Art Print Issues by Barney Davey

Art in the Digital World - 3rd Anniversary for Art Print Issues

Faithful readers of words that tumble out my head into this blog post know I'm favored to author the occasional guest blog post for Absolute Arts, which is one of the leading and most comprehensive sites covering the fine art scene. It's impressive Google Page Rank of 7 attests to its popularity and traffic. (For those of you interested in Page Rank and who don't want to hurt their non-math non-tech brain trying to follow the logic on the link above, you can just read this paragraph from the Smashing Magazine article about it:

Each Page Rank level is progressively harder to reach.“PageRank is logarithmic in its calculation. In the same way that the earthquake Richter scale is exponential in calculation, so too is the mathematics behind Google PageRank. It takes one step to move from a PR0 to a PR1, it takes a few more steps to PR3, it takes even more steps to PR4, and many more steps again to PR5, and so one.” [Google Page Rank FAQ]

Art in the Digital World - It's Bigger Than You Think

Should you rather read a ramble with an interesting take on how the digital world intersects in the art world, reading my Absolute Arts blog post is here for your pleasure: Art in the Digital World. It is ambitious in trying to cover lots of ground while connecting more than a few bits and bytes along the way.

Happy Birthday Art Print Issues - Three Years Old and Picking Up Speed

Finally, this blog celebrates three years of posts in this format this month. The first back in February 23, 2006 started a string nearly 200 more since. If you count the articles in the blog's digital newsletter format begun in mid-2005, the list is closer to 250 posts.

Blog Post Triage Keeps the Patient (Post Prospects) Alive

I have never been at a point where I wondered what to write about next. For every post that was planned, there were probably two closer to being extemporaneous wanderings and musings on whatever was firing on my synapses at the time.

My regret is not having the time to get all the thoughts, ideas and suggestions that pop into my head and which I think merit pursuing into the blog. It's like blog post triage much of the time. But, in this case the patient always lives at least enough to be resuscitated at a later date. My trusty other brain helps me keep track of loose thoughts and blog topic prospects.

I'm humbled and honored to have each and every one of you who take your time to read my words. And, I'm eager to keep cranking them out for your edification, entertainment and help in improving your art careers. It's not unlike painting. The more you do, the better you get at it and the more you want to do it. And should others take a fancy to the output, then all the better. 

Kind Words for How to Profit from the Art Print Market - Using Google Alerts Effectively

I suppose it is possible one can read my blog and not realize I am also the author of the book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. If you are interested, you can click on the cover image on the top right of the page to get more information. The text link below the image will take you to a free download of Chapter One. I'm proud it has remained a top seller on the Amazon.com "Business of Art" list since it was first published. It's also been excerpted in The Artist's Magazine and been a selection in its sister operation, the North Light Book Club.

Here is a tip. If you are not using Google Alerts, consider doing so. The following reasons to use the service are directly taken from the Google Alert home page:

• monitoring a developing news story
• keeping current on a competitor or industry
• getting the latest on a celebrity or event
• keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams

Use keywords to keep up

I use a variety of keywords to help me stay up on industry developments. Warning: If you pile on a bunch of terms, you can quickly fill up your inbox and find yourself feeling overwhelmed trying to keep up. I suggest starting with a few terms and seeing how they return, then modify or add accordingly.

Apply the power of Six Degrees of You to promote your work

While I don't have time to read stories about local events, it is a good suggestion for any artist with a desire to build a local/regional following to keep tabs on the art scene haps in your area. For example, the search term "art shows Phoenix" brought up useful items. Over time, you will be pleased at the ideas you garner for promoting your art, or for finding contact names worth pursuing in your ongoing Six Degrees of You marketing practice.

Track your own name, or company name

You should not be surprised I use my name for a search term. It is to help me find blog posts or news items about me or my book. I track my name to be able comment on posts with it or thank the author for the digital nod, etc. Admittedly, I get back more results not related to me. I unfortunately find more stories about Barney Frank, Barneys retail operation, and Barney the Purple Dinosaur than me. My name is somewhat unique, so I can only imagine the results if it were more common.

Show sincere gratitude

The most recent result was from a relatively new blogger named Assanti. He kindly reviewed my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. It's obvious reading the review it was translated from another language into English. The reviewer went so far to provide some very good suggestions for any follow up I might produce. To a large degree, that is the point of this blog -- to carry on the original thoughts in the book and apply and update contemporary circumstances to them.

Some of the prose in the translation creates a unique slightly amusing interpretation of the review. Here is an example:

Visual artists will find this pursue to be an cherished quotation. It provide insight, notice, example and materials; all designed to aid demystify the arcane world of art print marketing. By erudition to accurately appraise their resources, which grades in making sagacious choice, artists can cut copious frustration with avoid futile method and front themselves to glory in the print souk.

I have already commented on the blog to thank the poster for the kind words with assurance I will take the suggestions seriously. However put, I do have as my mission helping artists use the print market to advance their careers and smooth out the cash flow in the process.

Need a Gift Idea?

If you have thought about giving my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market, as a gift this year, you are in luck. Normally, I do not fulfill orders. Initially, I competed with Amazon on selling my book, but quickly realized there was no financial advantage. And, that was before shipping, taxes and trips to the post office were included. 

I have a small amount of books on hand. If you would like one of them, they are available for $30, including domestic USPS Priority Mail shipping. If you order before December 20, you should get your book in time before Christmas. The book normally sells on Amazon for $31.02, so you save a little and you get it personally signed to you or someone you designate. 

You can pay with PayPal. You don't need a PayPal account, any credit card will work. Here is a payment button to make it easy to order.

Thank you in advance for any order you place. Provide your email and I will contact you with shipping details. Payments are made to Bold Star Communications.

Relief Anger Angst & 15 Things Visual Artists Can Do Now

Hello,

How are you my friends? Me? Well, I guess I'm doing fine. I woke up today to simple pleasures. The sun was shining. My spouse was enjoying a serene morning meditation. My dogs were playfully chasing each other. My bills get paid. I have job I like with promise and benefits. I am blessed.

Art Print Issues origins date back to an 8-page digital newsletter that began in November 2005. Since then, I've published more than 200 posts or articles with none espousing personal opinions (Casting aspersions on bonehead moves by tradeshow executives aside.) or political views. There are plenty of sources for that and I respect my readers don't come here to get my views on the economy or politics. There is, however, always a reason to break from tradition as this post proves, at least to me.

In a dichotomy of mixed emotions, I feel real relief amidst the daily front page dread

As is my daily routine, I read the morning paper. Yet, something is different now. While I still acknowledge the daily dose of dread and accept much, if not most, of it is out of my immediate control, and amid the noise of war, economic woes and natural disasters, I feel a deep sense of real relief. At the same time I admit to feeling the same nagging anxiety that afflicts us all to one degree or another.

My relief is partly due to an election result that promises a new direction for our country, (In near perfect 40-year counterpoint symmetry, Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois is once again the locus foreshadowing not just a shift in political fortunes, but just as in 1968, seismic cultural changes as well.) The joyful harmony of the throng of 200,000 well wishers gathered to witness President-elect Obama's acceptance speech stands as the direct diametric opposite of the contentious civil and police riots that took place in Grant Part in 1968 during the Democratic convention.

The fractious turbulence that occurred there in 1968 signaled an era of great divisive societal upheaval and portended a momentous political conservative pendulum swing that peacefully comes to a halt in sync with the end of the Bush presidency. Just as a pendulum alters its return course not exactly following its previous path, this swing is destined not to repeat history, but to make it. We're neither looking at the New Deal nor the Great Society. Rather something altogether different with consequences just as great or greater.

A new president offers hope - but the greater relief lies elsewhere.

Although I have high hopes for the new administration, my greater relief is in the arrival of the economic meltdown we are witnessing. It couldn't have happened too soon on one hand, but on the other it gratefully waited till new leadership was standing in the wings. It's a nightmare to think how the current administration helmed by the most unpopular president in the history of polling would have found a way to bungle handling this mess had it unraveled a few years ago. The current doling out money to banks with virtually no strings attached is a good example. There is no oversight on this. At this juncture, it is incredulous to me how those responsible for such unguarded handouts are letting this happen.

No, I'm not heartless or crazy. I'm just ready to deal with the inevitable.

You could be asking, "How can you find relief amidst so much chaos and misery? "Have you lost your mind? Are you heartless, witless or both?" The answer comes this way. It is time and none too soon. It is time for us as a nation, and as consumers to change our spendthrift ways. The havoc being wreaked upon us is from a bill far overdue. The blame for which is neither partisan nor political. It is bigger than that.

This time, overdue change can no longer be averted. We've popped the dotcom bubble, the housing and easy money bubbles and we are left with the reality of our collective actions. True enough, there are some more to blame than other and may their names live on in ignominy and shame. May their purloined riches be the ruin of them. May their greed fester into deserving deserts of despair.

The full gravity and extent of this situation is yet to come.

The simple truth is with no more rabbits to pull from hats we are going to face very difficult times ahead. This will require painful and unavoidable solutions as already noticed in daily reports of new layoffs, bankruptcies, foreclosures, stock losses and scaled back services and expectations on nearly every level.

The news will continue to get worse till the bottom is found. We are not there yet. To some extent, we don't know the bottom. It is uncharted territory and the wise ones who we would trust to predict such things failed miserably at calling the outcome we live with now. To see Alan Greenspan trying to deny knowledge of or culpability in helping cause the current situation is a sickening example of delusional hubris and unfettered unaccountability. Come on Alan. Either you're lying or incompetent. And neither of those will protect your precious legacy. Too bad the same can't be said for your comfortable retirement and  pocketbook and that of the cronies with whom you helped brew this toxic economic stew we live in now.  

We have great role models to help us gather strength and resolve to pull us through.

The Greatest Generation as they were titled in a book of the same name faced many similar challenges. They were the children of the Great Depression. How did they respond to adversity? They fought World War II at great cost personally on the front and at home. Soldiers lives were lost and shattered. At home, gas, shoes, sugar, butter and more were rationed. The country pulled together as a collective whole to help the greater cause. Can you imagine that in 2008? That generation recovered and returned home to help build the biggest best and the most mighty country in history of the world. They had learned and lived by core values from which we have strayed far. They survived some of the worst times only to help lay the groundwork for what arguably became the best of times. We have much to thank them for and to learn from them.

We have gone from the quaint notion of a chicken for every pot to a state of overconsumption where a cell phone, flat screen TV, broadband cable, bigger and bigger homes and two cars in every garage is the norm. Unfortunately, easy money has made government, corporations and consumers all act like drunks at an open bar. That is we are without a clue how or when to stop from that which was destined to do us more harm than good. We now have a massive hangover from which the effect hopefully will scare us straight.

Being relieved does not mean I'm not outraged. Believe me, I am and worried too!

Don't get me wrong. Being relieved does not make me happy about the current state of affairs. I'm down right outraged at how this could have happened; at how many supposedly smart people who had our trust were either dead wrong or too greedy or dishonest to tell the truth.

Today, our greatest threat is not abroad. It is the ticking time bomb of a debt balloon that if not brought under control soon will burst creating havoc that makes today's bad news headlines seem trivial. That's why I am relieved. I think for the first time we have a collectively begun to glimpse the enormity of the problem facing us. And, we have someone who shows the intellect, potential and vigor to take on the enormous challenge before us and him. I believe Barack Obama when he says he is not a perfect man and thus we should not expect him to be a perfect president. Nevertheless, I place my faith in him. LIke his rival, John McCain, I think he is a decent person who will do his best to do his best.

Like many Americans. I'm proud we have fulfilled our destiny in becoming a powerful nation that with a grand experiement created a constitution that was tested by civil war and finally 140 years later proved the notion all men are created equal.

I'm relieved because I believe Barack Obama has the ability to do the right thing even if it requires a complete about face on political promises. Lincoln did not run for president on a platform to free the slaves, but he came to realize it was the right thing to do. FDR did not run on the promise to grow the government and create a social security network and spend money to put people to work and break the crushing economic stifle of the Great Depression, but he did because it was the right thing to do.

Obama has yet to take office, so it is a lot to put on him. But, whether you voted for him or not, whether you trust him or not, he's our guy. My instincts tell me he has the capacity to rise to the occasion and do the right things however painful they may be. Godspeed him, America and you too.

What does all this mean to visual artists?

It means the same to nearly everyone striving to make a living. We aren't going to give up on those things we have worked hard to achieve. We will have to make some sacrifices. Discretionary income will become less available. You might be like me and take a day job with benefits. One that leaves you time to create.

Alternatively, or inconjunction with your current plans, you might begin to stretch to do more, new and different things that still require your artistic eye and creative verve. Here are some points to ponder, to stir your thinking:

1. How else can you use your artistic creative ability besides putting paint on canvas?
2. Can you paint frescoes in homes and offices?
3. Can your artwork be created in to large scale wallpaper images using modern printing technology?
4. Can you learn some digital art skills or add graphic arts skills to your repertoire?
5. Can you teach art in schools or give private lessons?
6. Can you arrange small box lunch plen air picnics where art lovers and artists can convene to enjoy nature and art?
7. Can you arrange exhibitions that help raise money and awareness for causes near and dear to your heart?
8. Can you learn Web site design?
9. Can you find new ingenious ways to help your best galleries drive traffic to their shops?
10. Can you learn to squeeze all the paint from the tube before open a new one, or paint over a canvas with an image not destined to bring you money?
11. Can you sell your art as seasonal in same sizes so your work can be changed in a frame to fit the season?
12. Can you create a media event based on your art? Do you have a theme right for the times?
13. Have you looked at art cards, ACEOs, mini prints and mini orginals?
14. Wyland paints whaling walls worldwide. Can you paint large scale murals in your town? Or start a collective project to get a group of artists to create one?
15. Have you looked at forming a collective gallery? Maybe it's a temporary space you only use once a month, or once a quarter. There have to be landlords happy to bring in rent even on a limited basis.

Hopefully, these ideas will stimulate your creative marketing process to help you think about what you can be doing now that might help. A useful brainstorming idea is to list all the things you would never do. The more you add to such a list, the more likely you will find productive things you should or can be doing.

How to Sell Art Prints - a reader question answered

Occasionally, I get questions from readers that are good sources for blog posts. That is, they are general enough in context to help most who read this blog regularly. If you have specific questions, I also offer consulting in the form of hour sessions by phone or via email.

In either of these consulting cases, I urge you to first read my book because it may have the exact answer you need, or it will avoid you spending time in consulting on what you could have easily and more afford ably learned by reading it first. And, should we proceed from that point, you'll be better informed to ask better questions and get more from the experience.

I do have a day job and find it stimulating

Because I also work an 8-5 gig in the marketing department of a high tech firm to help with benefits and retirement income, (and because I like the diversity and the fun of working with a talented group of creative individuals.), I have limited availability for consulting, especially phone sessions. Accordingly, I don't actively market my consulting services. But, if it is important to you, I will find time for you.

Here is a great question posed to me via email:

My name is Kasie Sallee and I'm a young artist and mother. In the past year I've been focusing very seriously on my art with the hopes of building a career. I recently bought and read your book "How to Profit from the Art Print Market" and I truly want to thank you for writing it. The book is a treasure trove of information that I will be referring to over and over again.

In the past year I've begun a series of work, promoted my art through a blog, and very recently have set up a website. I have a question about the best path forward and was wondering if you had some advice.

My ultimate goal for the future is to license my work or to work with a publisher. My question is:

If this is my ultimate intention, will selling prints on my own, say through a site like Etsy, cause publishing companies to not want my work? I guess what I'm trying to say is will publishing companies want to work with images that I have already printed and sold?

Thank you so much for your time. I'm a long-time reader of your blog and I sincerely respect your advice.

Here is my reply

Dear Kasie:

Thanks for your kind words and question. You are on the right path in setting up a Web site and accompanying blog. They are both integral components of a solid marketing plan for an emerging artist. Both are works in progress and investments in your future. That is, neither are likely to immediately begin to return a substantial income right away. However, if both are properly maintained they will be invaluable components of your marketing efforts for years to come.

Your goal of licensing with a publisher is a good one. If you are thinking posters or open edition prints, you have to realize the income from such a situation is likely going to be minimal, especially at first. If you are thinking about giclees, your income could be more substantial as price points are far greater. 

As a way to broaden their lines, many poster publishers are now also offering POD print-on-demand reproductions. These are usually open edition and lower priced than limited edition publishers. Overall, it is a most challenging time for poster publishers with no real relief in sight. I think it will take more than time to revive the market.

Many poster publishers are also active in the third party licensing arena as represented by such tradeshows as Surtex and The Licensing Show. Surtex is where one would primarily find find companies seeking images for stationery, wallpaper, linens and so on. The Licensing Show tends to run to the animated and action figure images and less to fine art, but both can be important as sources of tertiary passive income for artists. The royalties are small and it can take a few years to make it worthwhile, but for artists with the right look, it can turn lucrative over time.

To be successful in getting a contract from publishers, you need to determine where your prints fit into the market, then determine which publishers are the best fit and most likely candidates for you to contact. It takes researching time, but it is just part of what you need to do to pursue appropriate publishing opportunities. Regardless of the outcome, the education will serve you well throughout your career. I think it was Yogi Berra who said, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there." This is true of all of us. You have to make an informed conscious decision about what you want from your career and use it as a North Star to guide your underlying decisions.

To answer your questions about being on Etsy, or other online sites that can sell your work, I will say no, in general, it does not affect your ability to land a publishing deal. If anything, if you have some demonstrable success with online art sales, you will give most publishers more confidence they can move your images to their customers. That said, publishers are not going to accept you competing directly with them for the same images, if at all.

There are some high-end publishers you would expcect to look down their noses at artists doing business on Etsy, but if your research is effective, you would have ruled them out as unlikely candidates to approach anyway.

Some publishers will want an exclusive on the images they want to run. Others may want more exclusivity. You have to be aware of the quid pro quo to make a good deal for yourself. This means making negotiations with publishers. I recommend you read at least one book on negotiating, such as Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. A little studying now will help you to make better deals for yourself in every aspect of and all throughout your career.

A couple of caveats here. If you paint slowly, it could be a problem for you if you have to create a new line for a publisher who in most cases will expect to be fed a steady stream of images. The other is if in your researching, you find the publishers most desirable to you frown upon seeing your work online, you may need to reassess your online strategies and marketing efforts.

The best situation for artists working with publishers would be the publishers immediately finding a bevy of repeat buyers for your line. The more likely scenario is you have to grow into your role with a publisher learning along the way what its needs are and what its buyers needs are. Conversely, a good publisher will seek to understand how to best work with you.

I would hope you get a publisher that will allow you to publish your own work. In some cases, artists use a Nom de Brusse (alias) to avoid having a conflict with their publisher. There is no hard fast rule regarding any of these situations. You must keep in mind you need to do what is best for you. You have to know whatever you are going to invest your time, talent and energy into that you stand a decent chance of getting a reasonable return for your investment.

With that in mind, do what you can to further your career, to sell more work regardless of the source. In the end, it's up to you to make it work. Having a great publisher to help you get started is wonderful advantage and great learning experience. As with many, if not most, things in life it is not where you start, it is where you end up. That is, did you fulfill your dreams and talent potential? Making the right choices for yourself is a key to your future success and your own self-satsifaction.

You see examples of this all the time. The music industry is easier to relate with this concept because much of what happens is on a national or international scale. Think about song choices and how that affects an artist. No matter how talented, ultimate success requires making good choices for content, style and ability. It's the same with visual artists even if it is harder to judge how things are going for visual artists. They don't have the equivalent of Billboard Top 100 list to let us know who is moving up the charts and who is just treading water. Nevertheless, if you consistently find some artists tapping the zeitgeist and getting great results with a steady stream of print sales over the years, you can be certain they have not only an eye for art, but an instinct for what their buyers will want to own and display in their homes and businesses.

I hope these thoughts help others as well as you Kasie!  All the best to you,

Cheers,

Barney

The Value of a Descriptive URL

I began publishing Art Print Issues in 2005. Initially, it came was delivered as an 8-page PDF newsletter and available in HTML at:  www.artprintissues.barneydavey.com, a subdomain of my www.barneydavey.com Web site. BarneyDavey.com serves to promote my book and consulting services. You can find links to those early newsletter archives here on Art Print Issues.

Choosing the right blogging platform is helpful

A couple of years ago, I converted to blogging using Typepad as my platform. At the time, I felt the free Blogger was not robust enough for my tastes and WordPress platform required too much tech ability. Although both alternatives have made great improvements, I have never regretted the choice.

Choosing and using the right URL is both smart and crucial

Until recently, despite owning the ArtPrintIssues.com URL since well before its newsletter inception in 2005, I forwarded the address to my BarneyDavey.blogs.com Typepad URL. That was partly due my domain registrar not allowing me to do domain mapping. With domain mapping, one can use a service such as Typepad and have their personal URL function as their blog address. This looks so much more professional than having a composite subdomain address.

I had a confessed complacency with my doing something about my Art Print Issues URL. Since the Typepad URL contained my name, I delayed the hassle of transferring my URL to another domain registrar. I was also unnecessarily concerned about losing traffic or causing confusion during the process.

Choosing the right domain registrar makes your life and marketing easier

If you pay close attention to goings on here, you may noticed I finally put in the request to transfer from Namesecure to GoDaddy for my Art Print Issues domain. Now I wish I had done it sooner. Namesecure.com, my former domain registrar, has no way to contact or communicate with it besides email. It takes 24 or more hours to get a response. If you have issues, you have to be patient. GoDaddy, by comparison, has 24/7 US-based live help for all its services. There is no comparison. I have found the GoDaddy service to be topnotch with professional, friendly and knowledgeable. It took about a week to get the URL transferred. ICANN rules state they have to be done in 5 business days.

Once I had Art Print Issues with GoDaddy, it only took a few minutes to make the well documented changes provided by Typepad to the CNAME records. A couple of hours or less later and my Art Print Issues began to appear to my blog readers in the address bar. If you have any posts saved or bookmarked to the former URL, don't worry. They still work and will point directly to what you wanted to keep.

A good domain name is worth thousands, even millions!

Domains have a commoditized value. A check at www.urlappraisal.net shows ArtPrintIssues.com has an auction value of $5,629 while BarneyDavey.com is $7,540. When you think about name value, it makes the effort to get a URL in your own name as opposed to borrowing one from one of the free services worthwhile. When you use www.yourname.blogger.com, you do not own the URL and it has no value to you. I cannot be too smug about the value of my URLs when compared to ArtBizCoach.com which comes in at $32,645, or Art.com only worth a whopping $17 million and change.

The marketing communication branding value of a good domain to an artist is priceless

More importantly than the commoditized value of your URL is the priceless value of your personal brand of which your URL should be an important part. It can be debated, but I believe using your name in your URL is the best thing you can do. It helps with keyword searches, with personal branding, with recognition and with memory. If someone knows how to spell my name, they can easily find my Web address. If I tell someone to find my blog just remember Art Print Issues, they can get there easily without having to write down or remember some long complicated multi-part (yourname.blogspot.com) nomenclature.

When it comes to promoting your art, you are the brand. I think tag lines like "Painter of Light" are nonsensical and pretty much useless. Every painter paints light, some might capture it better, but do they truly sell more work because they say something like that in a slogan? I doubt it. To my ears, such phrases sound like empty words of blah-blah bravado. If the slogan were descriptive, "Painter of Vintage Autos", it would at least have communication and marketing value. But, I digress.

It's not too late to start using a good domain to help market and promote your art business

If you don't own the URL that is your name, and it is available in any form, get it. If you need to make it: www.johnsmithartist.com,  or some other variation, then get the one that works best. I realize some names are long or difficult to pronounce and this is a special challenge. In such cases, you may to be creative in how you brand yourself. Whatever you decide, stick with it and promote it like there is no tomorrow. You may have a considerable investment in branding a URL without your name, you have to decide what the value is and what the future value of using your name would be to you. It could be a tough thing to change, but in many cases, especially for emerging artists, it's better to bite the bullet now than waiting until you feel you have no options.

If you have a blog or Website that uses a multi-part URL that you don't own, try to get it domain mapped using your new URL. GoDaddy arguably is the easiest and it provides an email account with your URL. Speaking of email, set yours up so you can use the URL as your email address even if it is forwarded to your gmail, Yahoo, or AOL email address. This is just another case of looking professional and extending your brand into cyberspace. The more searchable your name, the better off you are. The more professional you appear in the details, the more confidence you give to dealers and collectors. A lot of little things that are nearly intangible go into making your best presentation of yourself and your business.

Making Art & Money in the Digital World - Meet Me in Atlanta

I'm honored to be giving a presentation titled Making Art & Money in the Digital World at the Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta next month. The company is an industry leading premier digital printmaker. The talk is slated for Wednesday, August 13 at 6:30 pm at company headquarters. The address is: 1082 Huff Rd NW, Atlanta, Georgia  Phone: 404-352-9779 Toll-free: 866-352-9779. Space is limited. RSVP via email by August 8.

Here is a synopsis:

Any artist wishing to improve their business will benefit from attending. In a fast-paced hour, you will discover new perspectives on art marketing for visual artists and photographers. Q & A to follow.

Tips on marketing, advertising, publicity, blogging, Web sites, social marketing and gallery alternatives will be provided. Artists will learn unique ways to market themselves and about attributes shared by successful artists. An extensive resource list will be included with the presentation handout.

The presentation will shed light on the rapid changes in traditional art print market and what it means to visual artists and photographers. You will gain insight to help decide to self-publish, seek a publisher or do both. The talk will include the attributes on every art publisher's dream artist list and the merits and pitfalls of both self-publishing and working with a publisher.

A discussion will be provided on how visual artists and photographers can use the print market and digital printing to:

•    Grow awareness for themselves and their art
•    Increase sales
•    Diversify their price points and consumer mix

I'm looking forward to it and promise to do my best to make it fun, informative and worth your time!  

Take Five - Art Marketing Ain't Brain Surgery

Don't get me wrong. I love reading the blogs, magazine articles and other punditry on how to grow a successful art business. It's been a passion with me for years to help artists and I am amazed at how much there is to learn about the process. Sometimes though, I think the information overload, and not just from art blogs, but all sources, is enough to make anyone throw up their hands and say fuggedaboutit. This post is your unofficial sanction to goof off, get lost, daydream, go fishing, knit a beanie or anything that will let you get away from the pressure of working to catch you art career on fire.

I mean the news on tainted meat, crazed college killers, endless war and terrorism talk, not to forget the incessant blather about Obama, Clinton, McCain and Britney tends to take a toll on one's psyche. Who has time to absorb that and all the great stuff freely flowing about what you need to do to make it in the art business? I don't think you can without some balance. That requires Takin' Five, or Fifty or Five Days. Whatever you need to get away from it. For some escape might come by retreating into creating art purely for the purpose of creative release and expression with no thinking about how to make so it will sell smartly sell in a business-like manner. Nothing wrong with that. For others, it might be reruns of Seinfeld, The Golden Girls, or I Love Lucy, or some other sort of mental escape from the drumbeat of information modern technology puts at our fingertips.

Music Provides Relief

For me, if I want to truly escape, it's with music. I have great fun making mixes to match my moods. I used to spend time reading mindless escapist fare, but perhaps because I read so much now in connection with this blog and other planned projects, it's not so much these days. That's a shame, because I know there is a treasure trove of great literature, biography and historical novels ready for me to devour sometime when I am in a different place on a different pace.

As a pleasant productive pastime, I've lately have been copying several hundred cassettes that I never replaced with CDs. It's an enjoyable hobby with a trip down memory lane attached as I relisten to music I haven't heard in years. The software I use is called Honestech VHS to DVD 3.0. With it, you can rip cassettes onto your hard drive. The only drawback is it doesn't rip by song. But it works great if you don't mind listening to a whole side of a cassette as we did back in the last century. As you can likely tell by the name it also works to allow you to copy VHS tapes to your hard drive.

Art Print Issues celebrates one-year anniversary as a blog with post # 100

You might say I'm taking my own advice here in not proffering art marketing information with this post. Today is the one-year anniversary of Art Print Issues in blog format. This is the 100th post I've put up in the past year. For those long time readers, you know I have an archive of 8-page newsletters dating back to 2005 when I first published my book as well. You can peruse an article index list to the API archives here where you will find nearly 50 other items of interest.

Tough and tense as we seem to be these days, I wouldn't trade living in this time for some other in the past. I love being part of a worldwide community of artists and others interested in art marketing and to be able to easily communicate, share thoughts, collaborate and learn from them on subjects where I am absolutely passionate. What's possible now is so vastly superior to just a few years back it is hard to believe it's all happened in such a short period of time. I think things are only going to get more interesting, fun and challenging all at the same time.

Thanks for reading my blog and for participating for those of you who have commented or sent me emails. It is very gratifying to know the effort makes a difference. I'm looking forward to many more years of producing this blog and some other projects I think you'll be excited to learn about as 2008 progresses.  All the best! 

Creative Publicity Pays

Here is a great question from a loyal reader (And a pretty good answer if I do toot my horn myself):

Dear Barney, You mentioned publicity. Can you give us a few ideas on creative publicity and how to and where to? What magazines do you suggest and what about free publicity, as well? Thank you, Janet Vanderhoof

Thanks for the excellent question, Janet. The best most effective publicity doesn't just happen. It comes about from a pre-planned coordinated effort to raise awareness for an artist. Too often marketers underestimate the power of publicity because it is not bought as a commodity like advertising. Just because it is complementary doesn't mean it should be taken lightly.

Before beginning a PR campaign, one needs to determine what the goal is. Getting publicity is a good thing alone. Getting publicity in the right media for the right reasons is a wonderful thing. Wasting time chasing the wrong media with the wrong goals is disheartening. The goal could be to become better known within the industry or some segment of it. Or it could be to become better known locally, regionally or nationally. It might be any combination of these segments. Or, it could be something completely different. It must suit you and your needs. The more ambitious the goal, the more planning and brainstorming it will take to pull it off.

Do You Need to Target Consumer Media, Specialty Media or Trade Media?

There is consumer media, specialty consumer media and there is trade media. One can target all if you are ambitious, organized and energetic enough to manage it. If you have read my book and this blog, you know I believe becoming a student of the business you want to conquer is imperative. That is, know what the trade publications are doing. Read current and back issues thoroughly making a concerted effort to understand what is going on with them, especially with their PR columns and features. Take the time get to know the editorial staff. They are always busy, but the right approach will win some time for you.

My recent blog post about Joy Butler and Nicole Kidd on stealth marketing is a perfect example of how an author and fine jewelry maker seeking publicity got the attention of people who can help them. Both targeted media influences who stood a chance to help them ratchet up their profile with the right audience.

The trade publications serving retailers, art dealers and picture framers are Art World News, Art Business News, Decor and Picture Framing Magazine. You should have them on your radar screen, especially the first two mentioned. There are numerous artists "how to" pubs such as The Artist's Magazine, but I don't think targeting them will help you grow your business. It would more of a vanity bragging rights move to go after them.

There is a host of specialty consumer magazines targeting the art market, you need to spend some time at the library or a good magazine store or a Borders to study which of these might be appropriate for you. Frankly, I think top shelf glossy consumer art magazines are out of range of the most artists, including the typical reader of this blog. But, don't be shy and never be afraid to dream or to tackle the impossible. It's always free to ask and as Wayne Gretzky says, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Sometimes the neophyte blindly charging in where others fear to dare is the one who gains access to things considered out of reach by those who study and think too hard before acting. Carrying the hockey analogy further, the highest percentage shots are the ones with the best angle to the goal.

The trade pubs don't have the pull they once did. The audience they serve is much smaller and more finicky, but they are still important and worth studying to learn what publicity opportunities they offer to artists. You will be surprised at what is possible with a diligent respectful campaign to get your items published in these books. If you can swing some advertising in them, do it. It's good for the magazines that serve the industry and the added visibility will give your publicity more credibility and punch and vice-versa.

If you want to target consumer media, whether print, radio or television, you have to have to stand out from the crowd. There are so many media outlets today that it is a constant chore for them to find suitable content. But, what they are looking for is something unique, something different, often with a human interest perspective. A charitable component is always a booster.

How about making a goal to get x number of national trade media placements, x number of local media placements and x number of regional media placements in 2008? It just takes planning and persistence. Make a reasonable achievable plan and break down the steps necessary to turn the plan into action. Don't take on more than you can reasonably handle. That is a prescription for losing patience before you succeed.

Some mags, like the trade pubs are easier to deal with and have shorter deadlines. Others, like national consumer mags are months in advance on publicity. Newspapers work on shorter deadlines. Local broadcast media often is only working a couple of weeks in advance for many stories. Decorating shows on cable are targets. Any and all of these are great targets, especially if you weave a cohesive plan to work as many as make sense together to create synergy and momentum. To find ideas, you have to train yourself to read and review the newspaper and magazines and other media not for entertainment or information, but as sources. When you see an item of interest, even those things not art related, ask yourself what you would need to do to emulate it, or do it better.

Analyze Who You Are, What You Do or What You Might Be Interested In Doing?

Do you paint fast? Do you paint subject matter out of the ordinary? Are you a charming character? Are you an outlandish larger than life character? Do you paint unusual subject matter. Do you have compelling personal interest story? Are you doing something worthwhile that will benefit a charity? Do you paint pets or kids in unusual settings? Do you do performance art with your visual art? Can you hook up with a performing artist to present your visual art in concert with music or performance? Have you created a thematic body of work that would grab the interest of local or regional media? These are just examples, you'll need to plumb your own situation to find what works for you.

Online Media Is Growing in Importance

I urge you to not overlook the burgeoning influence of Web sites and blogs to be creative media outlets. If you have the right art, Boing Boing could be perfect. Or it could be a business blog that appeals to the right segment as the aforementioned Nicole Kidd successfully targeted. Get Heather on her Dooce blog to notice you and suddenly hundreds of thousands of the Baby Boomer parent readers of her blog know about you. Research a list as on Technorati of the blogs with the greatest amount of page views for ones you can target. If you choose to forgo traditional media altogether and concentrate on online media, you can make a real dent. Natasha Wescoat continues to impress me with her tireless effective ongoing cutting edge efforts in the online world. If you do golf art, then getting some golf bloggers to mention you would be excellent. You just have to go where the interest and content fit your plans and product. The possibilities are endless. The research might lead you to subject matter you hadn't previously considered.

Broadcast PR to Traditional PR Outlets Is Always a Winner.

Take advantage of PR outlets such as PRWEB to broadcast a press release to thousands of media. My advice is to fund your press release at least at the $80 level at PRWEB. By comparison to any other media spending, this could be the biggest bang for your buck. You can also try Now Public if you are on a budget, but you won't see the reach of a funded PRWEB press release.

To get your arms around an idea that can be utilized in media in an ongoing way might require you to think about it for sometime before you get clear on what your UAP (Unique Art/Artist Proposition) is. But, if you cogitate on it long enough, you will figure it out. Your first thought may only be a step in the right direction. You may need to alter your course to adjust to changes in plans or because the opportunity is not what you thought, but is still something worth pursuing. There is no quick fix to working publicity effectively.

None of this happens because you wish it so. It requires the 3 Ds...Desire, Discipline and Details. That is, you have to truly want it to happen, you have to apply yourself with dedication and you have to study to know how to work as smart as hard to get the payoff you want. Putting it all together is not an easy task. But when you consider what other efforts have the potential to do so much for you, you'll likely agree a job worth doing is worth doing well, especially in the area of public relations.

As with anything else, the more quality time you put into it, the better your results are certain to be. But to make it happen, you have to plan and then you have to act. Once you do, good things will happen you couldn't imagine beforehand. My all-time favorite quote is from Goethe who eloquently and passionately brings this notion to light:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) )

Artists, Toot Your Horn - Tout de Suite

TOOT YOUR HORN

Regular readers of this blog know I also am a guest blogger on Absolute Arts, one of the Internet's most heavily trafficked art sites. This weekend November 16, I have a post there titled Artists, Toot Your Horn - Tout de Suite. The topic is self-evident. It simply implies if artists don't toot their own horn, who will do it for them, and who will hear or know about them? And, that there is no time to waste in doing so.

If you've committed to a career making art, or you aspire to one, you are a rare person. We will take it on faith you are blessed with the talent and tenacity to tackle the tough formidable task of establishing a successful small business in a field crowded with many ambitious players. This blog is aimed at helping you achieve your goals and besting your competition.

Getting ahead in such the art world requires efficiently multi-tasking a variety of activities, including the all-important task of confidently letting the world around you know you are here. Really, as a successful artist, you are much more than merely here or arrived, you are the one who brings to those whose lives you touch something special, unique and out of the ordinary. Part of your success quotient is in your ability to communicate about your art, about yourself. In other words, to toot your horn.

In my Absolute Arts blog post, I mention a couple of books. One, I believe will be so helpful for just about anybody it is worth mentioning here as well: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. Published in 2002, this remarkable book remains on the Amazon.com Top 100 list and is ranked #1 in three separate categories there. It has a 4.5 star reader review rating and has been reviewed an astounding 359 times on Amazon.

By comparison, my book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market (linked top right of this blog) has garnered 10 reader reviews since being published two years ago. This is much closer to the average for most books. I'm proud it regularly ranks in the top 20 Business of Art category on Amazon. This is gratifying given its narrow focus serves a relatively small audience as compared to a general self-help or business book. I hope you find time to read the blog post on Absolute Arts and the book mentioned here. And, if you haven't read my book, I'll toot my own horn and suggest you order your own copy while you are on Amazon.