Back it up! Every which way!

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I’m typing on my iMac after a huge data fire.  I’m still sifting through the charred remains of my intellectual property.  The digital images that I reproduce of my paintings are responsible for well over half of my annual income.

When I bought my shiny new iMac last year I thought that I was smart because I bought the computer system that they recommended to me at the Apple store.  I bought an external hard drive to store my huge image files and that hard drive contained another drive that would mirror my data, two backups.

But one morning I was getting ready to print one of my images and my hard drive was not in my finder window.  What?!

Here’s what happened. Despite what they sold me, they did NOT configure the external hard drive correctly. I only had one drive and it was fried.

After a whole lot of valuable time, I’m still discovering what creative assets have been lost, and maybe forever.

Fortunately, most of the unformatted images were backed up on CD but each one has to be painstakingly reformatted to print.  And that’s time that I could be spending painting or selling.

To the credit of the Apple Store on Chestnut they tried their best to make it right.  One of their Geniuses even walked me through setting my system back up after he had clocked out.

What now?  I do have an external hard drive, with two drives, configured properly.  And in case a tsunami comes roaring through my window off of the Pacific Ocean, I’ll be backing up to Mozy, an online data storage site.  For $4.95 per month, I have unlimited storage, which I’ll need for my huge .tiff files.

Learn from my pain.  Your images, your creative assets, could represent significant future income.  Take the simple steps necessary to safe guard them.

Quick Insights after 12 Coaching Sessions with Ann Rea

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Once I’ve worked with an artist for six months I like to ask them what they’ve learned.  Obviously, it helps me help other artists, it lets us both know what progress they’ve made, and it helps reinforce what they have learned.

So I asked Colleen Attara, a Mixed media eco-artist from Philadelphia, to share at least ten things that she’s learned in the last six months or insights that she has gained.  I suggested that she not labor over this exercise but simply rattle off what popped into her head.

I asked for ten, she gave me sixteen, quoted below.  Colleen agreed to share what she learned so that other artists in this community could also benefit from her experience.

  1. Know what unique value you bring to the seller.
  2. You run your own show.
  3. Talk size, not price.
  4. Never discount your work; it is unfair to your collectors.  Instead offer value; i.e.:  shipping, cards etc.
  5. Your website design should not overpower your art.
  6. Write down your policies and how you do business; this will allow more time to create and sell.
  7. Write your bio in 3rd person; let others speak highly for you.
  8. Write down six things you are going to accomplish before going to bed.
  9. It is hard to control time, but you can control your priorities.
  10. *Positive energy sells art.
  11. *See what you want to be as an artist.  Have that vision, put it on paper……and watch what happens.
  12. Protect your art and your images.
  13. Make the buying process as easy as possible.  Wine and credit cards are very good.
  14. Position yourself as an authority. Talk to groups of people.
  15. Contact interested buyers and past buyers once a month.
  16. Showing art and selling art are two different things.

* knew this; needed the reminder

Do you think that these insights have helped Colleen’s business and increased her sales?  You bet!  So if your ready to invest in your career, applying for coaching, click here.

Academy of Art University of San Francisco – Ending an Artist’s Career Before it Starts?

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The Academy of Art University of San Francisco was founded in 1929 and it currently has almost 16,000 students enrolled.  The Art Academy is a for-profit (not a dirty word) institution and a Hasbro Monopoly-like landlord of San Francisco.

I’ve hired several eager and capable interns from the Academy of Art and I have to say that I’m concerned that they will, like so many graduates with a fine art degree, never be full time artists.

I’ve got no doubt that they have received capable art instruction or the Academy of Art couldn’t possibly enroll so many students.  However, it puzzled me to learn that the Academy of Art has no admission requirements.  Prospective art students do not have to have “any art experience.”  They don’t even have to show a portfolio of their work.

Can you imagine applying for Julliard and not having to audition?  Images of American Idol come to mind.  We all know that the arts are a tough business so stacking the odds in your favor with the best education available is a minimal strategy.

It also appears that the Academy of Art University pays little to no attention to teaching the business and marketing aspects of selling one’s art.  This is mission critical and this missing piece of education could end an artist’s career before it starts.

Like it or not, art school graduates had better be good at something else besides creativity or they’re not going to make it.

The good news, in my opinion, is that developing a “marketing mindset” is not that difficult nor is it beyond the capability of a reasonably intelligent person.  So why not make business and marketing a cornerstone of the standard curriculum?  One reason?  Because generally professors are academics, not entrepreneurs.  And so there’s no need for them to fuss about unique value propositions and target markets, or even respect these basic business concepts.  But guess what?! A thriving full time artist is an entrepreneur extraordinaire.

What’s your attitude?

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I have experience coaching and consulting with artists, from across the globe on their business and their marketing.  And what I have been struck by is the number one determining factor of their success.

And that success factor, hands down, is their attitude.  Of course their artistic training, their talent, their marketing strategy, are vital factors but they are just the basic cooking ingredients. They are the chef that needs to cook the recipe.

And despite the fact that my artist clients have hired me specifically to coach and consult with them on growing their businesses, for some of them, we spend a LOT of time on examining and adjusting their attitude.

Despite inevitable setbacks, those artists who maintain a positive attitude are the ones that I have witnessed reach success with more ease and in less time.

If you’re reading the Artists Who THRIVE it is most likely because you want to grow your art business.  If that is so, then what is your attitude? You know, most of the time?  What do you believe about yourself? About your work?  About selling your work?

Don’t underestimate the importance of this question.  Be honest.  The truth will set you free.  And the truth is the first place to start when you want to make a change.

What are you doing to manage your attitude? Do you meditate?  Exercise? Do you have focus?  Do you have a well thought out plan to reach your market?  Do you know who your market is?

Steering your attitude is a discipline and it’s a choice.  What choice do you make each day?

Going to Hollywood

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We all know it.  There are a whole lot of artist wanna-bes. This month I was in Beverly Hills for a number of evening events with famed chef  Thomas Keller.  I was having lunch one day and I couldn’t help but to overhear a group of men talking about actors.  One remarked that Hollywood, as the hub of the film, TV, and the music industry, must have the highest number of broken dreams per capita.

He went on to say that he has met so many who announce themselves as actors but they really haven’t, and don’t, do much.  They exert a minimal amount of effort, taking occasional acting lessons, and inconsistently going on auditions, to maintain a thin veneer of identity as an actor.  And it’s really the identity that they’re invested in, not the diligence required to be an actor.

Then he said there are a few actors who are relentlessly pursuing their career.  Doing whatever it takes, without complaint, because they are committed, they will not be dissuaded, and they are talented.  They accept rejection as par for the course.

It sounded all too familiar.

During my events in Beverly Hills an actor was hired to assist me. He shared his experience as an actor in Hollywood.  We mused about whether it was more difficult to achieve success as an actor or as a painter.  I maintained that he had a tougher road because his industry was even more scarcity and permission based. Without having your Actor’s Guild card, the number of auditions you can go to is limited.  And without the right part, fulfilling specific criteria, you can’t get your card.  A vicious circle.

The next day I met a patron, who is also a friend, for lunch at the famed Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel and we sat among they Hollywood glittered and saw a number of recognizable faces.  I thought of my actor assistant and I was struck by the limits of his opportunities.  But when I decided to become a painter, the limits of the art world did not daunt me. I thought only of how I could create more value to set myself apart.

Marketing Art Online

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It appears that my last post on marketing art online, the “Seven Common Mistakes” that I often see on artists’ websites have touched a nerve, actually several nerves.  I received a flurry of inquiries, permission to re-post the articles, and requests for consultations and website reviews.

Because it’s a new year, today it was time to examine my business 2009 sales.  Even I was a little surprised to see that on average, from 2004-2008, marketing my art online at annrea.com produced 8% of my business’ total sales.  But in 2009, that number rose to 27%!

I have to say, that my most satisfying on-line sale happened just a few weeks ago when I was in Hawaii for Christmas vacation.  I sold an original oil painting on-line, literally while I was at Waikiki Beach. Mele Kalikimaka!

Marketing art on-line  is much more than just having a good website.  Ahhh, if only it were that simple. Wouldn’t life be grand?!

  1. First of all you need an eCommerce site, not just a website.  Just having a website is like having a store without a cash register.  An eCommerce site has the functionality to process secure credit card transactions online.
  2. The second step is to design it correctly, see “Seven Common Mistakes.”  Your online merchandising must be flawless. Think art museum or luxury boutique design presentation.
  3. Finally, unless you actually are an accomplished Graphic Designer with lots of experience in eCommerce , don’t do this yourself.  It’s like cutting your own hair.

Marketing art online and selling art on-line requires certain resources, on-going maintenance, sound business and marketing strategy, and top-notch design.  And it appears to be a maze that many artists have a tough time navigating.

Online sales feed offline sales and vice versa.  If you connect with a prospect offline they can buy from you later online.  If you connect with a prospect online, they may request a studio appointment.   Offline and online marketing works hand in hand in generating art sales.

The increase in my business’ total on-line sales was due in part to a number of factors contained in my overall marketing strategy. All of which took time to build.

Just like in the “real world”, you have to market and network in the “virtual world”.  Notice I did not say advertise.  I’ve never had good results with on-line advertising.  And it’s expensive.

The most important thing to do is to get started.  You need to create a presence offline and online.

Get your House in Order!-Social Media as a Tool to Grow Your Art Business

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I’ve asked my social media consultant Amy of Little Bits Consulting, to piggy back off of the end of my last post, common mistakes that I observe with artist’s websites, and to talk about social media.

Little Bits Consulting provides expertise and guidance to help extend your brand, grow audience, and increase revenues through strategic business relationships, savvy marketing and improving the effectiveness of your current audience development initiatives.

Get your House in Order! -Social Media as a Tool to Grow Your Art Business

Today we’re going to take a look at a popular New Years Resolution almost everyone can relate to:  getting organized, and how the organized principle can keep your business in order too.

As an Audience Development Consultant, I’m often asked about the latest trends in social media: from how to use facebook to grow sales to what the h*#@ is twitter anyway?  When organizing and getting your house together, you don’t start by building an addition – you start by taking inventory and making the best use of what you have. The same is true with social media.  You don’t jump into Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media darling until you have your own house (in this case, your business house) in order.

Its important to start with the basics – social media sites are communications tools, and they’ll only work for you if you have first have well-proven marketing principles in place:

1. Define your Audience Demographics & Psychographics:  Who are you trying to reach and where are they?  If your target market are members of the AARP, chances are they aren’t on twitter (yet!).  Know Your Customer.

2. Clarify your message:  Be clear in the value you bring and what you have to offer, and keep it consistent wherever you talk about your brand – be that on facebook, in email marketing, or your very own website.

3. Set Goals:  Ann talks in several of her posts about the importance of setting goals for your business.  This is also true in marketing – set goals for all of your marketing tactics, measure the results and clean house – keeping only what’s working effectively and efficiently to improve your bottom line.

The end result of following these principles will allow you to easily & simply identify whether a business deal you’re contemplating, a new social media website, or new venture are right for you and your business.

Artist’s Websites- Six Common Mistakes

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An artist’s website is a critically important tool.  As artists our “product” is simply visual aesthetic.  So if the website doesn’t support your work visually it’s like being served a gourmet meal on a dirty plate.

Here are six common mistakes that I see all too often.

1. The artist’s website is over-designed or not well designed. It’s not clean and simple, so it’s competing for attention with the art.

It often looks like the artist has either designed their website themselves or they’ve paid someone, who’s technical and can build a website, but isn’t a skilled graphic designer. Think about the design, or rather the non-design, of an art gallery or an art museum.  Think of the walls.  What do you see?  Complete minimalism.   That’s because it works and the rules don’t change with the virtual environment.

2. The boring first person artist’s statement.

I have yet to read an artist’s statement on-line that doesn’t make me cringe.  What is actually interesting about your story as it relates to your work?  What have collectors told you?  Tell us in the third person so that the reader isn’t distracted by a tone of self-involvement.  And so that you can feel free to brag a little.  This exercise is to help sell your work! You’re speaking to a broad audience so be clear and use language that non-artistic types, patrons, will understand.

3. There are no prices listed on the artist’s website.

This is a common practice that I do not agree with.  What’s the big secret!?  Like anyone, collectors want to know what it’s going to cost them.  Don’t make it hard on them.  Collectors are not all going to call you to get the price.  And by hiding the price you’re implying that the price is negotiable.  And we know how I feel about discounting art.

4. The artist has a website and not a shopping cart.

If you only have a website and not a shopping cart you’re missing sales.  An art consultant once told me that she had no intention of selling art on-line because it’s “a high touch, high feel experience”.  Are you kidding me!?  My biggest single transactions have been originals sold on annrea.com.

5. There’s no picture of the artist.

Collectors want to know the artist.   We all like to see who it is we are doing business with. Give your audience that opportunity and show them a picture of yourself.  No brooding expressions, sunglasses, or French berets.

6. Art is displayed but it’s “sold”.

What if you walked into a store and you found the perfect dress that you were in love with.  You then prepare to pull out your American Express, you look at the price, and it’s marked “sold.”  Ugh!  How frustrating would that be? I think that some artists do this to prove that they actually sell their art.  If you what to showcase previous work that has sold, put it in a separate archive section.

If you are ready to take your art business to the next level, you are welcome to apply for artist business coaching and consulting services.  Individual hourly consulting is also available.

Should I discount my art?

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First I’m assuming that your artwork is a luxury item.  If so, then the answer is NO.  If you’re not sure if it’s a luxury item then you have bigger concerns and need to clarify your market.
Discounting luxury items is a very big mistake.  You’re asking people to pay a big premium for something that they don’t need and then changing your mind.  It’s very confusing.  No wonder people are reluctant to buy art.

Another important rule in business negotiation is that you should never give away something without receiving something in return.

Another option to discounting your art is to offer a friendly service. Offer to come hang your art on their wall, or provide them with complimentary, notice I didn’t say free, shipping, maybe donate 10% to their favorite charity.  This is called cause marketing.
Artists desperate to close a sale will often discount their prices.  Rather than doing this you should provide a range of price points for your collector to reach.  I start with a note card for $5 and go to $36,000 for my largest commissioned canvas and I maintain a price point everywhere in between.  This way I can make the conversation about the collector’s selection and not the price they’re going to pay.
Open up a Tiffany’s catalog.  They get this.  Tiffany’s offers beautiful Canary diamond engagement rings or a silver key chain with their logo, which is what the key chain buyer really wants. Tiffany’s knows their market.
It’s also important to remember if you work with a gallery they are selling your work at a retail price that you’ve established.  If you discount your work then you’re undercutting your representative. And that’s not cool.
Some galleries ask if they can negotiate a discount on your behalf.  This is your call but my answer is still no.  I think that it’s worth noting that an art consultant that I worked with in Los Angeles told me that the artists that she represented who did not discount always sold more work then those who did.

I have a deep appreciation for my collectors and out of respect for them I can’t offer one price to one and not to the others.  I don’t think it’s fair.  Maintain integrity in your business transactions and reflect that in your pricing.