Remember the movie Field of Dreams? Kevin Kostner, struggling to save his failing family farm, heard a voice. "If You Build It They Will Come."  So, he obeyed and built it (a ballpark in the middle of his corn field) and they came (famous dead baseball players). The family farm was saved as people beat a path to his door and handed over money to experience the wonderfulness.

It would be great if that worked for your art business. You build it (a website), and they will come (visitors who buy your art). Sadly, it doesn't work that way.  If you build it and do nothing else, guess what happens?  Yup, nothing.

So, give people a reason to go to your website. That's where all your other marketing comes in.

You'll need a plan. I do my plans (business plan, marketing plan) on paper, even though I'm a total computer geek. Sometimes I scribble on paper napkins in restaurants, over a meal, bullet points to help me get in the ballpark (pun intended). It helps me get clear on where I want to go and what I want to do. It's a good starting point. I also get coaching from an expert, it's SUCH a good investment. Try it. You can change your plans and adjust as you go along. It doesn't have to be torture, it doesn't have to be a big, drawn out, painful thing. It's not written in stone.

Last time I asked you 10 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start.  Here are links to more info about artist websites:

• Myth busting: "If you build it they will come" 
• Artist Websites: Custom or Template? 
• Artists burning questions (and answers) about websites 
• Six standards for your digital images 
• How often should you update your website? 
• Protecting your content and images from theft 
• 10 ways your artist website can support your marketing efforts   
• Your artist statement and bio: should you keep them separate on your website? 

Stay tuned for upcoming tips:

• What a website can, and cannot, do for you
• How to get a great website and keep it updated without going broke
• When to DIY, and when to invest in getting help
• How to work with a web designer on your template or custom website
• Info that should be on every page of your website
• SEO
• Prepping images and content for your website  
• Social media and how it supports your website
• Blogs - Worth the time and effort?

If you want help with your website, social media, and art marketing, feel free to contact me. Whether you just need help getting started, or you want help with the whole darned thing, I'm here for you.

The first 15-minutes are on us, click here to sign up for a free phone conversation If you've already  had a 15-minute conversation about your website, or have already worked with me and want to inquire about any of the above, drop me an email. We have cost-effective packages for all your website and social media needs.

All my best to you and yours,

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!     

Click on the title to read the full post.

"How Does Money Relate to Your Artist Lifestyle?"

Perhaps you are in the fortunate position of not needing to worry about making money from your art. That is terrific - and unusual. Most working artists want to at least cover their expenses or need to make a living of making art. Knowing how much money you invest and how much you earn from your art, and exactly how much of that is clear profit, is critical to your ability to remain in business. If you use art to support yourself and maybe also your family, you must have come to terms with the role of money in your vision and the lifestyle you want to create.

Money is just one metric that shows your level of success in marketing your work - it is by far not the only one, as the next few posts will show you.

"You Are in Charge of Your Art Career"

Gone are the days of art professionals taking care of you. We are each responsible for our own lives and our own choices as artists. The sooner you learn to take control of your art career, the better. Times have changed...As the world embraced an entrepreneurial and individualistic approach to commerce, the art world followed. Now galleries come and go, commissions are larger and dealers do less for you. You can get help, but you are still in charge.

"5 Common Traits of Successful Artists"

STOP. Before you read this article...Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths & imagine. Now let your mind find a memory of a time when you felt successful. Walk into that memory and experience it all over again. Use all of your senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, balance and acceleration, temperature, direction, pleasure, and your kinesthetic awareness. Open your eyes and remember that feeling.

If each one of you told me what you just experienced, there would be some common aspects and many differences. That is the great thing about having a successful career as a fine artist. You make it up, just like you make art from what your mind conceives. I've observed 5 common traits in successful artists.

"How Do You Define Success as an Artist?"

"There is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings." ~Arthur Rubenstein

When I ask fine artists to define "success," what they tell me that they want typically falls into 4 categories.

"How to Overcome 3 Common Barriers to Success as an Artist"

Artists who do not feel successful seem to run into 3 common barriers, mostly self-generated. The good news is that each of these barriers has an antidote that you already have within your grasp to becoming a successful artist.

"When Are You Ready to Call Yourself a Professional Artist?"

It's not always so easy to identify exactly what makes artists professionals. Anyone can consider himself or herself a professional artist, but that doesn't make it so. I ran a juried contest in which I asked artists to define, "When are you ready to call yourself a professional artist?" There is more to professionalism than simply claiming it.

These days it's pretty easy to get a website (or change the one you have), but before you start, it's wise (and cost-effective) to be able to answer "yes" to these questions: 

1. Do I want to showcase my work online and give out information about myself?


2. Do I have a clear idea of who I am as an artist and what I want to accomplish?


3. Do I have well-written and up-to-date information about me and my art, like my artist statement, bio, resume?


4. Do I have at least 12 pieces of finished work to showcase on a website?  


5. Do I have professional-quality, high-resolution images of my work?


6. Do I have complete descriptions of my work including dimensions, title, and a brief story about the inspiration and history of the piece?


7. Do I know what I want to charge for my work?


8. Do I have the time/money to invest in getting a website, and have I budgeted time/money to make changes to it and keep it updated?


9. If I already have a website, has my art business grown to the point where my website doesn't do what I need it to?


10. Do I have (or am I putting into place) other ways to market my art in addition to a website?

If you answer "yes" to all the above, you are likely ready. To help you get started, read past articles about your online marketing (click the link) and stay tuned for upcoming topics:

• Myth busting: "If you build it they will come"
• How to get a great website and keep it updated without going broke
• What a website can, and cannot, do for you
• When to DIY, and when to invest in getting help
• How to work with a web designer on your template or custom website
• Info that should be on every page of your website
• SEO
• Prepping images for your website  
• Social media and how it supports your website
• Blogs
• Artist Websites: Custom or Template?
• Artists burning questions (and answers) about websites 
• Six standards for your digital images 
• How often should you update your website? 
• Protecting your content and images from theft 
• 10 ways your artist website can support your marketing efforts   
• Your artist statement and bio: should you keep them separate on your website? 

If you want help with your website, social media, and art marketing, feel free to contact me. Whether you just need help getting started, or you want help with the whole darned thing, I'm here for you.

The first 15-minutes are on us, click here to sign up for a free phone conversation. If you've already  had a 15-minute conversation, or have already worked with me and want to inquire about any of the above, drop me an email. We have cost-effective packages for all your website and social media needs.

All my best to you and yours,

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list.

Basically, there are custom websites and template websites.  

• A custom website is created from the ground up by a webmaster. The sky's the limit on what it can look like and how it functions. As such, sky's the limit on the price also. It's created with software on the webmaster's computer, a place to store the website is rented (called "hosting"), and the website files are uploaded to the host and connected to your domain name (your www.yourname.com). What you end up with is unique, like having tailor-made clothes instead of buying them ready-to-wear.  


• A template website is more like buying ready-to-wear clothes but having them customized by shortening a hem or taking them in to make them fit better. Like ready-to-wear clothing, template websites usually cost less than tailor-made. They start with, natch, a template, from a company offering those types of sites, then it can be customized for design and functionality, so that it's unique. Design usually takes place online at the hosting company's website system, it's then connected to your domain name, and you're in business.   

These days template websites are so good that most artists can get a very customized website for much less than a custom one, but not all template website companies are the same. What you get for your money varies widely; so first, it's wise (and cost-effective) to think about what you want your website to do for you and how much time/money you have to invest, not only in getting a website, but for ongoing maintenance and updates.  

To help you get started, stay tuned for upcoming topics for this newsletter:

• 10 questions to ask yourself before you start on a website
• What a website can, and cannot, do for you
• How to work with a web designer on your template or custom website
• Info that should be on every page of your website
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) 
• Prepping images for your website
• Social media and how it supports your website
• Artist Q&As
• Blogs, and more! 

If you want help with your website, social media, and art marketing, feel free to contact me. Whether you just need help getting started, or you want help with the whole darned thing, I'm here for you.

The first 15-minutes are on us, click here to sign up for a free phone conversation. If you've already  had a 15-minute conversation, or have already worked with me and want to inquire about any of the above, drop me an email. We have cost-effective packages for all your website and social media needs. 

All my best to you and yours,

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!     

Jim and Lynn PowersThe Creative Catalyst was one of the original sources for art instruction videos and DVDs.  They provide lessons in drawing, painting, design and special techniques. Jim Powers and I met many years ago at The Learning & Product Expo Art in Pasadena. Jim, his wife Lynn, and daughter Kelly asked me to contribute guest posts to their Blog. Just follow the links to read my 12-part series, Bust That "Starving Artist" Myth (and Eleven Others).

Artist Myth #9: Your Art Speaks for Itself

This is part of Aletta de Wal's 12-part series,Bust That "Starving Artist" Myth (and Eleven Others). Artists who do not like to talk or write about their art insist that their work speaks for itself. If that were true, there would be no art critics, show catalogues or labels on museum walls. Aside from the art, people are interested in knowing more about the person who created it - and in this, you are the expert.

Myth #10: Your Art is So Good That One Day You'll Be Discovered

This is part of Aletta de Wal's 12-part series,Bust That "Starving Artist" Myth (and Eleven Others). There is no shortage of artists producing very good work. I see lots of it every day. It takes more than just believing in yourself as an artist and creating good art to have an art business. The odds of being discovered are pretty slight. Don't wait for this minuscule possibility. You must create the work that your audience will desire enough to buy it and display it in their homes and offices.

Myth #11: If It Didn't Work Out Once, It Will Never Work Out

Avoid the artists who tells you that they've "done it" and "it doesn't work." These artists will tell you that they contacted the right people, sent out the correct material, created the work that the public wanted, and even after doing all of this, they still didn't get anywhere. Even if it does work out once, skeptical artists will find a way to make it fail the second time. They are living proof that you can't succeed in the art world if you decide not to. As Henry Ford said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

Myth #12: You Can Succeed Only in New York (Or any Other Art Mecca)

New York City is one of the most eclectic art scenes in the world for artists and visitors. Symbols of artistic recognition and fame include prominent museums, leading edge galleries, cutting edge artists, top art critics, and trade shows like Art Expo. It's no wonder that the city has such mystique for artists as the dream destination. A related myth is that you can be successful only if your work is in the iconic magazine Art in America. Not true! 

Artists get their art marketing questions answered in these two audio recordings. Reeeally valuable info here for a song. Each hour-long Q&A session is only $15.    

Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!      

Got a burning question about your art marketing? If you haven't already had one, you can request a free 15-minute conversation here. It's a great start!  

Your website is the core of your online marketing and it should support your other marketing efforts.  If you can't answer "yes" to all these questions, it's probably time for a website revamp.   

Is your website: 

1. Pleasant and easy to use?
   For the VIEWER. Is it easily readable, simple to navigate, soothing to the eyes and not full of flashy distractions or very bright colors?  Make it easy for people to focus on what's important, your work.    


2. Organized so people can get to the info they want, fast?
   Take the time to work out a structure for your site that will make it easy for people to find what they need. Once people get mired in a maze of click here and click there, you'll lose them waaaayyy before they take out their wallet or contact you.  


3. Set up so that viewers want to move forward and buy or inquire?
   Your website should help move the viewer through the info and to the point where they contact you, ask to be added to your mailing list, or buy something.


4. SEO-friendly?
   There's a lot that can be built into your site to make it friendly to search engines. Meta tags, page names, well written and relevant content, links, and more. If you rely on selling online, the help of a competent SEO expert is invaluable. 


5. Updated regularly to keep it fresh?
   A stale and outdated website and content makes you look unprofessional or even out of business. Keep it updated. Plus, the search engines will like you better for it.


6. Working with your social media and other marketing efforts?
   Are your other marketing efforts being used to drive people to your website? Social media sites, business cards, brochures, postcards, presentations, posters, everything should have your website url on it along with your contact info.  


7. Easy for people to contact you?
   As in, they have multiple ways to contact you and can find that info on every page without heading over to the "Contact" page.


8. Making your work, artwork, products/services look stellar?
   Images on your site should look great and be appropriately sized (meaning small file size) for a website so the page loads quickly and so thieves (who will try to grab your images) can't do much with what they steal.  If you can't take professional quality photos, pay a pro to do it. Your art business is worth it.


9. Easy and fast to update?
   Websites are like pets and kids. You think they're expensive to get, and then you find out what it costs to KEEP them. Make sure yours is designed to be updated by you or your webmaster quickly and easily.   


10. Making you look professional?
    Again, it's about the VIEWER and what they want to see and how they want to see it.   Pretend you are a potential collector with only basic computer skills and view your website from their perspective. Check your website stats to find out which pages attract and hold people there.  

__________________________________________________

Didn't answer "yes" to all ten items above? Not sure? Stay tuned for future tips that will cover website topics including:

• How to decide, custom website or template system and which is best for you   
• How to work with a web designer
• Info that should be on every page of your website
• DIY and why that may be a good or bad idea
• Blogs, what they are and why you might want to have one (or use yours more often)
• How often you should update your website
• How social media and your website help each other
• SEO, what is it and why you need it 
• Preparing images for your website; protecting your content from theft
• Artist Q&A on websites
• Much more. Start here, and stay tuned!   

All my best to you and yours,

Got a question about your website or considering getting a new one? We have website packages that start at $600 for a custom brochure website that you can update yourself or have us update very cost-effectively. Request a free 15-minute conversation.    

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!  

Last time I offered up four steps to help you get ready to look for grants. If you missed it, read it here.

This week I want to focus on what is probably the most important thing you can do when searching for grants. It may seem obvious, but the best thing you can do from the start is to make sure you are a good match for the grant you are considering:  

Know what you are looking for.

Funding for a specific project? Money to help you run your art business? An opportunity to partner with a civic organization to create a public art? Funding for advanced education? Write it down, in detail, so you can get really clear.  

Artist grant expert Gigi Rosenberg makes a good point when she says, "That process of naming your project is something that many artists actually can't do...you need to write about your projects as if they're already completed so somebody else can see what your vision of your art is in the world."   

Research the grant, in detail.  

Most of the time I spend on a grant website such as The Foundation Center Online  is spent doing searches for grants based on keywords that fit the artist and then reading the grant information (all of it) to make sure the artist is a really good match for what the grantors are looking for.  

Many times I think I've found a gem of a match and get to some small statement buried within the info that makes it very clear that the artist would not be considered for that grant. It can be the area you live in, the type of art you produce, your gender, your ethnic background, your goals, anything. Grantors often have very specific criteria that you will have to meet in order to be considered.  

Those two things done will give you a huge advantage, not to mention that you won't waste time and money looking in the wrong places!  

Do get a copy of Gigi Rosenberg's book The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing (Watson-Guptill, 2010). In it Gigi will teach you how to win grants, fundraise creatively, and ensure that every second you spend writing a proposal pushes your art further into the world. Also, read Aletta de Wal's interview with Gigi. Lots of very valuable info there as well.   

All my best to you and yours,  

Artists get their art marketing questions answered in these two audio recordings. Reeeally valuable info here for a song. Each hour-long Q&A session is only $15. Get more info and order them here.       

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!          

Got a burning question about your art marketing? If you haven't already had one, you can request a free 15-minute conversation here. It's a great start!        

However, with some preparation and thoughtful research, grants just might be a way for you to get that extra cash to fund your projects. Here are four steps to take to get yourself ready: 

1. Don't do it all alone, get help from experts.
   Start by getting and reading a copy of Gigi Rosenberg's book The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing (Watson-Guptill, 2010). In it Gigi will teach you how to win grants, fundraise creatively, and ensure that every second you spend writing a proposal pushes your art further into the world. Also, read Aletta de Wal's interview with Gigi.   


2. Get really clear about who and what you are, and what you want to do with your art. You're going to be communicating that to a grantor and to potential collectors of your work too.
   
   As Gigi Rosenberg says, "Imagine the project done and then describe it...The process of forcing yourself to articulate 'this is what I want, this is what I'm doing, this is what this is about,' will actually help you make better art. That process of naming your project is something that many artists actually can't do...you need to write about your projects as if they're already completed so somebody else can see what your vision of your art is in the world."    


3. Get your stuff together. 
   
   - There are grants for artists at all stages of their art career. You can even be an emerging artist, but you should have a body of work in your signature style.
   
   - Get great images of your work. A snapshot from your cell phone won't cut it. If you don't have the skills to take professional-quality images of your work, get help.
   
   - You'll be supplying written information to the grantor. If you are not skilled at writing in an engaging and clear style, hire a professional editor to help you. Good grammar and spelling are essential. Check it yourself, do not rely on the spell checker in your software as many mistakes can slip through.
   
   - Keep it all organized and at-the-ready. Going through the process of applying for a grant will be much (much) less stressful if you can easily put your hands on what you need.  


4. Give yourself plenty of time to find the right opportunity for YOU. Make sure that you are a good match for any grant you are considering. Read their guidelines and info. If it's not a good fit for where you want your art career to go, pass on it. Then, when you apply, be sure to follow their directions to the letter. Seriously, the biggest mistake artists make is not following the directions.  

Hope that helps. If you would, please, help us all learn and grow by sharing any ideas/comments you have on this topic by leaving a comment here.

All my best to you and yours,

Artists get their art marketing questions answered in these two audio recordings. Reeeally valuable info here for a song. Each hour-long Q&A session is only $15. Get more info and order them here.  

If you're like me and love to have great resources around, I suggest you get on the email list for Aletta de Wal's new book "My Real Job Is Being An Artist: What You Should Know Before You Quit Your Day Job (Or Get One)."   It will help you get really clear about where you are and what YOUR most effective next steps are. Email me to get on the notification list, and get special goodies too!     

Got a burning question about your art marketing? If you haven't already had one, you can request a free 15-minute conversation here. It's a great start!