Art Marketing Tidbit - Your Mailing List
Jan 24, 2010 Promotion and Exhibition
This is something I wish I’d known five years ago!
I’m reading Alsyon Stanfield’s book I’d Rather be in the Studio. It’s a great resource for art marketing and self promotion, full of simple, easy to accomplish ideas. One of the things Alyson emphasizes is the importance of having a mailing list. I only wish I’d read this book sooner!
If you’re an artist wanting to sell your work, whether it’s part time, full time, or on the side, you need a mailing list. Your list should include anyone who’s purchased a piece from you, anyone who’s expressed an interest in your work, and pretty much all of your friends and family. Give everyone you know a chance to be on your list; you never know where your next commission might come from!
What do you mail? Anything you think your audience might be interested in! Definitely anything about you and your work. If you have a new series on your website, if you are featured in a newspaper or magazine, if you have an upcoming exhibition, let everyone know! Consider using both e-mail and snail-mail. Get creative!
Right now I’m wracking my brain trying to remember anyone who’s ever commissioned work from me, searching my records for contact information and putting together a tentative list. My advice for anyone who is in the very early stages of their career? Save yourself the trouble and start keeping track now!
Here are some articles from Alyson’s blog that will help you get started:
Include Prior Connections on Your Mailing List
Resources for Your Mailing List
Tags: art resources, artists, promotion
Top 5 Websites for Artists
Jan 3, 2010 Art General
I’ve already shared with you ten artist blogs that I love, and now I’ve picked my 5 favorite websites for artists. These are more collective sites, with various artists sharing information. If you’re trying to find ideas and inspiration, learn a new technique, or tips on being an artist and marketing yourself, you will be able to find it on one of these sites. If all else fails, you can always ask at the forums and get advice from a variety of other artists. As artists, we are continually learning, and whatever it is you want to know, you’ll be sure to find it here!
This site has a collection of articles separated into the categories of drawing and painting. Each of these categories is quite broad, however. For example, drawing covers pencils, coloured pencils, charcoal, etc. The articles range from tutorials on specific techniques and subjects to general lessons on how to get started.
Fine Art Views is another blog with a group of artists submitting content. I’ve found the articles to be very well written and helpful. You can scroll through the most recent articles, or take a look at the extensive categories on the left-hand side to browse through the archives.
I’ve mentioned this site before and will again because it’s such a great resource. I’m a member of the forums and have gotten a lot of good advice over the years. Wetcanvas is a large site with a huge list of articles to read, a very active forum and also a reference image library full of pictures taken by WC members.
I’ve only recently discovered Art Bistro, but it looks like another great site. It focuses on a broad range of art and design careers and has advice on becoming an artist. There are also “how-to” articles, a discussion forum, and an option to create an online portfolio of your work. Another thing that looks interesting are their quizzes for artists.
This is another great site with a plethora of how to articles ranging from art tutorials to art marketing. Empty Easel is easy to navigate, its articles divided into categories and subcategories.
The great thing about all of these sites is that they are a collection of information from a large group of artists. This means that you get different points of view and different areas of expertise.
Another thing to consider is that many of these sites accept article submissions. Whatever it is you do, perhaps there is something you can share with other artists!
Tags: art resources, art tips, artists
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