How to Balance Art and Life
Carolyn Edlund
Art credit: Joyce Wynes via artsyshark.com
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How to Balance Art and Life
by Carolyn Edlund, posted May 14, 2015|
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How to Balance Art and LifeCarolyn Edlund
Art credit: Joyce Wynes via artsyshark.com Read more!
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The Power of Personality
Bob Baker
Case in point: My friend Gregg Hopkins plays in a band called The Melroys. He could have sent a run-of-the-mill e-mail to promote a recent show, including the rudimentary club name, address, phone number, etc. Instead, he sent this: Git yerself down to the Broadway Oyster Bar tonight where The MELROYS will present our little Rock and Roll fandango. The food is delicious, the adult beverages are cool and refreshing, the music will be swinging, and you'll fit right in with the other beautiful people there. Showtime is 9-1. See ya there! Ya gotta admit, this short message is a fun read -- which leads one to assume that a Melroys live show will be a fun event. And that's smart marketing. (The only thing I might add is an address and phone number of the venue for those fans who might not know where it is.) So don't be afraid to show your personality. In fact, go out of your way to do something fun or different or creative any time you communicate with the public about your music. Got it? Good.
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11 Twitter Tips for Businesses and Promoting
Shannon Willowby
Twitter is a great social media marketing tool for businesses that can lead to more customers, an increase of profit, and long-term success. However, you may not be using it to its full potential. Check out the tips below for 10 ways you can use Twitter to your advantage.
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How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR
Mike Volpe
Ideas for How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR
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Tips on Creating & Managing a Street Team
Kevin Morrison
The first step is to know and understand the people you are considering to join your squad. This can be achieved by creating a short form for potential members to fill out. Or, you can just setup an initial meeting with each one but be prepared to jot down some notes. The purpose of this is to find out their strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to the duties that will be assigned to them. Find out their level of commitment, likes, dislikes, general availability, and administrative/marketing/computer skills and inadequacies. Look for people with common sense, good judgment, the ability to think on their feet, and some level of expertise or a strong desire to learn. Use this information to place them in a position on the team where their top skills can be utilized. It can also help you determine what new responsibilities you can add to their duties at a later date and who to choose as group leaders.
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The Cost of Being a Vendor at a Food Festival
Helen Qin for thebillfold.com
My boyfriend and I made a big move at the beginning of this year from Los Angeles to Cleveland for a job promotion I received at work. He'd gotten into making ice cream while we were in California-we had even tossed around the idea of starting our own business, but the task was daunting and the costs seemed prohibitive.
Due to the move, we are currently living rent-free with his mom while he looks for employment. Given my salary bump and the lower cost of living, it seemed like a good time to take a risk, so we started Mason's Creamery, our ice cream business. We decided to target food festivals and farmer's markets because:
In March, we applied, and somehow finagled our way into an upcoming festival in Cleveland that will happen in May. We were also recently accepted to the downtown Cleveland Farmer's Market, and will continue to apply to others around the area. This way, we hope to get our name out and eventually segue into something less booth-like. For anyone curious about the costs of starting a very small business, or the costs of a festival (because you love festivals in the summer), here's the rundown:
Pre-Festival: - $120, one-time: Business incorporation for the state of Ohio, with which we can now procure our EIN (free of charge!). - $299/year: Liability insurance-we used Food Insurance Liability Program (FLIP). FLIP covers food vendors at festivals and farmer's market at a much lower cost than actual food insurers. The $299 we paid is the lowest rate, which is based on sales numbers. Our sales are $0. - $25, one-time: Transient vendor's license for the state of Ohio, which will need to be renewed yearly but paid only once. - $15/every three years: Online food safety course called ServSafe, a national food safety certification. - $160, one-time: Food vendor license and placard for the city of Cleveland.
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How to Get Rejected by the Press
Carolyn Edlund
Are you making this huge mistake when reaching out to the press? Here's how to take the right approach for better results.
 Collage of artwork by Kelly Dombrowski. Alcohol ink on Yupo paper.
As an art blogger who publishes frequent business articles and features, I've been a "press member" for years - and I've been contacted thousands of times by artists and others who are seeking publicity for their artwork, project or event. That means pitches and inquiries come into my inbox every day. Lots of them. And honestly, although most of the people who get in touch are probably very nice people, they are making a fatal mistake when it comes to getting press attention. They are using a "scattershot" approach and not taking the necessary time to customize their emails. Here's one example: the email (usually through my contact form) that starts with "Hi there" or no greeting at all. It's from someone I don't know who wants me to read their message, click on all their links, and take some kind of action - for example, creating an article about them or inviting them to write a guest post. Now I know full well that "Hi there" means they don't know my name (which is easily found on my site) and they probably know nothing about the blog. The sender is using "copy and paste" to reach out to everyone on a list that they obtained. These are form letters sent out to serve the interests of an artist seeking some free publicity. Essentially the sender wants to minimize the time they take to seek press coverage, and are using their form letter to ask the press member to read their content, view their portfolio, and decide to undertake a project to their benefit. They want to send a quick, generic and impersonal "copy and paste" message, but want they want in return is a time-consuming and customized result. That rarely works, and ends up as a major frustration to both the artist and the press member being solicited.
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What Event Directors Need to Know About Insurance
This article was provided by the team at ACT Insurance
Planning and organizing an event is never easy. There are so many contingencies that can happen and hundreds of different things to arrange. The preparation can be daunting and stressful, but there are ways that event directors, and the artists and vendors who sell their products at your show, can mitigate not only the stress, but also some of the risks associated with putting on and selling at events. Having insurance is a great way to relieve worry and stress. Think about it: Most people don't drive their cars around without having auto insurance because if they were to cause an accident, the expenses could be more than they could afford on their own. The same goes with event insurance. And with dozens (and possibly even hundreds) of different artists and vendors attending the event, the risk that something can go wrong increases.
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How to Get More Fans to Your Gigs
Tom Hess
Are you frustrated because you aren't getting as many people to come to your gigs as you want? Getting 'new' people to come to your gigs is not even the main challenge, even most of your own friends and fans usually won't come to your gigs regularly. This fact makes it harder to get bigger and better gigs that pay more money.
If your band plays 25 gigs this year, how many of your friends/fans will come to see more than 4 of these? A very small percentage. Why?
It's not you, it's them. Let's find out how and what you can do about it.
If you ask your friends/fans to come to your next gig, what are you REALLY asking them to do? Are you asking them to listen and watch you perform your songs? Not really.
In reality, you are really asking people to travel all the way to some unclean club where they need to pay to get in the door. Then they will be surrounded by intoxicated people who yell in their ears because the music is too loud to talk, pay for overpriced drinks, stand through an opening band they probably have little or no interest in, then wait again an additional 15 minutes while the stage changes from one band to the next, then finally they get to stand through 90 minutes of your band's cool songs in a room that is booming with muddy bass frequencies because the sound man does not know how to properly mix bands in a room that was never acoustically designed to have loud music played in. After the gig they leave the club and drive home with their ears ringing and a bad headache.
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Turning Your Artistic Hobby into a BusinessRosalind Resnick
"I had tenure and benefits," Speer recalls, "but I was miserable. I thought, 'Why am I torturing myself as a professor when I can have more fun doing this and make more money?'"
Speer hasn't looked back once. Today, he and Banyas run a homebased business selling their whimsical mixed-media sculptures at art festivals and craft shows around the country, including the recent Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami where they rang up sales of several thousand dollars over the three-day Presidents' Day weekend. Despite an estimated $3,000 in travel and other miscellaneous costs, Speer and Banyas ended up making a tidy profit. Then they packed up their truck and headed home to Oberlin, Ohio, where they stayed for less than a day before traveling to another show in Baltimore.
"This isn't an easy way to make a living," says Banyas, who estimates that the couple exhibits at 12 shows a year. "You've got to be willing to drive a truck and get up at four in the morning."
Still, Speer and Banyas can't see themselves doing anything else. And they're not the only ones who feel that way. Though it's impossible to know how many artists and craftspeople sell their wares full or part time at shows and festivals, their numbers appear to be growing as crowds turn out by the thousands to buy paintings, sculptures, woodwork, metalwork, glasswork and jewelry and to meet the artists and craftsmen who make them. And as Speer and Banyas have discovered, there's real money to be made. Last year, the Coconut Grove festival drew more than 150,000 visitors who purchased approximately $4 million in artwork from more than 330 exhibitors over the course of the three-day show. (Figures for this year's show were not available at press time.)
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How to Label Your Portfolio Images
Harriete Estel Berman
Always label your images EXACTLY according to the instructions specified in the prospectus. Follow the instructions for labeling your digital images. Some programmers prefer all lower case letters or an application might specify an entry number as the file name. Use only periods(.) or underscore(_).
If not specified differently, digital Images should be titled with last name, first initial and a short description. If all your images start with the same letters, they will automatically organize themselves as a group every time they are loaded or reloaded on a computer or disc. For example: BermanHredbrace.jpgBermanHbluebrace.jpgBermanHbluebr.close.jpgBermanHblue_br.jpgAvoid sticking labels on your CD that can jam, get stuck, or throw the disc off balance. Write with a Sharpie in the clear center of your disc, or use one of those special pens for writing on CDs. IMAGE LABELING INFORMATION FOR SLIDES: Slide mounts should look neat, conforming to the prospectus instructions. The slide film can be removed from your slide mount and inserted into a new slide mount for new labeling according to the instructions. Fine point Sharpie works the best on plastic mounts. If the instructions do not require your name on the front (for example, some shows use a number system) try to put your name in some other area that does not require information (like on the back.) Information to appear on your slide label may include:
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Social Media "Netiquette" for Successful Artists
John R. Math
In social media try to develop connections and relationships with people rather than advertising, promoting, selling something and by spamming people. People want to be educated, engaged and informed by you, rather than being “sold” by you.
When reading an interesting post about your art share it with your followers, friends and in your networks. By doing this, your followers will remember you, follow you more closely because of your attention and begin to connect with you.
Always be upbeat, positive and helpful with your followers, friends and networks. Remember that "social networking" is a tool that is used to develop relationships and contacts that are related to you in the art business. Do not just send posts and announcements about selling your artwork to your followers as this may be considered as spam and it will cause people to drop you, unfollow or eventually block you. Send interesting posts related to the art world and people will look forward to your posts, Tweets and updates.
Do not send negative or offensive posts, Tweets and updates. You are trying to meet people and build a following. Remember, this is called social media and people want to follow an upbeat and positive person. In addition, whatever you say, write or post will follow you forever, so think twice before you post!
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What's Wrong with 'American Idol'?
Bob Baker
It's one of the most popular TV shows of recent years, drawing tens of millions of viewers every week. Even I admit, American Idol is fun to watch. The show provides all the elements of good pop culture entertainment: passion, emotion, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, dreams attained and lost...
So, what's wrong with American Idol?
Considering it's lumped into the "reality" TV category, the show is doing a great disservice to aspiring musicians (and the public at large) by distorting perceptions of how the music business really works. It sends an outdated message of "dependence" on the industry vs. the more realistic "independence" that artists have today to control their own careers.
The Talent Discovery Myth
Instead, labels look for artists who are already developing themselves, attracting fans, and selling CDs on their own. There's less risk with an act that has a track record.
Also, the American Idol auditions, in particular, create the illusion that most aspiring musicians lack talent and are delusional, struggling and starving. In reality, there are thousands of talented performers across the country who make good money, have hundreds of devoted fans, and are steadily building careers.
Here's just one example of this modern reality: Over the past seven years, the web site CD Baby has sold more than $12 million worth of CDs (1.3 million units) by independent, unsigned acts. A tremendous amount of quality music is being produced and sold outside the mainstream.
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Important Questions to Ask When Researching Food Concession Venues
the Writing Team at Food Service Warehouse
The No-Brainer Questions:
These are the questions that everyone will ask. Before you begin asking about any other aspects of the event, confirm that dates and location of the event are correct. Once you have done this, you can move into more specific questions.
The Basic Questions:
These are questions that will give you answers that are important to know such as attendance, fees and other charges.
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The Basics of Promoting
Properly marketing your event is the most important step to filling those seats, and getting your event off the ground. Let these tips help you get started with your promotional tactics:
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Networking with Artists
Carolyn Edlund
The other evening I had dinner with two artists. One was visiting the area, searching for galleries that might be a good fit for her work. I introduced her to the second artist, who had a working relationship with a local gallery. They admired each other's work, and made an agreement. The visiting artist was introduced to the gallery owner, who agreed to review her portfolio. She in turn agreed to recommend the local artist to a gallery in her own town.
This is networking. Artist recommendation is one of the top ways that galleries find artists and my dinner companions used it to create a win/win situation. Their actions gave both of them coveted introductions that could further their careers and their art sales. You might think of other artists as primarily competition, but I'd encourage you to consider how your art community is actually a perfect place to start your own network. Artists need each other. No art festival could exist without artists exhibiting together to draw a crowd. And it's been found that artists who start businesses in isolation are far more likely to fail than artists who surround themselves with a supportive community. How can you work with other artists for common benefit? 1. Attend (or start) a salon, guild meeting or other group to share helpful discussion, resources, opportunities, advice, and mentorship.
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The Refund Policy Showdown
Carrie Groves for The Crafts Report
In the other corner stands the promoter. He's invested time and money finding the show location, printing his applications and mailing them, assembling the jury, and sending out acceptances. Once an artist fills a booth space, the promoter doesn't want that spot to be empty. And, he wants his time and labor costs covered.
Can there ever be a winner in this sparring match? Or can we at least come to some sort of acceptable compromise?
We posed this issue on the online forum for the National Association of Independent Artists (NAIA), an artist-run organization that focuses on issues regarding art and craft shows, asking artists and promoters to comment. Artists voiced various opinions, but everyone agreed that some sort of refund was appropriate and right. Only two show promoters responded, and both were committed to being "artist-friendly." No one came forth to justify -- or explain -- the practice of non-refundable booth fees.
In fact, a number of show promoters have made a concerted effort to honor their half of the monetary equation. For example, Carla Fox, a Portland, Ore., metalsmith, is the director of the 32-year-old show of the Lake Oswego Arts and Crafts Guild, and a management partner in two other shows; she says, "Never have any of these three shows asked for booth fees up front. It would be a bookkeeping nightmare to hold and sort, and return fees. There are always good and valid reasons for artists to not do a show after they've been accepted. If we can fill the spot, we always try to give the artist a reasonable refund of his booth fee."
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Food Carts, Food Trucks, and Food Concessions Serve Different Markets
Barb Fitzgerald
Myrick pointed out that many carts and trucks are opened by chefs and culinary entrepreneurs because they are less expensive to start and run than a traditional restaurant. It seems, as a result, many mobile food businesses are becoming known for the unique quality of the dishes they serve. This makes me wonder about the difference between street food, served from food carts and trucks, and so called, fair food, served from food concessions.
Whereas, many street food vendors are making a name for their selves based on the quality of their menus, concessionaires at festivals and fairs are known more for serving outrageous junk food. In fact, last summer, food booths selling deep fried sticks of butter and deep fried Twinkies were winning awards for the best food at many state fairs. Can you imagine street food carts having the same success with such a menu? At first glance, it sounds like only street food vendors serve good food because that is where all the good cooks are. But, that"s not it.
Food sold on the street is different from food sold at fairs because the market is different. Like restaurants, street food businesses are generally open full-time, and depend on a steady clientele of repeat customers for their success. Food concession businesses, on the other hand, are open part-time in a variety of markets, and therefore, must serve hundreds or thousands of customers within a very short window of time. Food sold from a concession business must also have a higher profit margin to offset high operating costs.
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When you promote yourself via e-mail or with the words you use on your web site, you have a choice. You can be straight-forward and matter-of-fact (also known as bland and boring). Or you can communicate with pizzazz.
When promoting a concert or special event, the effectiveness of one's street team can be the difference in losing money, breaking even, or making a profit. Wikipedia defines a street team as "a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product." Their duties include: distributing promotional items and flyers, putting up posters and stickers, and a lot of word-of-mouth promotion throughout community. These foot soldiers, who are mainly volunteers, can be the single most important element to a successful promotion when adequately deployed. Here are a few tips to help you develop and manage your own street team.
When Terry Speer was a struggling art student in the 60s, he put himself through college by selling his prints and paintings at local art shows. In 1979, after eight years as an art professor, Speer left academia to do the show circuit full time with his wife, Deborah Banyas, a fellow artist and quilt maker.
When you're submitting an application, an unlabeled CD may become useless without the artist's name. It may not be shown, it may not be returned. It might be thrown away.
Are you marketing and branding your art through social media and getting the results that you desire? Have your efforts in social media so far been worthwhile? Do you feel comfortable in establishing your presence in this new medium? Are you up-to-date on the effectiveness of this media? If you said “no” to any of the above questions then it may be time for you to brush-up on your social media "netiquette" as your effectiveness may be improved by adhering to the unofficial rules social networking.
When you contact local venues and organizations about applying to be one of the food concession vendors, there are many questions to bear in mind. Below is a list of helpful questions that you will want to be sure and ask the event coordinator before you decide whether or not an event is right for your business.
Refund policies. The very words are enough to instigate eye-rolling, heavy sighing and, occasionally, verbal boxing matches. In one corner stands the artist. He's over-applied to shows, and has laid out a huge amount of "due-on-application" money. Once he gets his acceptances back, he's going to lose hundreds of dollars in non-refundable booth fees for some of the shows he won't be able to do. But, without over-applying, he won't have enough shows. He wants his money back when he has to turn down acceptances in some of the fairs.
Not long ago food trucks were called "roach coaches" and served quick snacks to industrial site workers. Now, food trucks and food carts seem to be on every street corner and discussed on every form of media. In fact, just today I was listening to 
Recently, as I drove through Portland Oregon, I passed several food carts that were closed for winter. It got me wondering what the operators of these carts do for income while they wait for better weather to re-open in the spring. It also makes me wonder why these people chose to open a food cart rather than sell seasonally at special events with a food concession. I assume the need for a full-time income is the main reason. But, if a food cart is forced to close for lack of sales, what is the advantage of having a food cart? Do they prefer to sell from a stationary location, regardless, rather than set-up at temporary events? Or, are there other reasons?