Art Biz Blog

Women's creative spaces

A freelance writer for a national woman's magazine says:

For an article about women's creative spaces, I'm looking for locations (residential rooms, studios, outbuildings) where female artists create--i.e. paint, weave, sew, throw pots, design, garden ... The article will feature the woman/artist and her space. Where is it? What does it mean to her? I'm looking for really exceptional inspirational places. I'll be feeding locations to my editor, who will make the final decision. What I need: a brief write up of the woman (name, age, location, what she does (i.e. illustrates books, weaves, sews recycled sweater blankets), and a few JPEGS of her space, which again, should be in her home or on her residential property. Lastly, I need a shot of her, too.

Note that this isn't about just any old studio or functionality of your creative space. It's about the uniqueness of it. If you have a really exceptional inspirational place to create, the writer has asked me to have you post some photos somewhere and your contact info and she'll get in touch with you. All you have to do here is leave the link to the info she requests in a comment with this post. Note: These must be residental spaces.

For your best art buyers

From The Girl with the Gallery: Edith Gregor Halpert and the Making of the Modern Art Market (the book I keep raving about):

In another brazen sales gambit, [Halpert] concocted a plan to sell in bulk to museums, telling Stieglitz of her scheme to offer the Metropolitan Museum of Art a large group of American pictures with the proviso they might exchange the paintings at any time, if another work by the same artist appealed more. She adopted this selling scheme from Joseph Duveen . . . Duveen offered his millionaire customers the option to sell back their purchases.  (page 293)

Is it brilliant art marketing to offer your very best customers (not just anyone!) one of these options?

Some artists are always trying to think up extra services they can offer their customers. Is this a good one?

If you haven't listened already, check out the art of persuasion before you dismiss this idea.

(By the way, Duveen: A Life in Art is another book on my shelf that needs opening and reading!)

Rethinking the F word

If something doesn’t work out, don’t think of it as a Failure. In fact, eliminate that word from your vocabulary--along with fail, failed, and failing.

It’s not failing if you try and things don't work out as you had planned, as long as you gave it your best effort. You learned from the experience, you have new information, and you can correct your path and move on. You started with what you saw as a straight line to success, but you had to take an unexpected detour. 

Rather than dwelling on your dissatisfaction, go with the flow! Trust that a higher power has something better in mind for you. You never know what is in store.

This is a little preview of Monday’s Art Marketing Action newsletter about assessing risk. Look for it.

Words and phrases to use besides the F words above:
unsatisfied, unsatisfactory, unexpected, “not as I would have liked,” “not as I planned,” “unanticipated results,” "hit a bump," "took a detour," "reassessing my plan," "didn't see that coming," "will have to rethink this"

Deep Thought Thursday: Learning from experts

If you could sit down for a conversation with a living artist (or two), whom would you select?

Why?

What would you ask them? What would you hope to learn from them?

Overheard at art festival

Something like this . . .

I don't mind spending money on art--as long as it's useful.

Looking for holiday bashes

I want to hear from you if you do any kind of big promotion around the holidays.

Party?
Special mailing?
Exhibit?

This should be something that promotes the sale of your art and with which you have had success. Tell me about it!

Web site is down

ArtBizCoach.com is down this morning and they say it will be "at least 6 hours." My email is even out of commission. (Update: it's back online and email is pouring in!)

Thoughts on this:

• Utter frustration.
• I can't do anything about it.
• How many sales am I losing?
• How many emails are lost forever? This is just one reason why email is unreliable! If you don't hear from someone, email them again in a few days or call them.
• Free time!
• I'm glad I have another email address that works.
• I can still communicate through this blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
• I'm glad I backed up EVERYTHING 1.5 weeks ago.

Podcast: Don't shrink your mailing list just yet

Listen to this before you delete anyone from your mailing list!

[3 min. 19 sec.]

Prefer reading to listening? Read the Art Marketing Action newsletter.

Check out these previous articles on mailing lists:

Don't delay your mailing list
Master your mailing list

 

 

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Instructions for subscribing to this podcast.
This podcast is an audio version of the Art Marketing Action newsletter.

Oops! You promised the same work to two different venues

Here's the dilemma I received from a reader:

I'm hoping you can advise me on the best way to correct a huge mistake I made, if possible - or at least to minimize the damage. I entered the same painting in two separate exhibitions. What I was thinking was the exhibition dates are separated by a few months, so no problem if the same painting was accepted into both. Well, it was accepted into both. Then it dawned on me that if it sold at the first, it would not be available for the second. Okay, I'm an idiot. Is there anything I can do other than learn my lesson and pray it doesn't sell? I understand I can't renege, but am I being dishonest by not mentioning the dilemma to the galleries or the organizations sponsoring the exhibitions?

Dear reader, first, you are not an idiot. We all make mistakes and this is human error. I hope your painting does sell in the first exhibit! But, you're right. You do have a problem in that case.

I have learned that it's always best to be up front and to say "I have made a mistake." So, if it were I, I would contact the second gallery immediately. Tell the gallery you just had an epiphany and want to do everything you can to correct the error before it blows up. Then ask the gallery "How would you like for me to handle this?" That shows that you are (1) asking for the gallery's professional opinion and (2) owning up to your responsibility to take care of it.

If you wait and pray it doesn't sell, you'll be a nervous wreck for two months and that won't help anyone. You need that energy to go into making new work.

The art of persuasion

Take time to listen to this terrific segment from yesterday's Talk of the Nation on NPR with social psychologist and author Robert Cialdini.

It's 22 minutes and will give you tricks that make it easier to get a Yes from people.