Many artists resist "becoming a brand", afraid it means selling out or reduces their artistry to commercialization. But branding isn't about marketing. It's about knowing your work deeply enough to communicate what you make, why you make it, and the impact your work has on the world.
Branding as Storytelling reframes brand identity as an act of creative and personal clarity. Through guided exploration, you'll move past the misconceptions (logos, color palettes, websites) and into the real foundation: your core values, your purpose, and your artistic vision.
You'll leave with a mini brand storytelling guide, a living document that articulates your deeper truth and transforms how you talk about your artistry.
This workshop is for artists, creatives, and makers who are ready to stop underselling their work and start owning their story.
Held at the Institute of Contemporary Art - Central location, this workshop is the second of a four-part "Art Biz" series that will help artists develop their career. RSVPs are required for each workshop in the series.
Nic Roc is a heart-centered business consultant who has spent nearly two decades building pathways where creativity and commerce meet. She specializes in designing infrastructure that helps artists and creative entrepreneurs build real economic power, rooted in solidarity, community ownership, and the reimagining of what tomorrow can look like. Her work in business development for the arts as a form of economic empowerment has been seen in collaboration with the City of San Diego, California for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, and RISE San Diego.
When she's not building frameworks for creative economies, you'll find her hiking, traveling, or channeling her own creativity through photography and floral design.
This free workshop is provided by Space 4 Art in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art and sponsored by The Prebys Foundation. The Arts Ecosystem grant aims to bring more art funding to the San Diego Art Economy. The grant is part of the Prebys Foundation’s 2025 Emergency Arts Investment, which responds to significant challenges facing the region’s arts sector, including federal and state funding cuts, rising operational costs, and the need to preserve vital community spaces for creativity.
By enrolling in this class, you acknowledge and agree that photos and video may be taken during the event. These materials may be used by the organizers for marketing, promotional, and educational purposes.