Bruce Wood: Artist and Entrepreneur

One of my paintings.

Bruce Wood

Chicago's Kinzie Street.

I love jazz, and produced this CD of "Spy Jazz" by Britain's own Steve Hillman.

My furniture store in Michigan, 2007

My gallery in Chicago's Wicker Park/Bucktown, 2007

The original AFA Press in Michigan. It housed fine-print making equipment for etching, stone lithography and silk screen.

See what was made at afaPress.com. 2003

The type of things I sold in Chicago.

The warehouse was full of expensive inventory. Boy am I glad to have my entire business in my computer now!

Hello, my name is Bruce Wood. I'm a self-taught entrepreneur.

I received a Master’s Degree in Fine Art in 1975 from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After graduation I could only find low-paying, entry-level jobs, and relied on a single skill from college to help me get through. Art education is all about problem-solving, and I had a big problem --all that education, and no marketable skills! No one was buying my art, so I turned to self-help books to learn how to make a living.

My interests led to a variety of businesses ventures. Some flopped, while others flourished. From the first self-help book, I learned to publicize my art. I got great reviews, but still couldn’t pay the rent. Then I read about investing in real estate. I learned to renovate houses, and became a landlord with a dozen buildings.

Living in Chicago, one of the world's financial capitals, I learned about Futures trading and bought a seat on the Mid America Commodity Exchange. Eventually I became a registered Floor Trader (Yes, one of those guys who stands in the pit and yells) and a registered Commodity Trading Advisor (who sits in an office and yells.) Although I prefer tranquility, being a futures broker was an intense education in commerce.

I have had many businesses, and they have given me insights to marketing and customer relations. One of the first was direct-response television marketing. I sold telephones and wrenches on late-night TV. ”But wait, there’s more!...“

I also opened an art gallery in Michigan and two imported furniture boutiques in Chicago, ventures which lasted 18 years. I own the art publishing business AFA Press, and Dreamfast Cinema, a small audio and video label for jazz and mystery movies.

In my spare time, I write fiction. I wrote, directed and produced a feature-length film. (It’s out on DVD as ”Bruce Wood’s The Door“)

Along the way, I also managed to sell quite a few of my paintings. (People pay for them now.) I have a nice collector base, and my art is in museum and corporate collections.

I have always been looking for a simple business to support my art activities. Most had big drawbacks. Those which paid well gave me no time to make art, and those which gave time, well, they usually forced me to find money elsewhere.

Several years ago I discovered network marketing. Now I'm an internet marketer. It's great! I can do business from my favorite resorts in Cancun or Puerto Vallarta, or even from my sister's dining room table in Boston, when I'm visiting there!

If you have any of the above interests, let's chat on twitter, or give me a call.

Bruce Wood

+1-312-330-5215