I know what I want to accomplish. It's figuring out how to get there that's the hard part.
Those Who Can, Do.We've all heard that saying. But nobody ever explains the part before the "do." You have a lot of learning before you can "do." I mean, it's all well and good to say things like "paint what you love" and "find galleries that are a good fit" or "market to your collectors."
How do you get to the place where you know what you love to create, you have identified what sorts of venues could sell your art, and you can describe the collectors who want to buy it? It seems to me there are no easy answers. We spend a lot of time explaining what to do once you figure the answers out, but we don't talk very much about the struggle in discovering them.
Friends, all I can share are my own experiences starting out in art. I would love to hear about yours.
I'm sure I could have found better ways to land in this full time professional artist life I am enjoying now. But these are the things I did that I found useful. Know that there were lots of failures too. I'm not confessing to those just yet.
If you want to learn to sell, sell. Don't laugh when I tell you the first thing I did was to sell Avon for 2 years in the early 2000's. There. I said it. Here's why I did it. I reasoned that I could benefit from a company with over 150 years of successful marketing and direct sales.
Plus, online tutorials were a new thing, and Avon had hours of them. I learned about up-selling, bundling, guerrilla marketing, ways to close sales. I didn't have to pay tuition for this knowledge. I don't have a business degree or any credentials to show for it, but I was one of their top sellers and I have the complimentary jewelry box and statue award to prove it. Ding dong.
This experience taught me that I do not personally enjoy direct sales. I stopped participating in the street fairs and I began working to figure out how to get gallery representation.
If you want to get better at creating art, teach. It's true. I needed to create a gallery worthy body of work. Once I had practiced my skills enough that I could confidently pass along some of what I knew, I started small. I organized a group of artists in the neighborhood to share techniques. I probably learned more than they did. The more I articulated what I was doing, the more my work improved. AND, the more my work improved, the more certain I became about what I love to paint. For me, it is all about the process, and I find it more enjoyable to make art that engages the senses in new ways, than to focus on one subject.
I taught one day classes for small groups, then bigger groups, and twenty years later I regularly teach classes and workshops, as well as private mentoring sessions. My teaching has grown slowly and steadily, and I happily say that to this day I continue to learn from each teaching experience. Along the way I learned I do not want teaching to be my primary income stream. That is important to know.
If you want to get more out of attending workshops, host some. I started hosting other artist friends to teach workshops in my home studios. At first, I did this because I wanted to learn all the nuances of being a workshop participant. As a host, I have had to consider lighting, comfort, food, and so many elements of workshop environments that I took for granted as the student. The act of hosting really helped me redesign my own daily studio practice. It also informed me on whether I want to ever open an atelier. I do not. Good to know.
To learn how to be an outstanding gallery artist, work at a gallery. In 2010 I was juried into a new cooperative gallery that was opening up in my county. I was part of the team that designed and organized the soft opening and then the grand opening for the gallery. In addition to arranging the exhibits and receptions, I was on the marketing team. Even the tasks I didn't lead, like finances, property maintenance and legal obligations, I was aware of. We each took turns being at the front desk to process sales and answer questions when people visited.
We also took turns curating the gallery. I learned how important it is to have a variety of art that still presents well when arranged together. It's also a strategy to limit what is on display, and swap it out with other pieces regularly. All of this informed me about which galleries my paintings might show well in.
It was the best way to really understand how hard it is to run a gallery. It also makes you realize truths like there is a buyer for everything.The trick is to get your art in front of the right buyer, and present it in a way that is inviting and professional. I learned that running a gallery is not my passion. Two years after my time on the co-op team, I was represented by two east coast galleries. It was important for me to work with gallery owners who consider me an equal partner on their team. I got that idea from working at the cooperative too.
To be better at art shows, volunteer at them. Nowadays, I organize solo and small group shows at art centers and museums regularly. In the beginning, I had no clue how to start doing that. So, I began volunteering. I served as juror, judge, curator, and did painting demonstrations or ran the cash register for any society that would have me. By being behind the scenes at shows, I learned the do's and don'ts of hosting and hanging successful art exhibits. It's hard to say, but my gut tells me this knowledge led to more awards and sales for me.
Do you want to improve your painting demonstration skills? Do demos. You can sketch at almost every art museum, and people will look on with curiosity as you do. If you engage them and answer questions, you may learn things. The same happens when you paint in plein air, or set up a table and create in any public location. You may even end up recruiting new students. Host a drawing group. Sharing with those friends will improve your performance when you are on stage doing a demonstration for a larger audience. I personally love interactive painting demonstrations and I take every opportunity to do them.
To get better at art talks, talk about art. I practice my art talks at show receptions. I pretend I am giving an art talk. Often, I do end up giving an informal one. I also ask a lot of questions. We learn so much when we listen to what other people have to say about our art. These discussions have coalesced into a mental definition of my typical collector. When I prepare formal art talks, I refer back to these Q and A sessions and that is what I speak about. If public speaking scares you, think of those occasions as conversations instead.
List what you want to get better at, and think of what you can DO to improve. I have found that whatever muscle I want to develop on this art journey, the best way to beef up is to exercise it.
