I talk to a lot of artists on a regular basis. Some online and some in person. With only a few exceptions, they almost always put up their guard when I start talking to them about marketing their art and themselves.
I simply don’t get it.
I realize that it doesn’t come naturally to some. I also understand that learning the technologies for art marketing can be intimidating. But artists are supposed to be intrepid souls who will go where others will not dare, right?
WRONG.
My experience has shown that artists tend to shed their intrepid adventurer skins when you start talking social media, blogging, websites, etc. to them. Why is that?
I suspect that there are a lot of reasons. Whatever the reason, it is to the artist’s detriment. Artists who succeed in their own lifetimes tend to be the ones who develop a knack for marketing. They sync their creative souls with their desire to share their work with others, and they find ways to get there work “out there”. When their work is “out there” and seen by a wider audience, it sells.
I am not anywhere close to where I want to be in selling my work, but I am SELLING. I sell more work than most artists that I know. I am not living in luxury, but I am living from the proceeds of my art. I am building a foundation upon which greater things can develop.
I want to help others learn what I have learned, and what I continue to learn about marketing. It is a creative and energizing endeavor, and it does not have to take away from one’s artwork production.
So I ask you, if you are an artist, are you afraid of marketing? What scares you the most? What hold you back?
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Check out my Referral Incentive Program! Send your friends here and you could get an ACEO by BZTAT!
Custom Pet Portraits / Contemporary Artwork of Cats, Dogs and other Animals
BZTAT Studios - In the heart of the Canton, OH Arts District
You have no doubt heard of the Naked Cowboy.
The entrepreneurial street singer found that no one paid attention to his musical entertainment on the streets, no matter how good his music was.
So he stripped down to his briefs and started playing in the buff to get everyone’s attention. He is now a permanent part of the NYC Times Square urban landscape.
I am feeling like the Naked Cowboy before he stripped down.
I have 347 fans on my old Facebook fan page. I no longer call my studio “Art Adventures Studios”, but Facebook won’t let you change the name of a fan page, so I had to create a new one to have a new name. Getting those 347 people to move to the new page, however, has seemed like an impossible feat. At this writing, I only have 57 fans on the new page.
What do I need to do to get people over to the new page? You REALLY don’t want me to start painting in the buff, do you? I can assure you, my physique is not as interesting as the Naked Cowboy’s.
So please, come on over to the new page! I am planning all kinds of new schtuff for the page, with interesting articles, updates about what is in the works on my easel, and maybe some contests and things.
Hope to see you at the new page — fully clothed.
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
Check out my Referral Incentive Program! Send your friends here and you could get an ACEO by BZTAT!
Custom Pet Portraits / Contemporary Artwork of Cats, Dogs and other Animals
BZTAT Studios - In the heart of the Canton, OH Arts District
Awhile back, I wrote about my struggle with the left-right brain dilemma for artists. I have written other times about my journey towards becoming a creative entrepreneur, and about my efforts to overcome my awkwardness in business skills.
I am still on that journey, and I am finding myself landing in some interesting places. I am finding people who are providing me with concrete and moral supports, and lots of encouragement. I am finding some fabulous blogs that are designed to help artists like me with business concerns (Artists Who Thrive, Better, Smarter, Richer, The Abundant Artist). And I am finding that leaders in my hometown of Canton, OH are deeply committed to seeing that I and other local artists succeed.
They are so committed, in fact, that they have developed a unique business/artist partnership to ensure the sustainability of the burgeoning arts community in Downtown Canton. This partnership, called “Artist Boot Camp”, is sponsored by Arts in Stark, the County Arts Council. Coordinated by artist and arts administrator Craig Joseph, the Artist Boot Camp is a series of workshops designed to bring artists and business leaders together to help artists become more effective in business.
Artist Boot Camp is a pilot program, bringing experts in various business topics together with artists to share their expertise. These experts donate their time as a way to support the arts in the community. So far we have had leaders speak with us about grant writing, taxes & legal issues, and marketing strategies, and they have all been incredibly helpful. A number of other topics are lined up for future sessions, such as social media marketing and the one we ALL need, basic accounting and financial planning.
Each artist is paired with a business mentor who will continue to work with us after the classes are completed. My mentor, Jessica Bennett (pictured to the right), is the Marketing Director for the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Director for Indigo Ink Press.
Jessica was one of our presenters this week, providing us information about public relations, writing press releases, and email marketing. I am looking forward to working with Jessica. I know that I can learn a lot from her!
I feel very blessed to be chosen to be a part of this pilot program, which is sure to grow into an ongoing effort to help many artists in the Canton/Stark County area. I thank Arts in Stark for making the commitment that they have to the artists in Canton, and to all the business leaders for their interest and contribution.
My hope is that other cities will follow Canton’s lead and recognize the value of such partnerships to grow communities through the arts.
Because, well, it’s just good business to support the arts.
Life is an Adventure!
BZTAT
