Balancing Creative Time and Business Time

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Salvador Dalí

 

So you know how it is, we have a huge “to do list”.  And all of these “to-dos” can easily become overwhelming.

In fact, I’ve noticed that when you ask people “How are you doing?, they often reply with, “I’ve been soooo busy.”  Is that our new greeting?  I sometimes think, “Well, are you too busy for me?  Maybe I should go?”

All of these “to-dos” can also encroach on our precious creative time.  My suggestion is to edit your “to-do” list by a very simple rule.  First, which of these “to-dos” are income-generating activities?  Then which ones are marketing activities?

Next.  Sort these income generating action items by how close they are to a path to cash.  For example: meeting with a collector is closer to generating cash then updating your eCommerce site. Right?  They are both important, but which one deserves your immediate energy and attention? If you don’t have an eCommerce site and you don’t have a potential collector to meet with, then you need to work on activities to launch  eCommerce site.

The next way to cut this list down is to examine which action items can be delegated.  Could this action item be handled by an intern?  A virtual assistant?

I expect all of my artist clients to maintain a calendar and that they budget their time as carefully, if not more, than their money.  Why?  Because you can make more money.  You can’t make more time.

This calendar also helps draw boundaries around creative time.  I find that I’m most creative and energized in the afternoon.  So after noon, on Tuesday through Friday, administrative and marketing activities stop and creative time begins.

I guard my creative time.  Obviously that’s because this is how I want to focus my life force and so that I can create an art inventory of quality.  And so that I can generate revenue and keep painting.

My creative output also cuts a path to valuable intellectual property, a la reproductions.  And intellectual property is an asset that generates income that does not have to be traded for time.  And that is the best and the fastest path to cash.

Should a Fine Artist have Bargain Bin?

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There was an insightful comment posted on the  Artist Who THRIVE Facebook page about my last post, “Should I Discount my Fine Art?”

“If a painting is not selling and is collecting dust, it is probably not the same quality as your work that IS selling. Putting out work that is lower quality than your standard and marking it at a lower price is like taking steps backwards- you lower the value of your work and it affects how collectors see you…


 If you see a painting that “wows” you…and its priced 1500.00, then you see another painting by the same artist that is not very good, and its priced 500.00 (presuming they are the same medium and size) does it not effect your view of the artist in terms of value and quality?

It would confuse me- as a collector- because it makes the artist seem unreliable and desperate.

Man this marketing stuff is tricky!”

My opinion, “this marketing stuff” is really NOT that “tricky!”

As yourself this. Should an artist really maintain a “bargain bin?”  I think not!

All artists produce work in a range of quality.  Your job as the artist is to edit. When I have work of lower quality, and it’s not moving, it’s a sign to heed.

Take work of lower quality out of your sale inventory and maintain your standards. Launch your lame work and make more excellent work.

The editing process is part of the creative process.  It will feel good and you will have more confidence in your work.  And then, it’s easier to sell.

Don’t’ confuse your collectors. As it is, they have a hard enough time understanding the prices of fine art.

Keep it simple and pursue excellence.

Get Help!

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Get help, all the help you need to make success and happiness in your life and business. Particularly if you’re not sure of how to get there.

No single person, no matter how capable, has enough time to do everything, nor can they master every skill.  If you are trying to do this, you’re doing it the hard way and the wrong way.  You don’t have to hire an entire team all at once. But if it will cost you less money, and or time, and it will help you make more money in the short or long term, get help.

I consider myself pretty well rounded and capable but to support my art business I currently have a:

  1. Bookkeeper
  2. Business Attorney
  3. Social Media Consultant
  4. CPA
  5. Data Entry Assistants
  6. Virtual Assistants
  7. Event Assistants
  8. Personal Stylist
  9. Webmaster
  10. Local Framer
  11. Order Fulfillment Framer
  12. Fine Art Photographer
  13. Graphic Designer
  14. Sales consultant

All of whom are better at what they do than I’ll ever be. It costs me less in the long run to hire them, as needed, and it certainly takes less time. And it gives me more time to paint and to sell what I paint.

I’ve also hired life coaches to help take me from my miserable corporate cubical dwelling self to the life I have created for myself now.  What I was doing then certainly wasn’t working and I appreciate the benefit of their wisdom.

And I’ve hired marketing and business consultants to help me construct my business.

Bottom line.  I’ve invested in my business and myself.  I heard Warren Buffet once say that the first and best place to get a return on your investment is yourself.  I agree.

I have also fired people.  My suggestion. Make your expectations very clear.  Hire slowly. Fire quickly.

We all need help. And we can get to where we want to go faster with the help of experienced guides.  It’s a sign of strength to admit this and it’s an act of power to take action and actually get the help that you need.

If you would like help building your art business you are welcome to apply.  Learn more here.

Bellacarisma.com Before and After

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BeforeAfter4

As artists you would think that we have a really good handle on the power of design.  But the fact is that design skills are as specific as the skills required for photography, oil painting, or designing clothes.

Therefore too many artists’ websites are missing the mark, placing their online sales prospects at a severe and unnecessary disadvantage.

Art is a luxury item that one can liken to a gourmet meal.  As with gourmet meals, there are certain expectations around the presentation.  We often only notice the presentation when something is missing or it’s off the mark.  It’s much like sitting down for an expensive gourmet meal only to then notice that the plate is dirty. Ick!

I write this critique from compassion and appreciation for the challenges that artists face, not to make my jewelry designer coaching client Cheryl Rowe feel badly!

Pictured above is a before shot of her current Bellacarisma.com home page and an after shot of her new semi-custom ArtistsWhoTHRIVE ecommerce site, currently under construction.

Here are some of the design considerations:

1. Bellacarisma jewelry designs celebrate color.  The strong teal background of the current site only competes with this. So we eliminated this competing background and made it white so that the color of her jewelry could shine through, replicating the look and feel of an art gallery or museum.

2. The current home page image hardly shows the earrings.  It’s about the model’s head, ear, hair, and a wild letter ‘B” intersecting her neck.  Now the current home page image simply features Cheryl’s newest collection which is where we want to focus her potential buyer’s attention.

3. “Bellacarisma.com” is not a logo.  So we created a logo that communicates the emotional brand message of Bellacarisma, “beautiful, flirtatious, and joyful.

4. The previous site is missing any navigation, so we included and emphasized it at the top.  Now it’s easier to get where you want to go.  If your site is hard to navigate your visitors will leave.  You’ve experienced this, haven’t you?  They are also less likely to take you seriously, to trust you, and ultimately to purchase from you online.

5. The previous site designer’s logo is taking up significant real estate and attention in the lower right hand corner.  Although design credits are necessary, they should not compete with the primary presentation.

6. The current home page is dominated by text.  The copy is fine but on the home page of an artist’s site don’t tell me, show me.

Now Bellacarisma will have an ecommerce site that the owner’s talent deserves, that more accurately communicates the quality of the offering, and no doubt will increase online sales.

Interested in the ArtistsWhoTHRIVE ecommerce solution? Click here to learn more.

Website for Art versus an eCommerce Site

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Since my last post I’ve received questions about the benefits of having a website versus an eCommerce site.

“Why should I have an eCommerce site? Can’t I just have a website to showcase my art?”

So, at the risk of boring some folks, let me just break it down.  Because I too had to learn this lesson.

If you are only interested in showing your work online, then by all means, just have a website.

But if you are interested in selling your work online, in this decade, you need an eCommerce solution.

Let me offer this analogy: what if you walked into a lovely store and you found something that you really wanted to buy.  It spoke to you. It inspired you. You just had to have it.  That’s how art collectors feel when they collect.

But you couldn’t buy it because they just don’t have a cash register in the store.

So a sign might say, call this number.  “Huh?  I don’t want to call that number.  I want to buy this now!  While I’m feeling it.”  Or… “it’s late, I can’t call that number now.”

That’s the kind of obstacle you are throwing your potential online collectors when you show your work on your website.  An art collector’s expectations are the same whether they are online or offline.

Art is most often an impulse buy.  You only have a narrow window to capture these sales.  So don’t make it hard on prospects.

Another online fumble is when an artist proudly displays their work, and yet they mark it as “sold.”

“What?  Why are you showing me this?  Do you want to prove to me that you have sold your art?”

Better to have an archive section for items that are no longer available for sale, because “I’m a collector.  I’m here because I want to know what I can collect from you, not what I can’t.”

eCommerce solutions range drastically in price, quality, and dependability.  But if you get the right solution, and your work is marketable,  it will pay for itself many times over by  generating additional income.

To learn more about the ArtistsWhoTHRIVE eCommerce solution, click here.

Who Knows How Many Sales you are Missing without an Ecommerce Site?

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Andy Warhol

 

In 2009, sales on annrea.com grew to 27% of overall sales.  And this percentage is steadily growing.

If I did not have an ecommerce site who knows how many sales I would have missed?!  27%?  Maybe.  Probably more.

What is the difference between an ecommerce site and a website?

An ecommerce contains the functionality that captures payments online, a website does not.  This functionality is called a “shopping cart.”  If you know this, great.  Many don’t.
Why shouldn’t artists just have a website?

A website cannot capture sales.  So if a website is all you have then you could be missing very significant opportunities to increase your revenue.  The question is “Do you want to show your work, or do you want to sell your work?”

Why does an artist need an ecommerce solution?

Working as an artist is an ambitious endeavor. Selling art online simply makes it easier.

Online sales are the easiest sales because you:

  1. keep all the money
  2. don’t even have to be present or awake to receive orders
  3. orders  can come from all over the world day and night
  4. And you can process and ship these orders from the convenience of your home or studio when you choose.

More and more sales are shifting online.  The Internet gives artists, in particular, a distinct advantage to reach an exponentially larger audience than they ever could have before by just exhibiting in galleries or at shows.

You can be at an art fair or an exhibition and sell the art that you don’t even have on display by using your smart phone or iPad.  I’ve sold two original oil paintings on my new iPad in less than 60 days.  Needless to say it’s paid for itself already, many times over.

What is so important about the design format of an artist’s ecommerce site?

Selling art is purely visual commerce. Extreme care and consideration must go into the design.

Too many artist’s sites are poorly designed and these poor aesthetics detract from the artwork. It’s like going to a fine restaurant only to be presented with a beautiful meal but on a dirty plate.

Will I be inundated with online orders?

Not likely. Having an ecommerce site alone will not ensure sales.  It must be designed professionally and you have to have a basic online marketing plan. Online sales require some investment in time and resources as do offline sales. But you will find that traditional marketing efforts will drive online sales and some online prospects will want to see your work in person and meet you. Once you have an eCommerce site, your list of contacts will immediately have the convenience of buying from you directly online.  Over time you will attract new customers from all over the country and/or from all over the world, day or night.
With easier and increased sales there is more time to create.

Click here to learn more about the turn key ecommerce site available through ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.

Is Art and Money like Oil and Water?

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swear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About three years ago, the director of the UC Berkeley career center read a profile of me written by the business editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and invited me to be part of a panel discussion for recent art degree graduates and alumni. Once again I encountered such strangely conflicting opinions about the commerce of fine art, just really weird biases and stupid and tedious stereotypes.

The panel was composed of a successful print maker, a painter, a tenured UC Berkeley art professor of painting, me, and someone else.  When the moderator came to the professor to ask his esteemed opinion on the matter of making a living as a fine artist, his general very long-winded response was to “just make art and do not worry about money.”

To my delight, my print making co-panelist dropped an f-bomb and said “F*! that, people are buying art”.  “You said it sister!” I replied.  And easy for you to say Mr. Tenured professor, who’ll never be fired, even though his instruction is completely irresponsible garbage.  “Don’t worry about it?!” So should they not worry about food or shelter either? Good grief!  The ones who seem to be less concerned with money are usually the ones who have plenty of it or who know that ultimately they have a financial back up. Go figure.

I heard this strange disdain for the commerce of art just last week.  I was interviewing marketing consultants to help me craft a new marketing piece and I was met with “you seem to be much more interested in the marketing of art than the making of art.”  “Ah, nooo. I’m very interested in the making of art, but if I want to keep doing that I have to market it.  And ah, aren’t you a marketing consultant?”  I didn’t hire him.

What the heck is this twisted and hypocritical conflict about money and art?  Musicians seem to suffer less from this. Why is that?

Please! Making art and well-being requires money. So let’s make more money!

Why I Do Not Represent Artists

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Many people have suggested that I represent other artists.  People do always seem to have suggestions for artists, invited or not.  But I’m quite occupied representing my own work, first of all.  Secondly, my rallying call to artists is “Don’t look for representation, look for collectors!”

And this is because my mission is to empower artists so that they have full creative control and so that they keep more or all of the money they earn.

Now I’m not against working with reputable art galleries and or art consultants.  But I am asserting that artists are in a better position to work with them when they have built their own platforms and have cultivated a following.

Artists make more money and have more satisfaction when they work with collectors directly.  If you manage it right.  People want to know the artist and learn the story behind the creation.  It offers collectors a much more meaningful experience, and that is valuable.

So I’d rather share my hard earned art business lessons and resources and help artists avoid the pot holes that I’ve stepped in and teach artists to fish for themselves.

If artists just don’t want to do this, then I obviously can’t help.  But I’m finding that more and more artists and craftspeople, even those who have earned their livings through the traditional routes of art galleries and shows, are really ready for a change.  The galleries are not doing as well and artists are tired of being on the road.

There’s no magic pill to success in any business but people are buying art.  So if you’re creating art of quality and interest, take heart and take charge.  Represent yourself and find your collectors.

This landscape painting is by John Signer Sargent, an American painter who celebrated the British aristocracy.  He knew his tribe and he was rewarded by earning over a million dollars in the 18th century.

There is NO Virtue in Poverty

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Of course you know that the tile of this domain is ArtistsWhoTHRIVE and the subtitle, “a community of entrepreneurial creatives.”  Yes.  We are talking about capitalism for creatives.

So if you are an artist who thinks that there’s any virtue in poverty, then you’re in the wrong place.  This all too common and twisted belief is simply just a cop out that too many artists can lean on.  And it feeds a negative and disrespectful cultural sterotype of the “starving artist”.

I say take responsibility for building your success and then you’ll thrive and be in a better position to be your brother’s keeper.

A lot of people, I’m not just picking on a few artists, have highly charged negative and fearful emotions around money and commerce.  They equate money with dishonesty, control, and power.  Money is neutral, it’s just a tool.  Like a hammer you can build something with it or knock someone in the head.

I don’t have the patience, or a license, to council ever-suffering or bitter artists.  And that’s not why I founded ArtistsWhoTHRIVE.  Note the word THRIVE in all caps.  And this is why I maintain a no whining policy.  If you think you must suffer, have at it.  Just please don’t bore me or this community with it because I won’t feed the negative energy or post your comments.

If you have something constructive to say or a real question, then please, do tell.

Now I don’t want to give the impression that I have no compassion because I have suffered in my lifetime. And I’ve helped others who are genuinely suffering when I worked at a shelter for abused women and children and for disaster relief.

The point is, there’s good news!  We are in the midst of a cultural and economic revolution.  The scarcity model of artist representation is dissolving before our eyes with the power of the Internet fueling it.  We see this clearly in the music industry.  American Idol celebrates the old scarcity model that represents only a tiny fraction of formulaic talent.  But the Internet has given us the freedom to fully express ourselves and to reach those who are like us and who want to buy from us.

Do you want to get paid well for doing what you love?  Then you’re going to have to learn, just like I’ve had to. And those who whine less get more done. And in my case, drink more good wine.

Record Attendance and Reviews at the Berkeley ArtistsWhoTHRIVE Seminar

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The ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar that I delivered last Tuesday earned record attendance and reviews, according to the directors of the Small Business Development Center of Alameda County.

The room was absolutely packed with an eager audience of over 130 creative people, all looking for ways to offer their creative talents in ways that will support them economically and creatively.

As promised, we completed three mini marketing makeovers that included:

1. a painter whose passion is painting drag queens

2. an illustrator of who loves botanicals

3. and a spiritual painter who meditates and then paints the color energy of her subjects

Does it sound impossible to identify a viable market for these three artists?  It’s not! During our live “blue sky” session, these artists, and the entire audience, clearly described their market, who I refer to as a “tribe”, ways to celebrate the tribal culture and serve their tribe, and where their tribe might be found.

The economic health of a city is closely tied to its cultural capital.  As local artists thrive so does the community.  Think of most famous destinations and you think of the art.

There are many economic studies that prove this assertion. Read this New York Times article about a business development program in New York City for artists:

“The city’s cultural sector “attracts very, very creative people who have incredible ideas, but they don’t always know how to turn their ideas into financial sustainable entities,” said Seth W. Pinsky, president of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

His agency is spending $50,000 on this program and a similar one being run by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, with Creative Capital.   Read more….

Here are a few of the messages I’ve received and that I’d like to share, with permission.

And they are still coming!

“Thank YOU so much.  It was the best workshop I’ve been to.   Honestly, yesterday changed my life.”

-Mary Lonergan

“Your seminar was just AWESOME!  I learned so much, and got so much inspiration.” -  Lisa Baker

“Thank you for the great information you gave at your seminar! It really got me motivated.” - Nat Jackson

“I enjoyed the seminar. I made an Action Plan of notes I took during class. I was tickled at how many people in the room are having some of the same struggles. Why are some of us conditioned to believe a struggling artist is the thing to be?” -D. Jean Collins

“Thank you for your wonderful presentation yesterday. I learned new things and enjoyed your lively interaction with us. I am inspired to take action.” – Pauline C. Nishi

“I can’t begin to express how much it all meant to me. Within the hour after I left, I was telling my friends about you. I will be waiting patiently anticipating the weekly newsletter.” – James Walker

“It was a relief to have someone talk about making a living as an artist instead of wringing their hands about how to pay the rent.” - Susan Troy

My thanks to the seminar sponsors:

Sponsor an ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar for your Artist Group or Organization

Seminars are generally three hours with a break but they can be shaped to fit your audience.

By using an existing a cross promotional program, an ArtistsWhoTHRIVE seminar can also generate additional revenue for your group or organization.