As this blog unwinds you’ll hear me say ever more frequently: “Swap it for art.” This is because barter is a powerful and underused asset for an emerging artist. (If your daddy is rich or you just won the lottery you can stop reading here.)

At our house we have swapped art for oodles of goods and services over the years: eyeglasses, dental work, gynecology, floor tiles, a new roof on my studio, carpets and furniture, clothing, restaurant meals, art supplies, a beautiful Portuguese dinner service, veterinary services and a tax advisor. And years ago, when we were still breeding great danes, we swapped a painting with the owners of our local pet store for a year’s supply of dogfood. So we know it can be done, at least here in Spain, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it would work in your neighborhood, too.

There’s only one way to find out. Screw up your courage and have a go. The system works better at places where you’re already a client and have built up a personal relationship. It won’t work every time, but you’ll be surprised at how often it will. (If you do manage to barter for art and it works, let us know here in the Comment section.)

The other day I was riding in his car with Pepe Munoz, a young painter friend of ours who is currently busy organizing an artists’ cooperative in our town. “Nice car,” I said. “Yes,” he replied. “It’s great. I swapped it for paintings.”

What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?

One of the basic premises of this blog is that the more Internet exposure artists have the more successful they will be. This includes, of course, all of the galleries where you show your artwork, both online and off. A good place to be present with your work is the Saatchi Online gallery. Although you’re competing there with thousands of other artists the site receives millions of visits. It’s also free.

The photo-sharing sites like Flickr and dotPhoto (and dozens of other like them) might also be considered galleries, as they are ideal places to display your stuff. The same can be said for video sites like YouTube and Vimeo (and dozens more) that incorporate the miracles of sound and movement, and are also searchable. I think I’ve mentioned before that YouTube is the second-most-potent search engine on the Worldwide Web. No working artists can permit themselves the luxury of ignoring it.

Your best online gallerie are, of course, your own website and your blog, where you can present your work in whatever context you like and with whatever commentary you please. So don’t forget to link to them from all your other online presences.

What’s a Gallinero? And why would you want to stay there?

They’ve gone from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million at this point. And that’s without being open to the public.

It’s a virtual “pin board” to which images are posted. You can create “boards” on any topic you wish, such as “Susan Fox’s Paintings” or “Outrageous Desserts” or whatever. Other members can comment on your pins and (and this is part of what makes it intriguing as an art marketing option) “re-pin” your image to one of their own boards, from which their followers can re-pin it and…..

It’s totally visual. It’s easy and non-technical to use, at least I think so. You can post prices, so it has potential as a selling site for art. (How to do so is included in a bonus feature that is part of the Mashable article linked to above). It could almost be a substitute for a website if all an artist wanted was a place to display lots of their work.

The interface is clean and attractive and shows off art nicely. Pins can also be re-posted on Twitter and Facebook. There’s a line of icons under your profile information that includes links to your website, Twitter, Facebook and an RSS feed.

It’s easy to pin to with a “Pin It” bookmarklet that sits in your browser Toolbar. It’s easy to upload images from one’s computer. It’s easy for people to “re-pin” or share what you’ve posted. My Mongolian bactrian camel painting was re-pinned within minutes after I posted it, so there’s potential for lots of eyeballs and for an image to go viral.

Here’s my “pin” page: http://pinterest.com/foxstudio/pins/ and here are my “boards”: http://pinterest.com/foxstudio/. I’m trying a variety of boards, hoping that if I have interesting images in a number of categories, it will draw people in to check out my art, too, and also become a follower. It was really easy to add new boards, rearrange their order and move images between them.

On the main site, there is already an “Art” category, also “Photography” and “Film, Music and Books” categories. You assign your boards to one of these pre-existing categories, but can easily change which one at any time.

If you want to find out more about how to use Pinterest and to see if it would be useful to you as an artist, Mashable has a handy beginner’s guide.

This is still a really new option and early artist adopters are going to have to feel their way to see how it can best be used. If you’re already on Pinterest, let me know what you think of it!

One of my most recent discoveries is personal branding. As an artist it has however ironically taken considerable time for me to appreciate the value of establishing an online presence, after all; artists should market their work just as much as anyone in any other industry. In many ways it makes complete sense to proactively engage the online world as a means to create career opportunities, and herein lays the crux of this concept ‘personal branding’. As a response to the world-wide economic recession and the transient state of many areas of employment, individuals have turned to social media as a way of sustaining work opportunities. In an article titled ‘Personal Branding 2.0’, Leigh Elmore suggests that personal branding is not just a hobby, it’s a necessity. In an economic climate that is laden with flux, it takes special care to rise above the rest and differentiate yourself based on the criteria that really makes an impression. In fact, I spent considerable time working on the design and aesthetic value of my personal brand before approaching the nitty gritty details. It is this demonstration of unique value that prospective employers, customers, supporters, and employees are seeking. As a result, this communication then outlines what makes your personal brand valuable.

Ways of establishing a formidable personal brand:

• Write a blog: A blog is an easy way of articulating all your views, suggestions, and opinions, and giving the visitor the low down on what you’re all about. The recession has forced individuals to become experts in niche fields, and this requires those who want to get noticed to become authors of pertinent information. The domain name for the blog can even be bought so that the author has more control in managing the site. In addition, the site can be submitted to search engines to manage where it is listed inside an online search.
• Design a home page: The home page introduces the content of the site and may have links to other relevant pages.
• Have a virtual resume: Any accomplishments should be posted on the site and should be updated regularly.
• Have additional information pages: These pages make up the bulk of the site and may be comprised of photo galleries, a press page, further information, contact sections and so on.
• Product listing and ordering pages: If you happen to be selling a product or service, a link should be in place whereby customers can make purchases.
• Design a splash page: This will account for one of the first visual images that someone running a search for your name sees. I use flavors.net, a free splash page host that appears as one of the first hits in google search.
• Links page: Links can be embedded into the site or into the text in order to navigate to related sites. Related sites can be used for further promotion, for example; a musician could link his profile to a lifestyle website that resonates with his own brand image.
• Integrate social networks: Your profile should exist on a number of social media sites like Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter. As posts are made on the blog, they can be set up to update each one of the corresponding social media profiles. This is a definite way of getting noticed.

The first, an event at Brooklyn’s WORD bookstore, which featured Jesse Sheildlower, Editor at Large of the Oxford English Dictionary (otherwise known as the word nerd Bible), who would be discussing the sticky issue of curse words in relation to their inclusion in dictionaries, including why grammarians have problems assigning the appropriate part of speech to particular expletives. (To some of you–okay, probably most of you–this probably sounds super lame, but I was beyond excited.)

The second, a discussion to take place at the Barnes and Noble on 86th and Lex (that’s the Upper East Side, y’all) called “New York Foundation for the Arts Presents: The Profitable Artist,” or “a discussion of entrepreneurial skills for artists of all disciplines.” See? Equally intriguing.

In the end, logic won out, and I decided to forgo the cussing lecture in favor of the New York Foundation for the Arts event. (I suspect my choice was also due in part to a quick assessment of my current financial situation. They’re not kidding when they say “starving artist syndrome.” Eeek.) But alas, my skillful decision-making was to have been in vain. The event was a total bust.

Four words: Stop. Promoting. Your. Book.

Or maybe seven: I thought I would learn something here.

The star of the show!

Turns out that if you had a basic understanding of the types of skills necessary in undertaking any type of entrepreneurial venture (thank you, undergrad business minor classes), this talk was utterly useless. However, if you dropped some of your precious cash on the NYFA co-published book entitled, The Profitable Artist, then you could expect ample and astounding personal success, provided that you “focus on the long-term” and “understand that it could take years for the skills you’ve learned from reading the book to actually pay off.”

The entire event, which ran about an hour long, seemed to be devoted not to helping the aspiring artists in attendance by providing some concrete strategies and suggestions, but rather focused on the book itself, and the inspiration for the work, the Foundation’s recent “Boot Camp” program, an intensive summer workshop for artists of any discipline that focused on improving their business savvy.

Even the two artists in attendance (whose purpose was clearly to provide proof of the book/program’s success)admitted that while the skills they gleaned from participating in the program were helpful in adjusting their view of themselves as professionals, they had yet to see any real profit from using the strategies they learned. (Note that they haven’t read the book, which is what the discussion was supposed to be about).

By the time the audience Q & A rolled around at the end of the event, most of those in attendance seemed to share my opinion of the evening, and they asked pointed questions which implored the panelists to divulge something of actual value before the night was through. (Unfortunately, none of these requests were met).

Bleh. If I wanted to sit and watch such blatant advertising, I would have stayed home and clicked on the Home Shopping Network. (Yeah, Snuggies!) Do us all a favor, NYFA, and take a note from FSG: promo events can be cool, but don’t pretend to be trying to teach us something. It’s a tad insulting. Next time, I’m headed to the cussing discussion, dag nabit!

In terms of music, I kept hearing – ‘I love music so much, I couldn’t afford to buy it all’  So what is the threshold where they will spend money on one artist vs. another?  A sixteen year old told me, “the band has to deserve it.”   If the band keeps their attention with a message bigger than itself (could be social, political, etc), and has several good songs they will buy a ticket to a show and/or a t-shirt.   This acts as a way to morally justify the illegal downloads but, only if you ‘deserve it.’   And, occasionally they’ll buy the whole album from iTunes as a vote of approval.  This generation is very savvy and understands its purchases dictate the survival of one business over another.

Music usually sees the trends first and then it filters into the other categories.  Your message has to be bigger than your product or service and if you’re not communicating to Generation I on their terms they will not spend their money with you.  The major music labels had to learn this the hard way.  Your brand message followed up with culturally relevant experiential marketing is so important to earn Generation I’s purchase.

Best,

Joe Guzik

Alejandra Baiz is a very talented painter. Her works have been exhibited in many art galleries in France and has been featured in many articles. She has lived in Peru, Mexico and now is living in France with her family. At first glance you might think she has a big amount of wealth to travel all these places yet she is just like you and me; except that she took action when opportunities present themselves. More of taking action at a later post.

Though she has been featured in the media many times, living as an artist in France is not easy. After all when you think of France you think of arts and Alejandra is just one of thousands of people who are already painters. Heck! painting is just another hobby over there. So she has often struggle to sell her paintings in a market already saturated.

However, she has other skills besides painting. She decided to make Rag Dolls for the holiday season as a means to make money on the side and posted a few pictures on facebook. The dolls are very colorful and have a neat card tagged to them with the name of her brand name arte-sano, a word play in spanish meaning healthy arts. “I didn’t chose the name just because of the art, but because this was the type of art done by our parents and grandparents, something healthy for our children” she explains. At the bottom of the card reads “Handcrafted rag dolls made with love” and her personal website. Note how she is packaging and presenting her dolls to the market. What started as a side venture has ended with more success than she could have imagine. The dolls were so popular she is building a commercial website to feature them.

Note the tag card presentation

Ok, so let’s analyze this case. Alejandra has many artistic skills excelling in painting. Back in her home country Puerto Rico, her paintings were enough to earn a sustainable living but in France she has intense competition. She took a look at her other skills and applied what little she knew of marketing and build a new product which best of all it’s still art. Sometimes as artist it’s not about how beautiful our craft is but how we stand apart from the rest. Sometimes being a little different pays. Now I want you to think of an artistic skill you have an change it for a niche market in a way that makes you different from the competition.

The new method is to take control of your work and sell it online. This method works even better if take the time to do a blog or serve as a guest writer in another website. A website doesn’t need to be expensive. You can either use the services of intuit.com which builds your website in minutes using a library of templates for a monthly small fee as low as $5 dollars. If you prefer to build a website from scratch you can hire a recent college graduate or use elance.com an offer the job to the lowest bidder and then look for a host. To build a blog for free you need to look nor further than goggle and wordpress.com

If you wish to be a guest writer on another blog you must write to the editor and pitch him by stating what the article is about in a brief synopsis. Make sure the article you will write is unique and that it has not been covered before on the website or you can cover aspects not covered by other previous entries. Mention specific points you will cover in bullets. Include a short biography and previous writing work. Another way of writing articles is through the yahoo contributor network. You can open an account and post your articles. The goal here is to increase traffic for your website. This method of writing articles is best known as SEO writing, goggle the term and get familiar with it if you choose writing as a marketing tool.

Never underestimate the importance of networking to gain valuable information. Look for artist grupos around your community. These groups usually are well organized and host many activities such as having guest speakers or host social mixers. You can either meet potential clients or leran new selling tactics from other painters, plus you will have a moral support system. The possibilities are endless with the right group. Last but not least I would suggest learning as much as you can on marketing. Buy books or research in the internet for cheap marketing tactics aimed to your niche.

You will  break from your daily studio practice to check for the email ops, progress updates, and project developments I send. We can also chat or talk using Skype. If something great comes in, I’ll call you!
My Services are tailored to individual artist needs and goals, and depending on artist media, promotional services can include, but are not limited to:
-I will help you create a Market identity.
-Write and publish original content articles for both online and print media. Create opportunities for exposure/ submit art images to publications. Develop and promote your brand.
- Identify lucrative niche markets and work to get you into them by submitting your art images.
-Create online SlideShare presentations for social media campaigns, including monitoring viewers for followup contact.
-Get your art work into corporate collections: research / create connections in your media and geographic area
-Research giclee print sales options  and print resources near you and help you develop a profitable pricing strategy and build a distribution network for your work.
-Research and create more exhibition ops, research gallery directors internationally, locate sales ops, grant ops, artist residence ops, sponsorships, advertisement and publicity ops (free and paid), art auction ops, and work to get your art into private online stores in your media.
-Market your art to a larger audience.  Generate more sales.
- Send emails to your target market, making the email more personalized and more effective than just an occasional newsletter.

My services *free you* from excessive online time better spent at work creating your art and developing a disciplined art-making practice. Having me as your assistant will build your confidence.

I offer flexible agreement terms, a low fee introductory trial period, and written agreements for long-term commitments.

Highly experienced. Established w/ excellent reputation in the online artist community.

Email me for more information: Marie Kazalia at: MarieKazalia@gmail.com
Available to chat about your goals by email or Skype chat or Skype voice.

The 3 D’s; Desire, Determination, Dedication. I’m there.

Best to you!
Marie Kazalia

Artist Marketing Resources, Established online February 3, 2009

http://ArtistMarketingResources.com

Some reasons for an Artist to hire a Virtual Assistant
With all of the demands an artist’s business can generate it’s tough to cover everything on your own. A lot of tasks need to be done daily to increase your visibility, artists’ reputation and earnings. As Virtual Assistant, or VA, I will lighten your workload and save you time.  You’ll have more time in your studio, ( allowing your creativity to peak!) while I work for you covering more bases than you ever could alone. I take on many of those draining tasks that bring on information overload, eyestrain, that“ too tired to function “ overworked feeling. You’ll have more freedom to develop yourself, pick up the pace in your business developments, and in your relationships. As a Web savvy VA I already know how to do all kinds of tasks you might spend hours upon hours just trying to understand. I have an extensive network of contacts I  can bring in when you need certain tasks done. I will give you terrific advice on Internet marketing.  Hiring me as your VA is quite a bit cheaper than hiring an employee. You don’t have to pay the extra taxes and fees that go along with having an in-house employee. You don’t have to make the same commitment as you would to an employee.  As a professional VA I’m quite flexible. I run my own businesses as both exhibiting artist and VA, so understand your problems and struggles because I live them too.  Because my performance reflects on my own business success I  care about doing a great job as your multi-faceted and talented virtual assistant.
You’re going to get a lot more done with a lot less stress with my help.

While in New York (LA is still his home base) he started taking pictures of the city with his flip cell phone (1.3 megapixels) simply as a lark between shoots.  He began fiddling with the images in a basic free photo organizer with surprising results, then sharing them on facebook where the response from his friends and colleagues was singular: DO A SHOW!

ARTICULATE REMAINS:

RELIEFS, SCULPTURES, AND

ASSEMBLAGES BY JANE GENNARO

October 22-November 14, 2009

New York–Jane Gennaro will exhibit a survey of reliefs, sculptures and assemblages from the past seven years at Rogue House, from October 22-November 14, 2009. An opening reception will be held on Thursday October 22 from 6-8pm at the gallery, located at 526 W. 26^th St., 9F. Gallery hours are 11am-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday. The exhibition will focus on two of Gennaro’s major series, which use insects, eggs and bones, as well as vintage handkerchiefs and illustrations.

Gennaro will be reading her monologue “Shaking the Goose Egg” eight times during the run of the exhibition. The monologue recounts her confrontation with a pair of wild geese which was the impetus for beginning the visual work on display. Reading schedule: Sunday Oct. 25 at 1pm, Friday Oct. 30 at 7pm, Saturday Oct. 31 at 3pm, Thursday Nov. 5 at 7pm, Friday Nov. 6 at 7pm, Saturday Nov. 7 at 3pm, Thursday Nov. 12 at 7pm, Friday Nov. 13 at 7pm.

The show’s title, Articulate Remains, refers to the artist giving voice to the objects that she finds in nature. Gennaro has written that, “The process begins with observation and culminates in storytelling….The impulse is to save these things and transform them into personal yet universal narratives that will seduce and disturb.”

Read show review from the M Mag.

of Professional Appraisal Practice ) on the fundemals on how to price your work.

Topics covered included social networking sites, personal artist websites, mass emails and finding new places and opportunities for exhibiting your work.

Sunday we had a relaxing Sunday afternoon family day and watched films about the artists process created by FilmsOnArtists.com.

Our drawing for a solo show at Rogue Space was won by Cheryl Fallon who also sold several works during the show.

Check our our video of the opening night reception!

Next up at Rogue Space is the Preview Reception for the High Line Open Studios which we are producing this year.

Our next group show and marketing weekend show is scheduled for November 20th. Registration is now open on our site and will remain so until the weekend event is fully subscribed.

See you at Rogue Space very soon!

The Rogue Space Team

                              

I decided to test drive it as part of my low (as in “no”) budget marketing plan. Here’s what’s happened since January:

After starting with a few people I knew in high school and art school, the number of friends I have has exploded to 173, mostly artists, some nationally known. But there are also local friends, some of whom are also gardeners, and people involved in animal welfare/rescue issues. So there I already have two groups that are potential buyers, except I don’t really think of them that way anymore.  Another friend is the editor of a major national art magazine, one writes every month for another art magazine and one is a gallery owner.

People are always posting about their work, interesting links, the shows they’re doing, the trips they’re taking, the new studio they’ve just moved into or an award they’ve won. Their friends hit the “Like” button or leave supportive comments. So if you feel isolated as an artist, Facebook is a great way to get connected and become part of a worldwide community of other artists. We cheer each other on, send virtual chocolate, flowers and sunshine to congratulate or commiserate and just generally enjoy each other’s “company”.

I “Share” my new blog posts and my Ebay auctions each week and I can see the spike in traffic on my blog and the click-throughs to my website after I’ve done so. When I post an image of a new painting, I get lots of strokes and compliments, which I really appreciate and which make the day a little brighter.

I’ve had one sale so far from a Facebook listing. The buyer was a fellow artist, who I originally connected with because we both have and love rough collies. She saw my eBay auction listing, bid and won.

I have friends in 18 countries, besides the USA. Most of them are fellow artists and it’s fun to see what’s going on elsewhere. Yesterday a new friend liked a painting of mine so much that she shared it on her Wall. She is from Argentina and now 59 of her friends, none of whom I know, will see my work. I was very please and flattered.

The countries I currently have friends in are: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya, Italy, France, Spain, England and Scotland (UK), Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, India and Mongolia. Plus two friends who don’t list where they live.

Honestly, what other way is there to make those kinds of connections for free? And I get so much more than just an marketing opportunity out of it. That, it turns out, was really only a starting point.

I have set limits on how I participate. I don’t get involved in any of the on-going games. I only use a few of the apps, either to send a “gift” to someone or when participating benefits a good cause like the Surfrider Foundation, bed nets for malaria prevention or saving the Rainforest. I do give in on some of the fun, silly quizzes, finding out that my aura is red, that I would be in Ravenclaw and that if I was a Star Trek character it would be Capt. Picard.

I get the feeds from sources as diverse as the White House (yes, THAT White House) and The Onion.

I have joined a variety of art-related groups, which I haven’t participated in as much as I would like. There also seem to be “fan” pages for just about every artist who ever lived that anyone has heard of. I’m a fan of, among others, Mucha, Sorolla and Waterhouse. These pages do post show and other information about the artists, along with images of their work.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, I’m a fan of Facebook. I believe that we are rapidly approaching the point where having a presence on a social networking site will be every bit as necessary as having a phone and a website. Oh, and I’m now on Twitter at http://twitter.com/s_fox too. Still working on what the best use of that will be for me, but I invite you come follow along!

———

I’m just about a month away from Mongolia and this (I hope)….

Argali rams at Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Sept. 2008

Grant is a big believer in the “get”  – the things that help artists stand out in the crowd and promotion is BIG on his list.  We had previously seen Moo Cards - mini business cards and were inspired to draft up our unique slice of the pie.  After easily and quickly loading some of our own artwork on the site and then selecting the right crop, we waited about two weeks for delivery and simply could not be happier with the quality or end result. 

The benefit of Moo Cards is now we have something extra to talk about when handing out the card – the image that appears on the front as a series from our very own artwork (we uploaded 30 images).  It’s a highly visual world according to Daniel Pink’s Right Brainers Will Rule the World book and it requires a new approach on marketing, a fresh breeze of air, and smart thinking. 

Grant is a big believer in the “get”  – the things that help artists stand out in the crowd and promotion is BIG on his list.  We had previously seen Moo Cards - mini business cards and were inspired to draft up our unique slice of the pie.  After easily and quickly loading some of our own artwork on the site and then selecting the right crop, we waited about two weeks for delivery and simply could not be happier with the quality or end result. 

The benefit of Moo Cards is now we have something extra to talk about when handing out the card – the image that appears on the front as a series from our very own artwork (we uploaded 30 images).  It’s a highly visual world according to Daniel Pink’s Right Brainers Will Rule the World book and it requires a new approach on marketing, a fresh breeze of air, and smart thinking. 

These cards typically serve as a POS display at galleries and art shows, as well as an atypical business card featuring the work and biographical information of the artist.  Marketing materials like these help relay the professionalism of the artist and, if I’ve done my job well, present the work in the best possible light.

The following card was designed for the very talented Christina Dowdy.

Artist Marketing: Large Bio Card: Dowdy: front

Artist Marketing: Large Bio Card: Dowdy: back