Artist Geek

Moving the blog...

2014-03-21T16:58:00.003-04:00

Visit www.artistgeek.com for newer blog posts!

Facing Facts, Part 2

2014-01-27T16:12:00.000-05:00

Last week, I posed a question… which artist listing used the picture of the artist working more effectively? I'll wait here while you go and take a look.

I said #2 was better, though some thought #1 was... because you can see the art she is working more clearly. It was a bit of a trick question, and to answer it, we have to delve quickly into a little psychology, a little human nature and even some basic principles of design.

Psychology: We always look where other people are looking (or pointing)
Human Nature: We are easily distracted (especially on the internet)
Graphic Design: Good design supports easy comprehension of the item you are looking at

Even though photo #1 from last week may be more educational—the fact that she is looking 'off the page' leads the reader's eye away from the rest of the listing.

That split second of distraction alone can actually impact a viewer's engagement with the rest of the listing.

Good design leads your viewer's eye on the exact path you want them to take. In this case, the direction you are facing in a photo will influence the amount of time people spend looking at your listing.

Let's look at another example:

In the first one, Lori is facing the edge of the page (or screen). Your eye drifts away from the text and the artwork. In the second one, since Lori is facing toward the center, your attention stays on the page.

Subtle? Maybe so. But why leave anything up to chance? Connection is what matters when it comes to building your audience and selling your art. The more you foster engagement, the better.

The second photo just feels more intimate and connected, doesn't it?

The TAKE-AWAY: When you do get your camera out (and maybe have a friend taking some pics of you working), pay attention to getting shots from both sides (and straight-on). Then you'll always be facing the right way for any occasion (and editors will love you for sending choices for their magazine layouts, too).

TIP: you might be tempted to simply flip your photo depending on where it goes. That can be a good shortcut. But (above) is Lori right-handed or left-handed?

Stacks and stacks of paper

2014-01-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

Every year, I design and coordinate the 40 page Studio Guide for the River Arts District Artists in Asheville NC. It's an intense job, gathering and keeping track of pics, info and advertising from close to 200 artists and other businesses in the River Arts District.

Happy to report that the shiny new 2014 guide will be on the streets soon (70,000 copies!) Here's a sneak peek at the progress from my favorite printing buddies at Daniels Graphics:

UPDATE: …on the folding machine

Facing Facts, part 1

2014-01-19T14:38:00.003-05:00

What's the difference between the 2 artist listings below? (I chose these at random from the River Arts District website that I maintain for a fabulous group of artists in Asheville NC.)

Both of these listings are effective, succinct and informative, and both include a picture of the artist (this alone increases the reader's connection with you).

But one of these listings is more effective solely because of the picture of the artist at the left of each listing. Before you read on, can you guess?

Both of these photos are good, and EXACTLY what I encourage every artist to have available for publicity opportunities. And yet, for this particular use, the second photo is more effective.

Why? Tell me what you think in the comments…
UPDATE: read the answer in Part 2

[Makeover Monday is a new series I've created so that I can talk to you about simple tweaks you can make to create a more effective presence & presentation both online and offline. I'll look at listings, websites, shops, newsletters, brochures, signs, logos—really anything that catches my eye—and give you specific ideas for making them serve you better (so that you build better connection with your audience and sell more art)]
Don't miss a makeover: look in the sidebar to the right and enter your email address for GeekTips (and a few things to think about for the next time you update your website).

Making Money Online — spinning a yarn (bowl)

2013-12-16T17:24:00.001-05:00

Everyone says you can sell your art online. And yet, even though you have put your prices on your website, and told people to email you if they want to buy, nothing is really happening.

The thing is, you have to make it easy for people to buy.

Here's an example. Let's say you are a potter. You've got 8 of these really cool yarn bowls in stock that would make great Christmas gifts for knitters.

All of your work is set up for sale on your website, including the yarn bowls, and you've even invested in a shopping cart system so that people can order online. It seems pretty easy.

And yet, even though the season is here, the orders are not pouring in. (Frustrating, isn't it?)

By coincidence, my clients Eileen & Marty Black of The Potter's Mark here in Asheville had this exact problem.

We've been working the last few months on developing a simple stay-in-touch strategy for them so that they can nurture and serve their mailing list of past customers.

We offered 5 of the yarn bowls through their ezine last week. Just 2 short sentences about knitting, a picture of the bowl, a deadline of noon the following day, and a link to the sales page.

The result: 4 bowls sold within hours.

The 3 most important take-aways?

Even though this bowl was available online already, offering it separately brought to people's attention at the right moment.
Provide a deadline or a reason for action. Make it easy for people to decide to act immediately (without getting pushy about it, of course).
Make it super easy to buy (Click here to see the Sales page for the Yarn Bowl - you might even be able to finish up your shopping!)

Is selling your art online worth your investment of time? Discuss in the comments below.

What Artists can learn from the Boy Scouts

2013-12-09T21:35:00.002-05:00

It's that motto thing. Be prepared.

A while back I wrote about the 6 things every artist must photograph. But what do you do with the photos once you have them?

Well, let's say you read that post when I wrote it in July 2012. Maybe you even started taking photos in your studio regularly. You may even know where the photos are on your computer so that you can find them fast when you need them (that's another story, isn't it?)

And if all of those things are true for you, then you are prepared.

In fact, it'll be easy for you to send a photo of your studio to be featured in Professional Artist Magazine. Click the image below to go to the entry form (then click to skip the site sales page to get to the entry form) - submissions are free, and due this week.

What if no one even opens your emails?

2013-12-03T08:31:00.004-05:00

Email Marketing (by which I mean: building a list of your customers, friends, fans and other interested folks) is still one of the most effective ways of selling your art.

And yet, if you're like many of the artists I talk to, you're reluctant to reach out more than every once in a while (3 or 4 times a year, maybe) when you have some news.

You don't want to bother your customers. You don't have time to write a big ole' newsletter more than a few times a year.

And when you do, most people don't even seem to open them.

Here's a secret… your customers and fans are busy and distracted. If you only send an email once in a while, people will forget why they should bother taking the time to open your email at all. They may even forget who you are (hard to believe, right?)

So how can you, as an artist, start engaging your audience via email?

Here are 3 quick things to think about today:

Once a month is the minimum requirement for staying in touch (consistency is key)
Don't put the word newsletter in the subject line of your email. Trust me, no one really wants another newsletter. This goal of your email strategy is staying in touch (and eventual sales).
Keep it short. People are busy. What can you share in a monthly email that will only take your reader a minute to look at, take in, and remember you?

And a question to ponder: is it possible to sell your art by email?

Consistency is the key to Connection

2013-08-19T16:27:00.000-04:00

A lot of artists ask me how often they have to send out news to their mailing list. They think perhaps once a quarter will do; after all, they don't want to annoy anyone.

Have you felt like that? You're reluctant to send an email out to your mailing list for fear they will think you are spamming them.

Well, here's the thing... the people who have asked to hear from you WANT to hear from you.

In fact, if you don't stay in touch regularly (this means on a schedule that YOU can maintain and THEY can count on), you are doing your customers a dis-service. By NOT marketing, you are neglecting those important relationships you must nurture to be a successful artist today.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

Client Spotlight—Karen Trubner-Kent

2013-08-19T15:43:00.004-04:00

I love to share information and resources that can be useful to you—even resources that are a little outside of the usual art/design business sphere.

Last week, I finished up a website redesign for Karen Trubner-Kent of Design a Healthy Life. I can tell you that she really understands people who are challenged by food sensitivities.

Karen knows that everything—from your environment to your sleep, from what you eat to how you enjoy life affects your health.

I have known Karen for a number of years and highly recommend her coaching and her Healthy Life Toolkit.

Go and get her free Healthy Life Toolkit — it takes a holistic approach to helping people cope with newly diagnosed food sensitivity, and includes practical tips for everyone - such as: The #1 Thing to Do One Hour Before Bed, and How to Be A Savvy Shopper.

Sync and Backup your Important Files

2013-08-05T10:24:00.005-04:00

You know that I'm a big fan of having ONE place or ONE system for all of your files and information.

The confusing part for many artists is: where should that be? Evernote and Dropbox work really well together for this purpose.

There's a new player in town: Copy.com is a competitor to Dropbox, and by clicking here, your free account will contain 20 GB (instead of only 2GB with Dropbox). Sign up today, download to your computer or iDevice (I'll supply a tutorial here soon).

On September 15, I'll be introducing the Artist Geek Tech Toolkit: all of the simplest and best tools and services you need to stop wasting time, and stop losing files, so that you never miss an opportunity.

Stay Active (no, this is not a post about fitness...)

2013-07-16T07:47:00.002-04:00

I read a post by an artist on Facebook recently. It said: "no new art has been created this week." It left me wondering whether her painting factory had let her down.

Today's GeekTip: Write in active voice. Don't know what that means?

Head on over to Jennifer McClanahan Flint's blog and read this guest post by Glad Doggett (I've known both of these women for a few years and you should too.) In this post, Glad shares a simple formula to help you remember to stay active (it's easier than push-ups).

Top 3 Ways to Meet Your Deadlines

2013-07-11T09:29:00.003-04:00

We've all been faced with deadlines. Whether they are external or self-imposed really doesn't matter. It's always disappointing to miss a deadline.

The top 3 ways to meet your deadlines are:

Be Organized (how much time do YOU waste looking for things?)
Stay Calm (getting stressed out and frantic NEVER seems to help)
Work Fast (I think I have finally found the key to this):

(Video produced entirely on iPad Mini with GorillaCam and Pinnacle Studio)

How to say a lot without actually saying a lot

2013-07-08T17:27:00.002-04:00

One of the most common mistakes many artists make is writing too much (or too little, but that is a message for another day).

Learning to be CONCISE is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as an artist.

The good news (and the challenge) for you as an artist in business is that you really only have a few seconds to catch someone's attention whether it is online OR offline.

What is the most effective way to make sure your audience actually reads what you write? Tell me your ideas in the comments and we'll solve the mystery in the next blog post...

Parked bicycles heading to High Point, NC exhibition

2013-07-08T16:28:00.003-04:00

I've never been to High Point, NC (I know I have driven by there many times), and I'm excited to be heading there soon with these Parked Bicycles (7' x 5') for The Bicycle: Art Meets Form, an Invitational Exhibition at the Theatre Art Galleries. Parked is one of two of my works selected for this exhibition in conjunction with the USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championships.

Update: This piece won an Honorable Mention! Thanks so much to the Theatre Art Galleries and juror Edie Carpenter from the Green Hill Center for NC Art.

Why you should always have your camera with you

2013-06-25T08:52:00.002-04:00

This is the 12th year I've been coming to Blue Mountain Lake, and the first time I have even come close to taking a good photo of a loon.

I've certainly heard their call, and seen them a number of times, but never managed to snap a pic. It's not because they were too far away, or moving too fast; it's because I still hadn't managed to make a habit of keeping my camera with me at all times. I think this is just the first of many loon pics now.

One of the things I teach in my workshops is the five things that every artist must consistently photograph to help them tell their story effectively online, create interest in their work and attract new customers.

What picture have you missed lately by leaving your camera at home?

How to get more done by leaving town for a week

2013-06-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

Last week I was working on the content for my upcoming Artist Geek workshops in Alexandria, Virginia. I felt like there wasn't enough time in the day to finish everything related to that trip, especially when faced with all of the everyday errands, distractions and demands.

On top of that, I ALWAYS go to Blue Mountain Lake NY for a dulcimer retreat at this time of year.

Feeling pressured by some "there's not enough time" gremlins, I nearly cancelled the trip, but finally decided to go by promising myself that I'd work for 3 hours a day on my project (something I'd found nearly impossible to do at home).

Wow, I am glad I did! By leaving behind the day-to-day minutia and obligations, I've easily focused on my project, AND had time to play music, enjoy my friends, do a little tai chi, and chill by the lake.

It's funny how we kid ourselves into thinking we don't have time to go away, when sometimes the going away gives you the time and space to learn something new, and to gain perspective on what's important.

Do your customers want to hear from you?

2013-06-18T08:01:00.000-04:00

When my client, Kathryn Phillips, told me she was going to be featured in Carolina Home & Garden magazine , I asked her if she had a mailing list. She said she had addresses here and there, but no real plan or way to share exciting news like that.

I suggested that we add a signup form to her website... maybe on a news page, so that interested collectors, friends and random visitors could raise their hand and be the first to hear of Kathryn's news and new work. I also encouraged her to think of something to give her site and studio visitors.

(Kathryn and me during the recent River Arts District Studio Stroll)

THE RESULT: in a few short weeks, she now has close to 90 people on her list, and is learning to make it a habit to stay in touch with them regularly.

Do you make it easy for your web visitors to choose to hear from you? If you'd like to rev up your website, develop a solid new plan for your online and offline presence, and stop missing out on opportunities to tell your story, sign up for the Beach Geek Retreat Week...this September in Sandbridge, Virginia.

One of the best email newsletter services (and why)

2013-06-17T08:06:00.000-04:00

There are so many choices in email newsletter services. Mad Mimi is my personal favorite, and here are 5 reasons why.

Your first 2500 subscribers are free
When you are ready to add more subscribers, or more features like autoresponders, their pricing is about 1/2 of the other free providers like MailChimp, and the other pricey options like Constant Contact and aweber.
The only option available to you is a one-column layout. This guarantees that you won't overload your readers with too much to look at
The one-column format makes your email super easy to read on mobile devices, which is where a growing number of your customers read your emails
After a short learning/setup period (I can even help you with that), Mimi is super-easy to use to pre-schedule mailings and simplify your outreach

Check out Mad Mimi... not only for the reasons above, but because Mimi is super-friendly. (links here are affiliate links which means I get a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate if you ever upgrade to a paid Mad Mimi plan)

Elephants never forget... Use Reminders in Evernote and you won't either

2013-06-10T11:27:00.000-04:00

Evernote, my all-time favorite organization helper app/program for artists, just got even more useful.

Evernote now includes reminders, a new feature for Mac & iOS, Android and Windows Phone

Reminders on a Mac (above), and on iPad (below)

The addition of reminders to Evernote, means you can:

Temporarily pin an important note to the top of your list
Use Evernote to remind you of a task attached to a note
Keep a short to-do list in Evernote, so you don't have to keep switching from app to app (I keep a note with my 3 most important tasks for the week at the top of my Evernote using Reminders)

If you are curious about all of the other ways artists can use Evernote to stay super-organized, click here to take a look at Successful Artists Use Evernote: Simple Steps to start using Evernote to nurture your collectors, keep your research, receipts and ideas at your fingertips and maybe even make your coffee.

Studio Visit: Molly Courcelle

2013-06-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

I caught up with one of my favorite clients, Molly Courcelle during the Studio Stroll in Asheville's River Arts District yesterday. We recently finished a complete makeover for Molly's website: www.mollycourcelle.com. Next up...maybe a portfolio book to use as an elegant marketing piece?

How to make an owl

2013-06-02T22:47:00.001-04:00

Can you explain your artistic process? It may or may not be quite as simple as "How to make an owl from a disc of clay."

Can you show a few of the steps in your process, or even just a glimpse of a stage in the process? It's key to telling your story online. What can you photograph in your studio to invite your customers to know and relate to you and your art?
(owls courtesy of The Village Potters Teaching Center)

Studio Visit: Sketchbooks

2013-05-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

I find artist sketchbooks fascinating... they give you a peek into the artist's creative process... I saw this paper on potter Cat Jarocz's workbench... a few new design ideas, and something about bacon I had never really thought of.

How effective is your website?

2013-05-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

Ask an SEO expert or a statistics guru how to tell if your website is doing it's job, and you'll get a plethora of metrics and keyword gobbledygook.

You might be able to report that 500 people visited your website last week. But what does that really mean to you if it didn't result in any sales? And is sales the most important function of a website?

I was chatting with an artist friend the other day. Her studio is open to the public one day a week in Asheville's River Arts District.

She said that every single person who visits her studio leaves with a piece of her story. Everyone leaves feeling connected with her. They don't always buy something, but guess what? They often come back to buy later.

How can you tell your story online? Is your website inviting? Confusing? Impersonal? Overloaded with choice?

How could you start a conversation with your website (and social media) visitors and friends so that they get to know you? What would make someone remember to re-visit your website once they have seen it the first time?

Food for thought. Tell me what you think in the comments...

Studio Visit: Celia Barbieri

2013-05-27T09:50:00.002-04:00

Or: what are the two most important things to remember when setting up your desk in your studio?

1. Always set your computer to a slideshow of your art when you are not using it
2. Provide for the comfort of your employees

Celia Barbieri is the Button Florist.
She works in Asheville's River Arts District at #9 Riverside Drive (CURVE studio & garden)

Bringing you the latest technology every day

2013-05-13T16:24:00.000-04:00

You know I always want to find the simplest tool for the job. Sometimes it IS faster to use a pencil instead of a computer. But I have my doubts about this rather old machine my husband's father used to type his invoices on. I believe I prefer Freshbooks on my iPad.