Help Yourself, Your Fellow Artists and Your Community to Prosper
Creative Folks Can Be Successful While Also Making Their Community Prosperous
by Leigh-Ann Lemire
Would you like to have your art well known and be able to sell to a lot of people? Do you want to quit your day job and work only on your art?
It is not as difficult as you may imagine. You could be a successful artist and help your artist friends and make the area where you work flourish. You have to garner attention and keep putting your artwork on view, and make yourself and your art noticed. Keep reading for a straightforward, tried and true, very successful way in which to accomplish your goals.
The background data that you need to pull off this project is the fact that whenever artists go into an area and create, the area stops its dwindling spiral and goes uphill. For example, many an area in Los Angeles has gone downhill, buildings vacated and boarded up but when artists go into the area, the buildings get bought, repaired and the commerce of the area flourishes. One such place is the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. It started as a very bad area, it was in complete ruins with boarded up buildings, trash in the streets, crime rate was high and it was a place to be avoided. For the last ten years artists have inhabited the area, cleaned it up and created there - it is now famous, beautiful, safe, well-known and it prospers.
Take a look in your own area - there are probably many vacant structures due to the recession. Now use your imagination and mock up artists working in those empty spaces. What better use could there be for those unused rooms and buildings?
Here is a workable project that is almost free to start. It can help your neighborhood, and bring success to you and your artist friends.
This is what you do:
1. Get other artists to help - contact painters, actors, poets, musicians, etc.
Place free ads at Craigslist.org, kijiji.com, local newspaper sites and do a google search for "free classified sites" to find more place to advertise. Be sure to put your zip code to keep it local to your area.
Make some fliers to distribute house to house in your neighborhood.
Put the flyers in the local businesses.
Ask friends and neighbors if they know any creative folks. You can even knock on doors to find people that are talented.
2. When you have gotten together a group of artists to assist you, you will need to create a presentation pack. It's not an expensive and complicated pack.
Go to Office Max for a presentation binder (it will cost from $2-$5), clear plastic sheet covers (100 for about $11) and some white glossy paper (about $10).
Fill your presentation pack with a page for each artist or musician or actor, etc., in your group. Each sheet should contain a photo of the person, a photo of his or her artwork (or performance), short biography, artist's statement and information on how to contact the artist.
3. Find empty buildings in your area. You and the artists that you found are going to create there and you will have a salesperson to sell your artworks.
It is possible to find someone interested in selling artwork by just asking friends, family or neighbors who need work. The sales person you choose will have to get a tax permit, which you get by contacting the state tax office by phone or on the internet. Usually they are free, but some states require a fee or bond. A local business license is also required in some cities or towns - you will have to check at city hall. Pay your sales person on commission and inspire him or her to sell more by offering bonuses when the sales go over a certain amount.
For the space you choose, find out who is the owner or the real estate agent for the property.
4. The next step is to call the owner or Realtor and set up a date and time to do a presentation. You could mention that you and a group of artists have an interest in getting the building leased.
5. Spotlight your presentation on the profits to the proprietor/real estate agent. Use these guidelines:
It has been proven to work that when artists go into an area and begin to create, trade flourishes, buildings are bought or leased and the entire area picks up. It would be the fastest way to get their building sold or leased.
If you need to, mention the artists project in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District where a group of artists raised the living standards and made a large area flourish.
Then show the presentation pack to the realtor/owner of the artists that will be creating there.
6. In case the owner requires insurance for you to use the space, partner with a local Alternative School or charity - both of these entities will have the insurance required.
7. Create and Set Out Signs.
Signs can be created on wood, poster board or A-frames. Create colorful signs with arrows indicating the way that read "Artists at Work", "Artists Ahead" and so on. The signs need to be put out on both sides of the street starting at about 50 yards and getting closer. If you created a sign on wood or poster boards, you can easily attach those to poles with bungee cords. Tying balloons to the signs will help to attract attention.
8. Create art.
You must start with something for the salesperson to sell, so have each artist bring in already finished works. Then bring in supplies and materials for studios and set up workspaces and have the artists get busy. There will be plenty of inspiration because one artwork created inspires others. The creative energy will bring in sales.
9. Continue in spite of all.
Maybe you won't sell anything in the first hour or on the first day. But if you keep creating and keep pulling in attention, sales will follow. Persist!
10. Do promotion that will get you noticed in your area.
Colorful flyers distributed to local businesses will help.
Invite galleries, newspapers, radio stations, and gift shops to visit.
Write a press release for newspapers. Two web pages that can help you with this are: tells you how to write a press release and gives you the data on how to distribute a press release.
Announce that on social media sites that you and a bunch of creative people are making art. Use sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Be sure to include when and where. Write additional posts about individual artworks, what inspires you, etc.
When other artists or musicians or actors or anyone who deals with the arts comes by, invite them to join the group.
The more that you attract attention, the better your project will become. The longer that you persist with creating in the space that you procured, the better your sales and the more you will see your community start to flourish.
After a bit you may discover that your building has been leased or sold. Not a stop for your project. Since you will be helping the new tenant get business - something always necessary - have the agent or owner put in his recommendation that you stay in the space.
Keep this a free project, please pass it around. Doing so will help other artists and other communities to prosper.
Find more information, tools and services at Help 2 Succeed your online creative endeavors marketing mentor. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
TIPS, DOWNLOADS AND TOOLS
1. Press Release Writing Tips and Generator
Learn how to write an effective press release and download a useful tool that helps you to create a professional press release.
2. Press Release Distribution Services
Help 2 Succeed tried out different press release services, decided on the top four most dependable and effective services.
3. Paypal Opens the Door to More Sales
A. If you have a Paypal account, when your salesperson sets up, he can get a virtual terminal to swipe debit and credit cards which will boost your sales because people do not always have cash handy.
- If you don't have a Paypal account, click here to read how to set one up.
- If you do have a Paypal account, sign in to your accout. Once signed in, click on the top tab "Merchant Services." On that page, in the left hand column click on the link "virtual terminal." You will see a page that describes the terminal and the service plus the steps you would need to take to get one.
B. You can get a shop online to display your creative works. There is a shop with first 8 items listed for free. You can start with that and if you need more, you can inexpensively upgrade. The only pre-requisite to open an Artists Mall shop is to have a Paypal account. The Artists Mall is a sister site of Help 2 Succeed and it can be found by going to http://www.artistsmall.com/. Be sure to read the Quick Start Guide so that when you set you shop up, it goes simply. Your store needs to be turned on before it will show up.
4. Use the Artists Only Art World Ads Classifieds to Get the Word Out
Help 2 Succeed runs a free classifieds site for creative and talented people to get the word out about their works, shows and events. Go to http://www.artworldads.com/ to get started.
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