a little more progress...

It may not seem like much, but I did make a little more progress on this new piece. Now I need to put in some more hours on the large burst embroidery...

new finished embroidery Burst on vintage fabric 20x20

I worked on this new piece all week while I was taking a break from this one. Yes, it's basically stitching the same type of thing, but the large piece I have to work on standing up and using a five inch needle from the front only, I can't reach around to the back. So, this smaller piece allowed me to get something done a bit quicker, even though stitching is slow no matter what. I was posting all the in progress pics on Instagram as a way to keep myself motivated to get it finished quickly. I have a habit of starting lots of projects at one time and then not finishing most of them. I sometimes find a project stashed away (after I "organize" everything) and think, "oh yeah, I remember when I started that two years ago. I should finish it", then I put it away again. Although, now I have actually written a list of most of my "in progress" projects, basically so I can look at the list and and say, "oh yeah, I remember when I started that two years ago. I should finish it".
Anyway.... I did finish this:

Vintage Burst, 20x20 inches, vintage cotton fabric, cotton thread, acrylic paint

Vintage Burst detail

Vintage Burst detail

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 : )

Another embroidery beginning

The beginning of another burst embroidery (It's a 14" hoop) - this time on vintage fabric with flowers. I'm still debating whether I should leave it in the hoop for display or mount it on stretcher bars...

time lapse so far of 50 x 50 burst embroidery...