Art Biz Blog

Don’t leave your artwork without a piece of paper

Let’s say you take your work to a venue (gallery, home, business, etc.) because someone has asked to see it in person. After you arrive, you’re asked to leave your art at the venue so that other people can see it. It’s fine to do this as long as you have something in writing.

Image ©Jeannette Cuevas, Triple Crown.

Always get your art business transactions in writing! In this scenario, while you didn’t exchange money, you did agree to leave a valuable asset in the care of someone else.

The piece of paper (which might be called a loan agreement) you draw up should state your name, the title, dimensions, and value of each piece you’re leaving. Your agreement should also be clear that you retain ownership and copyright and that the venue agrees to insure the work while they have it in their possession. The art should not leave that venue without your written consent. It would be terrific if you have a photo printout of it--either attached to the document or printed on the same page.

You could also add a schedule for pickup--the deadline or date when you would like to retrieve the work.

Include a space on the document for both parties to sign.

Consider creating this document ahead of time and taking two copies with you so that you don’t have to hunt down a copy machine. You would then have two originals--one for you and one for the borrower.

What else am I forgetting?

(Note: Please consult with an attorney for your specific situation.)

8 Ways to be more financially savvy

You’re tempted to ignore this post because you don’t like to think or talk about money. That would be at your peril. If you want to make more money as an artist, you can’t ignore the unpleasant stuff. Read on if you dare take care of your financial health.

1.
Don’t rely on a spouse to take care of all the financial stuff for you. YOU need to know how to do it. You need to be aware and able to take charge if, heaven forbid, something should happen to your spouse. And I hate to even bring it up, but I’ve heard so many stories recently about people being duped out of their life savings by their spouses who made poor financial decisions. These weren’t in the paper or a television exposé, these were artists I was talking to. ("You're in charge" is one of the 6 principles guiding my book.)

2.
Value your work. Don't ever discount what you do and the contribution you make. No one will value your art until you understand and embrace its worth (emotionally or financially). As much as you may despise pricing and talking about money, the fact is that art is a thing and things have an attached value (rather real or perceived). Figure out a way to get comfortable with this idea.

Image ©Ella Maria Ray, Always II.

3.
Keep up with your accounting each week. The further in time you get from a financial transaction, the more likely you are to forget details, which you may need for tax purposes. Don’t let receipts stack up and bills go unpaid. Set aside a regular time that you spend with your financial records. Input your expenses and income and send out invoices, receipts, and statements. Know how much debt you owe at any particular moment and what the balances are in your checking, savings, and retirement accounts.

4.
Use QuickBooks or some other software that allows you to track your expenses and income. Having everything in the computer will make your life beautiful. You can generate monthly reports (see next item) and tax records in the blink of an eye.

5.
Bank online. Sign up for and know how to use your online banking, credit cards, and bill paying. These records are gifts from the money gods, which allow us to check our situation at any moment. They're a blessing when we do our weekly accounting since we no longer have to wait for monthly statements.

6.
Create a monthly check-in. Write down where the money came from and where it went. Compare it to previous months and analyze trends. Try doing this on the 5th of the new month for the previous month.

7.
Start a financial support group. It doesn’t have to be an investment group, although investing could be part of it. There are four of us in a group we call Rich Women (founded by Cynthia Morris). Each month we get together and talk personal and business finances. We give ourselves homework to do before our next meeting. Sometimes, this homework doesn’t get done until the last minute, but who cares? If it takes a deadline to tackle (and I do mean tackle!) this stuff, so be it.

8.
If your finances are complicated, consider investing in a bookkeeper. Hiring a bookkeeper over a year ago was one of the best business decisions I ever made. I’m pretty good with my finances, but my books had become a mess because I couldn’t really keep up with the numerous daily Internet transactions as well as the in-person sales, workshops, and more. I was doing my best guess as to where things should go and how they should be coded. I love having a partner to help me figure all of this out and it’s not a huge expense.

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More reminders for your art career

Remember that you will be challenged more by artists who work in media other than your own. It’s all fine and good to hang out at the Clay Guild, the Oil Painter Society, or the Metalsmiths Association, but you need to expand every so often. Enter non-media-specific exhibits and join organizations that aren’t media-focused.

Remember to stop sending boring, ineffective emails. Other artists are doing enough in this area to free you up to be more creative with your messages.

Remember that people love to laugh. Be funny as often as you can!

Remember to be a little vulnerable. We learn more from hearing stories about failures than we do about success stories. Sharing these experiences (sparingly) makes you human.

Remember that people will constantly surprise you. You’ll be amazed at the things they pick up on that you thought were mere footnotes in your story.

©Carol A. McIntyre, Over the Hill

Remember that just because one or two artists might have had decent sales from a new idea doesn’t mean that you should follow suit. If it’s been done, it’s probably not news. Change it, turn it upside down, tear it apart, and make it your own in order for it to generate a buzz.

Remember to challenge yourself with your art and with your marketing ideas. Art is all about new ideas.

- - >These reminders evolved from my keynote address to the Studio Art Quilt Associates annual meeting in Athens, Ohio on May 23. They are a continuation of the Memorial Day "Remember" theme.

Podcast: Remember

Every little step, every tweak, and every turn matters when you’re building your art career. What does it take to get to where you want to be? Listen to these 9 reminders of what you can do to build your art career and sell more art.

[4:23]

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More on This Topic

Art Marketing Action newsletter (a written version of this podcast)

Summer Blast Off! Get clear on priorities, establish boundaries, and gain courage in this 28-day class that begins June 3.

The Relatively Pain-Free Artist Statement

→ Instructions for subscribing to the Art Marketing Action podcast on iTunes.

Podcast: Identify (only) the next action

Want to avoid a backlog of tasks and feeling overwhelmed by projects you need to complete?

Clearly define your tasks and identify only the next action for your task list. Always ask yourself: What’s the next action?

Listen to this week's podcast for guidance on how to be more productive.

[4:24]

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More on This Topic

Art Marketing Action newsletter (a written version of this podcast)

The Road to Peak Productivity (recorded seminar)

→Instructions for subscribing to the Art Marketing Action podcast on iTunes.

Ask for what you want--the right way

Jack Canfield, in his book The Success Principles, says, “Ask! Ask! Ask!” (principle #17). He outlines five ways to ask for what you want.

1. Ask as if you expect to get it.
2. Assume you can.
3. Ask someone who can give it to you.
4. Be clear and specific.
5. Ask repeatedly.

Image ©Pat Carney, Last Rays

Surely you're familiar with these two famous sayings about asking.

You don't get what you don't ask for.

It never hurts to ask.

While I believe the first to be somewhat true, I find that it does hurt to ask some things. For example, here are a couple of questions that come in my inbox. They prove that sometimes it does hurt to ask--if you ask in the wrong manner.

"I just got a new website. Will you please check it out and tell me if I'm on the right track?"

This is from someone who either (1) doesn't know me or what I do for a living--like evaluate websites for artists; (2) isn't respectful of my time and commitments to clients; or (3) is kind of clueless as to how the world works.

A better question would have been: "I've been reading your book and set up a new website according to your guidelines. I'd love for you to look at the photo I have at http://xxxxx and tell me if this is what you were thinking when you recommended action shots." Okay, that's not really a question, but it is a specific request for a single specific thing that doesn't require I look through the entire site.

"I just linked to your website. Will you please add my link to yours?”
This is another clueless soul. Link exchanges are something we did in the late 90s! You add a link when there is a site that you particularly like and think your readers might also enjoy. You add links to show genuine friendship and affection. You don’t add a link to get something in return. This is almost a form of bribery.

Incidentally, you can add my link to your site AND be rewarded without resorting to bribery. Just sign up to be an ArtBizCoach.com affiliate.

I'm sure there are many other examples of asking for something the wrong way. I'd love to hear your insights.

Addendum one hour later and one hour wiser: I used the above examples because it's my world and what I know. I bear no ill will toward anyone who sends me these questions. But they don't get my attention. I usually just delete them because I have so many other responsibilities that are clearer. I don't have time (and most people don't have time) to go back and forth in email asking for clarification. I guess the bottom line is that email makes us lazy. Be careful what you send. If it's under the name you use as an artist, your reputation is on the line.

Ask! Just ask wisely and kindly.

What's in a name?

Artists all over are struggling with their names. This inner battle usually pops up when it comes time to decide on a URL. The most frequent concerns I hear:

• My name is too common
• My name is too hard to spell
• Someone else already owns the URL with my name [might add: And she’s a porno star!]
• I sign my name as X on my paintings, but I want to be known as Y
• Everyone already knows me as X, but I think my professional name should be Y

Let’s look at these one at a time using Jim Harris as an example. Jim contacted me recently with some of these concerns. Image ©Sallyann Paschall, Patterns and Marks I

1. Your name is common.
You can either (1) change your name once and for all or (2) embrace it and add something to it to distinguish the URL--something like a middle initial, middle name, or add-on at the end. You could be

jimiharris.com
jamesiharris.com
jimharrissculpture.com
jamesharrisfineart.com

Or even look at your initials:

jiharris.com

jihsculpture.com (not as crazy about this one because the focus is on the sculpture rather than the name)

2. Your name is too hard to spell, hard to remember.
I wrote a whole post on this.

3. Somebody else already owns the URL with your name.
See responses to #1.

4. You sign your name differently than you’d like to be known.
It doesn’t matter how you sign your name. Pablo Picasso signed his work only “Picasso,” but he really did have a first name. Sign your name any way you like. Signing your name shouldn’t be a factor at all in how you want to be known. They are two different animals.

5. Everyone already knows you under a certain name.
First, I’ll ask: “Who is everyone?” If you’ve been exhibiting and selling your art under a certain name for years, it’s difficult to change your name. However, if everyone means your friends and family, that’s different. They can adjust. It’s the art-buying public that you don’t want to confuse.

Jim was concerned that James was too formal and that everyone knew him as Jim. Jim has one of those forgiving names. We all know that Jim is a shortened form of James. We aren’t surprised that someone’s professional name is James, but goes by Jim in everyday conversation. If you have one of these names (Peter/Pete, Robert/Rob, Michael/Mike, Katherine/Kate, Jessica/Jessy), you can tap into variations of your name--as long as you’re comfortable being known by that moniker.

7 Ways to distinguish yourself as an artist

1. Be kind to everyone. Listen to people and learn to see the world through their eyes, even if you don’t agree. Be kind with your words--whether spoken or written.


2. Be professional in everything you do. Be present and aware of your actions.


3. Write thank you notes to everyone who helps you take a step forward. Write thank you notes for every little thing. Handwritten ones are rare today and will set yours apart from the emailed ones that everyone else is sending. (And be sure to use note cards that feature your art.)
   Image ©Annie Heckman, Hungarian vines and small green stars


4. Follow up. Follow up on every lead that is given to you, no matter how impossible it seems. Someone is giving you that lead because they care about you and your work. Show them you appreciate their interest by following up on it. You never know where it might take you. Same holds true for following up on the contacts you make in your arts festival booth or at an exhibition opening or anywhere else. Contact them immediately. You only have a brief window to capitalize on your contacts.
   


5. Follow through. Do not promise anything you can’t deliver. Ever. Period. Be dependable and make it easy for people to work with you. Better yet, make them want to work with you.


6. Remember names and details about people. When you get their business cards, turn them over immediately and write down where you met them and something that will help you remember so that you can personalize your note to them. (You ARE going to write a note and say how nice it was to meet them!)


7. Go the extra mile. Don’t settle for adequacy. Push yourself toward brilliance. Pay attention to details.

DON'T do this!

Every Monday in the Art Marketing Action newsletter, I encourage you to do this and do that. I guess it’s also my responsibility to tell you what not to do. Let’s start with this list.

DON’T try to make your art into a business unless you are truly passionate about your work and understand what it takes to make it as an artist. You cannot make a living as an artist unless you have accepted and embraced the reality that you need to make money from it in order to survive.

DON’T drop in on gallery dealers and expect them to drop everything and look at your portfolio. Think about it. Do you like someone demanding your time when you’re trying to focus on work? Here's a better way to contact galleries.

DON’T forget the people who help you out along the way. Send lots of personal thank you notes and “just thinking of you” email.

DON’T try to create art in a vacuum. Most of art history’s greatest artists (and most successful personalities) were part of communities whose members were enriched by each others’ ideas and inventions. Read magazines and books, attend lectures, and be aware of what is going on around you.

DON’T go it alone. Set up a network of support, even if you have to go outside your family and current friends, to cheer you on. Limit your time with those who are negative about your career.

DON’T ignore the details. There are no shortcuts when you want to achieve great things. Put everything in place that will allow you to succeed.

Image ©Michael Orwick, Majestic Morning

Deep Thought Thursday: Your art seems expensive

Astrid Volquardsen enjoyed reading the responses to “How long did it take you to make that?”, which got her to thinking about another question that viewers often ask.  She's curious . . .

How does one respond to the question: "Your art seems to be expensive" ?

In contrast to the question “How long did it take you to make that?”, this is definitely a value question. No getting around it.

Image ©Astrid Volquardsen, Nordmannsgrund (II) Blick nach Langeness

Astrid adds: This is often asked by people who never have bought originals before. How should one react without being defensive, smart or snappy? What could be a good respond in order to open up a conversation and maybe win new customers?

Can you help her out?