The First 4 Steps Toward Selling Your Art: Step #4

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Step #4: Start Writing About Your Art (And Never Stop)

Most artists insist they can’t write, but the problem is that they don’t make time to do it. They don’t want to do it. You can’t suddenly sit down at your computer or stare at a blank sheet of paper and expect to come up with a brilliant artist statement, bio, press release, or cover letter. You have to work at it.

I can’t think of a better way to begin the process than to start a journal. It’s completely safe because what you’re writing is for your eyes only. No one has to see it except you. It’s a tool you use along the way to help you connect with bigger and better audiences. The equation goes something like this:

More Writing = More Words = More Opportunities to Connect With Fans

Another cool thing about journaling is that there are no rules. You make them up as you go along. Do you need to create discipline? Set aside 15-20 minutes in the morning or evening to write. Do you have ideas leaking from your pores? Keep a journal with you at all times to capture the ideas before they disappear. Or use a voice recorder to catch your thoughts.

When you journal, you’re not trying to craft the perfect sentence. You’re writing just to get the words out of your head and onto the paper. You’re writing to capture the thoughts and to create a pool of words you can fish from when you need them. And you WILL need them.

Writing about your art is nonnegotiable

Ever heard of anything anywhere being sold without words? You need words to talk with interested buyers, other artists, curators, and arts writers. You need words to fill up a website or blog. You need words to tweet with on Twitter. And you need words to write your artist statement, press releases, grants, and newsletters.

There’s no getting around it. You can’t promote your art without words, so you might as well start now. Writing might also make you a better artist because you’re exploring art at a deeper level.

If you aren’t ready to write about your own art, write about someone else’s. Visit a gallery or museum for inspiration. Reading and watching documentaries about art will also grease the wheels.

Remember: You’re not trying to make the perfect literary document. You’re just capturing all of your thoughts before they disappear.

Copyright © 2011, Alyson B. Stanfield

Reposted By:

Adam Brown

Osio-Brown Editions Website

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4 Steps Towards Selling Your Art: Step #3

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Step #3: Connect with other artists

Many artists do not have sideline cheerleaders in the form of friends or family. Some people just don’t get us! If you’re in this predicament, you must seek or establish your own cheering squad. Without some kind of support system, you will find yourself beaten down and constantly on the defensive. Sometimes you can obtain such support by getting involved in existing artist organizations.

Being around other artists builds your confidence and sustains you emotionally. In addition, you will hear about opportunities you never knew existed if you hadn’t been part of a group. You’ll hear about them before they are ever published! You will also be eligible to apply for grants, awards, and exhibitions sponsored by the organization; be introduced to new art products and materials; and receive business advice in many areas (software, accounting, taxes, copyright, and more). Most importantly, with the right organization, you’ll make contacts that lead to the next step on your career path. As you are learning, contacts play a seminal role in your success.

MAKE SURE IT’S THE RIGHT ORGANIZATION

Before you join an organization, make sure it’s a good fit for you. Don’t join just for the sake of joining, which can end up being a waste of time and money. Attend meetings as a guest and consider where you might fit in. Before you join an organization, you should do research.

You aren’t joining just to be a member. You are joining to become involved. If you’re uncomfortable in an organization, you won’t reap the benefits of your membership. If you can’t find the right fit in an existing organization, bring together a group of artists who meet regularly for the purpose of supporting each other.

Perhaps becoming a member of an artist organization that meets regularly in your city is not for you or isn’t enough for you. You might consider “joining” a community on a part-time basis in a distant locale. You can escape once or twice a year to be around like-minded artists in artist communities, sometimes called “colonies.” Some people think of spending time at art colonies as vacations, but they are working vacations. You attend to be inspired and to learn from your peers. Another take on “getting away” is participating in an artist residency with an organization or at a venue. Learn about these opportunities in art magazines, discussion groups, and online lists.

The more you’re connected with other artists, the more opportunities you’ll discover.

Copyright © 2011, Alyson B. Stanfield

Reposted By:

Adam Brown

Osio-Brown Editions Website

Giclee Printing FAQs

4 Steps Towards Selling Your Art: Step #2

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Step #2: Create Your Mailing List

As I say in I’d Rather Be in the Studio! your mailing list is your most important asset. No one knows the same people you do. The people you know–regardless of whether or not they are part of the art cognoscenti–will help you succeed. And no one can succeed on his or her own.

In the simplest terms, a mailing list contains names and contact information of people you know or might like to know. For the artist, a mailing list usually begins with friends and family, and then expands to buyers and potential buyers. You use your mailing list to stay in touch with all of these people–to keep them informed of your goings-on. In a nutshell, your mailing list–something unique to you and your career–is the primary tool you use to share your art with the world. As you may know, I think sharing in a sincere way is much easier and much more effective than trying to sell.

These days, the artist’s mailing list contains both bricks-and-mortar addresses along with email addresses and phone numbers. For these reasons, it might better be called a contact list. You need all three types of information in order to keep your name in front of people and to conduct critical follow-up.

GUIDELINES FOR YOUR MAILING LIST

►Don’t delay. The longer you wait to begin or to update your mailing list, the more work you make for yourself. You don’t want to have something to tell everyone and then have to carve out time to input names into your computer. A mailing list is something every artist can do regardless of experience. You know people already! Having said that . . .

►Give yourself a break. Forgive yourself for not starting earlier and don’t look back.

►Don’t purchase a mailing list. Build your own from scratch. Lots of people will eagerly sell you a mailing list, but you’re going to become annoying to gallery dealers and curators who have nothing to do with your work. No purchased mailing list can be as valuable to you as the one you build with a keen eye on your long-term goals.

►Use software that makes it easy on you. While names and addresses are waiting to enter your computer, keep everything in a file folder so that it’s in one place when the time comes.

►Do only what you can, but do it consistently. Input 20 names a week until everyone is in there. If you work better with large projects, set aside a day or two to crank it out. When it comes to updating, add and correct names and addresses in a way that makes sense. If you make lots of sales, meet lots of people, or have seasonal sales, you might need to do this weekly. If you are slower at getting your work out, monthly updates might be sufficient.

Copyright © 2011, Alyson B. Stanfield

Reposted By:

Adam Brown

Osio-Brown Editions Website

Giclee Printing FAQs

4 Steps Towards Selling Your Art

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In all the years I’ve been helping artists build their careers, I can say with a good deal of confidence that there are four major steps to kick-start a rewarding art career. Today we’ll look at the first step.

Step #1: Devote yourself completely to a studio practice

You can’t make a few nice pieces and sit in the easy chair. You have to work, work, work. While I don’t believe that an artist needs an art degree to succeed, I do know that art school gives artists a leg up on creating the habit of being in the studio. If no one instilled this in you, it’s something you need to figure out.

Like anyone else who is self-employed, no one is going to tell you when to get up, when to go into the studio, when to take a break, when to stop for the day, or when to take a vacation. These are things you must learn to do for yourself.

The great thing about being self-employed is that you are free to organize your schedule so that it works for you. The downside is that some people aren’t very good at setting goals and boundaries. If this is you, don’t use it as an excuse. Consider it a challenge to change your ways.

2 GUIDELINES FOR YOUR STUDIO TIME

1) Make It Regular: Whether it’s the same time every day, the same number of hours each week, or on the same days of the week. Not a morning person? Then for Pete’s sake, don’t say you’re going to get up early and go to the studio. Schedule your studio time when you are most creative and productive.

I’d love to say that all you need is passion and excitement about your art, but you also must have a healthy dose of discipline to channel that enthusiasm. Don’t believe me? Read Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. Colvin shows how two people with equal parts talent take very different paths when one of them commits to a deliberate practice. And if you want to see discipline instilled in a lifelong artist, check out The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.

2) Keep It Sacred: Don’t let anyone or anything interfere with your studio time. I’ve read about a few artists lately who wouldn’t allow phones in their studios for fear that they could become a distraction. It’s also important to be able to turn down requests and invitations that would take you away from your studio time.

Copyright © 2010, Alyson B. Stanfield

Reposted By:

Adam Brown

Osio-Brown Editions Website

Giclee Printing FAQs