It’s April fools day and let me tell you, marketing your own art can make a person feel quite foolish. Mixing your art, your heartfelt creation, and business is like trying to blend God and Taxes into one conversation with someone you don’t know - its just uncomfortable and weird.
With that said and out of the way, it’s best to do what the high powered marketing pros do; Throw yourself into the mindset that your excrement doesn’t stink. You know, PRETEND that you know what the heck you are talking about. Fact of the matter is, art is so subjective and because of that it is intimidating to a lot of people, that you must take the reigns and let your customers know how freakin’ awesome your work is. Just FREAKIN’ AWESOME!
Now of course I sit there and whimper to myself that I will do it better next time and I should have used that other brush or paint or framed the piece differently or, or, or… Whatever!
You’ve heard the old expression “The Customer is Always Right”…well guess what? Its true! If you thought you painted a landscape and someone wants to buy the thing because they think it looks like a lobster…well my next question would be, “would you like melted butter with that?” (of course melted butter costs extra) Face it. It really isn’t about you – never had been. Its about the customer. The person that connects with the infinite in your creation. The person who sees a reflection of themselves in your work. A person who so admires that reflection they will give you money to take it home with them.
An artist really is nothing more than a surrogate mother who gives birth fully knowing that she will hand over the baby to the true parents one day. As the artist you must view this situation as divinely selfless or else you just end up feeling like a whore. Would you like melted butter on that?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
artists can be suckers! I was THIS CLOSE to being one myself the other night
As you know, I'm an artist and I also teach artists. I'm currently putting together the curriculum for my next "Business Plans for Artists" seminar which I'll be teaching in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Just for giggles I joined in on one of those Artists' TeleSummit things which was a preview to hype registration for an online 6 week class for How to Write an Artist's Business Plan.
They were charging something like $287 for the online class. 878 people were online listening to the proprietor of TeleSummit and the instructor of the class. They had only 64 openings for the online class available and they were urging people to sign up fast! I was getting distracted trying to do up the math in my head...so I ended up jotting it down...then using the calculator....64 x 287 = $18,368
I was not impressed. Especially when someone asked about the financial section and the response was, "you can always outsource that." WHAT?! I'm not sure how you could possibly do that. And if you need to outsource that portion of you business plan...well then how, or better yet why do you think you should be in "business"?
The hosts of this feelgood Right Brain Business Plan were all about making a craft out of your plan's presentation; little boxes decorated that you could put the elements of your business plan in. Calderesque mobiles made out of paper plates with your business plan cut and pasted to it. Look I'm nearly 40 years old. I don't need to be making elementary school art-taught by the lunch mother - projects to get myself through creating a business plan. The hosts of the call reassured us that once you had made your "craft-project" business plan, if you really needed to put together something for a bank or investor, then it would all fall into place later....hummmm....
Now I'll be the first to admit, math and financials are NOT my strong point (that's why God made Microsoft Excel) . AND I'll admit, the idea of making a craft is a decent starting off point to get the juices flowing if you are that stuck. AND I'll also admit they did a great job marketing this thing - Excellent marketing.
But for goodness sake the financials and the market research!... this is the very definition of business. And I don't appreciate being made to feel like a kid who takes the short bus to school because I'm an artist. Maybe some artists like (on some psychological level) paying those vultures out there that coddle them and act as a co-dependent, reaffirming that they are not like "normal people". Maybe if I ended up paying the 287 bucks and took the online class I'd feel differently. But somehow, I think I'd just end up feeling like a sucker.
They were charging something like $287 for the online class. 878 people were online listening to the proprietor of TeleSummit and the instructor of the class. They had only 64 openings for the online class available and they were urging people to sign up fast! I was getting distracted trying to do up the math in my head...so I ended up jotting it down...then using the calculator....64 x 287 = $18,368
I was not impressed. Especially when someone asked about the financial section and the response was, "you can always outsource that." WHAT?! I'm not sure how you could possibly do that. And if you need to outsource that portion of you business plan...well then how, or better yet why do you think you should be in "business"?
The hosts of this feelgood Right Brain Business Plan were all about making a craft out of your plan's presentation; little boxes decorated that you could put the elements of your business plan in. Calderesque mobiles made out of paper plates with your business plan cut and pasted to it. Look I'm nearly 40 years old. I don't need to be making elementary school art-taught by the lunch mother - projects to get myself through creating a business plan. The hosts of the call reassured us that once you had made your "craft-project" business plan, if you really needed to put together something for a bank or investor, then it would all fall into place later....hummmm....
Now I'll be the first to admit, math and financials are NOT my strong point (that's why God made Microsoft Excel) . AND I'll admit, the idea of making a craft is a decent starting off point to get the juices flowing if you are that stuck. AND I'll also admit they did a great job marketing this thing - Excellent marketing.
But for goodness sake the financials and the market research!... this is the very definition of business. And I don't appreciate being made to feel like a kid who takes the short bus to school because I'm an artist. Maybe some artists like (on some psychological level) paying those vultures out there that coddle them and act as a co-dependent, reaffirming that they are not like "normal people". Maybe if I ended up paying the 287 bucks and took the online class I'd feel differently. But somehow, I think I'd just end up feeling like a sucker.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Big Kick Off
Well here I go. 11:01 pm and the first attempt a BLOGGING!!!!!!
I have never really seen the necessity of this exercise. I just don't believe the hype I guess. But now...well...I think its time to jump in with both feet.
I have been sort of paranoid, I guess, about revealing too much about myself. So I'm assuming that is the primary reason for the avoidance of the Blog-o-sphere. On top of that I cannot imagine anyone finding the inner working of my brain and/or creative process all that engaging. But perhaps I delude myself!....Perhaps.
I have never really seen the necessity of this exercise. I just don't believe the hype I guess. But now...well...I think its time to jump in with both feet.
I have been sort of paranoid, I guess, about revealing too much about myself. So I'm assuming that is the primary reason for the avoidance of the Blog-o-sphere. On top of that I cannot imagine anyone finding the inner working of my brain and/or creative process all that engaging. But perhaps I delude myself!....Perhaps.
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