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Hi,
I hope you are doing well and having an inspiring day!
Have you ever had one of those amazing conversations with someone that fills your heart with hope and turns your day around?
I recently had a conversation with one of our members that made me feel this way. Afterwards, I couldn't help smiling and happily dancing around the house like the Cheshire Cat for the rest of the day.
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You see, everyone once in a while one of the artists in our wonderful community of creators reaches out to me desperately looking for help.
Most of the time when an artist reaches out to me, it's because they are struggling to sell their art and are looking for answers. This time, though, it was for a very different reason.
This artist, who I'll call Bob, was frustrated because he didn't understand why he had to market and sell his art.
Bob had just left a career as a software developer to pursue his passion to become an artist. He had spent so much time away from creating, that the very thought of spending any time away from creating in his studio made him sick to his stomach.
As you can imagine, he was pretty upset with me because I've been sending out invitations for artists to sign up for our free newsletter FineArtViews in order to learn how to market and sell their art.
Bob was reaching out to me to try and convince me to, in his words, "Stop wasting artists' time trying to turn them into used car salesmen!"
OK, by now you're probably wondering how a conversation that started out so poorly ended up making my day.
Well, it's kind of an interesting story. It all started with a simple question that I asked Bob.
"Why did you become an artist?"
I don't think he was expecting me to say that. I think he was gearing up for an argument with me on the merits of marketing and selling art. All he said was, "Huh..."
So I gave him a minute to think it over and here's what he finally said:
"Wow, nobody's ever asked me that before...
I guess part of it is just that I can't help myself. If I'm not creating I'm just not happy.
But a big reason that I became an artist is because I want to make a difference in somebody's life by making them see the world in a different way."
Wow, what an amazing answer, don't you think?
Then I asked him how many people he wanted to impact with his art, and he said, "As many as I can reach."
That's when I hit him with the million dollar question. I asked him how he planned on reaching all those people.
He was quiet for a while and then said, "I have no idea."
So that's when I told him that there was a story he was telling himself that was getting in the way of his dreams. That story goes something like this:
All marketing and selling is bad. It's all about manipulating people to buy things that they don't want or need. I'm a good person, which is why I'm so bad at marketing. So I shouldn't even waste my time doing it. I should just work hard at being the best artist I can be. Someday, somehow, someone will notice my talent. And when they do, they will handle all the marketing and selling for me. That way I can focus all of my time on creating. Until then, I just have to suck it up and suffer through some lean years.The fact is that this approach very rarely works. Most artists end up never realizing their dream of having an impact on the world.
Then I shared a little secret with Bob. I told him that his story didn't have to end this way as long as he was willing to let go of one of his assumptions.
You see, the truth is that manipulating people into buying something they don't want to buy is the worst form of marketing. The very best marketing is about improving people's lives.
At this point Bob was intrigued and willing to hear more. He wanted to know how marketing could improve people's lives.
So I told him that the very best marketing tells a genuine story that creates a powerful connection between the buyer and something that they really need to make their lives better.
I went on to share some stories about artists I've worked with who were in a similar situation to his and how they had gone on to touch a lot of people's lives through their art.
I also gave Bob some advice on how he could get started and suggested that he sign up for FineArtViews so he could learn more.
By the end of our call, Bob's entire mood changed. He was no longer angry or frustrated. In fact, he seemed happy and excited. He thanked me for my time and told me that I had given him a lot to think about. He also let me know that he signed up for FineArtViews during our call.
The last thing he said to me was, "Huh, I just realized something. This whole time that you and I have been talking you've been sharing stories with me. And your stories have really opened my eyes to a whole different way of thinking about this art marketing stuff. And I feel a whole lot better than I did before our call. Is that what you meant by great marketing?"
I was grinning ear to ear when I said, "Yup, that's exactly what I was talking about Bob."
Bob had finally gotten it, and I couldn't wait to see his impact on the world as he put the ideas he was about to learn in FineArtViews into practice.
So what about you? Are you ready to make your mark on the world by learning how to market and sell your art with integrity?
If so, just click on the button below to sign up to receive our free FineArtViews newsletter today.
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I look forward to welcoming you to the FineArtViews family!
Regards,
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Dave Geada
Chief Marketing Officer
BoldBrush and FASO
P.S. What did you think of my story about Bob? Does it sound a lot like your story, or is there something else that's getting in the way of you inspiring the world with your art?
Feel free to email me dave@faso.com and let me know. I'd be happy to help.
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