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"One more story before I rest. . ." |
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The most common complaint I hear from artists who exhibit art without representation, goes something like this:
"I'm exhausted from doing a weekend art fair. A lot of people looked, but no one bought a thing. It was a waste of time."
No question - any event where you sell to the public is exhausting.
There is a ton of work: preparing, packing, schlepping, standing and mingling. Most artists are comfortable with two or three of those activities, but few enjoy all of them.
The results are uncertain. You have no idea who will come, who else will be there or whether the weather and traffic will cooperate.
So why do many artists still do these shows and what good comes of them?
These stories from A.C.T. Art Business mentor and fine art photographer Bruce Haley demonstrate the advantages of a consistent, professional approach to every detail of art marketing and customer service. His examples underscore the value of building both a strong signature body of work and ongoing relationships as the best combination to being "collected."
"A water color artist stopped by the booth saying that she just had to talk to me and tell me how much she loves my work. She shared this story with me. It seems her sister was attending an art exhibition; stopped in front of one of the works and called her immediately. 'Sally, you've just GOT to see what I'm looking at!' Well, Sally asked her to describe the piece. Sally's sister wasn't into the description for more than five words when Sally said 'That's Bruce Haley's work, isn't it?' and it WAS!
"Just love hearing those stories because it confirms that you have to have a signature body and get it out there so that people can see it. And I heard similar stories several times this weekend.
"One more story before I rest (I keep thinking of these things and at least this is ONE way to write them down).
"Several weeks ago, Myriam and I did a little one-day art fair in connection with an outdoor event called Symphony Sunday at one of the local colleges. Well, this guy walks up to me and introduces himself. I recognized the name immediately because he has been buying my work online. . . large pieces (for himself) and note cards which he sends to his Fortune 500 accounts (like Microsoft) as thank you notes. He tells me how much he loves my work and how thrilled he is to finally meet me, showing me the goose bumps on his arms. His flattery has me blushing.
"So he gives Myriam and me each a two-dollar bill saying that it was for luck. Myriam put hers in our cash box (where it remains) and I put mine in my wallet (where it remains by itself because I never carry cash in my wallet). Must have worked because, even though it was a rain shortened event, we did 40 times what we did the year before.
"Well, he stopped by our booth this weekend. Spent even more money as well as ordered a nice piece because of one of the images he saw on one of our note cards. THIS time he gave Myriam and me a $1 gold coin. So maybe the economy is having some effect.
"Another thing he told me this weekend is that he is a collector. While the artwork, and how it moves him, is very important, he collects the artist as much as the artwork. He also told me that because of that one conversation we had that Symphony Sunday and the fact that I spent so much time with him (I even gave him some tips to improve his own photography), he will be a lifetime collector of my work.
"It's the little things that we do that can define a career.
"OK, now I GOTTA do some other stuff before I rest!"
B.K. Haley, Jr.
"I create emotions, feelings and memories through fine art photography."
www.artistcareertraining.com/the-act-team/
So - what's your best exhibit story?
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Artist Career Training TeleClasses to Help You Build a Better Living From Your Art
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 ©
"Ten Tips for Success
as a
Professional Artist":
Aletta de Wal
describes the foundations of a
successful art business. Find out what
Artist Career Training members already know -
how to market your art to get more
exposure and sales.
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 8th,
2008
3:00 p.m. Pacific; 6:00 p.m. Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Listen from the comfort of
your studio by telephone conference call
Price: You pay us nothing! All
you need is an hour, a good long distance
plan and a land line.
"It's interesting because yesterday, while
I was sitting out in the parking lot waiting
for my daughter and her tai kwon do class, I
finally had the time to sit down and start
working on the chapter three booklet that we
got. I was working on my statement about what
I do...and it really started to flow nicely.
I had visions of the sort of success another
artist just experienced and I find this to be
a lovely way to continue that wonderful
feeling of accomplishment. Thank you indeed
to ACT and to you for sharing this
accomplishment."
Just excellent!
Christine Wasankari
"Paintings that represent the integrity and
power of the natural world" www.wasankari.com
 smARTist
Telesummit
Good news! I was one of 13 presenters at the 2008 smARTist Telesummit. You can listen to these recordings while you make art. Find the right balance between your creativity
and making a living from your art! Artists
who came to the 2008 Telesummit learned
specific ways to juggle their art, a day job,
family, friends . . .and "what's for
dinner?". . .without sacrificing their pocket
book, creative time, or chasing down the
wrong ways to put their art in the world -
and now you can too!
Read all about it here.
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In the End: Can You Be a More Productive Artist?
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What help could you use?
If you are an emerging artist, A.C.T.
One is the
place to start. If you already have an art business and
want to pace yourself, we also have a 12 to
24-month
pathway in the combination of A.C.T.
101: Starting Your Art Business and A.C.T.
201: Developing Your Art Business. And if you are already established, we
have a group of peers just for you in A.C.T.
301: Mastering Your Art Business.
We have classes, books and knowledgeable
experts and generous artists waiting for you.
What are you waiting for? A.C.T.
now! At Artist Career Training, we
emphasize these 7
dynamic factors in the formula "Exposure =
Success!".
- Creating a signature body of
work
- Polishing a professional
public persona
- Managing a qualified mailing
list
- Photographing and documenting
all work
- Generating publicity for
multiple events
- Leveraging art business
relationships
- Marketing art in person and in
all media
Don't let this practical information pass
you by. You have nothing to lose, and
everything to
gain because this no-cost and low-cost art
marketing wisdom works for professional
artists. It
will work for you. We guarantee it.
Learn how to build your art
business:
Classes By Phone
- Ten
Tips for Success as a Professional Artist
Articles, Opinions and Recordings
- www.ArtBusinessLibrary.com
Aletta de Wal, M. Ed, Director & Artist
Advisor,
Direct line: (650) 917-1225 Pacific time
www.ArtistCareerTraining.com
aletta@artistcareertraining.com
"We help you build a better living from
your Art."
Artist Career Training is here to give you
knowledge and support. We gather all the
information you need to market your art and
build your art career so that you can make
money and get back to doing what you love -
making more art.
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View ArtMatters! online: www.artistcareertraining.com/artmatters-newsletter/
© 2008 Artist Career Training.
Aletta@ArtistCareerTraining.com All Rights
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