Art Biz Blog

Deep Thought Thursday

From Elizabeth Murray, who recently passed away:

''Everything has been done a million times. Sometimes you use it and it's yours; another time you do it and it's still theirs.''

Podcast: Relish marketing routines for your art career

Listen in on this week's podcast—an audio version of the Art Marketing Action newsletter.

Do you have healthy routines or bad habits?

[5 min. 16 sec.]

Get more when you join the Art Marketing Action Inner Circle community.

You can get this extra audio recording, a premium newsletter, one-on-one coaching days, and discounts when you join the Inner Circle. Right now, it's only $10 for the first two months of your subscription. Learn more about the Inner Circle.

Subscribe to the Art Marketing Action podcast at iTunes.

Do they know you're open for business?

John T. Unger sent me this note.

I've been meaning to write for a while to tell you about a good, inexpensive promotion I discovered lately: The ubiquitous red, white and blue "Open" flag!

Simple, I know, but I put one on either side of the studio this summer and drop-in traffic has probably increased 500%. I don't really have a gallery space at my studio (it's more of a working studio) but there's usually work on display in the yard until it goes to galleries or sells online. Since buying the flags, I've sold twice as many of my fire bowls out of the yard. Not bad for a $15 investment! I think this would work for pretty much any artist who has at least some display space available.

If your studio is open to the public? What can you do to make it more inviting? To encourage more visitors?

Image: "Open" flag in front of John T. Unger's studio.

4 bad habits for artists to work on

Today’s Art Marketing Action newsletter encourages you to create habits and routines to free your creative mind. The assumption is that these are good habits and routines. But what about the bad ones? Are you guilty of any of the following?

Bad habit #1: Not following up with leads
When someone gives you a lead for your career, you should jump on it. If it’s not an opportunity meant for you, you still owe it to the person who gave you the lead to see it to its conclusion. See the Art Biz Report Follow Up and Say Thank You.

Bad habit #2: Not having a plan
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? Have a vision for your success and a plan to get there. I help my clients do this, but you can also create a support system of your own with the salons and free marketing plans available to you at ArtBizConnection.com.

Bad habit #3: Neglecting your mailing list
How can I drill it into your head how important this mailing list is. It’s YOURS! It’s useless to anyone else, but the people you know and those who have expressed interest in your art (some even by buying it) need to be kept up-to-date about your career. And you can’t do that if your mailing list is a wreck. See Cultivating Collectors for help with this.

Bad habit #4: Staying in your studio
The world isn't going to come knocking on your door! You have to put yourself out there. Hey, I just happen to have a book coming out by the end of the year to help you with this.

Will selling products hurt your fine art career?

In an email, Chris asks:

Does selling one's artwork on products like note cards, writing journals, calenders, etc. through online companies like CaféPress.com or Zazzle

In other words, can selling reproductions on products like this hurt an artist's career? or help it?

(I'm defining "serious" art collectors as someone who would buy an original painting from an emerging artist for several hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars.) diminish, enhance, or have no effect, on the perception serious art collectors have of an artist's work?

Chris, this is an excellent question and I wish I had an excellent answer. But we just don’t know yet. These resources are too much in their infancy to be able to tell. And the artworld is slow to adapt to changes, such as the commercial enterprises available online. On the other hand . . . visit any museum store and see the works from their collections splattered over mugs, mouse pads, and notebooks.

Artists should always consider their long-range goals before starting any new venture. It’s easy to think creatively. It’s more difficult to pull in the reigns and say “Whoa! That’s going to get me going off path. Maybe I should reconsider and refocus.”

I counsel some artists (again, depending on their goals) to do more of their commercial work under a DBA (”doing business as” name) and create their fine art under their own name. This means two different “lines” and helps distinguish among the two worlds.

Free e-book for the businesss of creativity

About two months ago I received a delightful package in the mail--delightful because it’s always nice to get packages, especially unexpected packages from strangers overseas or those containing books or art.

The package was the book T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity and was sent by David Parrish, the British author, consultant, and entrepreneur. 

Well, David’s book is now available as a free downloadable eBook. This highly-acclaimed guide for arts and creative entrepreneurs was published in 2005, reprinted in 2006 and is still available in paperback as well as eBook format.

It's the full version of the book, with lots of color, yet it has been compressed into a file of less than 2MB--small enough to email as an attachment.

My favorite thing about this book is . . . Great design! Why in the world do so many books written for artists not have attractive covers or interiors? (I am counting on my book I’d Rather Be in the Studio! to break the mold as well.) David’s book has an attractive cover and interior. It’s visually interesting!

Some artists may find the book too focused on creative industries, which is David’s specialty. But you’ll be rewarded if you’re willing to explore ideas out of the fine-art world and how crossover might be possible.

Creativity book salon

Each month Cynthia Morris leads a free (free!) virtual salon that focuses on a book about creativity in some form or another.

September's Creativity Book Salon will be reading Daniel Pink's book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. You can join as long as you can dial in from your phone on the third Thursday (September 20) at 12:00 MDT (11:00 am PDT, 2:00 EDT, 7:00 GMT).

I'm looking forward to this one. I read about 1/4 of this book last year and now I have reason to complete it and discuss it with other.

Join the creative conversation.

Deep Thought Thursday

If Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull sells for the $100 million he's asking for it, that will make it the highest-priced work of contemporary art ever sold. (Right now it's just the highest price ever asked for a contemporary piece.)

What does that do for his place in the contemporary artworld or in art history?

What does it say about the buyer?

What does it say about contemporary art?

Podcast: Assess art venues

Listen in on this week's podcast—an audio version of the Art Marketing Action newsletter.

Do your exhibit spaces match your art career vision?

[3 min. 42 sec.]

Get more when you join the Art Marketing Action Inner Circle community.

You can get this extra audio recording, a premium newsletter, one-on-one coaching days, and discounts when you join the Inner Circle. Right now, it's only $10 for the first two months of your subscription. Learn more about the Inner Circle.

Subscribe to the Art Marketing Action podcast at iTunes.

Photography in Denver next March?

I received this announcement recently from Rachel Hawthorn. I don't usually post local events from anywhere, but that's the beauty of owning a blog. I can be partial to my home territory!

-- Free Publicity for Photographers--

I am working with Mark Sink to market a "Month of Photography" in March 2008 to coincide with the Society for Photographic Education national conference that is happening at the Adam's Mark hotel March 13th-16th. We want to get a critical mass of photography happening in the Denver metro area, and the outer reaches as well, so to that end we've published a blog that not only lists events, but also calls for entry for the month of photography. Hopefully, after the event, the blog can continue to be a go-to source for photo-based events in Denver.

The blog is at http://303photo.blogspot.com. The publicity is free, and events that are listed in the blog before the middle of September (hard deadline first of October) will also be distributed in the conference packets to the roughly 900 attendees. What we are looking for in terms of submissions are: Dates/locations/gallery name/sample image/show name/brief blurb about the work/contact information - the usual suspects for a press release. That info can be sent to me at rachel.hawthorn@gmail.com.

If you're in the Denver metro area and were considering organizing a  photo exhibit, now sounds like a good time.

Image (c) Rachel Hawthorn, Hand II.