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paper_typing-400x198 What 2009 will bring and how artists can lead the way.

Over the last few days I spent time scouring the web for forecasting trends related to small businesses that could then be translated to the world of artists especially those relying on art fairs as a major source of sales. What I found was a lot of hope (you read that right!) the catch is that hope will not be realized without a change in the way you do business.

What I found might be surprising…a lot of what will be showing up in 2009 in the form of consumer behavior and trends indicated an advantage for artists. The advantage is surprisingly simple in that most have yet to take the leap into the online digital  revolution. Because of this fact, artists will have “skipped over” a lot of the chaos that caused early adaptors to chase any and all shiny objects.

Trends are indicating that this will be a year of “settling out” and because of the economic shifts taking place consumer behavior will be increasingly focused on a desire for human interaction when making buying decisions.  Artists are especially poised for this since it is a natural part of how we sell our work…we just need to know how to incorporate 21st century tools. There are three general areas that artists should pay attention to over the coming year.

Engagement

  • There will be a deepening desire for engagement to include “live” conversation. This may seem logical to us but for other types of business it hasn’t been. We have been face to face with our buyers since day one however it has tended to end once we made the sale. Over 2009 we will need be more aware of and use ways to continue our engagement after the transaction.
  • Finally the coming year will be a time for deeper listening not only for trends but as a tool to reinforce our buyer relationships.  Also by listening deeper we can discover more accurately what our buyers want. Artists need to learn to set up and use what Chris Brogan calls “listening Posts” to better hear and meet the needs and desires of their markets.

Focus

  • Because of the work done by early adaptors artists will have a much lower learning curve when it comes to using  social media. It will be easier  to tie together their market profiles, and buyers in a very focused way. In doing so artists will be able to use social networks with almost laser like precision to engage their buyers regardless of geography.
  • This laser like focus will pay off by allowing artists to pay greater attention to producing work that attracts and retains buyers rather than remaining stuck in the random and unpredictable cycle they have experienced thus far.

Influence and attraction

  • Realize that our buyers look to us for guidance in making buying decisions,
    and make sure what we make, not only meets their needs, but does so obviously.
  • Because buyers will be looking for more human contact it will be important for artists to learn to use  the intimacy rule: intimacy touches emotion;emotion powers conversation. As a result tools that bring consumers more closely into an artists’ life and creative process will go a long way in earning trust, and love which can be the difference between making it and not making it in down times. Blogs, customer appreciation programs, open studios will all be necessary in the coming year.
  • Remembering that satisfied customers tell three friends while angry customers tell 3000. Building a network of evangelists coupled with efforts to put the “ME” back into customer service will go a long way towards making a show good or awful.

In short it looks like artists especially those living on the art fair circuit a very well positioned entering 2009 as long as they learn to use the tools that will bring them into the 21st century and better contact with their buyers. They can lead the way because of their long history of face to face contact with their buyers and relative connection to their markets. The 21st Century tools will only help to  modernize the foundation they have already built over decades.

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Some of you may know that over ten yeas ago I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) which is a disease that causes the immune system to suddenly go into overdrive by attacking the body. Periodically and unpredictably  Flare occurs not only causing extreme pain ( I know combat vets who have been wounded and take a bullet wound over a flare) and depending of the area affected minor to extreme disability. This is not your grandmothers arthritis whichit oten gets confused with…it is in the same category as Lupis and MS.

So you may ask what does this have to do with the price of beer on Sunday? Well, when I was first diagnosed I was working as potter (in addition to photography) and I quickly learned that I had to stay in the present and focus on getting done what I needed to get done one day at a time. I could never know if I would be physically able to do something the following day. I kept up with this approach to life, practicing a number of meditative techniques to keep me grounded and focused.

It took a year or so to find the right combination of drugs and alternative treatments mostly acupuncture and Tai Chi and Qui Gong, once the right combo started working I continue for some time to follow my mindfullness strategies. However, after a couple of years Flare free or at least only minor flares I started forgetting about what it was like before re-mission.

Over the last year I switched to another drug regimen and one of the component drugs started to effect my liver, after months of tests the drug was eliminated altogether. However, this was the key element that had kept me Flare free. suddenly, in months following the drug’s elimination the old Flares started to return but only with minor “tolerable” intensity. That started to change over the last month with flares reaching or exceeding what I had experienced early on. December 28th I started noticing  pain in my right ankle but thought little of it, then on the 31st the pain turned into swelling and intensity until by mid aternoon I couldn’t walk even with a cane. For a day I improvised by using a step stool as a walker until my dear wife was able to get a real one. Generally flares lasted 3 days witht he second day being the worse. This one was different five days after its onset I still need a cane to move around since the foot will not take weight.

The reason for this post is to share with all of you the importance of living in the present, pay attention to your life by not sweating the small stuff. Focus on what is important to you the kinds o things that make a difference that would if passed up be a source of regret. Take a chance move out of your comfort zone, live as if there would be no tomorrow. It took this recent disabling flare to make remember how important it is to live in the present and stop thinking about tomorrow.

Often our ANTs get in the way of us living in present, if this is the case go back to the articles on getting rid of ANTs and re-examine your habits.

Good luck and thanks for reading this.

 On lessons learned and the importance of living in the present

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holiday Marketing Monday: Show & Tell helping your buyers visualize

Do you know that many people want to buy your work but don’t have the ability to visualize it in their homes or offices? For many, their buying decision is based on whether they can picture whatever it is they are contemplating in their own home or office environment. Most people do not have the ability to visualize,something we often take for granted by assuming that everybody can see what we see.

show_tell-400x151 Marketing Monday: Show & Tell helping your buyers visualize

We can help potential buyers by showing them how our work can fit into their environment. Photographers  display photos alone or in wall groupings throughout their studios to show how a client might use their photographs. In recent years, digital cameras, projectors and specially designed software have allowed us to project client’s images directly on their walls at actual sizes, so clients could see what a large image might look like over their couch or in their dining room. By showing the options we were able to help our clients make decisions about size, color, frame etc. and move from uncertainty to certainty about what would work best for them.

Other visual artists can do the same thing and because of new technology  do it much easier. Let’s look at a couple of ways you can, with very little effort, help your potential buyers.

The first way is to contact those who have your pots, paintings, photographs, fiber art and

  • Ask them if they would take a quick photo of how they are using what they purchased.
  • Also ask them to write a little bit about how they have felt about having that particular piece of yours in their environment… Has it changed anything? How does it add to their lives.
  • Then ask them to e-mail, both to you. If you have a blog you can use these testimonials as weekly features inserting your comments along side theirs.
  • You can also have small graphics of them in your booth.

The other way you can do this has just gotten as easy as the one above. This past year saw the introduction of small very inexpensive video cameras called Flip videos. These cameras do not use tape they have a built in drive capable of capturing up to an hour of video. The really cool thing is they make loading the video onto you blog a breeze. So using this technology you can do short videos in wide range of environments  describing and showing your buyers how they might best use your work. You could even  go to one of your favorite buyer’s home and interview them while capturing some short clips of your work in their house or office.  Because this technology is extremely easy you can have a short clip up on your blog in the blink of an eye. There are a couple of versions, the basic one runns generally around $80.00- $90.00 while the HD version is $199.00.

41bTrFm6LpL._SL160_ Marketing Monday: Show & Tell helping your buyers visualize

Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes (Black)

31eR5QQx86L._SL160_ Marketing Monday: Show & Tell helping your buyers visualize

Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 60-Minutes (Black)

You could use one or both of these techniques and you might be very surprised as to how they would help your buyers. How about putting this on your list for ‘09… now is the perfect time to get it done.

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 Marketing Monday: Show & Tell helping your buyers visualize

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holiday Marketing Monday: how to use the Y-Factor

Have you ever wondered how you could steer more buyers your way as they flood into the streets the first morning of a show or how you can get more buyers into your gallery show? More importantly I am sure many of you have wondered, just like me, what drives that mob to roost, what causes them to choose one artist over another?

The traditional method of drawing buyers has been to stand out in the crowd, to be obviously different than your competition. As working artists we thought it made sense and that our work made us automatically different enough to catch the eye of potential buyers. We also assumed that our competition was others in our medium, other potters, other jewelers or fiber artists and all we had to do was stand out among them.  But the truth is many of us were just guessing…we really had no clue how to stand out we just knew we made something in a particular style that no one else did. Further more what we did  do was done within the context of a randomized buying model, sales depended largely on a potential buyer “stumbling on us” and liking what they saw. We resigned ourselves to relying on unpredictable sales patterns and subsequent unpredictable income.

While show sales seem to becoming even more random there are some things you can do now that will help. So lets take a step back and see just how you can stand out and even more importantly what the secret is that will allow you to become a beacon to very focused and steady buyers. There are really two parts to this process:

  • Knowing your market
  • Knowing what differentiates you from your competition

We have talked extensively about knowing your market so lets take a look at the second part… what makes you different or in market/brand speak what is you Unique Selling Proposition (USP). But first let’s get one thing out in the open…every, yes EVERY other artist is your competition especially those of you who follow the art fair circuit. No longer do you have the luxury to think that you compete only with those in your medium.

We are also going to assume that you already have a vision of your business, you know how your products compare with alternatives and you know who is the best fit for your products. Typically, big businesses rely on a process of defining key points of differentiation based on such things as product, service, market, the problem solved etc. While these are certainly important and should definitely be part of your process they are not primary because of the Y-factor, that hidden element that only we as artists posses.

The very nature of our business is driven by us…without us there would be no business, no product and no happy buyers. The Y-factor is critical to your success, it will give buyers a reason to put you on their list, it will cause them to focus in on you with laser like precision. How well you cultivate the Y-factor in your business will be critical to your success and growth and could very well lead to you becoming a household name or not.

So…what is the Y-factor? The Y-factor is the YOU-factor, it is the sum total of how much your work reflects you, your values, your vision, how integrated your personality is in your work and how visible the package that makes up you and your work is. Once you can successfully tie all of this together buyers will be drawn to your work BECAUSE of you, because they see you and identify you and your work as one and the same.

So the secret to getting focused enthusiastic buyers who not only love and collect your work but also connect you with other enthusiastic buyers is:

  • Recognizing the existence of the Y-factor.
  • Acceptance and understanding of your Y-factor.
  • Your ability to use your Y-factor to build a strong network of repeat buyers.

Now go back and review your vision, your perfect customer profile, the alternatives to you  ( why a potential buyer would pick you) and try to tie them up in a package that represents you. Once you have that, brainstorm  ways to make that package visible. Here are some suggestions:

  • Take care of your ANTS especially as they relate to your own self image.
  • Focus on how you display your work and how it can entice the buyers you want.
  • Learn to identify those potential buyers who get your work and in turn get you.
  • Learn how to develop communication links with your most enthusiastic buyers.
  • Develop a sustainable list of contacts in every venue you are likely to show.

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 Marketing Monday: how to use the Y-Factor

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hands_creating-400x260 Is a Secretary of the Arts enough?

Recently a friend sent me a link to an article that mentioned Quincy Jones suggestion that he would push President-elect Obama to develop a cabinet level post for the arts. A petition requesting the same is circulating the web and gaining quite a number of signatures. As working artists we know beyond a doubt how important art is not only to our lives but the entire world. Imagine what a world look like without art, without the creativly designed buildings of Frank Gehry, the landscapes of Frederick Law Olmsted ( Designer of Central Park in NY and many, many of our open spaces), the sculptures of Calder or the humor of Opus. Try to imagine also a life without, paintings, prints or photographs on your walls, a life eating off of colorless and uninspiring dinnerware, of sitting on chairs all designed using the same pattern, a life without music.

Now how does such a life feel? Pretty drab, boring and depressing. We are who we are today largley because working artists have continued to contribute their passion and vision of the world to balance the left brained dominance of industrialization. Besides passion and creativity working artists (regardless of medium) we cause people to laugh, to sing, to hug, to weep and to hope. We hold a mirror to the world as a constant reminder of where we as a collective are heading…we ask questions and provide multi-faceted answers.

So…yes a Secretary of the Arts would be a good start but we need more than a focus on celebrity. We need an honest grass roots revolution to take place that would not just put art back into schools but make it a regular part of every curriculum.  Art teaches us to see, to feel, to be aware of our surroundings and our mutual connectedness. No the point is not to birth a thousand Michaelangelos,  but rather to reinforce and support the ability  to see the world from different points of view, to step out of linearity and into wandering. Such an inclusion will give us the ability to accept our own creativity, to let go of fear and judgment because we will know that failure only means that another door opens, that innovation, growth and achievement cannot happen without failure. Linear thinking has taught us that if you don’t get it “right” the first time you are a failure, there is no such thing a iterative thinking.

Building a grass roots focus on creativity and art will also lead to an entire generation, willing to tackle problems like global warming, poverty, hunger and even crime in ways a linear approach cannot fathom. In the process those of us who have lived our lives as creatives can help awaken the hearts of those who self-deprecate their own efforts to create. We can help them see that creativity is not about perfection or judgement. It is instead about passion, about opening the doors of the heart to dream to risk and to feel the warmth of creating something reflective of our souls.

Please, don’t just click the link to the petition also add your thoughts that would help bring art and creativity back to our schools,our communities and our lives. Write your representatives and senators urge them to include art in all education related legislation.

Here is the link to the petition for Secretary of the Arts Thanks and keep creating the world needs you!

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The last post on this subject closed with a description of the process but to really make it work we need to look at it as artists. To do so we are going to have another conversation with our friend Sarah who has been struggling to make a living with her art.

” So Sarah, you look particularly discouraged today, what’s up?”

” Well, I just feel forever stuck in a rut of never making enough from my art to support myself.” she said. ” I can’t figure it out…I work hard at what I do and yet I never sell consistently and my friends and family keep telling me I should get a ‘Real Job’ I’m close to giving up”.

” I am sorry to hear that…are you willing to try something different to see if we can get you back into the swing of things?”

“Sure, I’m game for anything that will help.”

” Ok, let’s take a look at some of your beliefs associated with being an artist or for that matter being a creative person. So tell me about your earliest memories of what people said about art and becoming an artist. What pops out…?”

“The first thing that pops out is how often people told me that it was ‘cool’ and they thought I was really talented but that I could never really ‘make a living from it’ . I heard that a lot in grade school and later high school, most of my teachers told me I needed to focus on skills that were marketable and leave the ‘creative stuff’ as a hobby.

My family was sort of supportive but they insisted that I study something ‘real’ in college, although I did get them to let me take art classes if I took their ‘real’ classes as my primary major. Well that didn’t last long…I fell in love with  the art department, I felt alive when I was in the studio. It didn’t matter if I was drawing, painting, throwing pots or pulling prints. So I decided to be an art major in spite of my family.”

“Did you notice any negative beliefs creeping in or was it all fun in the studio?”

“Now that you mention it there was a strange undercurrent type feeling that I couldn’t figure out for quite awhile. It seemed like everybody was always talking about ‘working hard’ on something and our professors were often saying that ‘art should not need to be sold’ that what we create should sell itself. I remember asking a couple of my profs about that and they all said that art was not a business and to think of it like it was would demean and constrain our work.”

“What did they mean by that?”

“Well mostly they would say that it would hurt our creativity and to be really successful we needed to focus on our art and not worry about the business end of things”

“Ok,” I said ” this is starting to look like something…so what do you think was the common message you got. What are your core beliefs as a result?”

” I totally, got the idea that art was not worth much, that at best it would be a hobby. In college I started to have hope but the undercurrent of the art department saying over and over that art and business shouldn’t mix left me confused and feeling like I was forever doomed to being a ‘starving artist’. Now after finishing school I look around and don’t see many artists that aren’t starving ! Also when I do sell my work most people think I charge to much since I don’t do it full time”.

“So would you say that you developed a belief that to be an artist you had to starve and you certainly couldn’t  make a living at it?” I asked.

“yes, that’s about it”, she replied.

“Let’s look at that negative thought… write it down. Now, look at it and ask ‘is this true’ so do you think it is true?”

“Well, yes at least it is how experience it”, she said.

“Ok, now can you ABSOLUTELY without a doubt KNOW it it is true? Can you REALLY know?

Next I want you to answer this question…‘how do I react when I think that thought?’ This is important you’ll need to dig deep and pay attention to your feelings. When you think that thought what do you do? How do you treat yourself and others? Take some time to write down all the ways you react.”

” Here goes” she said. ” I feel angry, resentful and well hopeless. I get mad at buyers or at least don’t put a lot of time in with them. I really get mad at myself for thinking I could make this work.”

“Now ask ‘what would I be without that thought’, who would you be? How would your life be different?’”

“That’s not hard” she said. ” I would be living in a nice house, I would have lots of people wanting my work. When I did shows I would sell out and would easily get paid well for my work.”

“Ok now let’s take that original negative thought and turn it around. The original thought was, ‘you could never make a living as an artist’ now becomes ‘you can make a good living as an artist’ or ‘I can make a good living as an artist.’

Finally, I want you to take that turn around and ask ‘Is this turnaround as true or truer than my original negative intention?’ Then find three good examples that prove the turn around is just as true or truer than the original negative thought.”

“wow!” she said, ” my mind is racing I can see how one thing can lead to another. Can this process be used with my buyers?”

“Yes, certainly, it can help you get out of feeling like a victim and start seeing you buyers in a different more positive light. We can work on that another time you are going to need some time to work just on this part.”

I hope this has been helpful here is another way to get at the negative thoughts and begin the process. Take this list of positive intentions/beliefs and write the first negative intentions that pop up when you read them:

  • People will easily pay me for the value of my work.
  • When I talk to potential buyers it is easy to get them to sign up for my newsletter.
  • People really get my work and see the value it will add to their lives.
  • It is easy for me to build a network of supporters and buyers.
  • My buyers come back to me often and tell their friends to buy from me.
  • It is easy for me to learn to market my work.
  • My brand is easy to identify and is the primary driver behind buyer attraction.

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 A CASE STUDY: finding and exterminating artistic ANTS

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dead_ant Four steps to exterminating your ANTS

The last part of this discussion ended by pointing out that the two most common ways of ridding ourselves of ANTS (automatic negative thoughts)  through shear  will power will just make them more powerful and likewise denial will also cause them to take over our lives. However, there is hope and there is a way…

A while back I learned about  my ANTS by using a very simple tool developed by Byron Katie. She had been struggling with almost a decade long bout of depression when she had one of those “ah ha” moments that seem to come out of nowhere to slap us upside the head. She realized that she was letting here negative thoughts run her life and when she started really examining the thoughts that drove her to stay stuck she was surprised  to see them disappear. Katie came up with a simple process called “The Work” that has worked with hundreds of thousands of people, helping them refocus their energy and move on to achieve their goals.

In a nutshell the process consists of:

Identifying the negative intention AND committing it to paper so it doesn’t linger in your mind.

  1. Ask if the negative thought is “true” or “False” you can ONLY answer “Yes” or “No”
  2. If you answer yes or you are not clear then ask “Can I know with absolute certainty if this is true?” Again only yes or no.
  3. Now ask: “how do I react when I think that thought” write down what you feel it can be one feeling or a collection. Don’t think about just write down your feelings and reactions.
  4. Who would you be if you didn’t believe that thought? Write down who you would be or what would be different if you didn’t have that thought. The key here is to really imagine what life would be like without that ANT.

The final part of the toolset is called “The Turnaround”. Turn the belief around to its opposite. There maybe several iterations of the turnaround. It is very important to understand that these are NOT affirmations, they are alternate realities different ways of  looking at the belief. To validate the turnaround do the following:

  • Ask if the turnarounds are as true or truer than the original belief
  • Write down some examples of how the turnaround is true
  • Write down descriptions of actions that would support the turnaround.

For more information on this process visit www.thework.com. We will also be going into further detail about using this process as part of your preparation for 2009.

Next we will apply this process to common mindset issues that hold artists back.

Was this helpful? Do you know what your ANTS are?

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 Four steps to exterminating your ANTS

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ant Are ANTS keeping you stuck?

How often have you gotten excited about a new body of work or a new show and in anticipation of instant acceptance  and sales said to yourself ” this is my best work yet everybody will love it and I’ll sell out” . And how often have you met with disappointing results leading you to thoughts like these:

” People don’t buy my work because they are dumb”
” Nobody likes my work other wise they would buy it”
” People are idiots…they wouldn’t know good work if it hit them in the face!”

We call these ANTS or Automatic Negative Thoughts and we all have them and to some degree we all allow them to run our lives. They come from living, from experiences, and all the people and environments we pass through as we live our lives. ANTS can and often do appear out of nowhere to take over…they start directing what we do, how we think and are the primary factor in keeping us from moving forward. ANTS are largely

To the extent you can stay focused on the Positive Intentions around your work you will be able to avoid being stuck and move forward with your business. Recent studies in Neuro-Science are confirming the fact that our life tends to go wherever we put our focus…our happiness, success and attitudes will go wherever we give power and focus. In other words, your life manifests according to your focus, if you focus on ANTS you can become stuck, you will find it difficult to succeed and even start allowing anger, resentment and resignation take over your life. On the other hand if you focus on positive intentions you experience the opposite…you experience more success, more happiness and more overall satisfaction. The funny thing about ANTS is that you cannot use your willfulness to overcome them, doing so will only give them more power, ignoring them will also let them run rampant with your life.

We will be talking more about ANTS as part of our series around Planning for 2009.
Next will be ways to exterminate your ANTS geared specifically to creatives.

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 Are ANTS keeping you stuck?

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mm_logo2-382x400 Marketing Monday:planning your show strategy

Now is the time to start thinking about your next seasons shows. It is also a time to start taking action to move away from what I call “random acts of buying” and start moving into a position that starts to reduce the random nature of your sales cycle.

Here are 3 key points to help you reduce those random acts of buying and review your past year from a more holistic point of view:

Look at your sales history

  • Use the 80/20 rule- Find what part of your inventory accounted for 80% of your sales. Try to determine if it was price point or the character of the  item. How can you develop other items in your inventory that can also fit into that category. What was the ratio of other sales to the 20%…what was their price point, what did they represent? Are the lower sales of your high end work supported by the 20% sales of your hottest selling items?
  • Identify the high points and the low points - Look at the details of the peaks and valleys, try to describe their characteristics. Use a checklist of predetermined factors such as item, price point, geography, demographics,weather, your impressions of the buyers (the crowd). Try to describe, in relative general terms, the buyers that accounted for both peaks and valleys. For example  did you have returning customers, try to describe their characteristics.
  • What trends do you notice- Now is when you take the information from the last two points and step back to a broader perspective. Try to find patterns that can relate to specific shows and look for relationships between patterns. If patterns do show see if you can find what is behind the pattern.
  • Review each show from the past year- have a rating system that will help you rank the shows against specific criteria. Also look at other more subjective criteria like what the quality of work was compared to yours, what were the people attending like where they shoppers, lookers, or…

Define your ideal

Recent research into neuro-psychology is showing that indeed the degree to which we achieve our life vision is determined by where we put our attention. The Law of Attraction also says that where you put your focus, your energy, determines what you attract. So by having clarity around the elements that make up your business vision you will have an image in your mind each piece of your business puzzle and how well it fits into the whole of your vision. The more clarity you have around these elements the more focused your intentions can be and hence the easier it will be to navigate through the year.

If you place the descriptions and images of your perfect buyer, perfect show and perfect season side by side you will be able to have a better image of what you want to attract. Moreover, describing these three elements in physical here and now terms makes them real and slowly merging them into your consciousness. Many, I mean most, really successful people use this approach, they include: Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup For the Soul) Brian Tracy, Napoleon Hill ( Think and Grow Rich), Steven Covey and Andrew Carnegie.

Define the perfect show
Just as we develop profiles of our perfect customers during the branding process you can also apply the same approach to shows. Write out a list of the characteristics that you want in a perfect show. Keep this in mind as you develop your profile:

Perfect Shows=joy+profit+community

Here are a few ideas to get started

  • Demographics- these are the objective descriptions of the show, things like location, age of attendees, genders, income, logistical factors like load in and out, etc. What types of other artists will be there what mediums
  • Psychographics - look at the show as if it were a person ( it actually is a collection of people) List the motivations the promoters would have, do they match yours? Does the show appeal to a specific lifestyle or value that may be important to you like greenness or sustainability….  What are the attitudes, values and opinions of attending artists. What are the attitudes, values and opinions of the potential buyers attending the show.
  • Problems- think about the issues, challenges,  needs you want the show to address for you to want to apply for .
  • Attitudes and treatment- how do you want to be treated at your ideal show, are there amenities,  what factors would put the show as your absolute must.
  • Accessibility - what would the load in load out look like, think of availability of help, of traffic management, of parking etc.

Remember the shows that you left feeling like you had just been through WWIII. While great learning experiences they sap your energy and chop away at your confidence. Having an image of a show that would cause you to leave revved up and excited can help you recognize the ones to re-apply for.

Define your perfect season
Just as it is helpful to define a perfect buyer so we can recognize them or make sure we go where they are, it is also helpful to do the same for shows, like we did above, and for our sales cycle or season.  Now the equation above looks like this:

Perfect Shows+Perfect season=joy+profit+community

  • Travel-How much do you want to travel? How far are you willing to travel? Do you want to travel groups of shows? Does your inventory allow it?
  • Sales- What were the high and low points of your sales over the season? Use the information in the last two points to describe what accounted for your peaks and your valleys? What is the 80/20 breakdown
  • Building your list - How many buyers and potential buyers did you add? What approach did you use? What was their response to your request for their information?
  • Shows- How many shows were you juried into? What were your submissions? How did they fit into your ideal preferences?
  • Community- did you build any close relationships with buyer? With other artists?

Believe in yourself, trust your process and don’t look for perfection

  • Focus on your own power to succeed by keeping your intentions in your consciousness.
  • Trust in your ability to engage your buyers and your ability to build a following.
  • Maintain a mindset of abundance and keep that vision always by your side.
  • Do not hold out for perfection, doing so will all but guarantee that you will continue to stay where you are.

Finally our equation looks like this:

Abundant Mindset+Perfect buyers+Perfect Shows+Perfect season=joy+profit+community+abundance

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 Marketing Monday:planning your show strategy

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che The Coming Revolution: crowd sourcing and open source art

An idea whose time is come and something I have talked about here on more than one occasion…the importance of getting art into people’s homes and artists getting paid for said art. Today while reading my blogline feeds I ran across a post on John Jantsch’s Duct Tape Marketing blog that took me to a site that is not only leading the way but also far out ahead of anything else… the site is Wall Blank and it is using the principles of Crowd sourcing as described in Jeff Howe’s book by the same title. They are also playing the role of “connector” as described in Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.

According to their Manifesto…

We are creating a new way for the everday person to buy artwork for their
homes, apartments and offices.
We’re tired of buying mass-produced artwork from stores like IKEA and
Target*. We can’t afford original fine artwork. We value craftsmanship and
enjoy being different and unique. We appreciate those who create. We like
stories and want to know how things are made, who made them and why
they were made. Sure, people can fall in love with a piece of art, but they
can also fall in love with the artist, the story and the inspiration behind the
work.
We are curators. We look for artists who want to share their work yet still
be recognized. Artists who want their work on people’s walls yet still want to
be paid a fair price. Artists who are ok with people who aren’t fine art snobs
buying their art. Everyday people who don’t know the ‘museum-stare’ and
probably won’t ever spend $500 on a piece of art. Yet people who recognize
something they like and want on their wall.

Their approach honors and respects the artist while helping buyers get good original art…in that sense they are not just true connectors they are also educating the public about what we as artists do. The open source part consists of allowing artists to contribute to the project in much the same way that open source software started by setting standards and opening problem solving to whom ever can meet the standards regardless of their creds.

Ok …I do disagree with some of their approach specifically that everyday people will not spend $500.00 on a piece of art. In order for that to happen people have to start seeing value in art and be willing to choose it over the latest shiny toy. Art brings meaning, it brings beauty and with beauty comes hope and a more expansive way of seeing the world. Regardless of your political and economic leanings it doesn’t take a Tarot deck to tell us that a shift is happening…and I think the overall goal of this site is an indication of more of the same to come. Wall Blank is breaking the ground and setting the stage for evolution and revolution in the way artists sell their work, new avenues and opportunities are on the horizon we just have to keep our eyes open and our intentions set.

Despite the doom and gloom served up all to frequently these are exciting times and we as artists can have a hand in moving things along…we just need to show up.

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 The Coming Revolution: crowd sourcing and open source art

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