Debbie Overton Designs

Wordless Wednesday: Jellyfish on Jekyll Island

2009-11-11T08:31:46-05:00

Debbie Overton

Marketing Mindset

2009-11-10T12:30:00-05:00

Are you looking for a comprehensive video workshop series designed to help you as an artist get your name and work in front of the public? I am so happy to share with you "Marketing Mindset" with KC Willis. KC has PAID her dues and she is now sharing how she has made a name for herself with her new online workshop.

I started my own art career some 20+ years ago. I asked the advice of KC and many others. Each shared with me things they had learned. I took that info and I did make something happen for many years under a different name. I had the sales reps. I did the wholesale thing for years. I traveled to the trade shows in Atlanta, Dallas, Ohio, Missouri and many more regional shows to meet potential shop owners in my reps booths. It was fun, exciting, time consuming, stressful and more! I learned things I wanted to know, things I didn't expect, things I wish I had known before I had made some of my decisions. I had deadlines to meet, orders to fulfill, emails and phone calls were non-stop and my calendar was filled overflowing to the margins of the little squares! I found myself talking with cutie pie brown from UPS or the FedEx guy more than my family. My kids activities were non-stop and I was working day and night to stay on top of things.

The next thing I knew I was creating non-stop but found myself creating for everyone else and not myself. Each shop wanted me to do this or that. I drew the line when asked to add glitter and ruffles to meet their customers wants. Maybe that is what they wanted, but it was not what I wanted. Here I was with 5 reps, shops from coast to coast, licensing deals in the works and opportunities that many would have been thrilled with. But all of a sudden I was asking myself, What have I gotten myself into? Is this where I really want to be? Am I having fun? And the answer was NO!

Had I had all the information so readily available to us as artists today, I might not have found myself questioning the path I was heading down and if this was really where I wanted the road to go.

Check out some of the topics to be covered in KC's workshop:

• Creating a cohesive, signature look
• Working in series
• Consignment vs. wholesale
• Pricing your work
• The differences between approaching a gallery, a shop, an on-line retailer or a catalog
• Using Social Networks
• PR-how to get written about in newspapers and magazines
• Marketing your work without leaving home
• The Pros and Cons of having an Artist's Rep.
• Researching your market
• Licensing your work and your name.
• Blogs vs. Websites
• Selling on-line
• Keeping motivated
• Becoming fearless
• And soooooo much more.

There are numerous marketing books, online marketing experts and other tools out there AND each one has something to offer. I have gained valuable information from many of them in the past and continue to gain knowledge. There is always something to learn even for those that think they can do it all on their own.

As for me and my art....I don't create art to please others, I create art that makes me happy. AND I am happy where I am at this time in my life. I am thrilled to be a part of "Marketing Mindset" and know I will gain knowledge that I can use in marketing other artists I represent through my online market for independent artists to sell their artwork.

As KC said, this is an investment in your future and I plan to take full advantage of the knowledge that is being offered through this workshop and the many books, newsletters and other online opportunities available to all of us.

Hope to see you join us in what looks to be a great online marketing workshop and if you still want more marketing insight, take a look at the resources listed in the left sidebar. Oh and be sure to visit the Marketplace blog on November 15th when Kelly Watson of Womenwise Marketing will be our Guest Blogger talking about how to close the sale!

Creatively,

Debbie

Artists can do Anything!

2009-11-08T09:00:00-05:00

Debbie Overton

Womenwise Marketing

2009-11-03T12:14:17-05:00

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to review a copy of Kelly Watson of Womenwise Marketing's new eBook "Small Business Blogging Blueprint". By clicking on the book cover below you can read my review as well as learn more about how it may be just the marketing tool you need to get your blog moving in the direction you want your business to go.

Kelly gave a great interviewon MMCA Marketplace recently that has stirred up more interest in hearing from her and coming soon Kelly will be a guest blogger answering some of the marketing problems our readers shared in their comments to her interview.

Although I have had an account with Wordpress for quiet sometime, actually 2 yrs for one of my accounts, I have never taken the time to work with it, but after reading Kelly's eBook you will soon find both of my blogs self-hosted on my own business domain sites.

Now off to work on the redesigns of my business sites while more layers of texture dry on the blue and green canvas + the other 5 in the series!

Works In Progress

2009-10-29T15:00:00-04:00

As I was playing around with several pieces last night I realized I don't share very often the images of my artwork especially the "works in progress" and very little of my completed works. Thoses that really know me also know why I don't, but that's another story for another time and place. It was late and the house was quiet as I worked on several different surfaces building up layers for my backgrounds. The piece above is acrylics in some of my favorite Golden colors (Naples Yellow Hue mixed with Green Gold, Ultramarine Blue, Pyrrole Red and the must have use with everything, Titanium White) on Claybord, which I have used for quiet some time and love how you can do so many things with it. Before this piece is finished it will have many, many layers of paint + crayon + colored pencil + charcoal pencil + china markers + who knows what else will find its way into the picture. Then you throw in a little scratching with a wire brush or sandpaper for distressing. Somewhere in all the mix will be my own hand drawings and or photos, then more layers of paint, gel mediums and sealers.

Off to take care of the business side of this creative business, then it is back to the fun stuff above! More "works in progress" coming soon!