Trade Show Successs

Whether or not to even exhibit at a trade show is another question but once you are there you need to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. Trade shows are overwhelming places and even if someone is really excited about you, their brain may have been overloaded by the time they get home.

Giving out cards or one sheets or postcards is great but you have to do more. What you ask.

Get their contact information.

A simple guest book with a place to put their name and e-mail address is all you need. Then you can e-mail everyone a few days after the show to remind them why they were excited in the first place. This also allows you to track the success of the show by seeing how many of the contacts turn unto sales.

Remember, trade shows may not always pay in the short run so you need to measure how much they make you in the long run and one way to do that is to get potential client information and then follow up.

Stuff You Should Read

This is actually more than just something you should read, it is something you should act upon.

Orphan Works Bill

This is making a lot of artists nervous and I believe for good reason. Below is a link to send a letter to the House and Senate. I am not going to get into a full debate here, there are plenty on the Internet right now. Let's just say that this has not been fully thought out and it is a lot harder to take something like this back than to take the time to write good and use able law.

Send in your opposition.

Creative Resources

ArtDaily.Org
Dubs itself the First Art Newspaper on the Net. Includes: Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography, Photographers, Special Reports, Art Fairs and More.

Disconnecting the Internet Might Make You More Productive

Thanks to PimpYourWork.com for this. It is right on the money. You may not need to disconnect from your computer but even something as simple as setting your e-mail to check for mail every several hours instead of several minutes can make a huge difference.
I’ve mentioned in some previous posts that I live in a Third World country. This means that my area’s phone/internet cables can be stolen at night (presumably to be sold at junk shops) and I’ll be left disconnected from work.

Well, this happened last week.

Surprisingly, my productivity actually doubled. I was producing twice my regular output for the previous weeks of April. Is it possible that severing your connection to the net can make you more productive or is this some kind of fluke? I think it’s possible to be more productive without easy net access, and here’s why:

Your net time becomes precious. To compensate your lack of a connection at home, you probably resort to net cafes, free wi-fi areas, and the like. You can’t exactly sit in these places forever. Ergo, you only do the essential when you’re online. Goodbye to random surfing.

Less distractions. Additionally, when you’re working on your computer, you have less distractions because you’re not connected to the net. No random surfing, Twittering, checking your Facebook messages, or reading RSS feeds. When you’re working with the computer, you’re working with the computer.

Creative Resources

Since its establishment in 1983, the American Art Pottery Association has continued to bring people together to share their knowledge and interest in art pottery. Operating as a not for profit 501(c)6 business league, the AAPA and its membership enjoys various activities each year such as: annual convention; annual show, sale, and auction of Art Pottery; annual student scholarship award; and the bi-monthly publication of the Journal of American Art Pottery Association (JAAPA).

Working from Home

It seems like such a good idea in the beginning. No commute, no rent, work funky hours, be there when the kids get home, be there when the cable guy shows up, be there when something is delivered, be there when the pest guy shows up, clean the house before your in-laws show up...

Wait a minute. That list had a lot more personal than work stuff in it. An therein lies the biggest pitfall to working from your home.

Not actually working.

The solution is pretty easy but it takes a bit of discipline. I talked before about creating a schedule for yourself in "Are Your Running Your Business Like a Horror Film? III". Well, I meant it. If you schedule work and personal time you can still get the benefits of working from home (being there for your kids, getting the cable guy sooner or getting a haircut in the middle of the week) without sacrificing overall productivity.

P.S. If you aren't going anywhere and no one is going to see you, it is OK to work in your PJ's or skip a shower every once in awhile. That is the beauty of working from home after all.

Marketing Pointers

Do you have a specific client, organization, corporation, designer, or firm you want to hire you?

Court them.

A regular postcard or letter just isn't going to get their attention. You're creative. Come up with something unique and then do it. Make an impression.

Art Break

Changing New York: Pgotographs by Bernice Abbott. 1935-1938

Hundreds of black and white photographs by Berenice Abbott (1898-1991) from her Changing New York Works Progress Administration/ Federal Art Project. The Library's collection holds about 80% of the project's 302 images; this presentation includes variant and discarded images, plus other work Abbott produced as a project employee.

Image: Berenice Abbott (1898-1991). Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery, Manhattan, October 03, 1935. Digital ID: 482799

Creative Resources

A professional trade association representing the interests of landscape designers, APLD offers a certification program, educational conferences, local chapter involvement, a quarterly newsletter, monthly online publications, listing of members on the website, landscape design awards, and much more.

Art Break

Art in Second Life

The arts are everywhere even in virtual worlds. Second Life has created an entire art scene which gallery's, shows, theatre, music and more. Check out the blog sl-art-news for some great pictures and links.

Marketing Pointers

Former clients don't know you want them to refer you unless you tell them.

They aren't mind readers so every once in awhile remind them.

" You were a great client and I would love to work with more people just like you. Do you know anyone else who is looking to have _____ done? I am always looking to grow my business."

The Power of a Second Opinion

Thanks to Glen at LifeDev for this one.

It’s easy to think of ideas in terms of ownership. “I thought of it first so it’s my idea.” We cling to these ideas because we feel that if we share them, there’s a chance someone will steal them. Or worse… they might hate the idea. So we keep them to ourselves.

Did you know that the term for a “Creative Type” in Swahili translates to “Greedy Idea Monkey”?

Ok, totally made that up. But it should mean that.

As creative people, we tend to get lost in our ideas. We can become consumed by them, thinking that our ideas are the best thing since sliced bread. The next thing we know, we’re so attached to our ideas that any criticism we hear concerning them we take personally.

Yet criticism can sometimes be our best friend, allowing us to gauge what needs to happen before our idea can become really successful. Criticisms help us shape the idea. Yet creative people tend to take criticisms very personally. When it comes to criticizing our ideas… you best watch your mouth.

Read the rest...

Creative Resources

Professional Photographers of America began providing education and a sense of community to the photography industry since 1880. To those offerings, the association has since added business and personal protection, business discounts, professional recognition, and more. Today, PPA is the world’s largest not-for- profit association for professional photographers, with more than 18,000 members in 64 countries. It is an association that seeks to increase its members’ business savvy as well as broaden their creative scope. It aims to advance their careers by providing them with all the tools for success.

Change is Good

One of the biggest differences between a successful business owner and one that fails is the reaction to change.

Change can be scary, especially if it involves your artform, something that is often very personal.

I am not suggesting that you change your entire company structure or chuck everything for a new direction every time something doesn't seem to work. I am saying that in order to grow as a business owner as well as an artisan, you must be open to changes.

Many of my coaching clients know that something needs to be done to push their company forward. They are asking for something to change and when I give them a suggestion. The gates just slam shut. They wanted to change something, just not their website or logo or approach to interviews or their prices.

The next time you realize something isn't working for you anymore, take some time to figure out why and then be open to the idea of making the changes needed to fix things. Just because you have always done something a certain way or because someone, sometime told you to do it that way doesn't mean it is right for you anymore.

Art Break

X-Ray Reveals Ghost Figure

LONDON - Students researching for a new display of Tudor portraits in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery have uncovered a ghost figure which may be Shakespeare's only known patron Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, which had been subsequently painted over with a portrait of Elizabeth Vernon, Southampton's wife.

Read more.

Marketing Pointers

Don't just send out a postcard or e-mail because it is "time". Have a purpose.

The purpose can't be hire me. Nice try though.

Give them some new information or a product to try or a special deal. Anything than just your contact information.

Keep Up With Your Industry

No matter what your discipline, there are professional groups, conventions, magazines, websites, blogs, seminars, classes and more that cater just to you. So why haven't you joined, attend or read these?

Being a working artist/artisans is lonely and hard enough. Don't isolate yourself as well. I know I have written about this before but it is just too important to not to mention again.

You need to know what is going on in your industry. You could be missing out on great contacts, a new product, a trend or just plain old support. So...

I am starting a list of creative resources, starting with one that has helped me along the way.

Today's creative resource is:

SALI, a group for the professional and hobbyist in the world of decorative painting. There are Chapters, a newsletter, quarterly magazine and a great convention.

Missed You at the Retreat

I have been offline for a bit getting ready for The Business of Creativity Retreat. I am working on the schedule for the next one so let me know when you want to come and visit.

It was a great success and has given me tons of stuff to write about so keep checking back for some wonderful gems of wisdom and observation.

P.S. Why weren't you at the retreat? See you next time, right?