Class is in Session!
It's a great time to be an artist!
Tonight's lesson: Let's talk perspective and setting expectations
As creatives, we only want to spend our time "creating", and ignore the fact that art is still a business. I know it's hard to switch off the creative parts of our minds and turn on our marketing mindset. It's even harder for most of us to figure out where to start. "I don't know how to work Facebook/ Instagram ads manager." " I don't have time for this, I hate social media", or "I went to art school to paint and now I have to learn website coding?".
No.
Don't worry about any of that stuff.. Luckily, I'm here to guide you through this new and scary world and to help you find your inner confidence in marketing
It's time to Hit the Gym.
Let's use the analogy of "trying to lose weight". What most people tend to do, is that they go to the gym, work out for 15 minutes, and then they don't see the results they wanted, then give up. They kick and scream and then never go back. OR, they treat losing weight (marketing ) as a New Year's resolution. They go to the gym, here and there from January till February then quit, saying "still no results, I tried oh well".
Now here's the rub. There are no overnight success stories, no crystal ball questions that will give you the answers you need, (ex. " How much will I sell if I post on facebook everyday for 3 months?) and definitely no Instagram/Facebook ads to make us millionaires. It's the sad truth of it all, but we need to wrap our minds around this piece of advice. It roughly takes about 6-8 years to really see a difference, and this time frame isn't set for everyone. Yes, there are a few unicorns out there that simply got lucky, but those chances are slim to never.
Things to think about when taking your first steps.
Art is a difficult field to be in, and we're stuck on platforms overly saturated with information along with other artists from all over the world competing against each other for people's attention.
So where do you fit into this overwhelming road map to success?Well, back to that gym analogy.
When we want to lose weight, it's best to do some research, learn muscle groups and how they work together, and then slowly apply it to your workouts. Now you start noticing some progress and your joints don't hurt as much. We start moving up the peg on the weight machines, and you're getting better and more comfortable with each exercise. Afterward, we slowly introduced one new workout to our routine. Next thing you know, you have a weekly optimized workout that you're comfortable with, and those goals you set are coming into view.
Lets translate this into art now..
To translate this analogy, into art marketing terms, it's best to start getting comfortable with ONE element of marketing at a time. An element can be anything from posting on social media, making emails or even running a sale. Doesn't matter which you choose to start with as long as you are able to do it consistently, and do it well. Once you get used to it, add something else. Say you're getting good at posting on Instagram and Facebook regularly, now add ONE monthly email. Then slowly work your way up to 3 emails a month in addition to posting on the socials. After that, figure out what you can handle next, and start the process over again.
This applies for everything that you do as an artist; whether it's posting on social media, or the "before and afters" of hanging work in a gallery. It doesn't start and stop with online marketing, it's EVERYTHING you do as an artist. Because we're not overnight success stories, we understand that we have the time to practice and get better. Taking on too much at once will get you frustrated, throw your hands up and give up. Now see what you can handle first, and work at your own pace. Later we will go through some techniques that we can start practicing with, while understanding what is truly important to focus on.
So don't go throw yourself into the deep end with 50lb weights or worrying about website SEO, hashtags, algorithms, and insights. You have the time to figure it out, so gain that confidence by walking before learning to run. Just take it easy with the 5 pounders, start small, with a simple "Hello, I am me, I make art and this is how I do it".
Be consistent, take it slow and stick to what you know ( that rhyme was not intentional)
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed tonight's little lesson. I just wanted to focus more on the perspective side of things before we take the plunge into more intense marketing techniques. Keep this in mind as we head down roads that might appear scary or intimidating, we all work at our own pace, and hopefully I can help make things seem less scary.
Hope you stop by again next week!
HOMEWORK!!!
YES HOMEWORK. For those out there starting an art business, I will have a list of objectives for you to complete by NEXT WEEK. And yes, I will be checking!! This week's Homework is to create: 1. A Facebook business account for your art. Doesn't have to be completely filled out just as long as you can prove it has been made- OR! Convert your already-made Facebook page into a business page, however you want to do it, MAKE IT HAPPEN!
AND!! 2. A business Instagram account for your art. Same for Instagram, doesn't need to be filled out just prove that it was made. - OR ! Convert your already-made Instagram page into a business page. However you want to do it, also MAKE IT HAPPEN
There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do this available! Ask me questions if you're unsure of the assignment! Respond with screenshots of your new shiny profiles next Wednesday!
