The Messy Studio with Rebecca Crowell - Episodes Tagged with “Sales”

Episode 221: Creative Momentum

Rebecca Crowell — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:00:00 -0500

Studio practice has noticeable ebbs and flows in terms of productivity, sales, exhibiting and marketing. There is also an energy flow that is less specific and harder to quantify that runs through our days in the studio. Sometimes our energy is strong, and we feel carried along by ideas and excitement, and other times we feel sluggish, lack ideas, and must push ourselves to even go to the studio. When we lose creative momentum, it’s hard to feel we’re doing our best work. What is creative momentum, and how can we create and sustain it?

The official definition of momentum is in terms of physics and it is rather technical. In simple words, momentum has to do with the mass of an object that produces motion. If an object is moving, then an object has momentum, and something with a lot of momentum is hard to stop. In this case the word has a much more popular, non-technical use, and that's how we want to address it today. Creative momentum is the feeling of flow and energy in your work that keeps you excited, involved, and motivated in the studio. It's when you and your work are a positive force in motion.

Creative momentum is affected by events in your life and creative cycle and recognizing what the reasons are when you find yourself losing it. If you're typically a person with energy and focus, when you lose that it can be distressing. But we all tend to return to what is normal for us and it is helpful to understand that this loss of momentum is temporary. You can also help maintain momentum by looking for the continuity in your work. When you realize that your work continues despite ups and downs it can provide optimism.

Experiencing a break in your momentum is a very common--even inevitable--issue, with various causes, and unfortunately, it can easily lead to a general malaise and a period of self-criticism. But it is interesting to consider momentum in physics terms when this happens. Our episode today may help you think about energy, motion, and loss of motion in a more objective way, because while these are scientific principles, all of these can also be applied in some ways to an art practice.

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What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
Rebecca and Jerry have just announced their topics for Fall Quarter which begins October 12. With a special focus on member participation, they are planning a couple of new features--one will be online mentoring to help with issues in creative practices, and one session this quarter will be devoted to members tracking their painting progress over the past year. The quarterly member critique and a painting clinic for works in progress will also be featured, along with further information on professional development. You can sign up for one of two membership levels at any time, and catch up on the past two years of recorded weekly sessions at your own pace.

Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information.

Also-- stay tuned for information coming soon about Rebecca and Jerry's newest project, Espacio, dedicated to providing beautiful living and working spaces for artists and writers. Espacio's first offering is Casa Clavel, a modern, fully equipped house opening this September in the beautiful cultural city of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. You can learn more and make a reservation by emailing info@coldwaxacademy.com. A dedicated Espacio website is coming soon!

Here is what a member named Sandy has to say about her own experience with Cold Wax Academy:
"Rebecca and Jerry have presented the most professional, authentic and structured approach to a creative activity I have ever come across. Their selfless sharing of all their knowledge and encouragement is a gift in my life unsurpassed."

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For more from The Messy Studio:
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For more from Rebecca Crowell:
www.rebeccacrowell.com
www.coldwaxacademy.com

The Messy Studio Podcast is a Tick Digital Media Production.

Episode 216: The Personal and The Professional

Rebecca Crowell — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 13:00:00 -0500

In every field of work, there are some interactions that are professional and some that can be more personal, and the lines between them are not always clear. How casual, how revealing, how personal can you be while keeping a businesslike and professional attitude? In an art career, this issue impacts your interactions in many ways—in talking with dealers and collectors, when you give talks and interviews, in setting the tone of your website, and any time you are meeting the public. Today we’ll talk about the boundaries between personal and professional situations in an art career.

Self-promotion is an important area in which personal and professional may collide. We are often advised in marketing art to be personal, to tell our story, to let our audience into our private lives to some extent. At the same time, setting boundaries around what we choose to reveal and be open about can provide a comfort level for both our audience and ourselves. Treating professionalism as your default mode is preferable in almost any situation in which you are presenting yourself to the public.

Specific situations in which crafting a professional image include making posts on social media, creating your website, and in your relationships with galleries. For some people, feeling a little insecure and wanting to make a good impression can lead to over-sharing, while others with similar fears back away from revealing anything personal that could help others understand their work.

Understanding the audience you are aiming to attract is important, especially if you are hoping to engage with galleries, curators, and collectors who have high professional standards. We do need to be ourselves in interacting with people interested in our work, which after all is personal, and where our ideas come from are impoirtant. But in public contexts erring on the side of being more formal, more reserved, and more dignified is a good strategy. If you are showing your work, selling your work, you need to have a bit of remove from the work, an objectivity, and that is best expressed by knowing the boundaries around professional behavior.

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What's new at Cold Wax Academy?
The Summer Quarter of Cold Wax Academy's membership program is now underway. Rebecca and Jerry's upcoming weekly live, online sessions will explore Personal Voice and Composition and continue the topic of Professional Development with some special guests. Member Critiques and Painting Clinics, Cold Wax Academy's new feature, are ongoing. You can join the membership program anytime and catch up with past recorded sessions at your own pace. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for more information.

Episode 196: Open Studio Events: Pros and Cons

Rebecca Crowell — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0600

At some point in their art careers, many artists are offered the opportunity to take part in an open studios event or art tour in their communities. These events can be lucrative and exciting --and provide many new contacts to help spread the word about your work. They also entail a lot of preparation and time taken away from normal studio life ---and several intensive days of meeting the public and handling all the details of selling work directly during the event. Today we take an inside look at this experience and consider the pros and cons of participating in an open studio or art tour in your own community.

Although many times these events are very positive experiences, there are legitimate reasons you may hesitate. You may view your studio as a private sanctuary and not open to the public for any reason. Or you may not be comfortable selling your own work, or you may simply not anticipate an appreciative audience of your type of work in your area, and dread having to explain what you do. The physical accessibility of your studio and the preparation and time commitment involved during opening hours are also considerations. You may also want to be sure that there are other artists on the tour who you regard as peers, who have a similar approach in terms of pricing and professionalism.

On the other hand, in evaluating whether to join a studio tour or open studios event, there are some positive signs that may persuade you to say yes. It is very helpful if there is a density of artists in your area, and if the event is locally well known and well established. As for your own work, it is good to have work at various price points so that people who are not prepared to buy larger work can find a piece that works for them. It is also good if you can line up some help for the event, maybe someone to participate in the set up or direct traffic, or just be on call if you need something during the event.

Your attitude during the event is important. While it's fine to have expectations to keep you motivated, realize that you will have many people who are simply checking out your work or enjoying seeing your studio and are not there to purchase. That is fine, and you never know what might unfold later as the result of people having had a good experience. It's important to greet everyone, answer questions, and show a friendly attitude.

A studio tour can be a very successful event, provide connections, and help in your involvement with the art community where you live. On the other hand, it’s not a good idea to join just because you feel it is expected by other people—there is too much of your time and energy at stake. Deciding whether to participate means considering the pros and cons for your situation, but once you decide to join, a wholehearted attitude will bring the best rewards.

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Rebecca and her partner Jerry McLaughlin are excited to be launching year two of Cold Wax Academy's membership program, which began in October of 2020. In the coming year, live online learning sessions will feature an entirely new set of topics---beginning with a deep dive into technique and the steps involved in developing a painting. Other topics for year 2 include professional development, abstraction and realism, principles of design, and expanded uses for cold wax medium.

As always, members have access to recordings of all previous sessions including everything from the first year, so it's easy to join anytime. Fall Quarter begins October 6th. Please visit http://www.coldwaxacademy.com for details about membership levels and to sign up for a year of exciting learning experiences.

Here is what a member named Sandy has to say about her own experience:
"Rebecca and Jerry have presented the most professional, authentic and structured approach to a creative activity I have ever come across. Their selfless sharing of all their knowledge and encouragement is a gift in my life unsurpassed."

Episode 185: Approaching Galleries and More: Interview with Jason Horejs:

Rebecca Crowell — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:00:00 -0500

We interview Jason Horejs of Xanadu Gallery and RedDotBlog.com on the best way to market yourself and your work to galleries. This interview was conducted using Streamyard and went out live on Facebook. Once again we aren't able to produce the highest quality audio right now due to the move, but we still want to put out some great content. This is one of the most valuable interviews we have ever done, so don't skip it! Thanks again to all of the well wishes from listeners pertaining to the move and recent announcment that Ross's wife is pregnant.

www.messystudiopodcast.com/blick

Rebecca and her partner at Cold Wax Academy, Jerry McLaughlin have wrapped up an exciting Spring Quarter and have announced their lineup of topics for Summer quarter which begins July 7. Their weekly live, interactive sessions will focus on Mark-making, Composition, and on Setting and Following Intentions to create strong, cohesive work.

But you don't have to wait for the new quarter to join the Academy--All sessions are recorded and fully accessible in the Member Library, and you can watch and rewatch at your own pace. In addition, joining at any time gives you access to all the perks of membership and the benefits of being part of a growing, knowledgable community of other artists.

And just in --for a limited time, Jerry and Rebecca are offering a new membership level that provides access to their extensive video workshop only-- the cost is $249 for 6 weeks of streaming access, plenty of time to watch and rewatch all the in-depth content provided in this unique video.

Special Guest: Jason Horejs.

Episode 122: Sell More Art Online, Interview With Dave Geada

Rebecca Crowell — Sat, 25 Apr 2020 02:00:00 -0500

For the last several weeks we have faced an unknown and invisible enemy. COVID-19 has disrupted large portions of the international economy and thrown millions into unemployment. As artists we face these same challenges. Our galleries have closed, our workshops have been cancelled, and we have no idea when (or if) things will return to “normal”.

However, we still have at our disposal the most powerful marketing and sales tool ever created. The internet is a way of selling art that many of us have ignored until recently and have no idea how to use properly. In the midst of economic chaos, it is crucial to learn to use the internet in ways that will help us sell more artwork, now and in the future.

To explore some of the fundamentals of online marketing, we invited marketing professional Dave Geada to join us on the Messy Studio Podcast. What he taught us is deceptively simple: tell your story. We all have one, though we may not realize it. Dave emphasized that when people buy art, they are buying not only the work itself, but you and your story. That personal connection can make all the difference in a decision to purchase.

Stories are like any other form of art. They contain essential elements that, when properly composed, are satisfying for the audience. In much the same way that a painter uses line, color, shape, form, value, texture, and space to create a painting, a storyteller uses characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. A basic, archetypal storyline involves a hero/heroine who faces a villain (a person or other obstacle) and then triumphs with the help of a guide.

This basic storyline can be applied to any person’s life and struggles. In the story of today's episode, our hero is the artist who faces the villain of COVID-19 and, with the help of a guide, learns to use the internet to sell their art. Our guide on today’s show is Dave Geada. He’s the CMO at[ Boldbrush (www.boldbrush.com) and has over 20 years of experience in technology and marketing. The interview provides some basic tools to start generating more art sales online, but if you want to learn more check out the special offer he has provided to Messy Studio listeners.

To take advantage of Dave Geada's special offer for Messy Studio Listeners:
https://l.faso.com/72

For more from the Messy Studio:
www.messystudiopodcast.com
www.facebook.com/messystudiopocast

For more from Rebecca Crowell:
www.rebeccacrowell.com
www.squeegeepress.com

The Messy Studio is a CORE Publication MGMT production.

Special Guest: Dave Geada.