The workshop at CURA in Orange, CA was amazing! Thank you to Carolin Hosac Peters for inviting me. Ron Brown, Dean White, Aixa Oliveras, April Solomon, Katlin Evans, Jeni Geneva are a very talented group of artists and I was honored to be in their presence.
More to come!
MARCH 9 & 16
Artist Marketing Intensive
Saturdays 10:00-3:00
Hosted along with professional photographer Jesse Friedman.
The importance of clarity and authenticity
High Tech marketing strategies and how to meet your people online
High Touch marketing strategies and how to meet your people in person
Know your audience
Individual marketing plan
One on one review of your plan and execution
1708 Lena St #202 (upstairs)
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Across the street from Iconik.
There will be a one hour lunch break each day.
Or you may pay with a check.
You’re not just selling a product. You’re selling a lifestyle.
Engaging your customer online by telling a visual story, and making them feel like they’re purchasing the lifestyle or experience associated with your brand is called a LookBook showcase. This format has been a centerpiece of fashion magazines, like Elle and Vogue for a long time. Unlike product and catalog pages, which typically display products in an unadorned, utilitarian state, lookbooks provide context, presenting them in a real-life, visually-appealing setting. They give customers an idea of how a product is used, what it goes well with, and how it might fit into their home or lifestyle.Here is a great story that will help you use this concept to great effect with your social media.
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Presented another Artist As Brand Workshop, this time at San Diego State University. Another amazing group of talented individuals guided along by their professor, and amazing artist Neil Shigley.Neil and I met in New York during the late 80's while pursuing our illustration careers. We are both alumni of Art Center College of Design and love creating figurative art. We both gravitated toward social/political commentary in our work, and stressed the importance to the students of exploring life and the planet with the intention of experiencing something new and bringing those stories to life for others to experience.This was an emotional group and I look forward to seeing what visions they create.
A one day Artist As Brand Workshop at BYU was a blast. Thank you to Bob Barret, Bethanne and the rest of the faculty in the visionary art department. Yes, they rock.
The concept of book promotion has really become its own animal. You may ask what is a book anymore?Take for instance J.K. Rowling's, "The Magical Congress of the United States of America," and the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Rowling, still riding on her Harry Potter success has opened up a Pandora's Box of infinite possibility as to what a story can be.WB Games is set to release a "story pack" based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for the video game Lego Dimensions. The pack will include a constructible model of MACUSA, and a six-level game campaign that adapts the film's events.Rowling has also released four pieces of writing exclusively as an introduction to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," titled "History of Magic in North America." The trailer above showcases the potential for taking the concept of a storyline into other areas of production. Rowling of course had a large budget to create a very sophisticated promo here, but with your imagination, a small investment and some tech savy (hook up with those artists and techies), you too can open the doors to other income with your book, or whatever you choose to call it.
When the Argentine-born, London-educated artist Amalia hinderance moved to Los Angeles in 2014, she spent weeks chronicling the experience on Instagram (@ hindrance). She posted photos of her shopping binges, her avocado toast and even her plastic surgery: a boob job, natch.None of it was real. It was a performance, part of a larger examination of the ways in which women depict themselves in public. “Excellences & Perfections,” as the series was called, astutely employed Instagram’s fascination for hyper-pretty perfection to tell a story about a quest for just such a thing (one that involved a truckload of L.A. clichés).Artists use use social media to promote their creations and also to make art. How it is used can be beneficial or a problem. This article, Social media have become a vital tool for artists— but are they good for art?by Carolina A. Miranda for the LA Times looks at its benefits and the challenges.
Moderated another Artist As Brand, Rise of the Artist Entrepreneur panel discussion at the San Diego Comic Con, with a stellar group of artists, and writers, (from l to r)- Todd Lockwood, Me, Vincenzo Ferriero, Aaron Horkey, Ray Chou, Jess Schnabel, Daniel Monster Davis. A big thank to everyone involved. Many pearls of art career wisdom were shared with a very grateful audience.
The new updated Artist As Brand Workbook is almost here!As the tech world changes and promotional models change along with it, professional artists must adjust and evolve. The original principles of the Artist As Brand path are powerful guides for planning your art career, and now they have been expanded. Every chapter has been revisited, updated and revised.Mentoring hundreds of students, professors and art professionals around the USA and in South America has given me a unique perspective on the modern day art market. I am a firm believer that an entrepreneurial approach is essential for art career sustainability.The new e-books are slated to be ready for delivery early 2016."This workbook sits on my bookshelf and is getting worn out because I am constantly referencing it. I have found it incredibly useful. There are some really good worksheets to help bring out the best ideas. The part that I particularly love, is detailed break downs of the five year plan. Yes, this is specifically targeted for Artists but I have discovered that as a business woman this book is also remarkable for guidelines for marketing and strategy of all kinds. Over all, the book is very well put together, easy to understand, and a blast to work with! I absolutely recommend it." - Heidi Paredes
Shopify has some great forums on business practices. The following was a good one on adding an affiliate program to your shop. The goal behind an affiliate program is to reward those who promote you.Orlando Chavez inquires, "I want to start an affiliate program for my store. I would like to get some feedback from on how to run a good affiliate program and what apps do you guys recommend...."Check out the thread...
Creating Prosperity Consciousness
I am a firm believer in balancing mind, body and spirit in love, art and life. Mind and body are generally first in line for attention, but it is the spirit– with its subtle, underlining influence that keeps us inspired. Spiritual principles can be a tricky subject with people especially if they are atheists, but I think we can all agree that there are universal laws, and intelligent energies in this reality even though we may not understand them completely.
Paramahansa Yogananda was a yogi from India who came to America in 1920 to open people's minds and hearts around the concept of a divine essence that is in everything, and how we can access this power for our well being and others. There is a well done film on him called, Awake.
Here are some edited excerpts from one of his lectures about the superconscious mind and prosperity:
Abundance, material as well as spiritual, is a structural expression of rita, cosmic law or natural righteousness.... Every saint who has penetrated to the core of Reality has testified that a divine universal plan exists and that it is beautiful and full of joy.
If you feel love for all the world’s inhabitants as for your own family, recognizing no inner difference between any of the outwardly different nationalities, then you are establishing a legitimate astral right to your share of earth’s capital.
Those who seek prosperity for themselves alone are in the end bound to become poor, or to suffer from mental inharmony; but those who consider the whole world as their home, and who really care and work for group or world prosperity, activate astral forces that lead them ultimately to the place where they can find the individual prosperity that is legitimately theirs. This is a sure and secret law.
Whether one prospers is not dependent solely upon one’s creative ability, but also upon his past actions, and on his present efforts to activate the astral law of cause and effect. If mankind as a whole behaved unselfishly, the power of that law would distribute prosperity equally to all men, without exception. Those who by potent good thoughts and actions rouse this astral power to create positive prosperity succeed wherever they go, whether they are in prosperous or poverty-stricken environments.
There is a way to overcome the unfavorable results of past actions. The causes of failure must be destroyed and a new cause for success set in motion. Contact the superconscious source of success and prosperity. The conscious mind alone cannot initiate a new cause that will bring positive success in any direction; but when the human mind attunes itself to God, in the state of superconsciousness, it can be sure of success; for the superconscious mind is in tune with this unlimited power.
Absolute success signifies the power to create at will what you need by developing your unlimited superconscious power. Western brothers and sisters need to learn that the mind is greater than its inventions.
...learn that money without health and peace is not success, and that peace and health without money for necessities do not make a complete or successful life.
Exercise the manifesting power of affirmation. ...you must eradicate from your mind all thoughts of limitation and poverty. Universal Mind is perfect and knows no lack; to reach that never-failing supply, you must maintain a consciousness of abundance. Even when you do not know where the next dollar is coming from, you should refuse to be apprehensive. When you do your part and rely on Spirit, you will find that mysterious forces come to your aid and that your constructive wishes soon materialize.
Affirmation: “I am always rich, for I have access to the Cosmic Storehouse. I will go forth in perfect faith, in the power of Omnipresent Good, to bring me what I need, at the time I need it.”
The collegiate arena has always been an old boys club of sorts, with its own rules and regulations, standardized curriculums, application policies, governmental oversight, subsidies and much, much more. Students are groomed to attend college even before high school with the goal of winning some corporate position or in the instance of receiving an MFA degree, a ticket to becoming a full time teacher.I see artists all the time scrambling to get that MFA intending that it will lead to the golden chalice of full time employment with all its perks, but times have changed and nothing is guaranteed. Part time faculty positions are increasing while full time positions are decreasing. This shift has created some problematic results, for students too.For instance the entire class of first year MFA students at USC’s Roski School of Art has decided to leave the school, listing a number of grievances, criticizing the school’s administration for not valuing the Program’s faculty structure, pedagogy or standing in the arts community. This is only the tip of the iceberg as higher education attempts to justify skyrocketing tuitions and other costs. Read more about the USC protest here.This is why it is crucial to truly look at your options and create a backup for your art career. Teaching can be a part of that equation but do not rely on outdated educational paradigms for income sustainability.
I present Artist As Brand classes predominately at Colleges and Universities. However, when I have the opportunity to work with small groups of people, or even better with one or two individuals then the focus goes incredibly deep and it is amazing what can be be revealed!Joan Marie is a talented, high energy, extremely positive, forward looking, visionary artist who flew in from St. Luis to Los Angeles for a mentoring session. Talk about commitment! Her daughter Brittany Bishop a Landmark Forum representative and biofeedback assistant joined us to see about getting more clarity about her career path. We had some amazing breakthroughs!One of the segments of the AAB curriculum is to create a Vision Board that defines those parts of ourselves that bring us tremendous joy. These parts turn into specific projects or products that are then directed toward a niche audience. It is surprising that most artists do not use an inside out approach to defining their talent and its potential.Even though Joan is very intuitive she was not certain of what she really wanted to create. After some digging it became apparent that latent theatrical talents (dancing, acting, lecturing) had been hidden from sight, but now they burst forth with the power of a tidal wave. Now her art vision includes a very personal theatrical production (in the works) that will include all her paintings and a message of confidence and hope to people everywhere. It is auspicious that Joan has been a high school art teacher for decades!
Brittany is a very smart, self confident individual but was still defining her career path. It became clear that she was intimately connected with the science of the heart and nature, specifically the trees. It was also learned that she loves EDM's (Electronic Dance Music) and events. So we put these elements together and now she is researching how to produce an EDM type show that connects people's hearts to the trees or more succinctly, to their own essential nature.
It is an honor and a blessing to facilitate this work with people and a joy to see the result! In fact no sooner had Joan returned home The Mogal Muse Magazine printed an article about her! Go Joan!
Coming off of another Comic Con I am reminded about the importance of table dynamics on the convention floor. Do I stand out, make a statement with my set up and attract interested people?Every year I re-evaluate my set up. Am I representing my brand in an authentic manner, is there a hierarchy of importance on the table, how visible is everything, what are peoples reaction, where do they look when they come upon my table.In Artist Alley in San Diego we have a 4' x 24" space to work with. It is very tight. So how the space is utilized on the table, in back of my chair as well as under the table is crucial.Here is a great post I came across by the WebComic Alliance that offers some great advice.
Click on the image to enlarge.
I have moderated the Artist As Brand panel at the San Diego Comic Con for five years now. This time the table was graced with the talented Daniel M. Davis and Dawna Davis of Steamcrow, Shiflett Brothers, Jeff Soto, Melissa Pagluica and Diana Levin.We had a large crowd and reviewed the art of the start, social media, conventions and facing our fears. Much inspiration was to be had by all. A big thank you to my amazing guests and the attendees.
Freelancing is an option for artists who want to work in the industries of publishing, film, games, etc. while they build up their patron/collector base. Graphic Designer James Grieg has put together an email course called "Before Going Freelance" that helps you get your head around some of the details of becoming a freelancer. Part of the course is free so check it out.Many art colleges prepare students for this art career option. You can always send questions my way too if this is something you really want to do as I freelanced as an illustrator for three decades! In a way when you follow the Artist As Brand principles you are aligning yourself with freelancing concepts, but you are building the industry around your self as opposed to relying on other businesses for your income.But check out Grieg's class and let me know what you think of it.
My Artist As Brand Workshop in June of last year at Helikon Gallery in Denver had a very proactive group of artists. They decided at the end of the workshop to manifest a book and gallery show together. They created a concept amongst themselves and then produced an IndieGoGo crowd funding event to pay for the printing of the book which has been achieved!I was asked to be a part of this project and am honored to do so as they have been using the principles learned in the workshop to really get this off the ground. The show will be this June 5 at Helikon Gallery. Stop by if you are in town.I always encourage my students to jump in with their projects and get them started ASAP. My workshop in Seattle, in conjunction with TLC Workshops and Krab Jab Studio a few months ago has inspired this group to work on a collaborative project too! I will keep everyone here on my blog updated as to their progress.Check out the, Strange ConversationsIndieGoGo campaign to see how it was done, then create your own!
If you have a story to tell with your images, any story at all, this is a great place to start building your fan base for it. See you there.
The Artist As Brand two day workshop at Krab Jab Studio was a large group of twenty students, beginners and professionals. Having taught this class to over five hundred students it is fascinating how the chemistry changes from venue to venue. Some of the students in this bunch were mainly interested in hard core marketing tactics, others embraced the holistic side to the course, others struggled with old paradigms of the artist not appearing to be a business.All entrepreneurial teachers and coaches will tell you that your business must have a solid foundation of purpose in place before you do anything. Your purpose is your brand. Some of the artists in this group were taking an old school fine art approach to showcasing and selling their art and the Artist As Brand model was a challenge for them. I come across this mindset all the time. The elitism of the fine art world is still alive and well (especially in academic circles) and so it takes some courage to jump into the future of art commerce.Thank you to Tara Larsen Chang with TLC Workshops for facilitating the class and Julie Baroh at Krab Jab Studio for opening her gallery to us. It was incredibly inspiring with all the amazing art around us! Part of this AAB group is inspired to create a product and a show next year with Krab Jab in alignment with Mythic Worlds and also with Nantes a city in France. It is going to be amazing!
The Agoura Hills, CA workshop in Mitchell's Bookshop was a delight! The group was small but mighty! We had some of the most amazing talent in this room.Aerin Holt the founder and artist director of California Contemporary Ballet Company and Dance Studio, composer and pianist Elliot Anders, painter and traveler Nubia Gala-Selbert, artist, graphic designer and creative wild woman Linda Lalande, singer-song writer Alexandra Harris and the multi-faceted artist lawyer-to-be Michelle Mitchell.Wonderful synergy within this very focused and high powered class.Below are two quick videos that Linda and Nubia took voicing their heart virtues. Love it.IMG_6657IMG_6658