How do you Purchase Art?

Abide Studio

Several years ago I was at a dinner in a home in the “old money” section of Nashville.  The home was beautiful and the walls were adorned with “named” artists of the area.  I asked the homeowner about one of the paintings,  hoping to engage in conversation.  The response was on the order of “I don’t know, my decorator picked it out.”   Really?  Sadly there are buyers, even collectors out there that only purchase what someone else has told them to buy, or “who” someone else has told them to invest in.  I call this buying with ears rather than eyes.

Within the week a friend told me that my art was all warm tones with too much red and orange and wouldn’t fit in her home.  Now I know this woman’s decor and I knew that there were several pieces in my inventory at that time that would suit her style and palette beautifully.  She was however stuck in the mindset that art needed to perfectly match what she narrowly defined as her “style”.  We in the art world call this matching the sofa.  Buying by sight, yes, but…

Shortly after these two occasions a customer came into the studio, took the time to study several pieces, engaged  in a conversation with me about the stories behind the work that spoke to her heart.  She selected the one that she “had to have”, purchased it, and went home delighted with her new acquisition.  She represents those customers who appreciate art for its story, for its emotional value, for the workmanship and personal touch of the artist.  These are people who engage with the art as well as the artist. This woman bought through the eyes of her heart.  Bingo!

All bring cash to the table.

All help pay the bills.

All are buyers and even collectors.

But art should engage the buyer and subsequently the owner as they view it on their wall.  It is created to be enjoyed not ignored.  Those who are touched by what I have labored to create open themselves up to the transcendent power and mystery within the painting.  It is my heart on that canvas.  Deep calls to deep; the song of my heart is heard and received when my work is purchased by one who engages with it.

That’s my heart’s desire. 

That’s my art’s desire.

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Time for a Change

The alarm goes off, 4:00 AM.  Wake up, shower, and hit the road north for an hour and a half.  All for the privilege of setting up the tent in the dark, hanging art, and waiting for the customer(s) with the big bucks to fall in love with my art, open their wallet and buy.

Didn’t happen.  Failure on a large scale, January’s art show circuit in Florida.  Crazy way to make a living I often thought.  Really stupid way to loose money.  Then a voice of reason from my dear hubby, “We don’t have to know what we are going to do in order to know that this is no longer working.”  Absolutely right.

So home to Tennessee with no looking back.  (Even recently sold my tent and all of the trappings.)  Freedom!  But freedom to do what???  It has been a journey of discovery this year as I have spent countless hours on the computer, conference calls, and webinars to research and learn about alternatives to the traditional way of approaching an art business.

Words like demographic, niche market, valued customer, income streams, and points of distribution have swirled around my head as I delved into non-traditional art business plans.  Through an odd set of events, orchestrated by the One who gave me this talent,  I am finally gaining clarity of my new direction and path.

Abide Studio

It is time to make a change.  For 9 years now, I have operated my art business as a marketplace ministry with the emphasis and focus on the marketplace and business aspect of things.  This has been divinely guided and I have no regrets.  The adventure has been amazing!  However, it is time to switch the emphasis in my heart and put more emphasis on the ministry aspect of what I do.

How does this look to my customers?  Not much different.  For me however the difference is significant every time I approach the easel, or hang a piece of art; consider a venue or plan my schedule.   Without a 10’x10′ tent to fill, without show applications and juries to consider, without thinking about a cohesive body of work, I will simply create what is in my heart and vision.  And you won’t find me in the studio on Thursdays as I dedicate that day for personal ministry related appointments.

The puzzle pieces are still coming together.  I cannot say I see the whole picture, but I am beginning to see shapes and colors coming together.  I am excited and full of anticipation for this new chapter.  I hope you will join me for the adventure.  The best is yet to come!

How have you faced the dips in your career?  Is it time for a new perspective on your journey?  I’d love to hear from you. Please comment, share, tweet…

Say What?

“Coming to Life” 36×48

Recently I have read a number of articles and blogs that suggest that practice of technique is more important than talent.  In fact some have gone so far as to say that there is really no such thing as talent.  Putting in the hours, they say,  is what matters.  Say what?  I must object!  Being a colorist, I know that there are elements of my painting style that cannot be taught or explained.  It is an innate sense of what to do next, which colors to use, and how to manipulate them to enhance rather than detract from the overall composition.  Comments from other accomplished artists “Your use of color is amazing.”  “I don’t know how you can put those colors together and keep a harmonious and peaceful painting.”  “You have a fearless us of color that is admirable.” confirm my opinion.  

My personal testimony lies in the music world.  I studied piano for 10 years;  by the time I was looking at colleges my instructor encouraged me to pursue piano on the college level with the goal of becoming a concert pianist.  I enjoyed playing piano.  I did it well.  But I could never sit at the keys and create a piece of music which by the way frustrated me to no end because I longed for creative expression from my soul.  So I opted instead for another line of study that ultimately led me to the visual arts.  That longing for expression has been fulfilled now for years. 

Combine an innate longing to create with recognition that (even as an experienced teacher) there are techniques, styles, and colors I use that cannot be taught and I find myself firmly planted on the side that says there IS such a thing as God given talent.  That said, I also will be the first to say that every talented musician still needs to practice, every gifted painter still needs to paint regularly.  Both must study  if they are to progress in that talent.  But to say that practice, no matter how many hours, weeks, or years, can replace being gifted by the Divine?  Let’s just say I “strongly disagree.” 

What do you think?  Where do you land in the push/pull between talent and education?  I’d like to hear your thoughts. 

A Matter of Perspective

Memories, 48×48

“A good abstract should work from at least 3 sides”.  I heard this from a very accomplished abstract artist set up next to me at a show recently.  I know that; I paint that way; but I had never spoken it quite so definitively.  As my life has been on full tilt, as my career feels like it is a study of shifting sands, “Art imitates life” has smacked me full in the face.

As in, I can look at all of the changes I am dealing with and working through in a negative way, or I can take a new perspective and ensure a positive result with a positive  attitude.

-Because I didn’t sell well this year on my Florida circuit I have enough inventory to relax the painting schedule and take the time to write, build a marketing plan, and explore new distribution channels.

-Because there aren’t customers clamoring to get to the studio at 10 or 11 every day I can redefine my space from retail shop to artist studio and set new (more relaxed) hours which allow me to train for the half marathon without getting up at the crack of dawn.  Or sit here at the coffee shop to write my blog.  Or close early to enjoy time with my son from out of town who is in town for a visit.

-Because my studio is full, I have two complete bodies of work that I can present.  Relaxed from deadlines, I push the envelop of my own creative style and explore the next level of “What if?” with the painting currently on the easel.

Rotated, Memories takes on a landscape look

We all have the freedom to choose the perspective by which we look at things.  I am amazed at how we see the positive in others’ lives, but take the negative road in our own.  I see wisdom and strength in a friend’s face; she sees wrinkles.  I see a friend looking younger; she sees weight gain.  I see a woman’s hair as “silver fox” she sees it as old and gray.

As an abstract artist I am accomplished at looking at the world differently.  Emotion, color, line, texture, and composition jump out at me more than image, scene, location, or place.  I am enamored by the beauty behind and under the obvious.  “Life imitates art.”  We would all benefit if we started looking for the beauty that underlies the shifts in life. “Life imitates art.”  It is the highlights and lowlights that add dimension to a painting and to life.  Looking at life as an abstract painting.  Sounds like a great perspective to embrace.

Rotated again, Memories becomes an angel

Time for a Change

 

It has been nearly four years since I made the decision to join the gypsy train of art shows.  Indoor, outdoor, rain or shine you could often find me on the road, pitching my Trimline Canopy, hanging my art, and enjoying the adventure.  The journey took me from Aspen to Lexington, from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale and many points in between.  There comes a time however when change makes itself obvious.

Last week it did just that.  I have made the decision to pause the gypsy train and park my trailer in the station for a while.  I do not know at this point what I will do to replace the income that has come from these shows these past years, but as my wise hubby said, “You don’t have to know what you are going to do in order to know what you are NOT going to do any more.”

Another wise man, St. Paul wrote to the Philippians “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.”  I truly believe that there are times when we must let go of something before we can reach for the next.

My mind is more available to possible opportunities because I am no longer checking the show and application schedule or concentrating on which paintings to include in each application.  Or trying to second guess which cities house my customers.  Or wondering what the weather will be like so I can guess which clothes to take.  You get my drift.  My mind and my time are free to explore.

Along the way I’ve discovered something about myself.  I love change.  I actually thrive on it.  Perhaps it is my creative brain that gets bored easily, but the idea of a new chapter is exciting to me.  Rather than using my creativity and vision to paint, I am exploring possibilities, weaving my way through the world wide web and asking the same question that inspires me at the easel.  “What if?” has been my guiding star for the past 25 years in terms of my art.  Now I will open myself to listen and watch where it leads my career.

Don’t know where I’m going but I’m enjoying the journey one step at a time.

What They Never Tell You

Things that “They” don’t tell you when you decide to pursue visual art as a living:

-Plan to  spend as much time doing the administrative stuff as the creative stuff

-Expect to understand accounting, bookkeeping, profit and loss, (or make enough money to pay someone who does )

-Become computer literate if you are not already

-Purchase or borrow a good camera or expect to pay a professional photographer for spot-on images

-Develop a thick skin for the tough times and the number of rejections that come along the way

-Hone your  social media skills

-Understand terms like “cohesive body of work”, “distribution channel”,  “streams of income”, “diversification” and how they affect your income

-No matter how pure you want to keep your creative voice, it will be influenced by what you sell

-Long hours and hard days, are the norm

-Dealing with other artists can be exhilarating and exhausting at the same time

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  All of it is secondary to the reason you are in the business of art to begin with:  creating art. Creating the “remarkable” all has to be done in addition to the above, not at the exclusion of it.

I love my work.  I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.  However you will find me chuckling when someone comes up to me working in my studio and says, “It must be so much fun to make a living at your passion” .  If they only knew….

Changing Scenery

Several months ago I realized my heart’s desire was to paint large.  A short while later I  came to the realization that the small paintings displayed in my studio gallery (shown above) were cluttering my mind and heart as well as the walls.  I grabbed a box and packed up a number of paintings.  Others ended up in baskets.  The freedom was intoxicating as the environment that surrounds me celebrated my heart’s desire.

Today I take another step in the same journey.  I have de-cluttered the studio of “nice” furniture and displays.  The goal is to simplify the space enabling it to serve my artistic exploration to an even greater extent.  Less of a gallery; more of a working studio.

If you want to go where you’ve never gone, you must take the first step in a new direction.  If you want to do what you’ve never done, you must try your hand at something new.  Easier said than done.  Today however, my spirit says “No fear!”.  My heart whispers “Embrace change.”  Today I have made a slight adjustment that feels like a major change to my artist’s heart.  A slight change in navigation can lead to a whole new destination.  I’m counting on it.

All that Glitters…

In the ever constant quest for the “remarkable” (see Seth Godin’s book “Purple Cow”)  the need for wisdom and discernment increases.  Presented with new ideas, new products, and new applications the axiom “All that glitters is not gold”  has become an” ever present companion.  Instructors present artistic uses for household products (steel wool, joint tape and compound, sandpaper).  Product specialists present the latest and greatest in the line of art supplies (transfer paper, spun polyester paper, paints ready for sun printing).  It’s exciting and inspiring.

And confusing.  It is necessary to explore, but always with the question, “Does this fit in my wheelhouse?  My sweet spot?  My artistic voice?”   The purpose of exploration is to refine the search and be selective.

It’s not easy being selective.   It’s time consuming and sometimes frustrating.  It’s not popular to be selective.  The crowd will often run after the next shiny thing that comes along.  If I am to find my unique voice.  If I am to march to the beat of my own drum.  It is necessary however.  I must check and recheck that the glitter IS or IS NOT gold.

 

Catching the Beat

“She/he walks to the beat of a different drum.”  Throughout my years that phrase has meant a variety of things.  It stood for “She’s a little weird” in my youth.  As in doesn’t fit in, fit the mold, isn’t like us.  Later it became “He isn’t a team player.  Doesn’t do community well. Won’t join in.”  Years later I find that the phrase has morphed from a negative to a positive as I am more deeply ensconced in the art world.

I am working to catch the beat of my own drum.  Seeking that which sets me apart.  The thing about this quest is how difficult it can be to hear the sound and catch the beat of the drum that says “ME”.  The competition for my ear and heart is overwhelming.  Mundane tasks at hand derail my commitment to create.   The business of art distracts from the creating of art.

Even in the creative arena voices compete.  Do I follow the voice that reminds me of what is selling around me?  Do I listen when I hear myself speak of what images I paint that have sold well?  Do I incorporate some or all of the ideas explored at the workshop on Sunday?  Do I pursue ideas presented by colleagues, customers, friends and family?

I feel a little like the chick in P.D. Eastman’s book “Are you my Mother?”  asking every creative idea that passes through my brain, “Are you my drum?  Is this the beat I walk to?”  In the story, if the chick had simply stayed in the nest, he would have met his mother as she returned with his breakfast.   The moral of the story for me is to stay the creative course I am on ( currently in the middle of a large painting).

This is not a quest of the mind, but of the heart.  I cannot reason my beat into existence.  The only beat I need to listen to is the beat of my spirit and heart, confident that it will whisper “This is the way, walk in it” as I sit at my easel,  work at my table, or stare into space.  That requires quieting my mind and allowing my heart to speak.

It is a challenge worthy of my effort.

 

 

Who Knows Where

I recently returned from an art festival in Louisville where I have previously shown with success.  Not so this year.  Not one sale.  Zip. Zero. Nada.  I left the show thinking “I could have had so much more fun with the $600 I just spent to be here!”  The experience left me pondering.  If I look to financial success to define the weekend it will always and forever be an abysmal failure.  However (you knew that was coming)…

If I look to the results of the show I will be left with a different view point.  The results:  a decision to pursue different types of shows and festivals, a confidence to know it wasn’t about the quality of the art I create, a confirmation to be intentional with my pursuit of honing my craft and developing my personal style, a sensitivity to the art festival market, a beginning of a 5-10 year plan that might take my art out of the outdoor festival model.

Armed with a different perspective, Louisville will never be a failure.  It will be a turning point.  The ah-ha weekend.  The starting line of the next leg of this adventure I call life. ” Failure” is only the end of the line if I allow it to be.  I vote for allowing it to be a catalyst to a creative problem solving process that will move me forward in my journey.  Not the end, but the beginning of the next step.  Who knows where that step will lead.  The possibilities are endless.  I’m all in.