The Secret for Artists The following blog is the first in a series of articles from a guest, Ruth Payne. For many of you in the Vancouver area, Ruth Payne will need no introduction. Ruth is the curator at the Ferry Building Gallery and the Visual Arts Coordinator of West Vancouver Cultural Services. The Secret for Artists The Secret for artists is first knowing what you want to have happen in your art career. The film THE SECRET (if you haven't watched it, DO!) spells it out in simple terms. The Law of Attractions is always at work and you create what you think about. You must have a clear dream so why not make it big as well as real for you? As Somerset Maugham quipped, "it's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it." Dream from your heart while keeping your feet firmly on the ground. This will give you your heart's desire and a vision that you can articulate. Before you delve into the specifics necessary to present yourself to a gallery with the intention of having them represent you, it is necessary to do some in-depth self examination. This authentic, reflective and investigative journey is worthwhile for all artists…and it makes the journey simpler. Art-making and art marketing is a heartfelt journey; to keep that connection is essential. I believe it is in the heart-space that one knows what the dream is. Do you really want to exhibit in New York City in a world-class museum? Or do you want to be a weekend painter, giving your art as gifts to your family and friends and occasionally exhibiting in a local community gallery? Do you prefer the art festival and outdoor market type of venue? Do you want to sell your art as a sideline business which you run as a sole proprietorship? Does the idea of exhibiting in a group show appeal to you more than showing solo? Do you prefer to show people your work in your home or studio and not exhibit in galleries? Are you an Internet buff who would rather spend more time promoting yourself on-line? These are just a few of the questions you want to ask yourself…now you know where to start. Spend at least a month on this, journaling your thoughts and inspirations on what success is going to look like to you. Draw pictures, use lots of colour, cut out images and sayings in magazines. Make a Personal Success collage of your art business. Set aside a special sketchbook to make notes, jot down ideas, successes, tips, doodles, goals, dreams and entitle it: My Successful Art Career. Visit galleries and look at as many other artists' work as possible (advice from painter Gordon Smith). This will give you an idea of where you fit in the art world. Also think about where you fit in art history. What is your style, influences, mentors? Then share your findings with a fellow artist, trusted family member or friend. The next step is to Begin with the End in Mind by imagining yourself at the end of your life. This is a very useful visualization, one of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People from the book by Stephen Covey. What did you do with your art that you are so thrilled with? What did you accomplish that was just right for you? Now you can work backwards to present time and make plans, goals and commit to making your dream happen. Next, write it all down. As long as the idea is just in your head it is a slogan. I believe to make it a goal and make it manifest, you have to write it down. Now you can begin the path to successfully exhibiting and marketing your art. Stay tuned for more in April on the specifics of organizing your art business for success. Ruth Payne, Visual Arts Coordinator, West Vancouver Cultural Services, Ferry Building Gallery About Ruth Payne Ruth brings 25 years of experience as a gallery curator, visual artist, stress management consultant and teacher and runs the popular Arts Connection Networking Salon for visual artists. This article first appeared in the My Art News Letter #12 read more ...

Top tips from "Starving" to successful workshop and book Thursday July 21 2011, Jason Horejs, experienced owner-operator of Scottsdale Arizona art gallery, Xanadu Gallery , gave an excellent 4 hour workshop on how to get into galleries to a rapt crowd of about 45 artists in Vancouver. Jason has a very personable, yet powerful presentation style. He made it all very clear, what to do, and most importantly, what not to do! Some artists who attended are now quite motivated on approaching galleries. Jason recommends an in person approach, but before you start down that path, be assured you need a great deal of preparation. I recommend you grab a copy of his book. I have read it and can vouch that it is an easy read, and most of what was covered in the workshop (and more) is in the book, Starving to Successful: The Fine Artists Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art . Top Tips: Basically you need to build a body of work that is recognizably yours, consistent in quality, and priced well. Then research the galleries you want to be in, prepare your portfolio and website, and go knock on doors. Sound easy? Read the book - it may not be that easy, but it is certainly straightforward. If you attended, what were your impressions? Are you in galleries, and finding success, please share your thoughts read more ...

R.I.P. Steve Jobs. What a man of vision and accomplishment. Spend a few minutes pondering how he did it at this amazing Simon Sinek video presentation on how great leaders inspire action. Reading some of the many tributes, what inspiration can he provide artists to build their business? Steve built Apple into a huge success, what can we learn? The Wall St Journal has an excellent page of Steve Jobs best quotes , covering a broad range of areas. I encourage you to read them all and let me know what you think applies to your art business. I focus here on a couple customer-related quotes here. Talking here about computer design, Steve says: "This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it's easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We're supposed to be really good at this. That doesn't mean we don't listen to customers, but it's hard for them to tell you what they want when they've never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, 'Oh my God, that's great!' Artists –translate this quote to your work world as: Do not expect to wow a customer by giving them what they articulate. You have to put together work that excites and pleases their senses and delivers the impact your customer seeks. Trust yourself. Talking about lessons learned with the iPod product, Steve says: "Look at the design of a lot of consumer products - they're really complicated surfaces. We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don't put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through." Artists –translate this quote to your work world as: Dig deeper in creating your art, think through how you can simplify your art, or client access to its message. Try to capture the essence of what customers truly need to receive from your art. Then you will connect to them emotionally, and will have a very loyal customer. Work hard. Do you think Steve's comments apply to your art? How? read more ...