marketing or just connecting with people?

I've been thinking a lot about marketing my art - how to market it, should I write a marketing plan, who are my customers and how do I reach them, what are the demographics...  and I don't think traditional business plan processes are always the best way to go with art, especially with the internet. I remember when I got a job at an art gallery, I was so excited to be working in my field until I realized it was just working retail. I was in sales, not art. The art was a product and whether I liked it or not, it was my job to talk with everyone who came in the door and apply all sorts of tactics (I had to go through sales training) to get them to buy. I had learn how to "close" a sale and anticipate objections so that I could negate them before the customer said it. I could never ask a yes or no question, had to keep them engaged in the art... It was stressful and not enjoyable at all.

After a while I realized my commission was barely anymore than my hourly, so I switched gears and just had conversations with people that came in. Conversations about whatever felt natural or whatever came up - if we talked about the art that was good, if not that was good too. I would see people around town and continue our conversations because they felt like friends, not customers. I'm still friends with some of those gallery customers because of that switch in my approach. It felt a little like anti-sales and it became fun. 

Yes, it's a product - I create a piece then you can buy then I can ship it to you. Art is also an extension of the artist. But the more I read about marketing, online or not, the more I find it all comes down to relationships. The relationship you build with your customers, who become more than that when you talk with them and learn about them and in turn they learn about you and your art. It's an exchange, or sharing. Either way, the majority of people who have purchased my work are people I know. I either met them at a gallery opening, through a friend or family member, a lot are family, or I have met them online. So, I guess as I stress about how I'm supposed to market my work, I should realize that I already am just by sharing the story and the process (even if it's difficult).  So, I'll just keep connecting with people and see how that goes.

This is the latest piece I've been working on. It is another burst design, this time on vintage fabric. I wasn't sure if I would like the idea of a patterned background, but I think it is great and it has given me a lot of ideas about manipulating the fabric before stitching. I have one more color to add to this before it's done, and then I may paint the paint like I've done on others before mounting it on stretcher bars. I have been posting the "in progress" pics of my work on Instagram - if you're there, please let me know - it is currently my favorite photo app : )

Communicating through art

After reading Seth's Blog post, With A Sure Hand I began thinking again about how visual art is a way of showing something that you don't have words for; a feeling; a way of knowing something, and your choice of materials is part of your way of expressing it. I understand why artists (me included) sometimes have difficulty explaining their work.

The embroidery work I am currently working on is a way for me to explore the feeling of comfort that I get from textiles - the feel, the texture, the lines, and the process of creating a fiber piece. I am working on a variety of pieces and with some of them I am using minimal colors with lots of texture created with repetition of the same stitch. I am also using vintage cotton and new natural cotton washed to be softer. I am hoping that the feeling of comfort that I get from the process and materials translates to a feeling of comfort for the viewer.

New work : white embroidery on pink cream cotton

Work in progress

Detail of current work - embroidery, knitting, gesso

Working on my art feels amazing

Happy with this so far
Happy.

More progress - so excited about this piece !

Another update on current fiber painting

Still trying to figure out how and where to place the red knit piece...

Work in progress fiber painting

> Time lapse video of creating artwork would be cool - a few pics will have to do for now.
>

experimenting with some jewelry...

I am making this series of jewelry by recycling materials in my studio: pieces of sterling silver left over from other projects, yarn, buttons, beads, a rubber band... it's all combing to make interesting compositions.

necklace with crocheted sterling silver and beads

ring made from recycled things in my studio: sterling silver, button, glass beads, rubber band

work in progress

Work in Progress

This is a detail of a new fiber piece I am working on, which may not even be recognizable when it's completed...

Work-in-progress; background for Hope series

Kelly, I finished (?) the background for one of my "Hope" paintings. This is the large panel piece (58.5" x 47"). The picture is not great, but just let me know your thoughts.

New art challenges, cheer me on!

Anyone following this blog will have seen the progress of my daily visual journal, which was started as a way to get myself to create art on a daily basis. A springboard for motivation and inspiration - it worked - I now have tons of projects lined up and I'm enjoying every minute of art making. My Daily Visual Journal - started June 5th 2009 and will be completed on June 4th, 2010 - a full 365 4 x 5 inch little creations - collage, drawing, painting, pencil... I haven't decided yet if I will continue this for another year... maybe with a particular theme.. or media... we'll see.

the following is a list my latest projects to challenge myself as an artist:

100 flowers - oil paintings that are essentially portraits of flowers. Most of the images are inspired by photos that I took myself of my own garden grown flowers or from my families gardens. I try to get a composition of the flowers that is not typical, something interesting and new but still recognizable as a flower. Regardless of the actual size of the flower, my interpretation is close up and large, for example an image of a small dianthis flower would fill a 24 x 36 canvas with bold color and lots of texture. I chose to create 100 Flower portraits for no particular reason - 100 is a big round number, a big challenge.

Recycled studio - I'm trying to offset my carbon footprint by using up all the scraps and miscellaneous materials in my studio to create new work - collages on handmade paper, plain handmade paper (I have lots of scrap paper), and possibly incorporate these materials into some new jewelry. The jewelry would be my favorite base of crocheted sterling silver wire with the collage elements woven into the process.

Sibling Revelry - I think this will be a lifetime project with my brother Colin. We have been collaborating under this title since 2007 and really have no plans to stop. We challenge and inspire each other by trading artwork for the other to finish, change, or completing re-do. Keep updated on the progress here: colindarke.com

Hummingbird 2

Here is the second piture I was talking to you about -- less dark, and it pops more. I am going to draw a map of detroit in the yellow background and add more detail throughout. The colors are actually better in person than in this scan. Let me know your thoughts.

Entomology

Here are the pieces I told you about. I am not sure why your watercolors inspired bug pictures -- but they did. (FYI, I figured out how to work the scanner, so I will be posting more pics.)

new work - mixed media

I'm currently working on a series of small circle pieces (brooches) that are about 3 inch diameter. they are each made with mostly recycled materials: scraps of fabric, scraps of silver and pieces from unfinished projects... I think it will look really interesting with a ton of them all displayed together on a wall.

drawing everyday?

I'm going to challenge myself to draw everyday - even if I only have 15 minutes. I've been keeping a visual journal, but it has been years and it still isn't finished. sometimes I'll work in it everyday, but then I won't touch it for a few months. I need to develop a habit of working on my drawing everyday without thinking about making a "finished" piece - just practice.
here's an image from my visual journal - I like doing a combination of collages and drawing in this book, a quick sketch of the mess on my desk:

new work - Sibling Revelry

first image - your calla lily with very subtle line drawings of a window (building?) and street light. I really liked the ghost image look of the lines so I just added a small bird in the upper right corner.












second image - part of a calla lily with red lines echoing the red line you used on the edge of the flower - clouds with echoing lines and raindrops.













third image - looks like you started a still-life with an orange, so I drew a faint pencil outline of a bowl with more oranges.

Bird Bridge to Canada

Kelly, I did a sketch of the Ambassador Bridge over the collage that you sent me---let me know what you think.

Display Idea

Hey Kelly,
Let me know what you think about this image. This is a simple, inexpensive black frame and I drew on the glass with silver pen (to expand on the whole graffiti idea). We would write the title on the glass. I do not think that it is too busy, but it definitely runs that risk.