| You get to 'use your words' in a way that's socially-calming.
There's a pandemic going on. It's changed everything.
Some of the changes are harsh, some are strange, some will be permanent. And frankly, some work for me.
I've always described myself as half-introvert/half-extrovert. I'm comfortable talking with people, but after intense socializing, I have to go lie down in a dark room for a while.
But when I realized how comfortable I was with NO socializing, I looked up the signs of introversion. Aha! THAT's why I hate making phone calls, and even answering the phone. I am an introvert! (With good camouflage skills) Good to know. No wonder I love to write!
A lot of artists tell me they're not comfortable talking about their art. They don't like artist receptions. They don't know what to say to the jillions of questions people ask about us, our work, our medium, etc. They'll say, "My art speaks for itself!" (It doesn't, just so you know.) There are work-arounds for this.
Years ago, Bruce Baker was a traveling workshop/presenter on marketing skills for artists, sharing tips and insights he'd gathered from other artists, and his own experience with selling at shows, running a gallery, and booth display. One stuck in my head. "If you get a lot of people asking the same question, and it's getting boring answering it over and over, to the point where you feel a little grumpy about it, MAKE A SIGN."
I never tire of answering questions, because it's a way of meeting people where they are and connecting them to my work from their particular point-of-view.
But I did notice some people preferred to browse quietly, looking, listening to me talk to other people. They took their time to speak up. I made signs for THEM, and it's worked really well over the years. So signs work well for introvert visitors AND introvert artists.
So consider this thought:
Your email art newsletter is like that 'sign' in your studio.
That's a great way to 'reframe' your newsletter.
Last week's suggestion was to write a newsletter as if you were talking to a good friend, simply catching them up on what's new/different/exciting/ in your life.
This week, realize that "talking" by writing a newsletter is a lot easier for an introvert than talking in person.
For the next year, until it's safe to go back in the water, we can skip those preview exhibits (unless they 'ZOOM'). We won't have any studio visitors for a while (or far fewer, at least.) (I actually thought I wouldn't have to clean my studio for the rest of the year. But then I realized I need to create some video studio tours. Ack! Bring in the vacuum cleaner!!)
As you sigh in relief of how much less TALKING you'll have to do, put that energy, extra time, and effort into writing a newsletter.
My gift to you this week is a short column. But your homework is to use this extra time to jot down ideas you can write about for your next email art newsletter.
Because next week, we'll talk more about just that. I'd love to hear all the thoughts you come up with. I'll have my own, but I want to hear yours, too! Remember, even 'bad' ideas can be edited/transformed into good ones, so don't hesitate to share.
If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to pass it on to someone else. And if someone sent you this article, and you liked it, too, see more of my articles at FineArtViews.com, other art marketing topics at Fine Art Views art marketing newsletter, and my blog at LuannUdell.wordpress.com.
| 