Think that living your dream and becoming an artist is about how talented you are?  It’s not about the talent, it’s about sticking with it! So what a great story about determination and perseverance! And hey, throw in a little revenge…..:-) Read this excerpt from the article about Barbara Corcoran (SHARK TANK!) and see if it does not inspire you to read the rest of the story!

………But you want to know, when I had the courage to end that partnership, he gave me the best gift of my life. He said to me, ‘You’ll never succeed without me.’ And I knew, right then and there that moment, I thought, ‘Oh yeah? I’d rather die than let you see me not succeed.’ And you know what? That was an insurance policy for success. Every time I was thinking of failing or giving up, I would think of one more thing, just because I didn’t want them laughing at me! Maybe not the best motivation but whatever, it worked for me.
http://smallbusiness.aol.com/2011/06/02/my-first-million-barbara-corcoran-the-corcoran-group/

If you are like us, by the end of February, beginning of March, you are interested in the arrival of Spring. Mother Nature may yet  throw a curve ball at us and dump a few last winter storms but we remain, in North Carolina, hopeful that all the signs around us point to spring at last! However, we know for a fact, having driven clear across the US two years ago to art shows in California, that winter is not over in many parts of our country. In fact on our beginning journey  at the end of March to that series of shows, we left a rainy but moderate NC.  But enroute, we encountered such extreme weather as tornadoes, torrential rain storms, blizzards (that shut down part of I-40 in Texas) high winds and more snow before finally reaching our destination of Palm Springs. On our subsequent return mid April, we encountered more snow in Albuqueque, New Mexico. It was almost depressing . Although surprised at the weather extremes, we were prepared!

It takes preparation to participate in an  outdoor art show (juried and non-juried) anywhere-near or far!  We had applied to this show the previous fall. Some art shows send out their applications and information  only a few months beforehand. But most have been around long enough to need your entries at least 8 months prior to the event.

Preparations for your show season should take place long before your first show! One promoter with Sunshine Artists Magazine, came up with their list for getting ready for the summer show season and we have taken and added to it to come up with 10 basic things to do ahead of time:

1. Finish up and finalize any show registrations and payments you may have. Many promoters are now accepting credit cards and payment plans. Something they never used to do!

2. Put your show schedule on your website, Facebook and blog.

3. Do you have enough business cards? Read our article on what you need on your business card!

4. Get your email blasts ready to go prior to each show. Let people know where you will be! Don’t rely just on email. CALL them (yes the telephone) and send postcards via USPS mail!

5. Make sure that your vehicle is road ready.

6. Keep making your art! Bring new art to shows if you are a seasoned show artist. Leave your older work for an “end of the year” show. Make sure you have enough.

7. Your tents, panels, signs, displays all need to look fresh and ready to go. Make any repairs or upgrades ahead of time.

8. Plan your route and hotels wisely

9. Make a “to bring” list (and get it ready long before the first show!) for all the small, easy to forget things such as portfolios, guest book, pens, scissors, price tags, tape, shopping bags, aspirin, etc.

10. Review your pricing. Now more than ever is the time to have work in 2 or 3 price levels so that everyone can find something at a price they are comfortable with.

An outdoor show is hard work and can be very rewarding financially if you have taken the time to prepare like a professional should. Our long list  has saved us more than once. More importantly, it has helped us focus on what we should be doing at a show and why we are there-helping our clients invest in the art that we are creating!

So on another rainy morning..which, despite the stunning amount of rain and has now turned into an amazingly gorgeous fall day, I went about trying to edit the collage…no such luck. How to change the writing? Replace just 1 photo? I finally started over…then decided what the heck, I’ll post our newest upcoming workshop on Craigslist as it is!

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ats/1983950629.html

Oh well, I’ll tackle it some other rainy morning.  Time to go to the studio and get ready for tomorrow’s Studio Tour!

It also  means a heightened activity in the studio, with art classes, plenty of commissioned artwork and the general “getting ready for winter” feeling. I love it!

The dogs are a little confused. DaVinci, the Rottweiler, has an insatiable appetite and the dark afternoon has confused him into thinking that  3:30 means dinnertime. I ignore him. So he sits with his big head in my lap while I try to type, slopping a wet kiss on my hand if I put it near his mouth and his big eyes say “Feed me.”

An artist’s life in regards to hours and paychecks is not a real predictable affair.  We work when other do not and do not work when others are at work. We get paid sporadically and in terms of income, it can be far more or far less than what someone who is not an artist may make.

It’s a good life in its unpredictability.

Looking Good the First Time

Posted By Eilis Flynn on September 2, 2010

Author Eilis Flynn: The Reality Beyond

If you don’t bother to sepll-cehck, nobody’s going to take you seriously

by Eilis Flynn
1st Turning Point Crew Columnist
Copyright © 2010 Eilis Flynn

As a copy editor, the one thing I’ve noticed over the years is that everybody thinks that their spelling and grammar and punctuation are just fine.  “Oh, you don’t have to do anything to my work,” they always say, sometimes with a smirk.  “My mom’s always said that my writing was so good!”

Well, guess what?  Your mom lied.  Your work needs editing.  It needs to have the spelling double-checked (and no, if you’re an American, you can’t use British spelling, and no, you can’t just randomly capitalize words because you think it looks neat), the grammar double-checked (and since grammar is no longer being taught in schools, double-double-checked), and if you can’t figure out when to use a semicolon and when to use a colon, why would you think they’re interchangeable and everyone else is wrong when they say they’re not?

Anyway, as you might have gathered, I think it’s fair to say that everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to have their work proofed and read by someone else.  This needs to happen simply because your work—your writing—is the face by which you want to be known.  And if your work is littered with misspellings, poor grammar choices, and illiterate attempts at punctuation, your work doesn’t come off so good.  Spell-check, while it is a wonderful stopgap measure, can’t do it all.  First of all, remember that the feature was designed by engineers, and engineers are notoriously poor in their spelling, grammar, and punctuation choices.  And second, spell-check was designed to make sure that the words being used in the document are real.  Whether the words are appropriate in the document, again, that’s not spell-check’s job; it’s yours.

Haven’t you ever looked at a website that’s littered with typos and grammatical errors and winced?  Of course you have.  Everyone has. And if that website’s a retail site, trying to entice you to buy something, haven’t you had second thoughts about buying?  After all, if the website owner can’t be bothered to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes, who knows what else they aren’t bothering to do?  That goes for your writing, too.

So do yourself a favor.  Read and proofread your work.  Learn the grammatical rules and apply them to your own work.  Punctuation isn’t just a suggestion, it’s a given.  Make your writing the best it can be by making it the easiest to read.  Or I’ll hunt you down and I will use my red pen on your work.  Don’t think I won’t.

It’s easy Catherine!   Go here and just order online -you download onto your computer (then you can put it on a disc) or cut and paste  http://www.art-career-experts.com/Represent-Yourself-Audio.html

— In ArtistPaycheck@yahoogroups.com, “catherin” <catherin@…> wrote:
>
> Pat where do you get a copy from???
>
> catherin
> www.animalarthouse.com
>
> — In ArtistPaycheck@yahoogroups.com, “patmorris123″ patmorris123@ wrote:
> >
> > I ordered your “Representing Yourself” pdf file and audio last week and had not until this morning had the opportunity to listen to the audio. I am gearing up for the beginning of my outdoor show season in a few weeks and you did it again, you gave me fantastic tools…and I do prefer the audio version, it’s like I am there listening to you in person. I have done many outdoor shows and am thrilled that finally someone has some valuable advice for me; I have encountered all of the things you mention. If anyone who does shows has not purchased this, it’s the best $9.95 you can spend! What a deal!
> > Thanks, Theresa and Steve : )
> > Pat

> >

________________________________________________________________________

So, here I am, a day after our workshop, in front of the frame shop at the large Mall where I pop in once or twice a week. I am putting the final touches on a pastel portrait of a boy. Now I will tell you that large portraits attract attention. No doubt about it. And as we discussed in the workshop, any question or even comment from a client is an invitation from them to “tell me more.”  Only one person, a man, seemed to be astounded (at least outwardly) by my prices.  The fact is, that he probably just had no clue..he wants a portrait but is learning that they  are not free or cheap.
This is how the conversation USED to go when someone seemed amazed and said so loudly (as in front of several onlookers) The scenario is that he has just seen me, he has his 7 year old daughter with him and he steps into the small group of 5 ladies
Before I knew how to reply:
Man : Is this some kind of chalk? It’s really nice. How much is something like this?
ME: Uh, this is $950.00 (in a semi apologetic tone)
HIM: WOW! (that’s all he said-I took it to mean it was too expensive)
ME: Well I have a cheaper portrait available too. This small pastel is only $300.00
Him: What’s the difference? Aren’t they the same size? (obviously not)
Me: No one is bigger than the other

By that time, most people, except a real diehard, would have wandered on…even those interested would have caught my tone….even a flash of irritation at the man’s dumb questions (I mean couldn’t he SEE they were two different sizes?) so unless I was really cheap…. they had already been attracted by the portrait itself, and for several ladies it was an idea that had been in their minds awhile…going back in time to when their children were smaller.

How I replied after learning the right way to respond:
Man : Is this some kind of chalk? It’s really nice. How much is something like this?

Me: This is a Pastel portrait which I’m creating, are you thinking of a portrait with more than one child?

Man: I have just one daughter, so how much would that be?

Me: A pastel portrait similar to this is a $950.00 investment.

Him: WOW!

Me: Yes, you’d invest  $950.00 (said confidently and clearly) for a pastel portrait like this with a single subject. Over here, is a large pastel portrait which is a $2500.00 investment…(hand gestures) and over here is a smaller cameo pastel which is a $300.00 investment.

Him: But why is this one more? It looks like the same size?

Me: Perhaps from a distance it does but they are two different sizes (I pick up smaller to compare and show..now by this time I have already been talking to several women in a group before he arrived and do not want to lose them as he is controlling the situation with his questions…)
Now, I know how you feel, others have felt the same way but you you know what they found? They found that over the years my portraits became one of the most emotionally valuable possessions they owned.  All my collectors tell me that if a fire broke out in their home, the portraits that I created for them are being carried out right with the  children and pets!
(that puts  “valuable” into context)
Now because I had several “hot ones” I hand him a business card and let him digest what I have just said- in a friendly tone of course and turn back to the ladies. I am back in control.

Now I also could have said:
Yes it is indeed $950.00. My portraits are not for everyone but for those many collectors who have invested my work, my portraits have and will continue to bring them many years of enjoyment!

Now Steve, with his sense of humor, when I relayed the story to him later that day said that HIS reply after the WOW would have been
“Yes they ARE inexpensive aren’t they? My collectors LOVE my work and recognize the value in my art!

And that too is not a bad reply if the person has not commented on a high cost! I have had them say “wow that’s a great price”, or “wow that’s high!” but rarely just “wow!” I wasn’t quick enough actually to catch the other nuance of that one word!

So practice!!!!!

How often have you started on a particular marketing venue for your art and in just a matter of days, or a couple of weeks, especially if the results were disappointing,  or you could not see the value of it, you just dropped it? Does that mean that you cannot do it? Does it mean that you don’t want to reach your goals badly enough?

No, we are all human and we all get discouraged, disappointed, tired or too busy and let our initial efforts fade away.  But there is a way to channel your energy and enthusiasm and keep the level up there long enough to see positive results! And positive results, as we all know, breed continued enthusiasm. The key here is to concentrate in ONE marketing area. Just one. Give yourself a time limit of say one month. But in that one month, give it ALL you’ve got.

Let’s look at an example. You have decided to sell your art on Ebay. You have listened to us tell you to research, research and research your particular art product and see who and what is selling. So you have done that. You have found several artists who are earning anywhere from 800-1500 a week selling their art and you are excited! You feel that what you could do will sell as well. Piece of cake!

Now if you have been creating all along, you will have anywhere from 8-12 items ready to list on Ebay.  Assuming that you already have a sellers account set up, as well as Paypal, the initial part is done.  If you have never sold on Ebay however, you need to delve a bit further. This link to Ebay will start you in the process!   http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/index.html

But this post isn’t so much about getting started on ebay as to what you need to do to stick with it. We, and I mean as in “I” have been guilty more than once of selling moderately well on Ebay and then I fizzle out…yes, even me! I have tried new art forms just for fun but obviously wasn’t inspired enough to stick with it…so this post is a reminder to me AND you, that nothing works if you don’t stick with it!It’s easy to be satisfied with moderate sales and far harder to make that extra effort to produce great sales!

So if you have your 8-12 items posted on Ebay and nothing sells, does that mean you have it all wrong? No. There is a learning curve to everything…that time where you worry and agonize over it and spend too much time on it and then suddenly, one day, you realize that you just breezed through posting those items or writing that description and it only took you minutes!  So see how many times your auction was seen. Is it in the right category? What about your starting price? Your description? This is where your research will have paid off. And remember this-it seems that virtually any art can sell on Ebay. The key is to get it out to the public and STICK with it!

This perseverance and persistence will pay off. Whether you are selling on Ebay, your blog, on the street …anywhere. Success is measured not in one big swoop but in increments! The ones who succeed will do so, not because they are the most talented artist or craftsmen but because they stuck with it through the good and the bad. That’s what success is all about!

So what does this mean for you when it comes to pricing your art? It means that you have to believe in the value of your work. Do you believe that a painting that took you a day to paint is worth $2750. ? Can you say “This painting is two thou sand seven hundred and fifty DOLLARS” in a strong positive voice, not “it’s twentysevenfifty” said apologectically. You get the idea? The same applies if the painting is $100. As an aside, some of us will have trouble saying this no matter what the price. The solution is to practice. Say it out loud. Repeatedly. Say it until it comes naturally.

When you believe in the value of your work, communicating that value to your potential collectors is much easier.