Guest blogger Jacqui Hawk shares how she visualized and created success this year. Through giving and sharing, she received a bounty in return.

By Jacqui Hawk

My blog is full of posts about charities I have supported this year; The Painted Bra Art Project, which went viral on Facebook, Trees for Life in Edinburgh which I also attended and joyfully brought me together with my father whom I recently found after 42 years! Another very special post was “Paying it Forward,” a post about Jack Burke and Joey Middlemiss – two little boys each challenged in different ways, but connected with their courageous hearts and spirit and the paintings I did for each of them.

Many artists feel that charity events are ultimately not a win/win … I appreciate that you have to be selective! The ones I have given to have personally given back to me threefold. Artists could perhaps negotiate a 50/50 split of the silent auction profits if they find themselves doing a lot of fundraisers. The goal is to give quality art and raise a lot of money to achieve these goals. I believe it has to be a fair arrangement.

In January of 2011, I had a clear vision of my success and tried to visualize what that looked like and work towards it. I have been dedicated to painting every day. I get up early and paint for an hour before work and then paint for 2-3 hours in the evening, juggling a full time job at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. Managing my time - life as a Corporate Project Manager has helped me keep on task, stay structured and achieve goals.

I took part in 21 events this year (gallery exhibits, solo shows, and fundraisers) This clearly helped raise awareness for my art. When I google my name now, there are about 30,000,000 more than last year.

I invested in a new website. This is very important I believe. Being one in a sea of thousands on a third party website was not for me. My goal in 2012 is to build my own “shop” on my own site.

I embraced Facebook, and created a Facebook business page where I organized all my paintings for sale, sold, etc.  I network with a lot with artists all over the world on Facebook and Twitter, many of whom are becoming great friends. I make sure that I’m very visible in the art world on Facebook, and I am totally inspired by the amazing work I see being created. I make a point to share the work of artists I love; they also do the same for me and so the energy and momentum builds.

I network and collaborate extensively with other artists, especially those whose styles are very different to mine; great things can happen! Because of this, I receive many invitations to join other artists in new gallery opportunities.

An example of this is “Art Reach,” a collaboration between St. Joseph Hospital and six artists to “harness the healing power of art.” I painted a huge 6 x 6 ft canvas in the dark during the terrible October East Coast snow storm by candlelight.

I am a member of several art associations, and this year I became a regular artist member of 263 Art Gallery in Nashua. This gave me a lot more exposure. I intend to widen this net next year. I went through a huge attitude change this year. Every time I felt like giving up because I came away from a show where I sold nothing, it made me dig deeper and deeper and become so much more resilient – and I enjoyed 33 sales this year! You recognize those moments as a ‘turning point’ in your artistic journey. It’s not a race, and success is different for everyone.  I intend to pay my art dues, showing up at my easel every day because I love what happens in those magic moments.

By Carolyn Edlund

Are you planning an open studio for the holiday season, and want to draw a crowd?  Have you been brainstorming about ways to meet new prospective customers and create interest in your art?

Take a look at some phenomenal ideas that artist Judith HeartSong is successfully using to make her studio a center of attention and help others at the same time, especially local arts and charities.  She recently sent out an email newsletter (see it here) which presents fans and their guests with multiple opportunities to learn, shop and enjoy the arts at her new studio.

Here are a few ways you can use this model to generate buzz around your own event:

1. Invite your list to see art demonstrations in your studio space. Judith has a wonderful studio with about 800 square feet of space for groups to meet. Staff from Utrecht Art Supply will be demonstrating oil paint sticks and allowing visitors to try them out and make a project. This brings in professional artists and hobbyists, and a busload of seniors that Judith teaches will make this a special trip from their community.
2. Partner with the other arts. A poetry reading is scheduled for an October weekend, offering an opportunity for area poets who contributed to an anthology, which also supports a charitable cause – a gulf coast area food bank and clean up efforts for the gulf oil spill. By providing a venue and inviting the poets to bring in their guests, Judith also introduces them to her art. A drum circle is planned for a future performance, which will attract music fans to come as well.
3. Promote your galleries. The Maris Elaine Gallery sells Judith’s work, and she promotes them in her newsletter by way of congratulating them on an article in a regional publication.
4. Feature speakers. Are you a guild member, or belong to an arts organization? Invite a speaker, (such as the gallery owner in this case who will talk about the business of art) or other hot topic to bring in a group and make your studio a destination which can’t be missed.
5. Give Publicity to Your “Partners”. It’s a smart idea to work with others in a strategic alliance which benefits both of your businesses. Double your audience by cross-promoting each other. Judith does that by partnering with the Washington School of Photography, and inviting her list to their event at another location, while also inviting them on field trips to her studio to photograph interiors.

She also suggests that if you are looking to involve others, call a local college and get an a capella group or musicians to join you at your open studio event.  Give them exposure at your venue, while making it more festive and inviting – and bringing in their guests, too. Serve light refreshments and get a party started.

Or, partner with another artist who works in another medium and have more to offer your invitees. Combine your email lists and get out the word.

It’s also a smart move to use testimonials, which you will see on the sidebar of Judith’s newsletter. These are great ways to let others know you are professional and give you more credibility.

Don’t worry if you aren’t making sales right out of the gate – as visitors find out about you, they will return or refer others. Ask them to sign your guestbook and get permission to put them on your email list. With all these great events, who wouldn’t want to hear from you?

By Carolyn Edlund

Angie Wojak and Stacy Miller, Courtesy School of Visual Arts

Angie Wojak and Stacy Miller have recently released a new book, Starting Your Career as an Artist, with lots of information for those looking to begin or enhance their art careers.

Wojak is the Career Services Director at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and formerly was Director of Career Services at Parsons School of Design for over a decade. Miller currently teaches in the photography department at Parsons The New School for Design, and has been the director of research and professional development at the College Art Association.

Artsy Shark interviewed them recently about their expertise and how artists can benefit from their new publication.

AS: One networking strategy you recommend is using your alma mater in your efforts. What suggestions do you have for this?

W&M: Artists often don’t realize it, but universities may offer alumni access to the following:

• Alumni Networks: Many colleges offer graduates access to online databases of fellow alumni. This can be an essential networking tool both for reconnecting with fellow classmates, and also for reaching out to new contacts in a variety of industries.
• Alumni Mixers and free or discounted access to special events: These can be great opportunities for networking and building skills and knowledge about the field.
• Social media connections such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter: Most universities offer these. They are good ways to stay connected with a community -or find a new one related to your art work.
• Volunteer Opportunities: Consider offering to assist with planning, or serve on alumni committees to network while giving back to the community. Offer to be a guest speaker or participate in a panel discussion. It’s an effective way to build your public profile and expand your network.

W&M: While interviewing artists, gallery owners, curators, arts administrators and educators, we noticed patterns emerge for success in the field. All agreed success is ultimately self-determined. The consensus is that to be a successful artist, you must figure out a way to make art, no matter what. Get in the studio everyday, and work on building your own unique community of fellow artists and advocates.

Mentors are critical for success. No one does it on their own. Be fearless about what you want your work to do. Appropriately, there are more different types of communities supporting the artists and more different ways to support your art work than ever before. The trick is to know what you want. The colorful art critic Jerry Saltz reminds all artists to keep it simple. Keep your life simple in order to maximize your output in the studio!

AS: Burnout is an issue that artists sometimes face. What are your ideas for rejuvenating the creative spirit?

W&M: One thing we’d like readers to take from our book is that building community to sustain your work and spirit is the most essential activity, and one that many artists undervalue or totally overlook. This is a sincere, life and art-affirming action that you must do or you run the risk of isolating yourself and burning out.

Surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, friends, family, and colleagues. Schedule a studio visit, lunch, or coffee meeting at least once a week. Join the community where your goals are and network with that target community in mind. Continuously ask yourself if you are still learning and growing; review whether your life/work is balanced properly.

AS: You suggest that artists looking to sustain their studio practice might consider teaching to supplement their income. Could you address this?

W&M: Teaching can add another important dimension to your work. It can inspire and feed it. Watching students change and grow is a great satisfaction for a professional and it creates community. Here are some good basic questions to ask yourself in order to find out if you should consider a career in teaching:

1. Are you someone who likes to work with people?
2. Are you comfortable working in an institution that has numerous protocols and often well-defined systems?
3. Do you like to lecture, critique and advise? Do you like public speaking?
4. Can you take instruction from a superior? Can you take direction easily?
5. Can you juggle two hats at once: teaching and your studio work?
6. Do you enjoy interacting and exchanging ideas with adults, youth or children?
7. Do you enjoy watching people grow and change?

AS: What inspired you to write the book?

The impetus for writing the book was our shared experience in serving art and design students’ career development needs. Between us we’ve spent over 20 years teaching and mentoring students and alumni working in the arts. We saw many artists facing the same hurdles: emotional, financial, issues with relationship building, networking, long term planning, getting their mind/body out of the studio, having realistic expectations, and so on.

It is important to understand that making the work is less than half the battle. We found there was little knowledge of the basics of marketing their work themselves and how to build a community to sustain themselves in every way. Artists need to be entrepreneurial and proactive and business-minded rather than turning inward and rejecting the business and social side of their practice. How to balance all these aspects interested us, and we sought to ask professionals in the field what they thought of these issues.

By Carolyn Edlund

It’s a great idea to reach out to your peers and audience through social media, but how much is too much? Are you juggling so many that it would take a full-time social media manager to keep up?

Losing Klout

I checked out and joined Klout a while back, which measures social media influence.  The more you use online tools to encourage tweets, shares and other calls to action, the higher your score.  It’s kind of like a virtual popularity contest, and believe it or not – you actually get rewards for scoring big.

At first, it seemed interesting. I had a score of 63, which seemed pretty good (but of course everything is relative). It held steady around that mark for months, but when I had two very busy weeks of getting a lot of great offline stuff accomplished, my score dropped to 58. Klout is like playing an online game, kind of like feeding a virtual pet, or getting addicted to Angry Birds. The user’s behavior is manipulated for the sake of a perceived reward. In fact, their blog mentions that if you go on vacation, you will lose points and have to scramble to catch up.

Sorry, Klout. I’m not playing – I won’t be worrying about that score anymore.

Google+ was a Minus

This summer the Google+ rage started, and I participated in a hangout, which was fun and made some good business contacts that paid off. Another hangout with a Google+ expert started getting into all the rules of engagement, and that’s when I started to glaze over. Ever since, I’ve been added to circles by people with names like محرر صحفي‎ who don’t speak any English and I just don’t know what to do with that.

Sorry, Google+, I’m just not lovin’ it. Anyone else feeling that way?

There has to be a limit somewhere. Choose where you want to participate and let go of the rest. Play with your kids, or take a long walk with your dog. They will thank you – and the rewards are much better.

What social media platforms are you avoiding? How many invitations to join new networks have you deleted?

By Carolyn Edlund

Remember falling in love? Were you swept away, obsessed, deliriously happy? You can make your customers feel that way about you. First things first, though – you have to meet and create that spark. A well-planned strategy to connect with and court your prospective clients can make them fall truly, madly, deeply in love with you and your work. Are you ready for love? Let us count the ways . .

1. Put on your best appearance. Your website is one way to do this. Is it attractive, appealing, enticing? Does it draw in the viewer and make them want to find out more about you? What images are you using to portray your work? Are they beautifully and professionally photographed? Would they represent you well if you were entering the most important art exhibition on the planet? Because you are – you will see more art online than anywhere else. Stand out by making every effort to be noticed for your striking appearance at every opportunity.
2. Be inviting. Ask your prospective customers to go steady by subscribing to your email list, blog feed or becoming a friend on Facebook, Twitter or other social networking site. Throw a party by inviting them to “special event” on Facebook so you can get to know each other better.
3. Listen to them. Isn’t that what we all want? Recognition, validation, and respect. Genuinely ask their opinion, and promptly respond when they contact you. Answer their comments on your blog. Invite communication, and engage in conversation with a focus on them, not yourself.
4. Be fresh, intriguing and exciting. Part of the attraction is offering something desirable on a regular basis. Concentrate your efforts on keeping your work fresh to keep your audience wanting to see what you have to offer next. Remember to smile – be upbeat and positive. Life sucks sometimes because bad things happen, and it’s not always easy. But your customers don’t really want to hear all about that, so be authentic but don’t dwell on the negative.
5. Work on a deeper relationship. Stay in touch by email newsletters and updates, a personal handwritten note or even a phone call if appropriate. Wouldn’t you want to be really irresistible to someone falling in love with you? Strive to be incredibly interesting and helpful, and even a little sexy (in a businesslike kind of way).  Get the conversation going – address them personally and acknowledge them. Let them know how happy you are that they’ve joined you. They will become your avid fan when you open your arms and embrace them this way.
6. Don’t appear too needy. We’ve all seen this type of behavior, and it’s a turn-off. “Please love me, please buy from me” won’t gain you any customers. It will make people run from you. So be confident, poised and work hard to make a great first impression, and let others know you are “available” in a professional but approachable way. Even if you are new and lack confidence, take a deep breath and relax. If you have marketed yourself well and started building your network, they will come to you. Relationships take time!
7. Give them love and attention, but let them chase you a little. All great lovers know that to be truly irresistible, you have to leave them wanting more. Show you care, but be a tiny bit mysterious. Include “teaser paragraphs” in your communications, with a link back to your website that they just can’t wait to click. Be accessible, but don’t give it away all at once. Your fans will want to know more about you. This is why the public loves meeting a designer or artist in person. Who is that incredibly talented, wonderful artist, craftsperson or designer that everyone is talking about? Why, that’s you!
8. Be patient, and understanding. This is what customer service is all about. When things go wrong, or your customer is unhappy, go the extra mile to make it right. Listen and offer to work things out. Even if you “break up”, part on the best terms possible. You can keep your good reputation when you treat all of your customers like they are your best customer.
9. Do nice things “just because”. A small extra gift tucked into an order, a personal thank you note written on a packing slip or a special offer just to say “I appreciate you as a customer” goes a long way to endearing you to your audience. Do the unexpected without expecting anything in return. Unconditional love is the best. Plus it brings you good karma!
10. Grow your relationship. As your love match matures, customers will want to buy from you again and again. Cultivate your collectors, and encourage this. Repeat business is wonderful, and it’s much easier to obtain than always looking for the next hook-up.  When your fans adore you, they will want to tell others about you too. Ask for referrals and testimonials from people who are satisfied customers and who believe in you and what you do. They will often be pleased to do this, because they care. Then you get to meet new potential clients, and share the love!

See more of Lisa Kretchman's work here.