Don’t Take It Personally

Somebody asked me during my weekend exhibit…

“How do you deal with criticism… like as in people who don’t like your art”?

My reply was …

“I am not my art, so I don’t really have to deal with anything. So because I don’t have to deal with it, I can concentrate on creating something better every time”.

Then the reply was…

“Oh ok, that’s cool. But I bet you perk up and feel great when people commend you on your work huh…”

My reply…

“The thing is… I have already assessed my work from an objective viewpoint. So I don’t really expect praise. I don’t need it in other words. But when I receive it I simply say thank you in respect to the person who has been BIG enough to see that I am merely trying to contribute something worthwhile.”

So my point is…

If you allow criticism to unsettle you, you allow fear to enter through the back door.

And if you allow this to happen you will be separated from your dedication to work.

So…

Don’t take failure personally – and certainly do not take criticism personally.

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Diversify

If you discover in the beginning that you are not getting the financial results you want from your art…

Or if nobody is buying from your niche…

Then diversify.

Listen… if you are happy to get along with NOT selling what you love to create, then that’s great.

After all you got into this game for the self-fulfilment huh.

Yeah

But…

If you are looking to receive a few cookies for your efforts (of course you are), then put what you do to the side NOW AND THEN and do this…

Create What People Want

“Egad! What is you saying man? Isn’t that like…SELLING OUT? OH MY… I think I hear the “purist” stampede approaching!”

But seriously…

I have received many emails from artists who have struggled to sell art in their niche.

If it is your desire to make some sales in the beginning, then one factor you may want to consider is being prepared to be a little flexible.

During some of my very first exhibits I had people approach me and tell me they loved my subject matter and texture, but didn’t really desire my use of colour.

How could I take their dislike for my use of colour personally when one particular lady was wearing a lime midriff jumper, purple corduroy pants and blue thongs (flip-flops). “What the…?”

But I digress…

So I then asked them questions about what colours they do like… or what kind of themes they like etc.

Through this type of conversation we often managed to meet somewhere in the middle.

And a result I often produced some work for them that didn’t go too much out of my creative category and yet suited what the buyer was looking for.

This is kind of like doing commission work.

Remember the key is not to go TOO far outside of your creative ward and into an area that doesn’t stimulate you.

But try to be flexible.

At the end of the day you are looking for your bread and butter…

The “cash flow” to get you moving.

So be a little diverse with your work to accommodate more people. The same goes with your pricing. Have some low cost entry pieces available. Make your art accessible to everyone without making it free (wink).

Later as you develop your craft, develop a following and build a reputation you can concentrate solely on your chosen niche.

But until then “diversify” a little.

For example…

If you only use charcoal to draw birds…try using some oil colours instead.

If you only do abstract textural paintings…try incorporating a subject theme.

If you paint water colour on board seascapes…try using oil colours on canvas and incorporating people (activity) on the beach.

If you paint portraits of celebrities…try painting everyday people who can actually sit for you.

Whatever you do, try to be diverse.

It’s worth exploring anyway.

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Bitter With Twitter?

Many artists are hesitant about using Twitter because they feel there is no real value in using it as a marketing tool to generate interest in their artwork.

“Just a lot of people waffling on,” as one artist put it.

The most effective way to make the most out of twitter is to point your followers to new content on your blog.

Keep it simple.

Many artists looking to get some momentum are not creating content that supports their work. So my suggestion is to create a running dialogue (regular blog posts) that intrigues, informs and inspires your visitor.

The whole idea of your site or blog, aside from showcasing your work, is to create content that SUPPORTS the curiosity your website visitor has in you and your work.

Twitter is merely a tool to re-direct additional traffic towards that content.

So create content to create a gathering…

Create content in order to EXCITE your suspect…

And then use twitter to direct traffic to that content.

In all honesty… you don’t need to purchase any twitter products (there are many available now to help you use twitter to its full potential) unless you are very keen to master twitter for serious marketing purposes.

But check out my twitter marketing link below. It will give you are very solid understanding as to what twitter is all about and how it may of good use to you.

Read this post on artists using twitter for marketing:

http://www.caku-art.com/twitter-marketing.html

At the end of the day, building legitimate relationships online is where the power is in terms of bringing attention to your artwork. Social media is a handy tool, but it really comes down to developing proper relationships with people.

Power to you and your art!

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You Are Such An Amateur Artist

It doesn’t matter how far you go as an artist in your career…

You will always have that element of being an amateur.

“Gosh, how dare he condemn me like that” I just heard the guy at the back holler.

Sit down Restless Geoffrey… and allow me to explain.

There is nothing derogatory about being labelled an amateur artist.

Our modern culture is partly to blame for our misinterpretation of what amateur actually means or represents.

The word Amateur essentially comes from the Latin verb, “amare”

Which means, “to love”.

So… to be an amateur artist simply means…

“To do what you love doing”

It is actually a word to describe “experience”

Not “achievement”.

Slightly profound huh

I think so too.

Being amateur is not about how well you do it, but about how much you enjoy doing it (wink).

That’s called being an amateur.

Being amateur is based more on the quality of your experience…

Not the quality of your performance.

So what the difference between being an amateur And a pro?

A pro loves what she does MORE than an Amateur does…

Because a pro sits down and does all the Mundane stuff in order to uphold the inspiration and to maintain a routine.

A professional loves what she does, but also knows what she does.

An amateur only loves what she does.

Being an amateur is groovy to begin with

But think pro

Professionals don’t have to deal with criticism because They look at their work objectively.

They KNOW they are not their art

That’s a pro

A pro is patient

A pro contributes to her work EVERYDAY

An amateur waits till the weekend

A pro don’t make excuses

They make hay while the sun is shining

Think pro

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Lasting Impression Marketing

When I give out my business card to people, it’s merely as a follow up. It’s kind of like a small personal policy of mine to at least have had a conversation with the person in question before I hand over a business card.

I don’t see the point in handing out business cards indiscriminately.

A lot of people will simply take your card for the sake of taking it  – kind of similar to clicking the button that says “do you want to become my facebook friend?” – they do it so they wont offend you.

The whole purpose of a business card is to give the person you are dealing with a reference to contact you.

Chances are; they could have already taken a few business cards from other people within your industry.

So if you are going to use a business card then aim at making your mark. Make your business card stick out.

I like to create and use my own quotes on my cards. In my opinion, I don’t see the point in stipulating that I am an artist because people will pick up on that from having seen my art… and/or it would have been mentioned in our conversation. As I mentioned before, I don’t like giving out my cards for the sake of handing them out.

My motto is: if you are going to use a business card, then at least use one to get a giggle, a frown or a tear. Use it to get a response. Use it so your prospect will remember you.

As an artist, I don’t rely on using a business card to generate business. People either like your art or they don’t. A business card won’t really make a scrap of difference when it comes to making sales – In other words I don’t see it as a uselful promotional tool.  I see a business card in my industry as nothing more than a “stick-it-note”. It’s so the person who is genuinely interested in purchasing some of your work will have something on paper to remind them on how to go about contacting you.

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Where To Start Selling Your Art

When I first began selling my art publicly, I contacted local community councils.

They always had some form of festival market or art fair going on at regular intervals. This way I could show case my art to people looking to buy art in my local area.

I was not interested in “exposure” for the sake of exposure. I had done the whole “exposure” thing putting paintings in cafes etc – but realised after some time it really was a waste of time and energy. It’s a consistently inconsistent way to sell art.

What a lot of artists fail to realise is that “Art is not bought – Art has to be sold”

What that statement really means is that you have to “sell yourself” and represent your art by interacting with people.

You have to “Stand in front of your art”.

This is particularly true if you have not established yourself as “well known” in your state, province or country for that matter, and don’t have anybody representing your art for you.

It’s these festivals and art fair events that I honed my selling skills.

The biggest tip I can give is… talk to people about them.

Additionally, while people are buying something they ultimately like (i.e. your art) what they are really buying is a piece of you – a feeling, something that will make them “feel good” about themselves and their surroundings.

That is all successful selling really is – an exchange of energy, emotion, feeling, trust and well being.

So with all that said, in order to get your art out there, YOU have to get out there.

You have to talk to people. You have to interact. You have to wear your bulletproof “criticism” suit and mingle… with art in hand.

Another thing some artists failed to realise (and I saw this a few times) is that they would organise a stall at an art fair to try and sell their art, and sit on a stool for most of the day… then feel rejected because they didn’t sell anything.

It’s not hard to realise why.

They didn’t interact – they failed to express interest in other people.

If you express genuine interest in people I can fairly much guarantee that you are going to sell your art at these types of art fairs and festivals.

Don’t try to sell your most expensive pieces of art. Its more than likely that people don’t know who you are so keep your prices at the popular “impulse buyer” range and under – Approx $400.

Wait until you gather some speed then what you will find… is that people who have bought your lower priced art will often come back and buy more expensive pieces.

This is why I really emphasise to my newsletter subscribers to “take names” and develop a relationship with potential buyers through direct mail, email or social media. But provide some form of value to them while they are not buying your art – sounds kinda counterproductive but it really does work.

Marketing Material

Have some business cards made up for these types of art functions.

Make sure EVERYBODY you talk to leaves with something that has your name on it regardless if they bought a painting from you or not. But make sure it is only people you talk to because…

A lot of people who are just passing through will use the “have you got a business card” as a way to escape your stall. It’s their polite way of saying “I’m not really interested”.

So the point is, don’t waste your marketing material on people unless you have had some genuine interaction with them.

If you shared a conversation with somebody, make sure they leave with either a business card (you can get cards made up and shipped to you quite inexpensively through Vista Print – www.vistaprint.com.au) or some form of marketing material.

As you begin to gain some momentum doing these types of shows, start to incorporate other forms of marketing material if it is in your budget.

For example…

Got a video camera? Film yourself producing one of your paintings. Put some music to it and get 20 copies made onto DVD (easy to do on your own computer) to hand out to people who visit your art stall.

Keep the video short – no longer than 4 minutes. Don’t bore people – inspire them. Give them just enough to want to know more about you and want to contact you.

Tell people you do commission work.

Doing commission art can really help to develop your disipline as an artist, because it inspires you to work to deadlines.

Don’t be spooked by commission work. Don’t rely on it but don’t be afraid to do it when you are just starting out. After all, what is the worst thing that can happen? If the buyer doesn’t like it, don’t take his money and sell it to somebody who does at your next art fair meeting.

I’ve had this happen on just one occasion and ended up selling the painting for more (but only just a bit more) at an exhibit. It wasn’t that the original buyer didn’t like the end result; there was merely a breakdown in communication half way through the project.

I’ve written a report based on my experiences with doing commission work – if you want to know more you can grab a free copy at…

http://www.caku-art.com/commission-art.html

Promoting Locally

If you want to promote and let people know where you will be showing your art…

Contact your local community newspaper or lifestyle magazine and tell them you want them to do an article on you and your art.

Don’t think you have enough to say?

Tell them what inspires you to paint. Tell them your views on your community and express some of your thoughts about the people who live there. People will read it and think “What a groovy person, great community spirit – lets go look at her art… oh it says here at the bottom of the article….”

Get the picture?

Make sure the article has something at the bottom that directs people to either…

A: your next art fair showing

B: A web site or a blog.

C: An exhibit you have arranged in your community on a particular time and date.

In regards to galleries, consider visiting my site and reading the post about approaching an art gallery. It is a bit too long for this post.

But anyway, back to this…

Just remember to talk to as many people as you can – interact.

You’ll do well if you get yourself out in the public and listen to people. It may sound like a real odd thing to do or unfamiliar way to sell art, but believe me it really works.

And the best part is… if you like yourself and you like people, it really is quite easy to do – and you’ll sell some art as a result.

Hope that helps you out…

Power to you and your art!

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Selling Art On The Internet – “Your Website”

I often receive emails from fellow artists with a request to critique their website design and layout along with questions about the best way to go about selling art on the internet through their site.

In regards to critiquing websites, I can only really offer suggestions from a marketing point of view. Although I am an artist myself, I don’t really classify myself as much of a judge when it comes to good design. My motto is to keep it “simple” and make it easy for your visitor to navigate.

In essence, I think your artwork has to do a lot of the talking. Therefore, you shouldn’t need to put too much time and effort into creating a website to impress.

The Internet is essentially an information resource. A website is nothing more than a tool to help you operate your business. Your website is your online real estate and it’s main purpose is to communicate to your target audience.

If you have a website with flashing lights and over creative “hard to read” font, it’s really no different to having a bricks and mortar business and welcoming your potential buyer dressed in a clown suit.

So the real success behind having a web site is in how well you generate targeted traffic, how well you communicate to your visitor, and then how well you can build a relationship with them.

I always suggest that each artist should have a website that showcases their work, then a separate blog that allows them to add lots of content. The idea with a blog is to keep a running dialogue of content that helps to summarize who you are and how you do what you do.

When it comes to keeping a blog – just be yourself. That is what people really want to see and hear.

At the end of the day, your art will be bought because someone likes it. Most people won’t want to know about you and your life on an intimate level. But for those people who are interested in your artwork, they will be more inclined to hang around your site and blog if you provide interesting content – not to mention good artwork.

When it comes to selling art on the internet from your website; if people are not familiar with you or your work, then you need to help build their trust and confidence in you before they even consider purchasing any of your work.

Consider creating your own newsletter for your site. That way you can send out updates on a monthly basis and build a relationship with your subscribers.

Don’t feel restricted to sending out just text emails either. Use video and audio to show more of your personality and your artwork.

So when it comes to building a website for selling art on the internet, focus on your ability to communicate to your audience. Don’t get caught up in trying to build a site to impress.

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When Enough Is Enough

Art is a funny thing. This painting above, “Partnership” I sold very quickly. The thing is though; I deliberately left a spot on the painting as unfinished.

Cheeky?

Perhaps.

But this unfinished area is not actually visible to the person who fell in love with the painting and purchased it. In fact it was not visible to a lot of people who looked at the painting when it was exhibited.

I wanted to test the theory that no piece of art is actually ever finished. It is only really finished when you are still working on it well past the point of it feeling wholesome. In other words if you are still working beyond that “sweet spot” then you are more than finished, you have probably over done it.

The “over doing it stage” was something I experienced a lot some years ago. I would constantly work well beyond the point where I should have actually stopped.

With some of those earlier works, my time would have been better spent just writing “I am struggling” on the canvas (wink).

I once read somewhere that Picasso felt a painting is never supposed to be finished.

So in other words, he probably believed that if you set out to finish a painting then it really isn’t originated from who you are because you adopted a starting point and a finishing point – you went in with too much expectation.

Art is not about time or completion but merely an extension of your voice.

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A Little More Conversation

When I first started exhibiting my work, I didn’t really interact much. I didn’t completely engage myself in any real conversation with my prospective buyer.

Admittedly, I was a little preoccupied with making sure that I was organised. In other words, I was a little over anxious. A little nervous I guess.

So I was a preoccupied with…“does my stall look okay? Oh shit, I didn’t sign that painting properly! Oh no, I really shouldn’t have had that last coffee, as now I have no-one to relieve me while I go to the loo…”

But after a couple of showings I quickly loosened up and engaged in some great conversations. I remembered someone said to me long ago that people are not nearly as interested in you as they are interested in themselves.

So I simply put that piece of advice to good use and sold a bunch of paintings as a result.

Off course there were plenty of people I had conversations with that didn’t end up purchasing any of my work. But it was interesting to note that quite a few contacted me weeks, even months later about buying my art or wanting something commissioned for their home.

People will buy your art because they like what they see. But in some cases, if you are not receptive – as I wasn’t when I first started because I was futzing about and getting distracted – then it’s unlikely they will approach you to express interest in purchasing your work.

After I settled into the whole art of selling your art, I began approaching people with an emphasis on who they were, rather than the typical “Hey let’s talk about my painting” type of introduction.

I knew that if I could get someone talking about him or herself, they’d be more susceptible to wanting to know more about my art.

Essentially, I made the conversation all about my stall visitor and a lot less about my paintings.

While this is a good way to go about “not having to sell your work,” it is also a great technique for the shy artist, who is not yet completely confident with exhibiting their work. The answer is to talk less about your work and steer the conversation to being about your visitor.

It takes the spotlight off  you, makes you feel a little more comfortable and allows you to get to know more about the person you are dealing with.

The more you can get your potential buyer to open up about themselves, the more will be revealed about what they like and don’t like.

It’s through doing this I discovered many people actually wanted something that had not yet been created – so right there was an opportunity for suggesting commission work.

The main point is to talk to people without any expectation of a sale. I have spoken to so many people and never made a sale. But I have had some amazing conversations.

Some conversations have been absolutely hilarious. Some are sad. Some are truly weird. Some are a little confrontational. Some are too political. Some people are drunk, loud and talk a whole bunch of nothing. Some people are so quiet and incredibly difficult to engage in a conversation. Some conversations have been with some of the most interesting people I have ever met.

But it’s through these conversations that I have been able to understand the person who is interested in my art. It’s more inspiring to delve into the lives of your customer, client or collector than it is to talk about your art all day long.

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Selling Yourself

A few years ago I spent a few weeks selling my work in an open-air exhibit in the city.

Each week as I was setting up, I would watch one artist put a few sold stickers on his work – at 8am before the crowd started arriving.

Why?

To indicate that he was a successful selling artist.

The sold stickers would help to persuade the public to perhaps consider buying his work because he was successful.

Sneaky?

Perhaps.

I have to admit that it was something I could never do, nor did I need to because I did quite well for the time I was exhibiting my work there.

By putting a sold sticker on a couple of paintings, that had not actually sold, was in his eyes a good selling point. He did sell some art each week. But I am not sure if it was because of the sold stickers.

Sometimes I would sell a painting before 9am. What I would do then is ask my buyer for permission to hold the painting for the rest of the day, and whack a sold sticker on it and leave it hung.

If the buyer lived locally I would even offer to deliver the painting as a thanks for leaving it on display – particularly if they did not want to hang around all day to wait for their painting.

The point I am trying to make in this post is there are many ways you can encourage the public to buy your art. One is through just being yourself and producing quality art.

The second is to “invite” people for conversation. I spend so much time talking to people about “them” at exhibits. I sell paintings as a result. I even sold a painting to a guy who’s wife whispered to me, “This is the first piece of art he has ever bought, he is totally not into art so you have done something right.”

It might have been because I spoke to him about him for half an hour while his wife wandered around the exhibit. Not to mention that my art is quite alluring (wink).

But the point is, you don’t really need to be tricky (i.e: using sold stickers before your painting is sold – regardless if it actually works) you just need to be “you” and people will respond.

Power to you and your art!

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