Art Marketing Secrets » Uncategorized http://artmarketingsecrets.com Art Marketing Secrets To Turn Your Artist Website into a 21st Century Art Marketing Machine Tue, 15 May 2012 23:48:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Jetlag and The Love of Art http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2006/02/jetlag-and-the-love-of-art-2.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2006/02/jetlag-and-the-love-of-art-2.html#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2006 00:22:29 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2006/02/jetlag-and-the-love-of-art-2.html I’m traveling in Berlin at the moment. I
arrived yesterday from New York,
and last night I was very tired and jetlagged and could not sleep.

If you’ve never
experienced it (jetlag), you are truly blessed. If you have, then you know how
difficult it can be to stay in balance and some of the challenging thought
forms that can come up. In my case I was feeling very anxious about whether I
had achieved my purpose in this life. It was a very stressful feeling – in my
slightly out of balance state, the thought of possibly having wasted a precious
life was almost unbearable.  

And then I thought
about art. I thought about my love of curating, and the amazing feeling when
you open an exhibition and people experience the symphony of art. I remembered
how it feels to see someone truly connect with a painting or sculpture. I remembered the great joy of being in the presence of a true artist at work:  To me, they are the navigators of the
invisible worlds who bring back their journeys and create windows so that
others can share the experience.

As I relaxed into
these feelings, I realized that no lifetime could ever be wasted for me
as long as I had my attention on art. It has nothing to do with fame, or
fortune, or even success. Just simply immersing in the flow of the great river of
art, wherever it may lead me is what it’s about.   

Today I awoke
rested and happy. I still did not get enough sleep, but I felt very alive with
the realization I had that art is so important to me. And though I did not
go to any galleries or exhibits, I did enjoy a lot of very amazing Berlin grafitti as I was
walking some of the streets. Suddenly life is deliciously full of happiness and purpose!

]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2006/02/jetlag-and-the-love-of-art-2.html/feed 0 How To Attract Galleries to your Website – Part 4 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-4.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-4.html#comments Thu, 27 Oct 2005 04:43:12 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-4.html For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

This article in 5 Parts gives the scoop on some great basic techniques that work. This is Part 4.

]]> Advertise in Art Industry Publications



If you are willing to spend a little money, you can promote yourself by advertising in art industry publications. A good example is ARTnews, which has a large, worldwide circulation, mainly read by collectors, dealers and professionals in the trade. You can select from either display or classified adds depending on your budget.

Don’t forget to include your website URL in your add!

Check back soon for Part 5!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-4.html/feed 0 How To Attract Galleries to your Website – Part 3 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-3.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-3.html#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:43:12 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-3.html For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

This article in 5 Parts gives the scoop on some great basic techniques that work. This is Part 3.

]]> List your Art in Online Registries & Art Directories

There are several online art registries where you can submit samples of your work including images, artist statements, bios, etc. Registries are used by museum and gallery curators when they are looking for new work. Think of them as the central libraries of emerging art in the online art world.

Some good examples of online registries are “Artists Space” (www.artistsspace.org) and “White Columns” (registry.whitecolumns.org). Both of these sites focus on emerging artists working in the contemporary style, so if you’re more of a traditionalist, you might be better to look for other registries.

A little online searching, together with asking your artist friends will reveal a wealth of opportunities to submit your work to local, regional, and national registries. In Minnesota for example, artists can submit their work to www.mnartists.org. Similarly, Canadian artists have a great resource in “Artists in Canada” (www.artistsincanada.com).

Note: Don’t forget to include your website address (URL) when you submit your work to a registry! Remember the goal: You want the arts professional to come to your site where you have control over the presentation of your work and your image and vision.

Check back soon for Part 4!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-3.html/feed 0 How To Attract Galleries to your Website – Part 2 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-2.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-2.html#comments Mon, 17 Oct 2005 16:54:10 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-2.html For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

This article in 5 Parts gives the scoop on some great basic techniques that work.

]]> Send Email invitations and Queries

Galleries are quickly becoming much more comfortable with operating on the internet. Most have their own websites so it makes sense that they are willing to work with you online.

A very useful approach to a gallery is to email them to request their submission guidelines for new work. The guidelines will tell you if they will accept an invitation to visit your website, or if they instead prefer a more traditional approach such as a slide portfolio.

The big advantage of email is that it allows you to approach a far greater number of galleries than you would be able to by regular snail mail. It is also much less expensive and time consuming. The down side is that your email will probably get less attention than a nicely crafted and presented letter.

Maintain (and use) an Email list

We all like to think that our query letters will arrive like silver bullets in the perfect gallery and bring us instant fame and success. The reality though is that repetition rules! There’s a basic principle of marketing which says that a customer has to hear your pitch between 9 and 27 times before they will take action. The same applies to galleries and other arts professionals: They may not be ready for new work when you first present yourself, but at some point they will be looking. Make sure they remember you!

That doesn’t mean that you should be a painful boor and call the gallery director every week. It simply means sending updates about new achievements and events as they happen in your career. Some arts professionals will watch an artist for a number of years before taking action to include them in their stable of artists.

A great way to do this is to us an automated email list management system. This allows you to send regular updates to your email list without the hassle of having to send individual emails. It also allows interested parties to sign up for your list on your website. Make use of all the 21st century tools you can to make your life easier!

Check back soon for Part 3!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-2.html/feed 0 How To Attract Galleries to your Website – Part 1 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-1.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-1.html#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2005 18:51:16 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-1.html For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

This article in 5 Parts gives the scoop on some great basic techniques that work.

]]> For many artists, the primary purpose of their website is to attract the attention of art galleries and dealers. A well designed website showcasing quality art will get the attention of arts professionals when they see it. But how do they find you in the first place?

This article in 5 Parts gives the scoop on some great basic techniques that work. This is Part 1….

Send Letters of Invitation

It sounds so obvious but many artists forget that galleries are accustomed to invitations and query letters by mail. In the past, we all sent packages of slides, bios, prints, press clippings, etc to galleries. Your website considerably simplifies the process: Simply send an invitation to the gallery to view your work on your website. You website becomes your convenient, always-available-to-anybody portfolio. Be sure to include your site address (URL) and email address in the invitation.

Note: Before approaching galleries, be sure to do a little up-front research. Firstly, you should check that they sell the style of work that you create. Secondly, find out if the gallery is looking for new work – that will save you the bother of sending information when it will bring no results

Add a Brochure or Postcard to your Letter

You can improve the results of your letter invitations by enclosing a brochure or postcard that showcases some of your work. You want to do everything you can to have the gallery director take the time to sit and visit your website, and adding a postcard or brochure will considerably improve your chances.

Check back soon for Part 2!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/10/how-to-attract-galleries-to-your-website-part-1.html/feed 0 Name Your Favorite Art Food or Beverage Muse! http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/name-your-favorite-art-food-or-beverage-muse.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/name-your-favorite-art-food-or-beverage-muse.html#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2005 23:20:28 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/09/name-your-favorite-art-food-or-beverage-muse.html Throughout history, artists have been inspired by all manner of food and drink in their work. I have a plein-air artist friend who finds it almost impossible to work unless she has a brush in one hand and a coffee in the other. She is very particular though - the highest grade hawaiian Kona coffee seems to bring about her best work!

]]> Throughout history, artists have been inspired by all manner of food and drink in their work. I have a plein-air artist friend who finds it almost impossible to work unless she has a brush in one hand and a coffee in the other. She is very particular though – the highest grade hawaiian Kona coffee seems to bring about her best work!

Coffee Cup 2

So what is it about the tradition of food and drink in art? Van Gogh had much to say about food, alcohol, and inspiration. Here’s a wonderfully “Vincent” quote from him:

M. Rey says that instead of eating enough and at regular times, I kept myself going on coffee and alcohol. I admit all that, but at the same time it is true that to attain the high yellow note that I attained last summer, I really had to be pretty keyed up.

………Vincent Van Gogh

So what does it for you with creating your art? Is there a favorite food or drink that brings out the “great” artist in you?

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/name-your-favorite-art-food-or-beverage-muse.html/feed 2 Getting Organized (part 2) http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/getting-organized-part-2.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/getting-organized-part-2.html#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2005 19:04:03 +0000 pjanie http://70.32.73.65/2005/09/getting-organized-part-2.html I had never really wanted to have prints (Giclée: pronounced “zhee-clay”) made of my paintings. I believe my art is priced fairly and feel that people should have original art on their walls, not prints.  Still, I noticed that all my painting friends had been going back and forth to the local imaging service to have prints made of their paintings. I hadn’t asked much about it until one noted that she was able to have slides made of the digital images. She was getting my interest.  Then, I heard that the company actually keeps a file of digital images by artist.  If you need anything:  business cards, CD’s, slides, website images or anything else digital of your paintings, they can provide it – and it isn’t too expensive.

So, since I was in the process of having my website set up – that’s yet another story – I thought I’d try it.   But, where to start, which paintings would I use, surely I couldn’t start at the beginning?  This is where I really started to get it.  I needed to start somewhere – I just needed to start.  So I gathered up my most recent unframed paintings and took them in.  A week later I was called to review the proofs.  What a shock!!! The proofs looked better than my paintings! 

Now I had the capability to get any reproduction of my paintings that I needed.  I was concerned about the already framed paintings, but guess what, this company also does framing.  So they will un-frame those paintings, scan the painting carefully and re-frame the picture for a minimal price. I am aware that not every community has the imaging service that I’m privileged to be using, but keep your ears open, you might find one. Sometimes you have to go on-line for this service.

With that problem pretty well solved, I was bent on getting even more organized and looked into software for artists that would document my paintings.  I could have once again tried to wing it myself on Excel or something similar, but decided to cough up $99 for a program that I knew had been around for a few years.  Here again, where would I start?  I decided again, just start.  I started with paintings I had in the studio and slowly all my paintings are getting into the system.  Now I’m able to track where the painting is, what I named it, what medium and materials I used and the software even has a price grid, so I can keep track of my prices and buyers.  There’s more, but I haven’t yet read the directions for the software.

Just for the record, here are the steps I currently follow, now that I have a system:

1.      Paint the painting – noting whether an underpainting was used, what other medium was used and the ground used.

2.      Put the painting somewhere close so you can view it and critique it (another story). At this point, you may want to ditch the painting and begin at #1 again.

3.      Name the painting (still another story).

4.      Meanwhile enter the information about the painting into a journal or artist software.  Code it, date it and note whatever other information you want to keep. 

5.      When you are happy with what you’ve done, take the painting to the imaging service for scanning.

6.      After you have approved the scan (be sure to carefully check that all the colors have been reproduced to your liking by comparing it to the original), take the painting to a reliable framer or proceed with framing it yourself.

7.      Dispense the painting to one of your many galleries or shows.

8.      Feel like you’re organized.

]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/09/getting-organized-part-2.html/feed 1 How to Plan & Host a Successful Open Studio – Part 5 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-5.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-5.html#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2005 16:52:50 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-5.html Open Studios are a popular way to show your latest work to collectors, arts professionals, and the public. They can also be a successful and consistent way to sell your work. Read on to find out how to stage one successfully. This is Part 5 of a 5-part series.

]]> In this section, we’ll look at important issues after the event….

Relax and Have a Drink

You deserve it! Talk with your friends and find out what worked well and what could be improved. Take notes and make those changes to your next event.

Follow Up

You’ve just completed phase 1 of a multi-phase selling process. Make sure you follow-up:

  • Send Thank you cards to all your visitors
  • Follow-up by phone with potential buyers
  • Call and personally thank any arts professionals who visited your event

Update Your Mailing List

The new contacts who signed your guestbook might be the most valuable result of your open studio – treat them like gold! Add their names to your mailing list and be sure to invite them to future events.

Plan Your Next Event

No time to lose! Start planning your next event. You can use the same process we outlined here but updated based on your own experience.

Go Create

Marketing without great art behind it is just a big bag of wind. Go create masterpieces for a while so that you have something truly authentic to show next time!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-5.html/feed 0 How to Plan & Host a Successful Open Studio – Part 4 http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-4.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-4.html#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2005 18:18:55 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-4.html Open Studios are a popular way to show your latest work to collectors, arts professionals, and the public. They can also be a successful and consistent way to sell your work. Read on to find out how to stage one successfully. This is Part 4 of a 5-part series.

]]> In this section, we’ll cover more of the issues on the day: Be The Artist, Use Your Guestbook, and Taking Care of Sales!

Part 4 Begins……..

Be the artist

With your friends and family taking care of details, allow yourself to “be the artist”. Chat with visitors, talk about what motivates you, point out features of your work. You need to meet everyone at your open studio so enlist one of your friends to move you on to the next guest if your attention is being monopolized.

Use Your Guestbook

Everyone who walks through your door is a potential collector. So, be sure to invite all visitors to sign your guestbook. If possible, have them leave both an email and a regular mail address, and a phone number.

Taking Care of Sales

Have a friend take care of any sales paperwork and packing. Make sure that they have a current pricelist and understand how to calculate and add sales tax. You don’t want to ruin a friendship over a miscalculated price! Be sure that you have plenty of bubble-wrap and packing tape on hand too.

Check Back Soon for Part 5 where we’ll enjoy the aftermath of your show!

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]]> http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/how-to-plan-host-a-successful-open-studio-part-4.html/feed 0 Art Success Quote of The Week – Bob Dylan http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/art-success-quote-of-the-week-bob-dylan.html http://artmarketingsecrets.com/2005/08/art-success-quote-of-the-week-bob-dylan.html#comments Sun, 21 Aug 2005 01:53:11 +0000 Daniel http://70.32.73.65/2005/08/art-success-quote-of-the-week-bob-dylan.html I thought this quote particularly applicable to artists:

A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do ……….Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan 1988 240X320

Bob Dylan, 1988

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