Advising Post Pandemic: One Advisor’s Strategic Moves with Lisa Schiff
Lisa Schiff is internationally recognised as a leading art advisor, with over a decade of experience building private collections. Lisa founded SFA Art Advisory in 2002, and now has offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London. Lisa has curated exhibitions, mounted four benefit auctions for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and consulted on visual culture for various Foundations. In our C-Suite “Advising Post Pandemic: One Advisor's Strategic Moves”, Lisa explored her thoughts on the impact of Covid-19 on the industry as well as her general attitudes towards work/life balance moving forward.
Lisa discussed what she perceived as the potential silver linings of the drastic changes we have had to make to our reality following the Covid-19 public health crisis. These obligatory lifestyle changes have helped Lisa reflect on a broader scale what she hopes to achieve with her career, as well as allowing her to focus on the immediate practicalities of pivoting her business in preparation for a new future which has been brought on through this enforced pause.
Lisa highlighted, that even before the Covid-19 outbreak, the art world was on the brink of a “huge industrial revolution” that is closely related to the digital revolution, which so many other sectors have had to address. Lisa’s extended use of this Industrial Revolution with regard to the art world suggested that this “Industrial Revolution” would “wipe out” businesses that were not prepared, leaving brand new industries in their wake. Lisa underlined that it is incredibly difficult and draining to scramble constantly to stay afloat as the sector changes around you. Ultimately it is clear that the art world has been overdue this digital revolution which has already impacted other sectors and industries, and this has perhaps been accelerated by the necessary reliance on technology during WFH and lockdown.
“We are going through a fascinating, but scary change. It’s hard to predict which direction to pivot in and how to operate our business….My takeaway from this time period… my main motto is people over profit”
Pausing and Reflecting
The main positive that Lisa has taken from this period, is that it has given her, and the art world as a whole, a change to pause and reflect on the incredible pressures and intensity with which we are often swept away in in this industry.
“I am so grateful to have been afforded that chance to get off the fast moving train that we have all been a part of over the last few years, and to have the space and time to reflect”.
Lisa explored, how previously she had not made as much time for reflection as she would have liked in her career, and thus this period has enabled her to look towards many changes that she has wanted to make, but felt like she a) could not achieve the changes and b) could not think about the changes long enough to act upon them.
Proactive versus Reactive
“The big problem I noticed… is being reactive instead of proactive as an advisor. What happened over time, as email became more and more prevalent, and art fairs expanded, and auctions expanded, and galleries expanded, and there were more shows and more previews - I lost all proactivity.”
Lisa highlighted that the rapid expansion of several aspects of the art industry - from mega galleries, to the punishing art fair schedule - has resulted in reactive responses in art advising. Lisa highlighted, that before this enforced pause brought on by lockdown, she would spend the majority of her days dealing with an inbox full of emails from an ever extending list of galleries, fair previews and other parties, before “lobbing” the contents to her clients. Looking holistically at her practise during this pause, Lisa stated that she now wants to focus on “going into [her clients] collections” and going into her book collections; in search of things that will make sense with her clients’ collections.
Stepping off the Train
Lisa returned to her previous metaphor of the fast moving train as the art Industry. This enforced pause has allowed Lisa to get off the train and reflect as to whether she wants to follow the direction we are being taken in. As the number of mega galleries, auctions, art fairs increases, the more that the it seems we are “swept away” with it all. Lisa explored her conflicted feelings regarding these imposed schedules:
“ I am at the mercy of the art fair schedule, the auction schedule. I am travelling all over the world with a huge carbon imprint and no time to think about anything whatsoever. Going, going, going - expanding - building my brand because I feel like I should but I don’t know why I should. All these things are things I want to move away from.”
Going Analogue
“What I would really like to do is go analogue. I am not interested in the proliferation of online viewing rooms, I don’t get it…I would rather someone just send me a pdf. It is just adding more steps… and [is] often too artistic. I just want to see the work.”
Lisa finally explored her desire to work more analogue in the future, the direct inverse of the digital revolution of the art industry she explored earlier. This period of reflection, highlighted her desire for simplifying the process, the importance of art, the importance of in person and the importance of her community in Tribeca.
“I don’t care about my web presence anymore and in the process of deleting social media - I don’t think this is something everyone should do but what I am trying out. I want to stop focusing on my brand and focus on the art. I want to treat NYC as my backyard nonstop art fair. I literally never go to shows unless I have an appointment to buy something because someone emailed it me and I lobbed it towards a client. I just want to go backwards a little bit. “I’m hoping that by literally going to shows, museums, and non-profits in my neighbourhood, looking in my books and thinking more proactively about my clients collections - and not just responding to art fair previews - I am hoping that I can do a better job. And maybe I will lose all my clients and maybe it won’t work and maybe I’ll fall right back into it.”
“Many people are talking about not going back to the same rhythm I see that the train is revving up and the second that an art fair is possible, the mega galleries and economic system will push everything right back where it was.”
Ultimately, Lisa is hoping, that as a result of this enforced pause, thinking more proactively, removing herself from “the train” and a more simple, analogue approach to her work, she will be able to streamline her operations, and sustain a slower work lifestyle where the art, and not the schedule, is the focus again.