resources for artists Archives - Page 3 of 5

Law College Workshop Explains Legal Strategies for Professional Artists in the Digital Age

November 4, 2013

The Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) in Highland Heights, Kentucky is presenting a workshop on legal and business tactics for visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, video-game creators, and other creatives who are striving to earn a living from their passions.

Entitled “Success Strategies for the Professional Artists in the Digital Age,” the workshop will take place from 4:30 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, November 6 in the NKU Griffin Hall Rieveschl Digitorium. A live webcast will be offered to those who can’t attend in person.

The program includes panel discussions on three important topics:

Legal and Business Strategies for Local Film Production
Exhibiting, Licensing, Publishing, and Promoting
Crowdfunding and Project Financing: Getting the Professional Paid

“Success Strategies for the Professional Artist in the Digital Age” can help lawyers and their creative artist clients understand how easy online access to media, and changing business practices for media distribution can lead to digital exploitation of the artist’s work. Some of the business and legal practices to be discussed by the expert attorneys on the panels include:

Crowdsourcing for resources and distribution
Crowdfunding through gifts and pre-sales
Crowdfunding through capital investment and financing
Strategies for legal investor financing of creative projects beyond Kickstarter
Rights acquisition agreements
Music licensing for film and video games
Fair use and transformative works
Mash-ups, composites and derivative works
Do-it-yourself distribution through social media
Gallery and venue agreements, including online galleries
Insurance coverage
Stock photography agencies
Understanding licenses from iTunes, Amazon and others
Trends to watch

“In an age dominated by social media and digital distribution, creative artists are required to navigate self-promotion, online contracting, sophisticated financing, and a host of challenges that pull the artist away from the creative process and into the fast-paced world of digital commerce.”“explains Jon Garon, a professor at the NKU Chase College of Law and founding director of the NKU Chase Law + Informatics Institute.

Terry Hart, director of legal policy at the Copyright Alliance, notes that as more people become content creators, there is growing awareness that “there is real value to maintaining some control over what is shared” via social media.

“Success Strategies for the Professional Artists in the Digital Age” is sponsored by the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s Cyberspace Law Committee, Copyright Alliance, the ArtWorks’ SpringBoard, and Frost Brown Todd LLC.

The webcast is hosted by the NKU Chase Law + Informatics Institute, which provides interdisciplinary research, coursework, and community outreach on issues involving media and information systems and emerging technologies across all areas of law. The Institute explores the legal and societal consequences resulting from the creation, acquisition, aggregation, security, manipulation, and exploitation of data.

LINKS

Success Strategies for the Professional Artist in the Digital Age

NKU Chase Law + Informatics Institute

Galleries HQ Wants to Give Artists Global Exposure via iPhone App

October 29, 2013

Galleries HQ is a mobile platform that helps visual artists and galleries showcase their creations to the world. The Seattle-based art enthusiasts who founded Galleries HQ are rethinking how the arts community can benefit from the power and ubiquity of mobile devices such as the iPhone. This includes discovering new artists, finding upcoming exhibits, and in the future, managing transactions such as artwork and exhibition ticket sales.

Wayne Bishop and his wife Karen Bishop started working on the Galleries HQ platform in 2010 when they felt that the arts were lagging behind in the application of innovative technology. They self-funded the development of the iPad app that launched in 2012 and promotes the work of 80 artists in a dozen countries.

Now, the Bishops have launched a Kickstarter campaign to extend Galleries HQ platform to the iPhone and bring Galleries HQ to a much larger audience of artists and art lovers globally. The campaign is organized to match potential sponsors with artists. Any individual, business or organization can become a sponsor. The campaign ends November 29, 2013.

“Mobile devices are a great way to reach an increasing number of people interested in art,” said Wayne Bishop. “The rate of people acquiring devices has now outpaced PCs, and desktop purchases are on the decline. As a result, we want to promote artists through tools consumers use the most.”

The Bishops know many artists have stories to tell, but may not have tools to reach groups beyond Facebook and their personal websites.

LINKS

Galleries HQ

Kickstarter Campaign: Galleries HQ Promoting Fine Art on the iPhone

Workshop Explains How to Live Your Dream as An Artist

October 22, 2013

BiteMyArt, the online nexus connecting artists and exhibit spaces, has announced an eight-week, interactive online workshop hosted by art-business expert Sian Lindemann.

The course “How to Live Your Dream as an Artist” will meet for 90 minutes every week for eight weeks using the online and interactive GoToMeeting platform that you can access in the comfort of your home or studio. The first session will be held Thursday, October 31 at 2 pm ET (11 am PT).

“This is about doing what you love, and sharing it by eliminating the fear of selling,” explains Lindemann. She will explain why clarity is everything, and help course participants articulate who they are, what they do, and why they do it.

To attract the right clients to your art, you will learn how to:

define your authentic voice
identify your preferred business model
speak about your mission and work with professionalism and fluency

The fee for the eight-week course is $897. Enrollment is limited to 10 participants so Sian can work interactively with each artist. Her goal is to inspire the creation of new ideas and works while simultaneously encouraging growth, depth, and scope in the artists she coaches.

Some of the things you will learn during the course include:

● Three ways to create immediate revenue from your circle of influence
● How to use Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to make marketing more personal
● How to syndicate and cross promote to create your own fame
● How use the FAB (Fact, Advantage, Benefit) approach to make sales.
● How to build authentic, long-lasting relationships after the sale

Sian is an accomplished artist with over 30 years of experience in arts promotion, marketing, and career development for artists. She has provided hundreds of artists with practical marketing and financial expertise that has helped them generate more consistent revenues while pursuing their passions.

About BiteMyArt

BiteMyArt is an online site through which artists can connect with galleries and unconventional exhibition spaces and gallery owners can interact with artists. Artists can upload up to three free portfolios and access the interactive tools with which to present their work to gallery spaces. Artist resources include advice on creating a compelling artist statement, applying for grants, and developing patronage.

Gallery spaces can search artist profiles on BiteMyArt by type, location and other parameters. BiteMyArt provides an easy-to- navigate interface through which gallery spaces can promote themselves and upcoming events, build relationships with the most promising artists, and enhance communication with clients.

LINK

Workshop: How to Live Your Dream as an Artist

BiteMyArt

Learn to Focus Your Art Marketing Efforts at Guerrilla Marketing for Visual Artists Webinar

September 30, 2013

ARTISTS. Art marketing expert Barney Davey will present a two-hour webinar “Guerrilla Marketing for Visual Artists” on Thursday, October 10. The webinar will run from 1 to 3 pm ET (4 to 6 pm, PT) The registration fee is $29.

The event will be hosted by J. Jason Horejs, owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottdale, Arizona.

“Barney has been working for some time to develop a new workshop that speaks to the many challenges and opportunities that face an artist today,” says Horejs. “I’ve always done well when I’ve listened to Barney’s guidance, and I encourage you to register for this new workshop so that you can tap into Barney’s clear vision and advice.”

During the workshop, you will learn how to:

Determine what is most valuable to you in your career
Develop a list of prospects worth pursuing
Bulletproof your career through networking and referrals
Mix online marketing, social media and traditional art marketing for exceptional results
Coordinate your marketing to wring the best return from every dollar you spend on it

Barney says he understands how hard artists are working to get their careers on track and why many are frustrated with the results.

“The solution is to create reachable goals that work for your situation and your desire,” explains Davey. “Your definition of success is 100% unique to you. If you have been floundering in uncertainty about what to do, or trying to copy someone else’s ideas of how to succeed as an artist, it’s no wonder you’re frustrated.”

He says success in today’s challenging art market requires you to do five things:

Set realistic goals that equal your resources
Identify your best prospects
Create direct sales channels to your collectors
Employ powerful marketing tools matched to your capabilities
Act on a plausible plan to achieve your goals

Davey provides practical advice for getting your art career moving in the right direction. He will discuss art-marketing tools that can get your work seen and sold and explain how to simplify and streamline your art-marketing processes. He will teach you how to focus on the marketing tools at your disposal and increase your sales without spending more time and money on marketing.

“Sometimes we think others were just born with some kind of magic “entrepreneurial lobe” of their brain,” says Davey. “They weren’t. At one time, every artist started where you are right now.”

The Guerrilla Marketing for Artists webinar will help you choose the right art marketing tools and techniques for your art career. You will learn how to break down your marketing processes so you can utilize the components most valuable to you. By emphasizing what works best, you will vastly improve your results.

If you can’t listen to the live webinar on October 10, register now and you will receive a link to the recorded webinar, so you can listen to it at a more convenient time.

About Barney Davey

Barney Davey is a workshop leader, consultant, author, and blogger. Through his advice and counseling, he has helped thousands of visual artists improve their careers. Davey is the author of four books on art marketing, including Amazon.com best selling books “How to Profit from the Art Print Market” and “Guerrilla Marketing For Artists.”

He also has contributed numerous art business articles to The Artist’s Magazine, Art World News, and Art Business News, among others. Since 2005, he has published more than 500 art marketing and art business articles on his art-business blog: Art Print Issues.

LINKS

Webinar: Guerilla Marketing for Visual Artists

Book: Guerrilla Marketing for Artists

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

May 20, 2013

ARTISTS. 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.

If 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

Book on Selling Art Discusses Link Between Money and Happiness

ArtFire.com to Launch Artisan-Focused Maker Space

April 17, 2013

MakerSpace ArtFire.com, an online marketplace with over 100,000 members worldwide, is converting the historic Bates mansion in downtown Tucson, Arizona into their new headquarters and an artisan driven maker space.

The new “Maker House” will be a community hub and education space for artists, artisans and creative entrepreneurs. It will also provide access to equipment that artists and makers might not have readily available in their home studios, such as 3D printers, vinyl cutters, kilns, screen-printing presses, paper embossers, and computer-guided sewing machines.

The Maker House will also include meeting rooms, communal workspaces, and a coffee bar. A 5,000 square foot courtyard hidden behind nine-foot walls can be used for outdoor concerts and other events. Watch for the grand opening of The Maker House in September.

“Moving Artfire.com into this wonderful historic space perfectly matches both the future of tech companies in Southern Arizona and our commitment to artisans and the creative entrepreneur,” said John Jacobs, CEO and Founder of ArtFire.com.

“I can’t imagine a more fitting space for a project that offers new collaborations for creative people,” said Tony Ford, the co-founder and COO of ArtFire.com. “Creating a physical space that mirrors the variety, diversity and collaboration of our online artisan community and joining that to the indie artist community in Tucson is a perfect way to extend the ArtFire brand.”

ArtFire.com was founded in Tucson in 2008 by entrepreneurs with a passion for handmade art and indie business. The site currently features 1 million items from 15,000 artists worldwide. More than 2.5 million shoppers visit ArtFire.com each month.

LINKS

About Artfire.com

How to Create an Online Store on Artfire.com

Artfire Guest Blogger: Eight Steps to a Killer Listing

Artspan Removes Sales Commission from Member Websites

April 4, 2013

Artspan is both a provider of easy-to-maintain artist websites and an online destination for buyers of contemporary art. Founded in 1999 by painter and entrepreneur Eric Sparre, the Artspan portal enables visitors to view 4,000 artist websites in 18 different categories, including painting, photography, jewelry, and sculpture.

Artspan recently announced that they will not be charging commissions for sales made directly through members’ sites.

“We will not charge any commission on purchases made by buyers going directly to the artists’ websites. These are their buyers, not ours,” says Sparre. “There will continue to be a minimal commission on sales where the buyers use our searches and shops to find artwork. We will use the proceeds to promote the artists’ work and the ease of the shopping experience on Artspan.com and Jewelspan.com.”

Jewelspan.com is a new boutique collection of artist websites specifically targeted to buyers looking for handcrafted jewelry. Its websites also appear on Artspan.com.

Autonomous Website with Community Benefits

As an Artspan or Jewelspan member, you get a multi-featured, customizable individual website with its own domain name. No technical background is required to manage your Artspan website; you can upload new work and blog posts whenever you are ready. You can customize the layout, fonts, and colors as desired.

If buyers meet you an art show or read about you through your own publicity efforts, they can access your website directly by entering your domain name in the browser search window. (You won’t pay Artspan commissions on any sales you make this way.)

But if you want your work to be viewed by a much larger pool of buyers who are searching for contemporary art online, you can rely on the experts at Artspan.com to help generate additional traffic and exposure for your site. This relieves you from having to master the intricacies of SEO (search-engine optimization).

It can be a best-of-both-world scenario. While maintaining the autonomy of your own website, you will be part of Artspan’s searchable, high-traffic community that is consistently top-ranked for the term “Contemporary Art” by Google and Yahoo.

Artspan also provides you with a wealth of marketing information and easy access to their Help Desk, which can be reached by phone or email.

LINKS

About Artspan

Jewelspan

Artspan Blog Post: Pinning with a Purpose—How Artists Use Pinterest