Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Artist's Rep Perspective - a reply to How to Start Your Own Art Publishing Company

My friend Dick Harrison, who was an artist's rep par excellence for decades, replied to the previous How to Start Your Own Art Publishing Company with his savvy insight and sage advice. Many of you many know him from his Sales Tips for Artists  site where he provides a wealth of knowledge.

You can see from the shots of his Florida property he managed to do quite well on his earnings as both a career artist and artist's rep for more than 20 years as he worked towards a well-deserved retirement.

I took the liberty of adding some paragraph headers, I'm sure Dick won't mind. Thanks to him for all his magnificent contributions to artists and for his generosity in sharing his vast knowledge and experience.

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Hello Barney,

Your exchange with "OldeBob" was fascinating and filled with such great advice, it inspired me to take pen in hand and write what follows.  Is there any way you can use this?  I'll probably post on my blog, for the few who follow it, if you think it is worth reading, along with your post - question and answer - assuming it's OK with you to do that. -  Dick

Starting Over in Tough Times

Barney, what an interesting question from a husband and wife team of producing artists!  Your answer, as usual, is worth its weight in gold!  I haven’t been blogging or podcasting regularly because of home responsibilities, but this struck a special chord so I’m adding my “two cents” to your treasure trove of information. 

“What Would I Do If I Were Starting Over In Tough Times?” 

As you know, I’m now long “retired” after more than twenty years selling my own art and acting as an art rep for others, mostly to Interior Designers and Architects.  What follows is not so much a generally applicable “how to” as it is a call for artists to think outside the usual box about his or her particular talent. 

Defining your success is both important and personal

The first step is to decide what “success” actually means to you. If fame, fortune and a worldwide reputation are your “success,” stop reading now.  Almost nothing I say will help, or even make much sense. 

For me, “success” was the necessity to make a living, and exercise what limited creative abilities I possessed WITHOUT being “boss” of an organization and dealing with employees, bankers and demanding clients – as it had been when I started and ran an Advertising agency.  That was challenging and I enjoyed a lot of what I did and had to do as I learned the ropes on my way to “owner.”  But, in a scenario like that, one “owns” the problems as well as the rewards.  Not what I wanted or had the resources to duplicate when I had to start over.

You are never too old to employ dreams and imagination

Therefore, I’m putting myself in Olde Bob’s shoes and IMAGINING what I’d do if I weren’t seventy-nine and also had the added advantage of a talented wife who shared my passion for art and a special interest in painting animals – along with that modest inheritance to get started. 

WARNING! Artists – please don’t take what follows as “your plan” or “the plan.”  Yours will be completely different and this is just meant as a “thought starter.”

We live in a beautiful world – when I was on the road marketing art all over Florida, God’s magnificent creation was a constant pleasure and source of inspiration when I got back to my studio to spend time creating art to sell.  I loved seeing new places and new sights.  My guess is; most artists do, too.

Following in the path of successful enterepreneurs is a time-honored tradition

My START OVER aim would be to find a modestly priced, comfortable, used motor home or drag behind, with enough space in it to live and work on my art.  The most successful and happy art entrepreneur I ever met built a marvelous art publishing business by traveling the USA from tiny Guemes Island WA, reachable only by ferryboat.  Ria Foster, founder of IIA, Island International Artists, now retired, still travels to beautiful spots in her motor home to create wonderful jewelry in venues she came to love.  More than a quarter century later IIA lives on and thrives today as the best etching publisher in the country.

Olde Bob has already found an art niche.  People all over the world love animals.  Galleries and Interior Designers use animal images consistently to decorate homes and businesses – and those buyers are everywhere!

Artists have great tools to help them sell their work today

The Internet, social media and websites are great ways to sell art and you should use them all.  Print-on-demand allows an artist to reproduce any image in virtually any size on almost any substrate – but once produced, the image must be sold to someone if the artist doesn’t want to starve in a garret until fame and fortune stumble on to his work. 

Take it from me – and Ria Foster – there is no better way to sell art than to show up on a buyer’s doorstep with a beautiful piece of art they can touch and, perhaps think: “I can sell that!”  When that happens, whether it is a pack of greeting cards or a carefully painted original animal portrait, you’ve made a sale!  This is a key piece of information every artist should remember – or have tattooed on the back of his hand if he has a poor memory.  You can’t sell it if you don’t show it.

You cannot beat the personal touch

Add to that your ability to say:  “I have even nicer ones in the motor home parked outside your door.  Can you take a couple of minutes to step inside for a cup of tea while I show you more?”  Bonus – you’ll get to know buyers personally, find out their likes and dislikes, and YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED and welcomed back on your next trip through.  I sold art to many of my Interior Design clients, over and over, for more than a dozen years.

Olde Bob - you already know your images should sell as self-produced cards and there are even more gift shops than Interior Designers – their studios and shops often located almost side-by-side in most affluent areas. 

But Bob – don’t get hung up worrying about Archival Inks and permanence for items as ephemeral as greeting cards.  They have about a forty-five second life span and then are tossed or tucked away because of the sentiment, never to be seen again.  Unless you have a name and collector base – have established a “brand” valued for possible appreciation, Interior Designers aren’t looking for permanence either.  They’d just as soon have their clients redecorate every five years – out with the old – in with the new.

If your art measures 8” x 10” the ever advancing Print On Demand processes can blow it up to whatever size your client wants.  Using your original as the sales sample you can offer any size required, but don’t you try to print it yourself.  There are printing pros galore with the equipment and know how to do it for you.  As you sit beside the lake outside of town, enjoying the sunset, just figure out how to price the piece so you can make a profit.

There are riches in niches

 Be open to niche markets within your niche.  I have a sister-in-law who knits wonderful things using super soft Alpaca yarn.  Because of her I became aware of the growing number of Alpaca farmers and breeders.  Some of those beautiful, gentle, animals sell for $100,000 plus and their yarn is a high-ticket item.  Often the yarn is sold with information or a photo of the animal that produced it.  If you owned a $100,000 animal, wouldn’t you be open to a nice hand-painted portrait to make that animal even more special?  With your wheels, all you need is a list of Alpaca farms to visit as you travel to sell to the regular trade – or to Art Fairs where you set up to show and sell your work, if that is something you like to do.  If you can’t sell an Alpaca portrait, perhaps the breeder would be open to allowing you to order and sell their special yarn on commission to high-end shops.

And, speaking of commissions, Olde Bob, I’ll bet you know other artists whose work you admire who would be glad to have you take their work with you as you visit buyers they’ll never see.  Do that and you are an Artists’ Rep, deserving a nice commission, as I was.

Some years I sold $20,000 - $30,000 worth of my own work and earned commissions from other artists that let me build a lovely house and studio with a half-acre pond where I had the fun of raising swans and water lilies. (Which isn’t a good combination because I soon learned swans eat water lilies.)  The point is: I was open to and always looking for a new idea, as – as anyone should be  - when STARTING OVER IN TOUGH TIMES!

Related Posts

Dick Harrison's "Sales Tips for Artists" New Website

Business Advice for Artists in Today's Economy

 

How to Become a Corporate Art Consultant

You read about corporate art consultants. Perhaps, if you are an artist, you might wonder if meeting one could help you sell your art to businesses. Or, regardless of what you do to earn income in the art marketplace, you might have at some point asked yourself, "How do I become a corporate art consultant?"

The best answer I can give you is to read Barbara Markoff's book, Becoming A Corporate Art Consultant. It is a slim volume full of big ideas. More importantly, it gives the reader the complete low down on what it takes to become a corporate art consultant.

You will find this book useful, practical and to the point

The book is chock full of practical advice borne from years of direct experience in the field. Markoff has successfully worked as a corporate art consultant for nearly 30 years. She and her husband, Rob, also operate a topnotch retail picture framing business in San Diego, California.

Markoff, I'm sure, would be the first to tell you that the market for corporate art is soft these days. With the slowdown in the economy and the commercial real estate market, there are fewer jobs to pursue. I am also certain she would tell you the healthcare market is faring better than the commercial real estate market.

Timing is over rated - this book is highly rated

Should that news deter you from reading this book and deciding if you should get into the business? Not at all. As Mary Engelbreit, whose art licensing business has done more than $100 million in sales say, "Timing is over rated." She started her business on the kitchen table when she was six months pregnant. I believe this book should be "must reading" for anyone who wants a better understanding of how art gets chosen and placed in all those buildings, offices and medical facilities.

Picking up Markoff's tips of the trade make the book a must read

Certainly, you may first be an artist in your heart and soul, but if your bank account tells you that you need to find another way to make ends meet, then working to become a corporate art consultant may be just the ticket for you. It worked for my good friend Dick Harrison. He spent 20+ years in a similar business as an artist's rep. He carried his own work, but signed it under the pseudonym, Claude, who was was his cat at the time. You can learn more about him from his podcasts at: www.SalesTipsforArtists.com.

Information and insight are keys to becoming smarter at art marketing

The point here is you can read this book and become better and smarter art marketing. The reality for most artists is they are ill-prepared to succeed when they launch their careers. There is no formal training for how to make a successful art career. I always recommend studying the habits and traits of other successful artists. Because if you add to your knowledge a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the people and business models who can benefit your own career, then you are that much more competitive and prepared to become successful.

So, whether you want to get valuable insights to help you decide if you should pursue becoming a corporate art consultant, or whether you should more aggressively pursue corporate art consultants to help further your own art career, then you should read this book. Either way, I highly recommend it!

HDExpo Puts Art in the Hospitality Picture

Changes in the tradeshow scene regarding the art business have been frequently reported here. The traditional industry shows such as ArtExpo and Decor Expo are well off their peak years in size, as are the publications that support them. And, the total number of shows serving the industry are at lows not seen in decades. No matter what factors you use to account for the downward trend, they are sadly there and showing no signs of resurgence.

Tradeshow Woes Are a Problem Across Many Industries

It's not just art and picture framing shows that are on their heels. You needn't look hard to find evidence of contraction in all kinds of industries. Given such a multi-industry trend is surely a cause to wonder if there are alternative shows worth either attending or exhibiting for artists and publishers.

There Are Bright Spots To Be Found

One growing show growing increasingly important to many art publishers and self-representing artists is the HDExpo. It is the sister tradeshow to Hospitality Design magazine, which also is growing in size. These entities primarily serve complete design needs for hotels, restaurants and corporate centers.

Gaining traction in this market is a way to create a steady cash flow from a distribution source outside the gallery and online channels that are top of mind for most artists. Not to say the field isn't competitive. It is, but I have always maintained there is ample room in the most crowded fields for artists who bring a fresh perspective to the scene.

Hospitality Design Magazine Publishes Largest Issue Ever

As a former trade magazine rep, I drooled with lust when I saw the most recent at-show copy of Hospitality Design. At 448-pages plus cover, it resembles a mid-size city phone book. I hadn't seen a trade pub that size since the heyday of Decor magazine's show issues for New York or Atlanta many moons ago. The combination of growing importance of the HDExpo show and the size of the magazine puts an exclamation point on their momentum and the market they represent.

Las Vegas Is a Boom Town for Home Furnishings & Hospitality Design Shows

Las Vegas is also home to the World Market Center. It is the host site of the Las Vegas Market, which also is bucking the downward trend as a huge fast growing international home furnishing marketplace. The common wisdom for decades was no venue could successfully compete against the IHFC show and the concurrent shows in High Point, NC for the home furnishings market.  In just a few short years, the Las Vegas Market has proven there can be a viable alternative to the IHFC.

To Be An Effective Marketer in an Industry, You Must Be a Student of It

Effective marketing is a multi-year strategy. The first stage is to become educated about potentially lucrative markets important and new to your business. If you have your own designs on seeing your originals and reproductions used in the hospitality industry, learn all you can about the shows mentioned here and the markets they represent. You likely don't have the budget to tackle them all. But spending time studying them is a great first step towards getting your foot in the door at one of them at the appropriate time.

On the HDExpo Web site, go to Expo/Exhibitor List/Product Category Search. Start with the Artwork: Prints/Reproductions/Photography category and work your way through all the other appropriate categories for ideas on companies to approach, or to see what those exhibiting are doing on their on Web sites. It will be time well spent to study this terrific resource. And, of course, if you can actually go there, all the better. This year's May 14-17 conference and May 15 -17 exhibition dates are upon us. If it's too quick for this year, tickle it as a must for 2009.

Surtex Offers Artists Yet Another Alternative to Galleries and Selling Online

The Surtex show runs May 18 - 20 at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. Surtex bills itself as a licensing show for original art and design and offers a different kind of distribution and income from the hospitality business. Surtex is a terrific venue for artists who want to license their work. It's a show to walk the first year and then to decide if paying for exhibit space makes sense. Many artists are able to make connections there by respectfully and tactfully approaching publishers and licensors when they are not otherwise busy in their booths. The better you prepare for these shows, the better your experience will be.

Thirteen Sure-Fire Rules to Create Success for the Emerging Artist - Part One

1. Don't paint or photograph with the preconceived view of becoming known for a look or style when you have so much to offer on a wide platform of personal interests.
2. Don't have any concerns whether galleries or collectors will have a clue as to what to expect from you when you jump from painting portraits to ponies. With your abundant talent, it doesn't matter because it's only time before the whole world is beckoning to it.
3. Don't submit to any of the multitude of regularly available columns, features, special sections and other FREE publicity opportunities. After all, why go for the filler copy when the cover stories are just around the corner?
4. Don't go out of your way to have any valuable contact with the media when you just know they will be courting you once you are rich and famous.
5. Don't ask any reps, whether they be advertising, tradeshow, framing, paper, printer or art reps, who call on you to tell you what is happening in the business; you wouldn't want to benefit from someone who sees the business from 30,000 feet when you can stay grounded in your studio.
6. Don't bother investing extra money to get the best digital scan possible for your reproductions. If less than the best is acceptable for you, by golly it ought to be good enough for your collectors and would be collectors.
7. Don't ever access the wealth of great information so freely shared by Alyson Stanfield, Robert Genn, Paul Dorrell, Dan's Empty Easel, Charley Parker, Katherine Tyrrell, Clint Watson, Dick Harrison and Barney Davey to name just a few because you suppose you can't trust anyone who is not another starving artist. Surely, they are a bunch of self-serving types just angling to retire once they glom on to a huge chunk of your awesome marketing budget.
8. Don't go to art tradeshows such as ArtExpo or Decor Expo when you can't afford to exhibit. Why would you waste your time seeing how your competitors are doing when none of it matches the masterpieces coming from your easel?
9. Don't waste your time reading a trade magazine like Art World News, Art Business News or Decor. You can't afford to have your creativity be informed by what the most successful artists and publishers in the business are doing.
10. Don't participate in artist discussion boards such as Wet Canvas, Digital Painting Forum, Art Scuttlebutt and Online Visual Artists when you could be watching reruns of Desperate Housewives instead. What could you possibly learn there you don't already know?
11. Don't use the Internet to market yourself and your business. Why would you spend your time with a Web site or one of those trendy Blog things? For heaven's sake, don't even think of whiling away precious hours starting a Squidoo lens or figuring out how the likes of Boing Boing might help jumpstart your career.
12. Don't succumb to the siren song of shameless self-promotion. Stay humble and know that hope alone will bring you all the sales, notice, fame and glory you surely deserve. Let the money grubbers have their time now, your lasting fame and legacy after you are long gone will be the best revenge.
13. Don't go to the extra expense of using a professional printer, or at least carefully follow all the procedures they employ to create lasting art, when you can bang out almost archival reproductions right on your desktop. After all, a giclee is a giclee is a giclee; right?.

BONUS POINTS

1. Don't take the snarky tongue-in-cheek comments personally and keep in mind that controversy sparks more interest than milquetoast commentary.
2. Keep in mind the timeless advice to Wear Sunscreen, which is the common name of a column titled Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young written by Mary Schmich and published in the Chicago Tribune on June, 1 1997. The most popular and well-known form of the essay is the successful music single released in 1999, accredited to Baz Luhrmann.
   

Dick Harrison's "Sales Tips for Artists" New Website

The inimitable erudite Dick Harrison, whom I have blogged about before, has put out a new Web site, Sales Tips for Artists. The site offers one place where artists, reps and others interested in art marketing and how to sell art can learn from Dick's 20 years of experience selling his own work and that of as many as 200 other artists. Dick is an eloquent speaker, which makes listening to his podcasts as enjoyable as they are informative. Here's his brief description of the site:

The sales tips you're about to listen to are based on what I learned as a successful artist's rep and producing artist. The "secrets" I'm about to share supported my family for more than twenty years and and I know they will help you as well.

Dick could easily charge for these valuable lessons and I believe most artists would be happy to pay to tap into his knowledge. I encourage all my readers to not only take the time to learn from Dick, but to repay his generosity by sharing the link to his site with as many people as possible.

Dick Harrison's Sage Art Marketing Advice

If you haven't spent time on Wet Canvas, you are missing a most valuable resource. With statistics like the following, you could spend days mining the information available: Threads: 418,661, Posts: 5,628,165, Members: 105,331.

This month, Dick Harrison, who was a professional full-time art rep for 20 years has generously offered his best advice to artists seeking to succeed in the business. He has posted a number of Podcasts on the Talk Shoe podcast site. In keeping with his savvy, he chose the Wet Canvas/Art Business Center/General Art Business thread to announce he had created these most informative podcasts to give to anyone one who wishes to listen. 

My strong advice to you dear readers is to listen to all he has to say. Here are the links to the Wet Canvas threads with links to the podcasts: Selling Tips from an Art Rep with 20 years experience http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=414300 and Who Gets What and How Much http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=418004. Kudos to Dick for his unselfish sharing of such valuable information!