August 15, 2010

 ACE Newsletter

Five Things to Remember When Marketing Your Art
 

by M Theresa Brown

 ACE: I came across a  blog relating to Photography by James H. Dricker and really liked much of what he had to say. Then I followed his link to where he first found his information and I liked much of that as well!  You will find that ACE and its members share similar views on the forums at various times when discussing a particular topic. But it is nice to package them into one newsletter!
So, I have paraphrased some of Mr. Dricker's blog, taken out some excerpts,  added the link to the other article, as well as shared my own thoughts, to package them together for this ACE newsletter.

The author's comments about selling photography were well thought out and pertinent to what we create. His title was less positive as it was "trying to sell your photography as art" and we all know that mindset is actually one of the first psycological steps towards successfully planning a career in your field! 

We know that artists produce fine art because They love practicing their craft and appreciate seeing positive reactions from friends and family. If a few get juried into exhibitions, that’s great. If some sell, fantastic. None of the artists we know would stop creating their art if no one bought them. But they all wonder how they can sell more of their art and make a little more money to at least support their art, if not their families. As you know, Art Career Experts approaches that vision with its no nonsense approach to marketing and selling art! :-) The business plan and dedication come into play when an artist becomes serious about selling his art. So for all the artists, photographers, sculptors, fiber artists, etc. in our large and diverse  group, enjoy these reminders!

Here's what James H. Dricker has to say:

"An article posted August 12 on the Black Star Rising website  got me thinking. It was written by Jim Pickerell and was titled, Six Reasons That Great Photos Alone Won’t Make You a Success. It’s directed to the professional stock photographer who’s trying to sell -- or more correctly, to license -- images for commercial use. In it, he says, “… just because an image is judged to be ‘great’ by your peers, or because it wins awards, that does not mean customers will pay more for it, or that you will sell more of your work.” (an excellent and factual observation!)  He then proceeds to list what he calls six basic principles of the photography business. You can link to the article by clicking here

http://rising.blackstar.com/six-reasons-that-great-photos-alone-wont-make-you-a-success.html#more-12896

and read them yourself

The article inspired me to come up with another list, from my own experience selling a few fine art photographs through a couple of galleries. I don’t make a living selling my photographs this way. But it helps support my activities as an artist. I make money as a photographer by finding clients who hire me for my services based upon my demonstrated skills and craftsmanship. I continue to develop and expand these skills at least in part because I’m a practicing photographic artist.

So here is my list, which I call Five Things to Remember When You Try to Sell Your Photographs as Art.

1. Size matters. Big is better than small. People’s eyes are attracted to large prints. Large prints dominate wall space and get noticed. I’ve visited galleries in New York where no photograph was smaller than 24x30 inches. I now don’t print any of my images for gallery display smaller than two feet wide.
[ACE: In the world of art, however, small can and does sell!]

2. Make your images local. Tourists who buy art are looking for something they can’t find any place else that they can bring back home and remind them of the wonderful visit they had to your town. I’m from a seacoast community. My tugboats sell.
[ACE:  We preach this all the time!]

3. Make your images universal. This seems to contradict #2. But it doesn’t. If your image isn’t targeting vacationing tourists, then it should target everyone’s human experience. No one wants to buy a photograph of your nephew playing the trombone. But someone might want an image of an eleven year old trombonist with cheeks puffed out and eyes bulging, blowing his heart out to make music.

[ACE: Excellent point. Your average "generic" paintings of people, places, animals and virtually anything else will sell better if the subject is NOT recognizable. Do not paint the top winning horse or dog fro instance and identify it as such. It will sell better if you don't!]

4. Presentation matters. Just like with food in a restaurant, how you present your art helps add value. Frame tastefully.

[ACE:  Here, the author went into white mats (a mistake actually) Even if the client is not purchasing a framed art piece, it should always be presented in a frame for initial viewing for the "Wow" factor.] 

5. Price to make a profit. After the gallery gets its cut, there still has to be enough left over for you so you don’t lose money on the print, mat and frame. If you can get some extra for your time and skill, all the better.
Go to galleries that sell photographs and talk to the owners. They know what sells. See how the pictures are displayed. Notice the matting and frames. If it’s a slow day, the owners might have time to talk business with you. Don’t be shy. And don’t let your ego get in the way. 

[ACE:  Good point. Galleries need business now too. Although the author makes his comments based on a few gallery sales, he also mentions that most of his sales come from commission sales. There are many, many other places to sell art and photographs outside of a gallery. "Gallery" is the universal thinking of newcomers to the world of art marketing. The original  6 step article has a great observation on pricing and value.]

Articles such as these connected ones should serve as an inspiration and reminder to artists of all genres that the challenges and successes of marketing one's art are the same everywhere!  In essence, how successful you would like to become in your art career financially is all about the effort you want to put into that goal, not the talent. 

Now, let's go create!

Want to learn more? If you are serious about learning what it takes and what you need to do to start, grow or expand your art business, we can help! Steve and I are proud to be keynote speakers at the nationwide Art of the Carolinas, Nov 11-14, 2010 in Raleigh, NC.  http://www.jerrysartevents.com/artofca20.html

Our 3 day workshop begins on Thursday evening and all details are here: http://www.jerrysartevents.com/theresabrown1.html

All the former barriers and walls to an artist's success are slowly crumbling and the sooner you embrace the changes and learn to expand your horizons, the sooner you will see success! We can help. Not only have we broken all the rules pre-ordained by the art world for twenty years, we continue to break the rules in order to further our success! We love to share, encourage and teach serious artists what it takes to enjoy the life of an artist!

Until later,

Theresa and Steve