Posts Tagged “art marketing”

An interesting connection happened recently. A gentleman in Michigan found my Flickr Photostream online and enquired about how he could go about purchasing some of my work. We’ve been emailing back and forth and it turns out that many of the pieces in which he is interested are no longer available. I directed him towards my Etsy Shop and he did choose the piece in the photograph above along with a custom order request. Yesterday he emailed me a photograph of my piece which is now in his possession. It’s interesting, because once the item leaves my home, I never see it again. I often wonder what people do with my work, how is it used, etc. Accompanying this photograph were several photographs of his beautiful garden. I can rest assured that gorgeous flowers will find a home in my vase. I’m honored that people think my work is a perfect compliment to their lives. It makes me very happy!

Meanwhile, I’ve been experiencing a bit of uncertainty in regards to my art career and if you read my last post, know that I applied for a job last week. Fast forward to a podcast that I listened to on Monday morning while I was out for my run and I had an ah-ha moment. Suzanne Falter-Barnes has a podcast on her blog with Andy Wibbels interviewing Seth Godin about his new book The Dip. It must have been a serendipitous moment, because it was exactly what I needed to hear right at that moment. Basically, in a nut shell, when faced with difficulty in your career (though the concept could be applied to about anything), do you know when to quit, or when to lean into “the dip”? Most successful companies know how to emerge from the dips stronger by being creative and basically just working harder. If it were easy, wouldn’t everyone be a millionaire? While the podcast is really geared towards businesses, as an independent artist, I connected to the discussion.

Seth also talks about being the best in your field - but don’t let that get you down. Best in the field is a matter of knowing your market and product - and there’s room for a lot of different businesses to exceed. For example he talks about the iPod. As a consumer, you either own an iPod or one of the other brands. iPod is a name brand like Kleenex or even Word, yet Microsoft’s MP3 player didn’t achieve stellar star status like the iPod - though it might have if it weren’t trying to play catch up with Apple. Anyway if you’re interested in hearing more, the podcast is free if you visit Suzanne’s blog.

Yesterday evening, I was invited, along with a handful of other artist’s, to Alyson Stanfield’s house to brainstorm book design for her soon to be published new book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No Excuse Guide to Self Promotion. I think Alyson’s newest book will be easy to read and a valuable reference for creative people trying to craft a successful art career. Lisa Call stopped by on the way over to Alyson’s house and we drove up to Golden together. I really enjoyed the drive with her. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with another artist about the day to day challenges of being an artist in today’s world.

My in-laws left town this morning and I’m planning on spending some time in my studio this morning. For some reason, the humble pinch pot keeps popping into my head right now.

Until Later,

Tags: alyson stanfield, andy wibbels, art biz blog, art marketing, colorado art studio, etsy, Flickr, porcelain vase, seth godin, suzanne falter-barnes, the dip

(click on image to enlarge)
It’s been busy since my in-laws came into town last Wednesday and I haven’t done too much in the studio. I’m starting to get that nagging feeling like I have to go into the studio to make art NOW. I am enjoying visiting with them and we’ve been doing some much needed projects around the house, such as fixing the leaky spot in the basement, pouring concrete for a new walk, making a new flower bed, installing an arbor…you know little things. My father in law has never been one to sit around the house, and consequently, he really puts the fire under our behinds.

Having my in-laws in town has also enabled me to do a few things that I might not normally get to do. On Saturday evening, my husband and I went to the Widespread Panic concert at Red Rocks. I should probably preface this discussion by saying that I normally avoid all large concerts because I get so very miserable with the throngs of people. I pay gobs of money to see a band, that I can’t hear, can’t see and literally claustrophobia sets in and I want to curl up into the fetal position. The last concert I went to was Dave Matthews Band at the Pepsi Center and I left early even though I LOVE DMB. I much prefer going to City Park Jazz Concerts. However, I make a few exceptions for small venues and out door type venues such as Red Rocks in Morrison, CO. So, a few months ago, my husband who is a huge Panic fan, asked if he should buy a ticket for me. I said yes, and as fate would have it, my inlaws are in town and could babysit for us.

I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have been feeling a little discouraged after the Summer Art Market, and even applied for a job the other day. Though I remember having this feeling after last year’s SAM as well. It’s exhausting and just the thought of having a 401k, profit sharing, a steady paycheck, health insurance sounded mighty tempting. Flash back to Saturday evening, and I had an outerbody creative inspirational experience. It was like having an artist’s date without trying. The music was excellent, the crowd amiable and there was so much eye candy and people watching, that what can I say? I was thinking about my art and am motivated to give my art career a concerted effort.

It requires some short term goals on my part. What are they?

1. Write Artist Statement
2. Organize and cull photos from recent work - edit as needed
3. Research galleries that I want to contact
4. Write letter of intent for gallery contacts
5. Make packet/book to send out to galleries in the US
6. Continue to make work
7. Wait for responses to come back

I know that nothing is going to happen unless I make it happen and I need to be proactive - period- end of story! I hope to have my artist’s statment written in rough draft by tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, as a member of the Etsy Mud Team, we’re having a sale today through Friday, the 29th. 10% off everything in my store and other EMT members. My Etsy Shop.

Have a good week everyone,

Tags: art marketing, artist's date, city park jazz, coloradoartstudio, Etsy Mud Team, red rocks, widespread panic

Before being trimmed & after with knob
One of my favorite types of pots that I like to throw are very narrow necked vases and closed forms. This particular covered jar was thrown as a closed form. It’s a really easy way to make a covered jar because I just cut the lid off of the form, add a knob and voila! You can also make a covered jar by throwing the base and the lid separately, but it’s a little more tricky since a caliper is needed to get the correct dimensions for a good fit.

This is stoneware and is still in the green or leather-hard state. Once it’s bone dry, it will be ready to bisque fire. This is approximately 7″ tall with the knob and 5 1/2″ wide.

You may notice that I have changed the look of my blog. I have been taking an art marketing class with Alyson Stanfield the past 2 weeks and we are on the concept of “branding” oneself. I was just trying to line my blog up with my website for the time being. I realized my free website isn’t doing what I need it to do, so I am going to re-build my site either from scratch or teach myself how to use Adobe Golive and buy paid hosting. I have the Adobe Creative Suite loaded on my computer but have only really used Photoshop and Illustrator. This coming Saturday I’m also going to attend the Building Creative Business Expo organized by the city of Denver which should supplement my new found marketing knowledge quite nicely.

It’s all good, but learning about the business of art is keeping me from making a whole lot of art work. I’d be interested to hear how other artists get around to the business of marketing.

Tags: art marketing, covered jar, pottery