Magazine Declares June Professional Artist Month

ProfessionalArtist_Pro_Artist_MonthProfessional Artist magazine provides independent visual artists with the strategies they need to make a living with their artwork. For the second year in a row, they have declared June “Professional Artist Month.”

Throughout the month, artists are invited to connect and interact with Professional Artist through activities, advice, giveaways and a dedicated art contest.

“The inaugural Professional Artist Month was such a success that we knew we had to build on that momentum for 2014,” Publisher Jannett Roberts said. “Last year, our focus was to bring our readers even more resources to empower them in their creative careers. This June, it’s all about celebrating these talented professionals and engaging with them on a deeper level.”

Highlights of the 2014 Professional Artist Month include:

  • “Art-Felt Words” e-cards: Free digital postcards to share with friends, family and fellow artists via email and social media
  • “SmART Advice” showcase: A collection of inspired insights, motivational messages and words of wisdom from readers all month long
  • “Portrait of a Professional Artist” contest: An opportunity for artists to have their work featured in an upcoming issue of Professional Artist magazine
  • Daily giveaways : 30 chances to win great prizes, plus a special Professional Artist Store coupon for all participants
  • Exclusive subscription offer: A limited-time deal that includes a set of three free digital pocket guides with the purchase of a one-year subscription to Professional Artist

3-PocketGuides

ProfessionalArtistMagCoverEach issue of Professional Artist magazine presents practical business advice on subjects such as art marketing, art law, portfolio development, exhibition presentation, communication skills and sales techniques.

Articles to help artists feel encouraged and motivated are also  featured, as well as a comprehensive list of calls to artists.

LINK

Professional Artist Magazine

Professional Artist Month Activities

 

 

Davey’s Book Explains How to Build a Bulletproof Art Career

BarneyDaveyArtMarketingBookARTISTS. You don’t have to leave it to chance that you will meet the right people who can either buy your art or influence others to buy your art. By effectively using synergistic (and inexpensive) marketing tools and techniques, you can gain control over your career.

That’s the heme of Barney Davey’s new book “Guerilla Marketing for Artists: Build a Bulletproof Art Career to Thrive in Any Economy.”

His ideas take into account that the old ways of getting art seen and sold aren’t as effective as they used to be. But as Davey explains, “What is refreshingly different is you now have the tools to call the shots, to control your destiny, and to reap the rewards.”

In the book, he explains how to deploy easy-to-use networking and marketing techniques that systematically will create a solid base of of collectors who will buy from you directly.

Davey believes that over the course of a career, a full-time artist can build meaningful relationships with at least 100 collectors and create 1,000 original pieces (33 originals x 30 years). An artist who cultivates a base of 100 collectors may sell one-third of more of their original works to those patrons. And, as Davey points out, “Many of those dedicated collectors will be the source of invaluable and profitable referrals for the artist.”

Artists who form close personal bonds with art buyers become immune to the effects of a lousy economy or faltering distribution methods. Artists who build direct sales connections with collectors will lead the pack during good times, and thrive in tough times.

Starting the process requires you to:

  • Set realistic, achievable career goals
  • Target the best prospects to buy your work directly
  • Understand thoroughly your existing art business and art resources
  • Determine which traditional and digital marketing tools are best for your situation
  • Focus your marketing on selected projects

In the book, you will learn how to break down your goals into easy-to-complete incremental steps so you can stay motivated. You will also learn how to make each element of your marketing strategy synergistically amplify other elements.

Selling-Art3If you order your copy from Davey’s website, you can get a free bonus e-book: The Zen of Selling Art: Essays on Art Business Success. In this e-book, Davey has collected some of the best advice he has given artists on selling art since 1988. Many of the tips come from his Art Print Issues blog and art-business articles he has written for Art World News and Art Business news magazines. The Zen of Selling Art makes the point that if you are successful selling art on a routine basis, you will enjoy a more balanced life and be able to use some of your income to do good things that wouldn’t be possible if you continue to work for subsistence.

LINKS

Art Marketing Book: Guerrilla Marketing for Artists by Barney Davey

About Barney Davey

The Zen of Selling Art: Essays on Art Business Success

RELATED POST

Book on Selling Art Discusses Link Between Money and Happiness

 

Learn How to Profit from the Art Print Market

Book Cover How to Profit from the Art Print MarketARTISTS. As traditional methods of selling visual art continue to lose luster, effective new distribution channels are springing up to replace them. Thanks to advances in e-commerce and digital printing technology, you can completely control how printed reproductions of your works are produced, priced, and marketed. You can use this power to financially support your passion for making art in ways that were unavailable to previous generations of visual artists.

These are some of the themes discussed in the 2nd edition of Barney Davey’s best-selling book “How to Profit from the Art Print Market.”

In the book, Davey observes that visual artists who organize and execute workable plans around achievable goals are the ones who enjoy the greatest success today. This includes understanding how the rise of print-on-demand technology, e-commerce, and social-media marketing have wreaked havoc on the old style of marketing art through galleries and dealers. In addition, a stark economy has forced a record number of companies from the market.

So even though these conditions may seem daunting, Davey reminds readers that growing a successful career in the art market was never easy. While he still sees some opportunity for artists in traditional markets, Davey believes visual artists must use available technology to be self-sufficient and sell as much art as possible direct to collectors. He considers this the best way for artists to secure their future.

The 16 chapters in the 302-page book explain the major steps involved in selling direct to collectors. Topics covered include:

  • Goals and Vision
  • Understanding Art-Print Media
  • Traits and Attributes of Self-published Artists
  • Economics of Self-publishing
  • Exemplary and Successful Self-published Artists
  • Finding and Working with a Publisher
  • Copyrights and Certificates of Authenticity
  • Trends and Inspiration
  • Business Marketing Basics for the Self-Published Artist
  • Publicity, Promotion and the Power of Self-Belief
  • Websites for Artists
  • Online Marketing and Social Media
  • Galleries, Dealers and Alternative Spaces
  • Licensing
  • Giclées and Digital Prints

You’ll learn how to generate repeat sales of fine-art reproductions in any economy and coordinate publicity, social media and email marketing to ratchet up your sales and sell art online. The book also features a list of 500 business and marketing resources for visual artists.

The book will retail for $39.95, but can be pre-ordered for $24.95. You can download a PDF of “Chapter One: Goals and Visions” for free from the website: http://www.barneydavey.com/download-chapter-one-free/

About the Author

Barney Davey has been intimately involved in the art business since 1988. As a sales and marketing executive for Decor magazine and its sister Decor Expo tradeshows, he consulted with hundreds of the industry’s leading art publishers and self-published artists regarding their art marketing and advertising strategies. He met leading self-published artists and art publishers, and observed the best practices.

In addition to his art marketing consulting, he does public speaking on art and Internet marketing. His newest venture is BarneyDavey.com, a media company that publishes books, blogs, online newsletters, workshops, and webinars for visual artists, including fine artists, fine-art photographers and graphic designers.

A Prolific Blogger

To stay on top of what’s happening in the art-print market, check out the three blogs Barney Davey currently publishes.

Art Print Issues is a business blog for visual artists. The blog covers a range of topics, including these posts on selling techniques:

The Giclee Business directory includes more than 500 listings of giclee printers and fine art business resources for visual artists. Categories include: website services for artists and photographers; artist business software; art licensing; art marketing services; art supplies and picture-framing services for artists, selling art online sources; fine art legal resources; art trade shows, art events, and art fairs; fine-art printmaking services; and home, hospitality and healthcare design resources.

Giclee Business News is a new online news magazine about the digital fine art market. It includes news about artists, technology, art events, learning opportunities, and more.

LINKS

Book: How to Profit from the Art Print Market, 2nd Edition

Blog: Art Print Issues

Online Magazine: Giclée Business News

Online Directory: Giclée Business

Opportunities and Challenges for Fine Artists

According to the 2010-11 Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were approximately 221,900 working artists in 2008. This number includes 84,200 art directors, 13,600 craft artists, 25,700 fine artists (painters, sculptors, illustrators), 79,000 multimedia artists and animators, and 21,500 other types of artists and related workers. About 60% of artists and related workers are self-employed.

While the outlook is bright for multimedia artists and animators in fields such as motion-picture and video production, advertising, and computer systems design, very few fine artists can support themselves solely through the sale of the work. Most fine artists have at least one other job, such as working in a museum or gallery, teaching, or working as illustrators. Some artists hold jobs in unrelated fields and pursue art as a hobby or second career. Below are some of the challenges and opportunities that may affect art careers in the years ahead:

Challenges

Lack of career preparation. Many art schools focus almost exclusively on teaching technique, without much emphasis on the practical business skills that artists need to earn a living. Today, anyone who wants to pursue a self-directed career such as art, should know how to promote and market themselves–online and in-person.

Balancing art creation with self-promotion. It can be difficult to focus on creating great art while continuously networking and working to get name recognition. It’s incredibly time-consuming to do both things well.

New sources of competition. Many retiring Baby Boomers are pursuing long-deferred dreams of becoming an artist. Unemployed or underemployed workers are trying to convert their art hobbies into new careers.

Opportunities

New tools for creating and displaying art. Technology is making it easier for artists to experiment with new forms of visual expression. For example, today’s digital-printing technology makes it possible to reproduce your art directly on fabrics, backlit films, metal, wood, or vinyls.You can also combine digital images with traditional art materials to create one-of-kind prints with texture and dimensionality And visual art is no longer confined to a frame. It can be displayed on computer screens or projected or applied to indoor or outdoor walls.

New opportunities to promote and sell art. Technology has opened up new ways for artists to promote and sell their work. For example, social media is making it easier for artists to build relationships with other artists, gallery owners, editors, art journalists, and potential buyers of their work. Online galleries make it possible for artists to show and sell their work to buyers around the world.

A wider, deeper pool of art collectors. A 2010 survey found that consumers are investing more in original art, which has become more widely available as artists have started exploring different ways to market themselves.  Digitally printed limited editions are making it easier for more people to buy art they truly love, instead of only those prints available from mass-market art publishers. Some gallery owners sell lower-cost editions to attract new customers who might someday become serious collectors. A growing number of health care facilities, corporations, educational institutions, and civic leaders are commissioning or collecting art because they recognize how much art can enhance our surroundings.

E-Book Lists Seven Essential Practices for Professional Artists

ARTISTS. “Seven Essential Practices for the Professional Artist” is a 20-page e-book that can be downloaded free from the website: www.themindfulartist.com.

The book was written by Michele Théberge, an exhibiting artist who has spent the past 20 years developing effective practices to sustain a balanced and thriving art career.

“Before things started to happen for me, I suffered from enormous self-doubts and questioned my work constantly,” says Michele. “I knew I wanted to make art my life, but I had no idea how to approach an art career.”

She says she read books and took courses with advice about being a professional artist, but “What I didn’t get was the confidence or a clear strategy to follow through on much of it.”

Over the years, Michele began to fuse what she had been learning from decades of meditation and spiritual growth with the basics of making and showing art. Her techniques began to bring results. She grew more confident and was invited to be in shows and was sought out by residencies and galleries rather than having to pursue them.

The seven essential practices outlined in the book involve consistency, awareness of your thoughts, creativity, connection, well-being, organization, and clear intentions.

The seven practices form the basis of an eight-week Artist Mentorship Program Theberge has developed to help artists create their own studio habits. The next eight-week program begins June 15, and includes nine recorded seminar modules and weekly assignments to help you gain momentum. During the three live group calls, you can ask questions, get feedback, and share victories. In the private, online forum, you can connect with other artists in the program, chat, post your artwork, get feedback, and share resources.

“Artists who have worked with me in the program have reported feeling more confidence and clarity in the work as a result of establishing a regular studio practice,” writes Theberge.

She says many artists mistakenly measure their success by focusing on whether their work is getting outside recognition: “That kind of outward focus is a creativity squelcher. If you are looking toward something outside of yourself to validate your work, such as a sales, exhibitions, or accolades, it will be hard to maintain your creative practice during the inevitable up-and-down cycles of your career.”

She says her own career started to turn around when she recognized how her negative thinking patterns were holding her back: “I started to think differently about my work and its place in the world. I began to embrace the value of my work and ceased to worry about those who weren’t interested in it. This new attitude prompted intelligent, heartfelt action.”

Theberge says, “I want emerging artists, budding artists, even people who are afraid to call themselves artists to know that someone cares and that their work is valuable and it matters. It makes me sad when someone gives up on their dream because they don’t have the wherewithal or the support or mindset to keep it going. When you are creative, it’s not just for you. It helps lift everyone around in ways big and small.”

LINKS

The Mindful Artist E-Book: Seven Essential Practices for the Professional Artist

The Mindful Artist Mentorship Program

About the Artist: Michele Thebérge