Here I am a few years ago in a gallery with two of my students I had at the time. Occasionally we used to go to galleries as field trips. Often, I desired to open a gallery but to do so requires so much money, time and energy, something of which doesn't come into play right now in my life, besides, I'm wanting to get more into the age of electronics to do my artistic promotions for me...I'm starting to feel galleries as nice as they are, are an old fashioned way of selling, so soon, very soon, I am going to explore the new world of promotion.
It's amazing how much one can learn when actively searching for something!
I've sold work online before, but not at the rate I wish, and I've always wondered about putting my work on items or making prints of my work, but it's so expensive in local print shops, and I thought to myself, there's got to be a better way.
As an art student of the late 1970's, our marketing consisted of art galleries, going in art shows, mailings, word of mouth, etc. But it's 2014! Times have changed. Over the years I've seen businesses of all kinds go out of business because they haven't kept up with the times. I'm determined for that to not happen.
So, I had to think, think, think...oh, how my head hurts! Haha! Since I know that there are many avenues I love to cover with my art, such as seascapes, and portraits, etc., I also will have a variety of customers and will need to network accordingly. In this new world of Facebook, websites, Twitter, etc, it's no longer just a matter of putting your brush to the canvas, it's promotion that sells. I can't tell you how many artists I've seen with c+ at best artwork sell, sell, sell. What is their secret? I see shows like "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and I wonder, what keeps them popular? It comes to me! They are always in your face! They promote! And they promote the littlest thing, they keep your interest. They ADDICT you to knowing what is going on in their life. That is their strategy.
I've seen artists sell their works for thousands of dollars and wonder, "What is their secret?" BRANDING! There's a female artist I know of (don't know her personally), where all she does is let her watercolors drip off the page and occasionally smudge them, or puts a curve in them, and they sell, sell, sell. What is her secret? She kept up with color schemes for one thing. She did more pastel colors in the 80's...think, "Golden Girls", "Miami Vice" days, and as the time went on, so did she. She would have been long buried in the art world if she didn't keep up.
So how do you network? First, always have business cards nearby. If nothing else, it's something physical that a future customer will have of yours. Nowadays, it's better...ASK the client (or interested party), for their email address. (Do you imagine me hitting my head right about now?)
I've learned pricing has nothing to do with it...think Picasso...oh, I'm sure you could come up with a dozen artists who have sold tons of work you wouldn't pay a dime for their work.
So, coming soon, I will be researching on how to better promote myself, get into the millennium, and network, throw around the buzz words (whatever they are, still have to learn them!).
Promotion is the key.
Talent, I feel I've got...promotion, I need to learn.
Look out world..cause...
is a whole new Kathleen Eve Kelly!!!
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