Philthy Conversations with Artists » Artists

A Note on the Board

phantomcity — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:39:46 +0000

I stopped writing about art marketing a year ago to focus on my own writing and fiction editing. I apologize if any links on this blog are no longer valid. However, for the most part, the information on Web 2.0 marketing for artists will stay true for a long time.

Good luck!

Weekend Art Warrior: FEAR

phantomcity — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:46:56 +0000

How Do You Overcome Fear?
Fear, in the human development movement, has been dubbed as an acronym:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

There’s truth in that clever little statement. And though there are things in life that it’s reasonable to be wary of (pick-pockets, pyramid schemes, and IPOs) sharing your work online is not one of them.

Now your brain might be saying: “Yes, I understand, but tell that to my nerves.”

We all have our reasons for keeping our light under a bushel. The key may making a closer analysis of some common fears:

Fear One: How Do I Promote My Work Without Looking Foolish/Boastful?

Back in 2005, when I put my first poems online, my hands shook every time I visited my blog. I expected to see a series of “get off the internet” jeers…or worse: a 20-line critique explaining why I was a hack poet.

But it never came. And a couple months later I started running a small press, which meant I had to learn to promote online so we could sell our book. The urgency to make sales coupled with a healthy emotional distance from the item sold allowed me to really break through that fear of actually having an audience. Then, I was able to turn that back around to the promotion of my own work.

So, the key may be to think of selling your art as a job. This is a small business: not you, not your soul being held up naked to the cold world. You are a merchant among merchants and you want to offer your wares to those who may be interested. Then, when you are in the studio, go back to being an artist.

Fear Two: What if I’m Terrible with the Online Business Stuff?

Uploading photos, tagging, linking to URLs, making tables, writing good online descriptions, answering emails, sending out newsletters, starting a blog, setting up a shopping cart, confirming a sale, even figuring out the appropriate shipping costs: it can be daunting.

Many artists don’t get into the business end of their art because they’ve been brought up to think that is someone else’s job. But what’s happening is these artists are accumulated interesting art in their basements and it’s not seeing the light of day. Not everyone can make a spreadsheet, massage a sale out of an email conversation, or spout off the diferences between browsers, beta, and Bebo.

But every artist CAN get help. They can get an easy-to-use template website, they can read blogs like this one, they can ask friends to help them take great photos of their art. If you are motivated enough to sell your work online, and if you are willing to set up a couple of things, like an email account and a website, then you are well on your way. The rest will come with time. And once you begin to make sales, I think you’ll find that the fear of ‘being bad at business’ will fade quickly.

Fear Three: What if I Put a Lot Into This and No One Buys My Work?

First thing: You will put a lot into this. You will put thought and time and effort to create your online presence and then maintaining and growing it. You may find that the 10 free hours you had over the weekend for your art are now cut down to 5 for art, 5 for art marketing. The successful art sellers say they spend half their time doing the business stuff and I believe them.

But the beauty is that every little drop of effort you make ripples out. The blog that you write today may not have more than 20 readers this week, but in 3 months it could have 100. Every ounce of effort is an investment and investments require patience. But the good news is that unlike economic investments that can tank, you will only gain from what you put in. You will learn skills that last for the rest of your art career. And you’ll learn the by DOING: the best way to learn.

If no one buys your work, talk to them. Find out what is holding them back. If you’ve put a lot into this, that means you are prepared to listen, to change, and to grow. Most likely, through understanding your potential buyer, your sales will pick up.

Thank you Seth Godin

phantomcity — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 08:24:33 +0000

Simple and true.

clipped from sethgodin.typepad.com

Some popular posts on marketing your art online

phantomcity — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:04:36 +0000

It’s the Last Day of 2008: Do You Know Where Your Year Went?
Journals, notes, pictures, and lists help us remember what we have really done, not just what we remember (or often don’t).
5 Reasons Why 2008 Was a Good Year for Artists
Why, despite (and because of) the economic crisis, I believe 2008 was a good year for artists.
Understanding Your Potential Buyer
Know what your buyers are looking for!
5 Simple Steps for New Bloggers
A good blog is free advertising. It drives traffic to your website and cultivates your brand identity.
Finding Your Niche Online
So, your website is ready to go and you’re just itching for buyers, but where are they?

You Art as a Small Business

phantomcity — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:41:28 +0000

EVENTS @ The Center for Emerging Visual Artists

www.cfeva.org| 237 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103 | 215.546.7775

Your Art as a Small Business

Thursday, January 15, 2009 @5:30 pm

If you are looking to sell your art or make money from art-related practices or product, then you are in business! It is therefore important for you to know how to ‘professionalize’ your business including, setting yourself up as a business entity, filing taxes, and bookkeeping, securing insurance (business, studio, health, liability, disability), establishing proper checking and saving accounts, and understanding how to seek out and hire the appropriate professionals including an attorney, accountant, insurance agent, banking professional and financial planner. Come and join in the evening’s gathering for general conversation and questions. After all, it’s for and about YOU!

Susan Koblin Schear, President of ArtIsIn, founded the company in 1995 to offer comprehensive business development and management services to visual and performing artists, arts organizations and arts related businesses that have not recognized or have not yet chosen to apply business skills to their work. She brings more than fifteen years of management expertise to this venture.

Ms. Schear facilitates arts entrepreneurship by providing business guidance, strategic business planning and marketing to her clients. This facilitation provides the necessary tools and resources enabling her clients to focus and be more confident in their business and more successful in their marketing.

Each session begins at 5:30pm and will take place at The Center for Emerging Visual Artists (The Barclay, 237 South 18th Street, Suite 3A, Philadelphia PA). Additional 200/2009 Direct Dialogue topics include: Fiscal Sponsorship for Artists, Your Art as a Small Business, Marketing Yourself Through the Internet, Creating Opportunities through Collaborations and Cooperatives, Marketing Yourself to the Press, and The Basics of Arts Fairs.. The program fee is $12.00 per session or $90.00 for the 2007-2008 Season. To reserve a seat, please call (215) 546-7775 x11 or email Genevieve@cfeva.org. Please note: Seating is limited.

Thinking Small for the New Year

phantomcity — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:40:29 +0000

Originally published at the Artspan Blog.

At the risk of getting philosophical two days in a row, I’m going to claim that the New Year demands a little philosophy and quote from Dostoyevsky:

“The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”

What is the difference between two artists of equal potential who have very unequal levels of success?

Simply put: their daily habits. Their habits make up their days, and their days make up their lives.

We want to think bigger at the New Year, to wow ourselves with grand visions, and I am all for the energy that grand visions excite.

But most New Year’s resolutions die out by the end of the month, swept up in the overwhelming force of our long-ingrained habits.

So, if you are having trouble incorporating your art career dreams into your routine, why not start simple? Think of one small thing you can do every day just for a couple minutes to start moving your art career forward. Make it something that you enjoy, that won’t take long, that you can do EVERY DAY, and will become a habit.

Here are some ideas:

Post online: a new photo, a new art description, a short blog post, a shared link at Facebook, a shared video on youtube.
Find a new place to share a link to your website: explore your niche online and leave a comment at an art blog, art websites, art directories, your email signature, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, or a link swap with a colleague.
Buy an art marketing book and read a couple pages. Keep it by your nightstand. I recommend Art Marketing 101, Selling Art Without Galleries, and Internet for Artists 101 (they mention Artspan, which of course we like.)
Clean up a little. Clear out one unnecessary, unused, unloved thing from your studio or workspace every day. Start to organize your work environment and keep it free of clutter. This can be almost alchemic for your state of mind and confidence.
Talk to someone about your art: a friend, acquaintance, the barista at your favorite cafe, your boyfriend, your wife, your art instructor, your students, your dog.
Read the Artspan Blog: A shameless plug? Ah, but self-promotion is exactly the sort of thing you should do more of this year. Plus, we write a new post every day of the work week. And just to spread the love, here are some other great sites that bring you new content on a regular basis: Art News Blog
Art Biz Blog
Art ID Marketing Blog

Share this post:

It’s the Last Day of 2008: Do You Know Where Your Year Went?

phantomcity — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:10:06 +0000

You focus on work, on family, on friends, on your goals, on your art, and are left with little time to keep track of everything you accomplish. After all, life is about living it, not documenting it, right?

The beauty of documentation is that it can actually make our lives better. Journals, notes, pictures, and lists help us remember what we have really done, not just what we remember (or often don’t remember) doing. Good documentation will offer you:

a solid view of what you’ve accomplished
a way to assess what’s working and what isn’t
interesting content for newsletters/blog posts

Read the rest of this article at the Artspan Blog.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR from PHILTHY ART!!!

5 Reasons Why 2008 Was a Good Year for Artists

phantomcity — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:42:18 +0000

I spent 2008 reading art blogs, Web 2.0 marketing blogs, and thinking up guerrilla marketing tactics for artists. I saw social networking, social media, and the democratization of the art marketplace put more selling power into the hands of artists.

Therefore, I’d like to share 5 reasons why, despite (and because of) the economic crisis, I believe 2008 was a good year for artists. Join me at the Artspan blog for the full post.

Merry Christmas to all my Philthy Friends!

phantomcity — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:18:53 +0000

Philthy Friends

Want to become a Philthy Friend? Send us your link by leaving us a comment and letting us know.