Photographing products

I would consider myself a skilled amateur photographer; I have taken college level photo classes, have worked at times as a photo assistant, have a darkroom in my basement, and am a photoshop expert. I have a very good quality digital camera, just a notch below pro quality. I have a simple light set-up and know some tricks to improve results. I have also managed many photo shoots in my work as an art director, and have developed a very good eye for images. But even with these skills, over the years I have learned that if I have enough lead time and have the funds, I always get better results when I hire a pro to shoot product images.

Still, there are times when I need to shoot something to get it up on the web or to add it to a product catalog and don't have the time (or funds) to use a pro. Here is a WikiHow article that may help you when you find yourself in the same spot:

http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Better-Product-Photographs-for-Free

If you want to buy a table-top lighting set (lamps and dome) I suggest B&H camera. I use a set-up that cost about $150.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Tent-Dome-Kits/ci/11099/N/4294550800

Ten tips for a successful art/craft business

1. Make a good product

If your product isn't well-designed, well-made and unique or special in one way or another, you will have an uphill climb trying to sell it. Work that has these qualities is work you will be proud of, and your customers will want to join in your enthusiasm for the work by buying it.

2. Research the market

Having any successful business requires constant research about the kinds of product you sell, appropriate pricing, trends, production and technology. For your business plan, you also need to write about your market and how your product fits into it. Resources include trade publications and organizations, local, state and federal government statistics, visiting shows and galleries, talking to other artists, and searching the internet. Many libraries have small business centers/resources that will help you find what you are looking for.

3. Write and regularly update your business plan

Take the time to soul-search, crunch the numbers and write a good business plan. Even if you don't expect to apply for loans or seek outside investors, going through the exercise will give you realistic expectations about the costs and benefits of having your own business. It will help you determine the nature of your business, what your selling opportunities are, and determine what kind of products you will make.

4. Invest time and research into creating branding for your business

Put some time and effort into coming up with a good business name, designing a logo, and having a "personality" to your brand. Make sure all collateral material is well-designed and has a consistent look. This provides a visual identification for your business and implies overall professionalism and that you take yourself seriously as an artist. 

5. Make sure your communications are effective

If you are an artist, the work is the most important thing. But marketing your work takes time and is a necessity that can't be ignored. If you have limited time, make sure that your efforts reach as many people as possible. Social media, e-newsletters and using your website as a viable tool will give you the biggest bang for your buck.

6. Look at customer service as an investment

Do whatever you can to make your customers feel good about you and your product. They are paying your bills, after all! Time invested working through problems and prompt response when they have an issue or question are very cost-effective ways to build your reputation as an artist and good business person. Make sure your policy about returns and repairs is spelled out on your website or printed in a brochure when you make a sale. Have a plan about how to deal with difficult customers.

7. Know when to do it yourself and when to pay someone to do it for you

If you need help with accounting, PR, photographing your work, building your website, consider whether you should do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. Ask yourself:

A. If I do it, will the result be professional quality?

B. Would anyone ever pay me to do that task?

C. Would I be able to do it as quickly as a pro?

If you answer "yes" to at least 2 out of 3, it may be worth it for you to do it yourself (depending on how much time you have). If you answer "no" to two or more, you should pay someone else to do it for you. You will save time and money in the long run. 

8. Always use best business practices

Know about and adhere to business licensing, taxes, permits and regulations in your area before you start your business. Most government agencies have made it extremely easy to manage sales tax, etc. online. Talk to other artists or small business organizations if you need help in any of these areas. 

9. Don't be afraid to invest in yourself 

Artists don't always take themselves seriously as a business so they don't spend money on things that fall under the category "cost of doing business." Examples include not having business cards, a website, not investing in business basics like a fax machine or separate phone line. All of these things are worth it because they save time and show that you are truly a professional. If you don't take yourself seriously professionally no one else you!

10. Rotate your products

Don't get locked into making the same old thing year in and year out. You will lose even the most devoted customers if you aren't offering them variety in what you produce. A good rule is to rotate out 20-30% of your product lines every year and rotate in 20-30% new products. 

Sign up for my arts marketing class- registration now open!

"Creative Marketing for Artists and Crafters" class at Adult School of Montclair

Tuesday nights starting October 12, ending November 30 (8 weeks)

Tuition: $95 

Location: Montclair High School

100 Chestnut St. Montclair, NJ 07042

This is a fun and creative class to apply your creative skills and sensibilities to the business side of art. Artists and crafters will discover how to market their wares creatively and innovatively using practical tools that get work recognized and sold. Learn through in-class exercises how to create a viable business plan, set up a website for promotions, develop pricing techniques, and cultivate gallery and niche contacts to expand exposure and income.

Register now!

Doing it your way

I am still working on my Behance.net portfolio, so stay tuned for progress reports!... In the meantime, here is a tasty tidbit for you:

My friend, Rene Syler ("Good Enough Mother," broadcast journalist, author, blogger and all-around media maven), has just posted an article about the process of reinventing herself after some very difficult personal and professional struggles… and how she set her own rules in the process. 

Rene has been a constant source of inspiration to me as a kindred being who is making her way through the ups and downs of the creative life. In her post she talks specifically about the role of blogging in her personal transformation.

She has a lot of other cool stuff on her website, too!

I will soon be posting a guest blog article on the Good Enough Mother website: Five Things You Can Do to Foster Creativity in Your Child.

Free online portfolios for creative professionals

I read about Behance, an online community for creative professionals, in a LinkedIn group "Visual Artists and Their Associates." (If you are on LinkedIn but haven't explored LinkedIn Groups, I highly recommend it!) Behance allows you to post multiple portfolios (images, audio and video) for free! You can also post your experience/resume, and get feedback from other artists about your portfolio. You also have the ability to download an ad-free PDF version of your portfolio to send to clients. The website isn't limited to visual arts, there are portfolios for writers, exhibition designers, even ice sculptors. You can also choose your own favorites and "follow" other artists in the network.

One of the most attractive features about Behance is that allows you to link your portfolio directly to your LinkedIn page, making your images directly accessible in that platform.

I decided to give it a try. The first section is a series of questions designed to identify and characterize your work by style, medium and segment, plus personal information including your website, email address and twitter account. The second section allows you to make multiple portfolios (called "projects"), so you can organize your work any way you like. 

I am in the process of putting my portfolios up, and will keep you posted about my progress. The interface is very clean and easy to use, and you have the option to use their very clean templates or upload a pdf page if you want to create your own layout. Photos need to be RGB and under 1megabyte and I am sure videos would have parameters too, so you may need to resize your images before you can upload. The layouts seem to prefer horizontal images but there may be a way to work around that. I have used it with both Safari and Firefox browsers without issue.

I really like the fact that it is designed with creative pros in mind, unlike many of the template-based web solutions that offer few options for artists. The connectivity with LinkedIn is a major plus.

I will let you know when my page is launched! Let me know if you try it, too, and please post your comments about Behance here.

Angel or devil?

Today a colleague and I were working on her website. She told me she had seen a button that said "Get in your studio and MAKE SOMETHING!" 

As artists, we sometimes have two little beasties sitting on our shoulders. The one on the right shoulder says "Get in the studio and MAKE SOMETHING!" The one on the left shoulder says "Get out of your studio and SELL SOMETHING!" While both can cause us to wake from a deep sleep in a cold sweat in the middle of the night (that reminds me, I have been procrastinating about a couple of invoices and a couple contracts I need to print out, sign and mail ASAP!) what was I talking about? Oh yeah, cold sweats!

What if we stopped fighting those little voices and actually surrendered to them? What if I stopped what I was doing when the creative "angel" said "MAKE SOMETHING!"? Or surrendered when the marketing devil said "SELL SOMETHING!"? and did what I needed to do to get those monkeys off my back? Maybe I would make more, and sell more! What do you think? How do you balance creative time with business/marketing time? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Casting the Net Wider - guest blog by Richard Wilde

Richard Wilde is founder of Artybuzz.com, an online artists community that allows anyone to exhibit, sell and buy great artwork.

Artists are very creative people, and in tough economic times it is worth thinking a little bit more creatively about where your work is sold, and how else it can be sold.

When times are hard and sales are down, it would be silly to just sit around and hope for the best, so why not think about casting the net wider, and trying to sell your art in different ways and different places.

There are many ways to make money from your art, including licensing it for sale on other products. I personally set up a murals wallpaper company recently at www.muralswallpaper.co.uk,  that allows artists and photographers to sell their work as huge wall murals. I licence the work from artists for reproduction, and pay them £5 per sq metre of the sold, which means some good money can be earned on large jobs.
Another great way of licensing you work is to have it reproduced on products and have either an image you have created or a pattern/collage of your work which forms and cool and quirky unique product. This can be done on a large scale but also a small scale as well. It’s also a fantastic way to improve your brand as an artist and get your work noticed in circles that may not normally find you.

So think about other sales avenues and how you can get your artwork noticed in other areas, and this will help you get through these tough times and will also improve your brand, scope and popularity as an artist!
– Richard Wilde

Artist and illustrator Mary Engelbreit graciously offers advice on her website to artists who are interested in licensing their work to other parties. Click here to see her tips for artists.

Have you had success licensing your work? I would love to hear about it!