Bluethumb’s Ed Hartley says Atomic Habits can help artists become businesspeople

Australia’s visual arts sector and entrepreneurial bible Atomic Habits seem to have little overlap.

But speak with Bluethumb co-founder Ed Hartley, and you’ll hear how one of the book’s key lessons is exemplified by successful visual artists — and how the online art marketplace has learned a thing or two, too.

Bluethumb was founded in 2012 by brothers Ed and George Hartley, who have turned the Adelaide-born enterprise into a platform boasting 370,000 original artworks from around 20,000 artists.

Some 400,000 people now visit the Bluethumb site each month.

More than a decade after its launch, Bluethumb is expanding into the US and marketing itself not just as an art marketplace, but as a data-rich digital innovator.