Art · One-person studio
Ongoing since December 2025The professionalism of a company — without additional staff
An artist who did everything himself: from the idea to the invoice, from the quote to the certificate of authenticity. Arthova automated the administration and gave him back what matters most — time for creative work.
Evidence classes: measured = counted or observed in operation · calculated = computed from confirmed inputs · modelled = conservative model with stated assumptions · planned = target state, not yet realised.
- Client
- Independent artist (one-person studio, anonymised)
- Area
- Art sales, commissioned work, gallery pieces
- Structure
- One person — production, sales, communication, administration
- Project
- Back-office automation, certificates, sales processes, collector communication
- Duration
- Since December 2025 (ongoing)
- Impact
- More time for creative work, a professional sales structure
- Reference
- Anonymised at the client's request
Starting point
The artist is a sole proprietor in the literal sense: producing works, looking after clients, writing invoices, creating certificates, managing commissions. Every hour of administration was an hour lost to creative work — and a cap on sales capacity.
~20 minutes per certificate
Every certificate of authenticity created individually. Invoices: 15–20 minutes each, quotes: more than 30 minutes.
No central overview of works
Produced and sold works without documentation — everything scattered across emails and notes.
Communication without a system
Every enquiry, every quote, every reply handled manually. Collector communication was sporadic, whenever time allowed.
The system
Arthova implemented a digital working structure for the one-person operation. Deliberately not part of the scope: no website project, no social media strategy, no AI art standing in for the artist. Instead, the invisible structure behind it all — the artist stays the artist.
Central database of works
Every work recorded with title, medium, dimensions, price and buyer. A reliable source of truth for provenance, galleries, collectors and insurers.
Automated invoices & certificates
Invoices and standardised certificates of authenticity are generated automatically from the work data — in seconds, professional, with every relevant detail.
Quote and sales processes
Professional quotes built on the works database in ~5 minutes, complete sales tracking with no gaps.
Pre-sorted enquiries & collector relations
Incoming enquiries automatically categorised and prioritised; regular, automated communication with collectors and prospects.
Impact
Every automated workflow remains under the artist's control; quotes, sales and approvals can be reviewed or stopped at any time.
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Creating an invoice | ~15–20 min. manual | Automatic, under 1 minute |
| Certificate of authenticity | ~20 min. manual | Automatic, seconds |
| Creating a quote | 30+ min. | ~5 min. with templates |
| Documentation of works | No central overview | Works database |
| Collector communication | Sporadic, when time allowed | Regular, automated |
| Client enquiries | One by one, no system | Pre-sorted and prioritised |
Value calculation
- Invoices (~10/month, ~17 min. saved)
- ~3h per monthcalculated
- Certificates of authenticity (~5/month, ~18 min.)
- ~1.5h per monthcalculated
- Quotes (~8/month, ~25 min.)
- ~3.5h per monthcalculated
- Communication & documentation
- ~3h per monthmodelled
- Hours saved per year
- ~132 hours (11h × 12)modelled
- Value of time saved (CHF 50/h)
- ~CHF 6'600 per yearmodelled
Based on validated process volumes for invoices, certificates and quotes; communication and documentation are conservatively modelled. The real value: every administrative hour saved is potential creative time — and every additional work is potential revenue.
See the calculation — how these numbers are derived
The ~11h/month follow from the artist's validated process volumes: ~10 invoices × ~17 min. ≈ 3h, ~5 certificates of authenticity × ~18 min. ≈ 1.5h, ~8 quotes × ~25 min. ≈ 3.5h, communication & documentation ≈ 3h (conservatively modelled). ~11h × 12 months = ~132h/year × CHF 50/h ≈ CHF 6'600/year — the hourly rate is an opportunity cost: every hour freed up is potential creative time.
What we take from it
Sole proprietors have the same problems as SMEs
Invoices, documentation, client communication, missing structure — the pain points are identical, only the scale differs.
Certificates of authenticity are not a nice-to-have
Professional certificates increase buyer trust and the perceived value of the work. Automated, they cost next to nothing.
Professionalism opens doors
Standardised quotes, professional certificates, regular collector communication — it changes how galleries and collectors perceive the artist.
AI supports creative work instead of replacing it
The solution does not change the creative process. The vision stays with the artist — the administration becomes efficient.
A similar starting point in your company?
In an intro call we work out whether a closer look is worthwhile — and tell you honestly if it is not.