Cory Huff's Blog: The Abundant Artist Goodreads blog, page 24
November 27, 2017
Conversation with Visionary Intuitive Artist Paula Jones
In this episode we cover:
1:35- A smaller but dedicated fan base that is passionate about your work is just as (if not more) valuable than a much larger fan base.
3:27- Paula’s journey of spiritual self-discovery
7:07- Paula began her creative journey later in life, at the age of 45. She explains how this shift came about.
8:08- What it’s like to be an artist working/living out of an RV for several months out of the year.
10:55- How Paula comes upon her painting ideas and messages, and noticed an increase in her Facebook likes and sales numbers when she stopped subconsciously discrediting the power of her messages.
14:45- Navigating the change from art that galleries want you to make, to making the art your soul asks you to make (and how this can actually lead to better sales of your art!)
25:38- How Paula sells her art on Facebook.
27:14- Why alienating a certain portion of potential collectors may be a sign that you’re on the right track.
30:50- Paula’s advice to artists new to selling their work to be true to who they are.
33:08- How Paula knows that her messages are the real thing.
36:42- How artists can become more comfortable sharing their ideas about their work on the Internet.
37:50- Changing or uncovering your true self and how helpful it can be for your art, and the shamanic journeying that Paula does now to continue to uncover her true self and receive her messages.
39:58- Artists should paint what they are obsessed or preoccupied with, and their passion will be apparent in their work.
Download the transcript here:
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November 22, 2017
The Beginner’s One-Page Art Business Plan
Do you have a plan for your art business?
As discussed in this article, a business plan can help you strengthen your focus, identify your strengths and weaknesses, figure out how to get where you want to be, and understand what other artists are doing.
We received some feedback that the business plan shared in the original post linked above felt too overwhelming for artists just beginning to think about turning their passion into a business.
The last thing we want is for anyone to be scared away from following their dream of selling their art, fearing perhaps that they must have an MBA to successfully craft a coherent business plan.
So let’s take a step back! We’ve broken the business plan down to its most essential parts. Rather than four pages, it’s a single page with the key elements you need when just starting out to give your art business a strong foundation and a competitive edge.
You can fill the form out and then save it to your computer, or print and fill it out the old-fashioned way. Let us know what you think!
Download the One-Page Art Business Plan
The post The Beginner’s One-Page Art Business Plan appeared first on Online Marketing for Artists.
November 20, 2017
The Art Hustle with Jesse Reno
In this episode we cover:
3:13- Jesse’s particular brand of hustle and the rules he created for himself early in his career that enabled him to make contacts and get gigs
6:24- What Jesse’s art business looks like and when he accepts licensing deals
8:29- Living with mistakes in life, your business and in your work and discovering that often, they’re not mistakes at all
13:07- How Jesse managed to get his work into over 100 galleries and the work required to maintain that level of activity
16:50- The advantages of hiring a studio assistant
18:20- How Jesse uses an inventory system to keep track of his work
19:49- Managing the struggle to shift back and forth between running the business and making art
23:50- Navigating relationships with galleries that don’t want you to sell your work elsewhere or do your own marketing
31:31- How Jesse arrived at his pricing
38:00- Outsider art, what it means and how Jesse’s art fits into the scene
42:27- Jesse’s favorite Oregon beaches for getting away
44:14- How the lack of an academic background can be an advantage in dealing with galleries and growing your art business
Download the transcript here:
The Art Hustle with Jesse Reno
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November 15, 2017
The Top 9 Fine Art Shows in the Country
You can live the creative life you dream of even if you aren’t following the path of traditional gallery representation. Regardless of the way you choose to pursue your goals as an artist, art fairs have something to offer you. Even if you aren’t ready to take the plunge and apply to exhibit your work at one, simply attending can be hugely beneficial. They give you a chance to get out of the isolation of the studio, rub elbows with successful pro artists and motivated collectors, and get a solid overview of the current state of contemporary art and where you and your work stand in relation. We’ve put together a list of the top fine art shows around the country. Take a look!
Gallery-only Shows
These shows are for gallery-represented artists only. Rather than artists submitting their work to the show independently, their gallery applies for the show and represents them.
Art Basel (Miami Beach Dec 7-10, 2017)
Art Basel exhibits annually in Basel (Switzerland), Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. The show features significant work from well-known names in Modern and contemporary art as well as emerging artists. The show spans all visual media including paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, and film, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of art across the world.
Frieze (Randall’s Island Park, NY May 3-6, 2018)
Frieze runs in London and New York is open to commercial galleries that show at least 4 exhibitions per year and have an international program and a demonstrated commitment to artists.
The Armory Show (Piers 92 & 94, NY March 8-11 2018)
The Armory Show (New York) features over 200 international galleries and shows both 20th and 21st century artworks in a primary gallery show as well as several areas of the show that feature more specific themes such as 20th century work, recent work from emerging artists, and large-scale installation artworks.
Scope (Miami Beach, Dec 5-10 2017)
Scope is the largest emerging art fair in the world, exhibiting in New York, Miami, and Basel. The show focuses on younger international galleries and emerging artists, which has gained the show a reputation for identifying new global visual trends.
Red Dot Miami (December 6-10, 2017)
Red Dot Miami, which runs during Miami Art Week, exhibits over fifty galleries featuring both emerging and established artists. Artworks include painting, sculpture, and photography.
Open Juried Shows
The following shows are among the country’s top art shows that are open to all artists, including those unrepresented by a gallery. Artists submit their own work for consideration.
BAM (July 27-29, 2018)
BAM, the Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair, which runs in July in Bellevue, WA (a growing and affluent city east of Seattle), features arts and crafts covering modern, traditional, and emerging work. Art allowed includes 2-D and 3-D mixed media, painting, metalwork, wearables, wood, furniture, glass, and more. The submission process can be completed online.
Cherry Creek Arts Festival (July 6-8, 2018)
Cherry Creek Arts Festival is a large outdoor arts festival in Denver, CO that includes food trucks and booths as well as a concert stage. The show touts a higher-than-average art sales potential due to the affluent and art-educated locale. The show offers an Emerging Artist program for early-career artists new to exhibiting who can apply for a reduced booth rate and mentorship for the duration of the arts festival.
Context Art Miami (December 5-10, 2017)
Context is “dedicated to the development and reinforcement of emerging and mid-career artists”. Context shows both galleries and independent artist exhibitions, and is the concurrently-run sister show to Art Miami.
La Quinta Arts Festival (March 1-4, 2018)
La Quinta Arts Festival features over 200 artists in every art medium and price point. According to the festival website, the event has “earned respect and accolades for its ability to connect the “right buyer” with the artist”. The La Quinta Arts Festival has the lowest booth fee of any of the shows listed, in exchange for a 20% show fee on all sales made at or as a result of the festival.
Ready to take the art show plunge? Maximize your profits and minimize risk with Owen Garratt’s Ultimate Guide to Profitable Art Shows. Sign up now and get the course for 50% off!
The post The Top 9 Fine Art Shows in the Country appeared first on Online Marketing for Artists.
November 13, 2017
Honoring Black Identity with Jen Price Davis
In this episode we cover:
2:39: How Jennifer began the 100 Angels series
5:15: What it means to be in a black body and why it’s important to create art that speaks to that unique experience
11:43: How to make a space for yourself as a woman/person of color/etc in an industry still dominated by white males
13:45: Jennifer shares some thoughts on ways that those who benefit from the status quo can make space for others and create a seat at the table for them, so to speak
21:45: What it means to see black women represented in art
25:45: Jennifer shares some artists representing people of color in interesting ways
Jennifer Albin
Ann Clyde
#drawingwhileblack (Twitter hashtag)
@yellowroseart
Mystele
30:05: The inspiration for Jennifer’s new work-in-progress “Cold-blooded”, the value of African American Vernacular English, and what it means to not feel safe to use your language openly
37:45: A brief discussion of Colin Kaepernick and the effects of his protest
42:58: Not a Very Good Day at All is Jennifer’s new children’s book; she shares the origins of that story and the heart behind the main character
Learn more about Jennifer at jenniferpricedavis.com.
Check out the full transcript:
Honoring Black Identity Through Art with Jennifer Price Davis
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November 6, 2017
Taking Control of Your Art Business with Robyn McClendon
In this episode, we cover:
1:55- The way travel informs and changes your visual vocabulary
8:15- The value of keeping a journal, particularly while traveling
9:45- The materials Robyn uses when journaling and making her own journals
14:45- Robyn’s journey to making art full time and how she has found ways to support herself
22:10- Visual artists often find themselves pigeonholed into one form of art, but with a common thematic thread you can diversify and create whatever kind of art you wish
23:30- The old gallery system intentionally controls artists in order to control their product. Recognizing this and realizing that you don’t have to be confined by it can be very freeing for visual artists
25:25- Strategies for managing, creating, and selling art across different mediums
27:45- How Robyn got into the surface design industry and how it can be a very lucrative sales channel for artists
29:50- Robyn’s work early in her career on the Middle Passage, how she came to create that work and its place in her career
33:55- Navigating the norms of the art industry and how modern technology allows more marginalized artists to take greater control of their own work and broadcast it the way they want to
36:00- You don’t need formal training as an artist! View your art as a business and don’t get mired in the lack of a BFA
36:56- How the Arizona Artisans Guild came into being and how it’s helping artists and artisans share their work
Check out the full transcript:
The post Taking Control of Your Art Business with Robyn McClendon appeared first on Online Marketing for Artists.
November 1, 2017
Can’t Decide Between Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest? Here’s How to Choose
You’re well aware by now that if you’re selling your art online, you need to have a solid social media presence. The caveat is that each social network is different, and stretching yourself too thin by trying to maintain a presence on every network will equal disappointing results. But how do you choose which network to focus your energy on? We’ve put together a rundown of the 3 major networks that can be used as selling platforms. Ask yourself the questions below to help you narrow down which option will work the best for your art business.
Instagram
Instagram is not just the domain of impossible yoga poses on mountain peaks and picture-perfect brunch. It can also be a powerful selling tool, provided you find your audience there.
Pros
Instagram is great for artists because it is intended specifically for visual media. Where Facebook allows for enormous amounts of text, Instagram provides bite-sized and perfectly-square photos.
You can open a regular account, and when you’re ready switch it over to Instagram for Business.When you switch your profile to a business account, Instagram provides you with insights on your stories, posts, and followers. You can also add extra information about your business to your profile.
Hashtags are an effective way to attract new followers interested in your exact niche.
Cons
Some of Instagram’s very desirable functionalities are currently restricted to accounts with 10k+ followers. This includes the ability to add a direct link to your Instagram story that allows viewers to swipe up to be taken directly to your website. Without this ability, the only place you can add a clickable link is in your profile. A common workaround is to temporarily change your profile link to the URL you want to direct your followers to, such as a new blog post or the link to a page to purchase your newest piece of art.
Currently you can’t add clickable links to your regular posts. It also isn’t possible to copy/paste text from an Instagram post using your smartphone, so it’s practically useless to include a link in your caption.
Requirements
While you can access Instagram from a desktop computer, you can’t create a new post from a desktop. You’ll need a smartphone or tablet, preferably with a good camera.
Factor Instagram ads into your marketing budget if you are planning to use it as an advertising platform.
Artists having success there
@livingpattern. Jenny Kiker is a botanical artist with 156k followers. One look at her feed and it’s easy to see why- it’s a very very beautiful and cohesive feed with bright photos and lots of white and green. A quick glance makes it clear what she does. Jenny includes exclusive discount codes in many of her captions, which adds a little extra value to being a follower. She posts photos of her finished art, her work space, and her works in progress. All are very well lit.
@amirarahimart Amira Rahim is an abstract artist with 55.7k followers. Her feed is colorful, but consistently so (the recurring theme here for successful and attractive IG feeds is consistency). Amira posts many photos of works in progress, as well as charming pictures of her smiling face sprinkled in with inspirational quotes, things she finds inspiring (i.e. nature), and photos of her work framed on people’s walls.
Is it right for you? Questions to ask yourself.
Do you spend a lot of time using your smartphone? You need to be comfortable spending time in the Instagram app every day. Get comfortable using your phone’s camera and figure out what built-in editing features your camera has as well as those included in the Instagram app.
Do you already use Instagram? An understanding of the way Instagram works and IG best-practices in general will give you a leg up on getting started. Instagram may be casually used for personal profiles, but for those looking to leverage Instagram for their business, your feed must be thoughtfully curated with good photography and the right balance of text and strategic use of hashtags.
For more tips on leveraging Instagram to sell your art, check out our blog post How to Sell Art on Instagram.
Facebook
As you’ve probably heard even if you don’t use Facebook for your business, Facebook is a pay-to-play platform. Facebook offers a couple of different ways to do this, in the form of boosted posts (an ordinary Facebook post that you’ve paid to have placed in front of more eyes) and straight-up advertisements.
Pros
Facebook’s business dashboard, Ads Manager, is a very useful full-service advertising dashboard with extremely customizable analytics.
You can very finely target segments of your audience for higher conversion rates.
If you notice that a regular post is doing well, Facebook gives you the option to pay to “boost” the post, which puts it in front of more people. This can be really useful for a post about an upcoming art show or your newest series of work for sale.
Cons
Facebook runs a complex algorithm, and your organic (non-paid) posts are likely to be shown to only a small fraction of your total audience.
You will have difficulty selling through Facebook without a more significant monetary investment.
To get the most out of the Ads Manager dashboard and insights you need an intermediate-to-advanced understanding of marketing. Understanding marketing-speak is helpful here.
Requirements
You need to be willing to spend some cash figuring out what ads do and don’t work.
Unlike Instagram, your Facebook account and ads/promotions can be run entirely from a desktop computer.
The standard advertising budget recommendation is $5-$10 per day minimum for a month before you can expect to see a return.
You may wish to take advantage of a post scheduling dashboard like Hootsuite or Buffer, which will allow you to craft Facebook posts in advance and then schedule them to post automatically. This can be useful for times when you know you’ll be too busy to post regularly but want to stay in front of your fans.
People having success there
John Kraft makes great use of Facebook’s live video feature to share current works-in-progress in the studio. He shares upcoming events, photos of his artwork in progress, and collector photos of his work installed on display.
Natasha Wescoat has 50k+ followers on Facebook. She shares timelapse painting videos, which are very popular among collectors and fans. She shares new pieces, as well as occasional promos for events she’s attending.
Is it right for you? Questions to ask yourself
Is your target audience hanging out on Facebook? Don’t know who your target audience is? Check out this post to learn how to research your online art market.
Do you have a marketing budget to spend on boosted posts and/or ads?
Do you feel comfortable testing out different ads, and can you understand the analytics reports Facebook provides?
Do you spend a lot of time on Facebook already, and have a good understanding of how it works? Those who are very internet-literate can tell immediately when someone else isn’t very familiar with the platform, and it can be a turn-off to potential collectors.
Ready to get started selling your work on Facebook? Check out Facebook Marketing for Artists.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a horse of a different color, so to speak. Where Facebook is the king of the social networks in terms of use and function, and Instagram is specifically for photo sharing, Pinterest is the giant digital swipe file. It’s the 21st century’s version of the manila file folder bulging with recipes, party ideas, and craft tutorials torn from magazines. It’s not truly a social network in the same vein as the others. It functions much more like a search engine than like a community bulletin board.
Pros
Pinterest is an extremely visual platform, and beautiful images will be more successful. Provided you can photograph your work well, this is a great advantage for fine artists.
There is great potential to have your work shared. Each “repin” puts your work in front of all of that person’s followers (with some exceptions, see below).
You can create “buyable pins” for free- these pins have a price, but are otherwise very subtle- i.e., they don’t stand out as advertisements.
Cons
Pinterest is saturated with people and companies who know how to play the game. There is no room here for sub-par graphics. You will need to spend the time creating high-quality repinnable images.
Pinterest no longer shows pins chronologically, so you need to prove that your content is good before they will show your pin to anyone. Your descriptions should be thoughtful and relevant to the image and the content it links to. The more high-quality content you post, rich in relevant keywords and linking to good content, the higher the chance that Pinterest will allow your pins to be seen.
Requirements
Photo editing software to create good graphics
A marketing budget if you plan to pay extra to promote your pins.
An understanding of keywords and SEO best practices. It comes as a surprise to many that hashtags are worthless on Pinterest. Rather, you want to share images that have good meta-text, and descriptions that are rich in keywords but not spammy (the difference between “nighttime stars painting night sky art sparkle” and “painting of a sparkling night sky”).
People having success there
Patricia Vargas has enabled buyable pins on her Parima Studio board, which displays pins of her work as well as shots of her studio. Pinterest is the #1 traffic source for Patricia, thanks to her beautiful and cohesive boards.
Is it right for you? Questions to ask yourself
Do you have a large inventory you can use to create buyable pins from?
Do you have good, engaging blog content you can link to, and once people are on your site do you have a quick and clear call to action? The most beautiful pins won’t be worth anything to your business if potential collectors click through to a website that doesn’t convert.
Are you interested in spending time every day building out your Pinterest boards? You’ll need to pin more than your own work to attract new followers and avoid being seen as overly self-promotional.
If Pinterest is the right choice for you, head over to grab Melyssa Griffin’s awesome Pinterest course Pinfinite Growth.
In Conclusion…
If this all feels a little overwhelming, don’t fret. As you’re determining which platform to use to sell your art, it ultimately boils down to one simple question: which one will you use? The most effective social media platform is the one you’re willing to spend your time and money learning about and posting to consistently. So make your choice, and check out the resources linked above under each section for additional help.
Need extra advice and accountability? The Abundant Artist Association is a growing community of professional artists in all stages of their careers joining together for support, monthly challenges, and even in-person meetups. Learn more here.
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October 30, 2017
Idea Debt with Jessica Abel
In this episode we cover:
2:30- The concept of “idea debt”, a term coined by Amulet author Kazu Kibuishi, and why it’s probably holding you back.
8:40- The comics that appealed to Jessica before it even occurred to her that she could be a comic book artist herself, and how she got started in the industry.
12:20- The lessons that indie self-publishing artists can take away from Jessica’s experiences self-publishing in the pre-Internet age, particularly the power of connecting with a group of like-minded people who can promote your work and vice-versa.
15:07- The more interest you have in your network (or your “tribe”), the more you grow as a person and can find new ways to make connections and grow your business.
19:35- Jessica shares her trajectory from independent self-publishing comic book artist to chair of illustration at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and mainstream publishing. While the line seems straight enough to be drawn with a ruler, in truth it’s a much more meandering path that led her there. The key to ending up where you want to be is to stick with it.
27:40- Jessica has spent time living in both Mexico and France, and discusses the impact that traveling abroad can have on your work, and how it can broaden your ideas about language, culture, and story.
36:29- The ways that cultures translate amongst diverse groups of people, and is it disgusting to dip your french fries in your milkshake?
38:39- The primary reason that achieving creative focus is difficult is because it’s self-generated work. Jessica discusses in her new book, Growing Gills, how this can lead to procrastination and unhappiness. A large part of the solution to this problem is conscious decision-making.
46:51- Our culture doesn’t know how to support a larger number of individuals attempting to complete self-generated creative work. There is no formal training for this skill, and so creatives must be the ones to connect and hold one another accountable.
51:17- Clarification on what conscious decision making looks like in a real-life scenario.
Check out the full transcript:
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October 23, 2017
Mixed Media Artist John Kraft
In this episode of The Abundant Artist podcast, we cover:
6:35- John’s fascinating trajectory that some might consider backwards- he transitioned from digital work to traditional mixed-media and resin.
7:16- The artwork you create at any given time is a culmination of all your previous work, and this adds tremendous value to your art.
8:56- There is a lot of truth to the idea of “picking a focus”, but this means that moving forward and trying new things requires courage. Don’t be afraid to push and grow as an artist.
11:50- There is value in honing an aesthetic and remaining consistent in that aesthetic, even as you explore a variety of subject matter.
16:35- John talks about the charitable projects he’s been involved with, why he donates so much of his work and the (several) reasons that it matters.
28:05- John talks selling channels- digital and traditional, and why he is in favor of both. Check out Red Umbrellas, the organization he’s a part of, that works to connect artists directly with collectors for meaningful face-to-face connection and interaction.
34:46- How to choose a photographer to take high-quality photos of your art, and why it’s so important to have good images of your work.
42:10- Some of the things that make John’s website unique, like a Live Chat window, and why they work for him.
45:55- How John creates composite mockups of his art in different spaces for prospective customers.
Check out the full transcript:
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October 18, 2017
“Artists Can’t Sell” and other lies
When I was in Raleigh, North Carolina a few weeks ago, I asked a room of 17 artists how often they got together with other artists to talk about how to sell art. They all looked at each other and said, “Never.”
It broke my heart.
So last week, I started a discussion about this over on Facebook.
Artists from all over are sharing their wisdom on selling in the comments. There’s a few real gems. You should go check it out.
How many times have you heard someone tell you that artists aren’t good at business? That they just don’t have the brains for it, or that their sensitive artist temperaments can’t handle it?
And then those same artists are told that they should just expect to be poor. It’s part of the territory. Artists are told that starving is the way.
And yet…over the last 8 years of running The Abundant Artist, I’ve interviewed dozens of artists who are in fact pretty darn good at business. Here’s a sample of some of them.
Matt Richards – kinetic sculptor, sells to large firms and private collectors
Gwenn Seemel – primarily portrait commissions
Camilla D’errico – sci-fi and comic convention sales, as well as some gallery sale
Kelly Ann Neidig – original paintings sold through galleries and direct mail
Andrew Tischler – self-produced art shows in wealthy neighborhoods
Ann Rea – sells paintings directly to vineyards
Cassy Tully – sells paintings through golf pro shops
Flora Bowley – intuitive painter who has amassed a huge online and workshop following
Kelly Rae Roberts – got started through blogging and now primarily licenses her images
Pye Jirsa – runs one of the largest wedding photography studios in the country
Shirley Williams – original paintings sold direct to her collectors, walked away from a successful gallery career to do it independently
Matt Leblanc – abstract painter who build his audience through trade shows
Jolie Guillebeau – built her career through emails
Owen Garratt – colorblind pencil artist who started by selling sketches door to door
Richard Hearns – Irish painter who sells through galleries
And It Doesn’t Stop There
These artists didn’t just happen to be naturally good at selling. These are acquired skills that artists everywhere can learn. Over the last 8 years, artists from around the world have worked with us to learn how to make a living from selling their art. Here’s a few examples (with more here).
Chuck Black – wildlife painter who sells through eBay and Facebook
Angela Treat Lyon – multidisciplinary artist who sells primarily online through her website
Natasha Kohli – built her career through networking in Chicago, showing in empty storefronts and hustling her way into a TV appearance
Marianne Goodell – jewelry artist who sells through Facebook
Anita Nowinska – UK floral painter who sold out her entire inventory in a single weekend using techniques she learned from our courses and online community
I show you all of this as a way of preparing you to hear this message:
Artists can be good at selling art, if they want to learn how.
Our Facebook discussion highlights the fact that there is a lot of wisdom in the art community. We decided to pick out a few of those quotes and highlight them over on Instagram. You can see a few of them here, and we will be adding more on Instagram.
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