box, etc. Members who don’t use their camera properly during the meetings will be removed from the meeting.
Additionally, when possible, join the meeting from a quiet environment so that you can speak freely during the meeting and so that your surroundings do not interrupt our meeting. When that isn’t possible, be mindful to use your mute button to help facilitate a smooth and productive discussion for the group.
Please plan on joining the “room” at least five minutes before the scheduled start time to sort out any technical issues that may crop up.
If you must show up late, please enter the “room” without a vocal announcement so that our discussion will not be interrupted. If you know in advance that you must leave early, please email me so that I can arrange to show your work before you leave, if possible. It is not necessary to vocally alert the group to your exit beyond sending a group text to the group.
You Belong Here
If your soul didn’t connect with Strong Artist Life, then you wouldn’t have wanted to join in the first place. The feeling of not belonging is an old story that creates a wall between you and me and a wall between you and the group. That wall will prevent your growth and your connection. It is now time to believe that you are a valuable member of Strong Artist Life and that we are a better group because of your presence.
With that understanding, you are also considered a full-time professional adult are expected to join calls regularly, post your work in time for feedback, and interact in the chat tool. Your engagement is your responsibility.
Asking For and Sharing Advice
When you post thoughts, updates, or art - be clear about asking for what you need. No one here, including me, can read your mind. Your questions need to be clear and direct so we can help you.
When you respond to others’ posts, take care to not give unsolicited advice. If you feel you have information that might be helpful, but it wasn’t specifically asked for, ask them if they’d like to hear your feedback before sharing something that might be heard as critical rather than critique.
No Politics/No News
We don’t discuss politics or recent headlines in the form of tragedies/bombshells/drama/etc. There is the whole rest of our lives to indulge in deep passionate discussions about politics and world events outside this group. This politic and news-free zone includes political art. Nothing against it but it has no place in Strong Artist Life.
Any overtly political posts or comments will result in termination with no refund.
Termination
I, as the coach, or you, as the member, have the right to terminate your membership at any point during the process with a written notice in the form of an email or a private DM in the chat tool. See Triangulation, Show Up, and No Politics below for details.
Should I terminate your membership because of behavior that harms the spirit of the group or other members, etc., you will not be refunded in full or part. Your access to any part of the program will be terminated immediately
Should I terminate your membership through no fault of your own (program changes, etc.), you will have access to the artist portal page for 30 days and be refunded at a monthly pro-rated rate, access to the chat portal will terminate immediately.
Should you decide to terminate your membership during the course, you may notify me in a Direct Message in the chat tool or you may email me at pamela@strongartistlife.com. Your access to the artist portal page will continue through the end of the current month, access to the chat tool will terminate immediately.
Triangulation
Triangulation is speaking negatively about anyone in this group behind their back and is explicitly not allowed in Strong Artist Life. If you have an issue with another member, a member of my team, or myself, you agree to bring your concerns to me privately. If you choose instead to speak about others behind their backs, your membership will be terminated immediately with no notice and no refunds.
This does not mean you have to love or even like another member’s artwork. It does mean that if you don’t like another member and you cannot find some grace for them in your mind, that you come to me directly to speak about it.
Additionally, if you have any issue or question with how the group is run, you are responsible for bringing those concerns to me directly and privately. I will endeavor to resolve your concerns to the best of my ability. However, should you choose to air your grievances to other members or in a public forum, your membership will be terminated immediately with no notice and no refunds.
If another member approaches you with negative talk about the group and/or its members, it is your responsibility to bring that information to my attention. Protecting the group dynamics of trust, vulnerability, support, and realistic positivity is an important part of ensuring Strong Artist Life is a safe, non-competitive, and effective group to improve your art and art practice.
Confidentiality
I will not release any identifying information about you or our work together without your express permission or as required by law.
I do not share your contact information with any third parties at any time.
Hold Harmless Provision
You understand that, as your guide, my focus is to assist you in improving your creative life. However, my guidance does not offer any guarantee of success.
I will not be held responsible for any damage or loss related to our work together. I do not bear responsibility for any consequence and in no event shall be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages relating directly or indirectly to any action or inaction that you take based on the services offered, information provided, or other material obtained through Stronger Artist Stronger Art.
Nondisclosure and Intellectual Property
I will not voluntarily communicate your future plans, business strategy, customer information, or financial information to any other third party. To protect my intellectual property, you agree not to disperse or reuse any coaching materials I may give you or the group, unless you have my written permission.