Dear Artist Friends, Would you rather spend your time creating artwork and not have to focus on selling it? I spend my life around artists, and finding ways to sell their art seems to be their biggest challenge. What about you? Are you looking for one or two more galleries, or perhaps for that first representative?
Very Few People Understand Life As An Artist If you're like most of my friends, you wear a lot of hats: You are a marketer, a shipper, a framer, a bookkeeper, a salesperson, a PR agent -- and an artist. When we dreamed of becoming full-time artists, few of us ever imagined that we would be running a business, yet that is what we do. Sometimes the business burdens are so demanding that there is barely time -- or inspiration -- to create art. Yet paint or sculpt we must.
Why I Keep Saying No To Artists Just last week I visited with two artists. As I spouted ideas on how to market their paintings and increase their sales, each asked if I would be their agent. Of course, I declined, simply because of the current demands on my own life: raising a family, making a living as a magazine publisher, and trying to find time to paint. When I told this to one of the painters, he responded, "I'm a shy guy. The last thing I want to do is pick up the phone, call galleries, and ask them to consider my work. What if they say no? What if they don't like my work? I'd be heartbroken. Can't you just get me a few galleries so I don't have to make those calls?"
The Best Ideas Come At 3 A.M. I sat in bed late that night, mulling over the problem. Most artists I know are looking for additional representation, because the galleries they have may not be selling enough of their work. How can I solve the problem of artists who have to call galleries and humiliate themselves? And then, at 3 a.m., this idea came to me: Put the artists in front of the galleries in a new magazine.
Is Your Portfolio Lost In Boxes In The Back Room? On a visit to New York I asked a gallery owner how he finds new artists. "They find me," he said. "The problem is that I get lots and lots of e-mails and packages with photos, slides, discs, you name it. The second I see it's from an artist, I throw it in a box in the storage area with the other boxes of artist portfolios. I don't even look at them. When I start thinking about looking for new artists, I sort through them -- but it turns into a giant mess. People forget to label things, so I end up with images without knowing who painted them. I usually get frustrated and throw it all away." I was shocked. Artists spend hours creating portfolios -- only to have them thrown in a box? What if I could put all of the artists in an easy-to-store magazine? That would solve the problem for both artists and galleries.
You'll Be Featured In A New Art Magazine I posed the idea to both artists and galleries, and the response was positive. So, we created Artist Advocate to advocate for you, to promote you to galleries. The entire content of the magazine is listings of artists with samples of their work and current contact information. The tangible format encourages gallery curators to peruse each artist in each issue.
Will the Gallery Phone Me Right Away? Not to be a party pooper here, but let's be realistic. Marketing is like fishing: How many times do you have to bait the hook, cast, and wait before you get a bite? One you reel in a fish, you have to decide if it's a keeper. Every gallery is in a different place at a different time. A gallery that just signed a new artist may not be looking for anyone new. A gallery about to open a new location might be looking for a whole group of new artists, or a whole new style. You have to keep casting to catch them when they are looking. There are other variables, too: Will they like your work, your style, your colors? If you're an abstract painter and they only carry representational paintings, they probably won't bite, and vice versa.
Artist Advocate provides access to many artists. As their needs and moods change, gallery representatives can refer to this directory time and again, as well as to new issues published each quarter. The key for artists is to keep their profile current with every issue. Repetition is the key to branding: Always "be there" when they are looking. If you're not in the magazine the one time they are seeking new artists, you will have lost an opportunity. You must have your bait in the water at all times to increase the odds of catching a fish.
What Kind Of Art Do We Feature In Artist Advocate? We mail to more than 6,500 galleries that sell original artworks. Some sell representational paintings, others abstract. Some sell photographics, others decorative objects. The publication features a double cover -- one side representational, the other contemporary. Place your listing in the section appropriate to your artwork. Digital Too!
Artist Advocate is also a digital magazine. Your ad links directly to your website. It's a terrific bonus, enhancing your search engine traffic and allowing you to forward your Artist Advocate ad to your own marketing prospects. The digital edition goes to more than 30,000 art enthusiasts, collectors, and, of course, galleries.
The Perfect Time To Strike Our next issue will go out this month, when galleries are crafting show plans for the coming year. This is an ideal time to expose them to your work. Another issue will mail in February, to hit right during spring planning. We publish four times a year.
What About My Listing? Ads are available in full- or half-page formats. You may choose several full pages in order to show more art. Your listing should contain information about you and your accomplishments, specifics you wish to communicate, and contact information. Making Your Life Easier So You Have Time to Create
For me, a good day is when I can concentrate on painting. If someone else does the selling, it's worth paying the commission. If adding just one gallery allows you to do a little less scrambling to sell paintings, then we have made your life easier.
Artist Advocate will help expose you to galleries. I hope you'll join us. This PDF contains an order form and pricing. You'll want to book before the November 10 deadline.
I know how vulnerable you feel when a gallery is evaluating your work. Artist Advocate will allay that vulnerability. You'll be seen by most galleries in the United States and in several countries worldwide. Galleries you did not know exist will see artists they did not know exist. Will you be one of them?
Happy painting, Eric Rhoads Publisher Streamline Publishing, Inc.
PS: How would your life change if you added just one more gallery to sell your work? How would these sales impact your life, your time, your state of mind? How easily can you put yourself in front of 6,500 galleries? We've spent years developing our list of galleries. Will you be the next painter whose work is distributed worldwide? We believe this exposure will help you add at least one more gallery. Please sign up today.
PPS: Most of the artists I know are interested in the success of their fellow artists. You may wish to forward this to others. Thanks!
