by Rebecca Sciullo | May 11, 2020 | Learning, Planning
I recently read this article in the Harvard Business Review. It offers thoughtful questions for every business person about taking “post-crisis” steps.
What’s Your Next Move in Your Business?
As a creative entrepreneur, what’s your next step? If you were actively marketing and selling your work, you likely experienced some disruption in your efforts. What is next for you as the world gets back to business? Are you going to throw in the towel on selling your work? I hope not! While there may be some challenging days ahead, don’t give up on your plans. You may have to adapt, but people will still purchase art.
Realizing you can’t predict what’s coming, you can still make a plan of action. Here are some things that you might consider doing to help in this process.
Take stock of the positive. What did you accomplish during this time if you were on a stay home order? Remind yourself of any positive actions that you accomplished.
Envision your future. If you already have a vision for your art business, you may need to revisit it. Does it still hold up? Are your priorities and goals the same? If not, adapt your plans accordingly.
Analyze your situation. What if online exhibitions are the new norm? Are you prepared to present your work this way? What if the only way you can offer a workshop is over Zoom? Can you learn what it takes to do this? Make a shortlist of what you need to do for your business.
Plan accordingly. Walk backward through your vision. How can you realize it, based upon what you now know about daily life, the art world, fairs, festivals, and your community?
Finally, What Every Artist Must Have in Place for the Future.
If you are not already connecting with your audience and collectors electronically, this should be a number one priority. Things that you can consider are starting an email newsletter or blog. If you have one of these tools in place but have let it go dormant, do what it takes to revive it.
Shameless Plug!
One of the best ways to keep your audience updated is through blogging. To start your own, get started with this Guide. Then follow Artist Blogging 101. For intensive help, visit Artist Blogging Services.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
by Rebecca Sciullo | May 4, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101
With your artist blog pages complete and a basic understanding of the structure of a blog post, its time to start posting.
Just Do It.
Don’t stress too much about getting your blog posts started. If this is a new habit for you, the best thing to do is to start writing. Keeping your vision and goals in mind, begin crafting posts for your blog.
Here is a list of ideas on what to post.
Tips to Get Started Posting on Your Artist Blog
Just write. Then write some more. The more you write, the easier it will become for you to generate content.
Be authentic. Write in the same way that you would speak to your live audience.
Set a goal of ten posts before you start sharing your blog with others via email or social media. Most platforms will allow you to set your blog so that it does not show up in search engines until you are ready for it to be public.
Give Yourself a Goal
Set a realistic goal of writing a specific number of posts this week. Set some time on your calendar and get writing.
Stay tuned to Artist Blogging 101. As you develop a writing habit for your blog, future posts here are going to help you with the writing process and developing a strategy for your blog.
by Rebecca Sciullo | May 1, 2020 | Artisan Advantage Book Club
We All Have an Ego
I
t’s something that we develop throughout our lives, and not necessarily on purpose. In Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday makes that case this ego is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in life. His thoughtful book gives advice and anecdotes on how and why to avoid the ego trap.
Takeaways from Ego is the Enemy.
Just when you think you’ve got it, there is always more to learn.
Pride can make us overly sensitive to criticism that could help us.
The ego leads us to try to control things.
When things don’t go our way, instead of getting upset, we should figure out what happened.
As a career or venture blossoms, be mindful of the role ego is playing in our actions.
Read More
Ryan Holiday is a best-selling author and media strategist. I enjoy receiving his Reading List Email, where he encourages his followers to read and provides lists of a wide variety of recommended books.
It’s never too late to join the Artisan Advantage Book Club. The next book selection posts next week. Sign up here to join the newsletter mailing list.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 29, 2020 | Blogging, Writing
If you are trying to produce content regularly for your artist blog, it’s essential to have a productive writing space. You need an area where you are comfortable and able to focus on brainstorming, writing, and editing your posts.
You may need a place that is separate from your studio. My writing space has been taken over by my daughter, thanks to at-home pandemic learning, so I’ve been relegated to a couch. It’s working, but I’m looking forward to the day I can reclaim my space!
Tips for Finding or Creating the Perfect Writing Space
NY Book Editors offer practical advice like uncluttering your space and adding a little inspiration.
How to foster creativity and inspiration from The Writing Cooperative.
Grammarly put up a post about unconventional writing spaces. You may find that something like this works for you.
The Bottom Line
The best space is the one that you will use. It may take some trial and error, but work to find the place where you are comfortable and able to focus for periods on writing content for your artist blog. The more you write about your art, the easier it will get.
Do you have a writing space that you love? Send me a photo, I’d love to see it.
Interested in starting a blog for your visual art business, visit Artist Blogging 101.
Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item from Grammarly I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
by Rebecca Sciullo | Apr 27, 2020 | Artist Blogging 101, Learning
The last entry in Artist Blogging 101 reviewed the basic structure of a blog post. Before we get into the details of how and what to post, make sure that you have the appropriate pages set up on your site.
Pages to Consider for Your Artist Blog
Pages contain static content. Your audience can find them by navigating from your menu bar. While you will update them from time to time, they are generally not updated daily, like your posts. On Artisan Advantage, some of the pages include such as About, Resources, and Contact.
Here the pages that you should consider including on your site.
About Page:
This page will help visitors to get to know you. Style and content will vary, but here are some ideas on what to include.
A welcome to visitors. Thank them for visiting your site.
Your biography and artist statement. You could write your biographical information in a more informal style than you would in the case of submitting a bio to an exhibition or entry. Or, you could set up sub-pages for your biography and artist statement.
An invitation to follow you on your social media pages and to sign up for your email newsletter.
Some guidance on how to find your blog posts, in case someone lands on the About page first.
How to contact you. Yes, you will also have a contact page, but it never hurts to include this information on your About page as well.
Here is the About Page that I created for my father.
Gallery Page
While your blog posts will feature your work, you should have one page that directs them to a gallery of your work. There are different options for how to set up your gallery. You can consider using a system like Artwork Archive or you could build your gallery right into your site.
Here is an example of a Gallery page from artist Marla Greenfield.
Here is another way to set up your gallery, from artist Don Lake.
Artist Amy Rice presents her work as Portfolios and Projects.
Contact Me Page
This page is devoted to providing information on how people can contact you. Most blog platforms will give you the option of adding a contact form. I still recommend including an email address and any other contact information that you are comfortable sharing here.
How to Find Page
This page helps people to learn where they can find your work, either in person or online. The content will depend on your situation. Examples of information that you share would be galleries or retail venues that exhibit your work, both online and offline.
Events Page
An events page would list all of the different places that you are presenting or exhibiting in person. Or, considering our current situation, you could add online events such as virtual exhibitions, art talks, or demos if you are doing these things.
Include any place where people can interact with you in real-time.
How to Hire Page
If you do portrait or commission work, you should devote a page that explains how someone can hire you.
Here is an example from artist Mara Carlini.
How to Purchase Page
Similar to a “How to Hire Page” would be a How to purchase your work page. Explain how you transact, ship work, handle returns, etc. The more information that you can provide, the more likely your online visitor will feel comfortable dealing with you.
In the Press or Media Page.
List websites or news outlets where you or your work is featured. Keep track of your articles and add them to this list in a reverse chronological manner as they appear. Don’t be shy about tooting your own horn! These articles also help to establish your credibility with your audience. If there are one or two that are extremely impressive, you may want to feature them on your About page as well.
Publishing Your Pages
Publishing your pages should be a similar process to publishing a post. Don’t be afraid to work through a few drafts before you publish them. Take time to edit and proof before you launch, but remember, you can always update them as needed.
This week, take time to work on your pages. For more content from Artist Blogging 101, go here. If you’d like some help with your artist blog, visit my Artist Blogging Services page.
Do you have a unique page that is working well for your artist website and blog? I’d love to see it. Feel free to send a note and a link to becky@artisan-advantage.com.
