Leaving A Legacy

People understand I'm an artist... but what exactly is it I do? I do it all! Seriously, it's probably why I'm sick. I worked myself into a frazzle. Cause I kinda am a “want to do it all” kinda person.

Which makes me what they call “stack-able” these days.

Instead of going to art college: I decided I'd just go get the entry level job that taught me about “Art” in the practical world. For example: I wanted to learn more about print because they hired graphic artist. So, out of high school I got a part time job at the local newspaper, in the in lower in house print shop as an assistant. I quickly got bored with making note pads an envelopes. The pay was awful. An found out the pay for the graphic artist was not much better, an left.

But in my early years, this is how I took art “classes”.

I just go get the entry level jobs an learn about it that way instead of paying for classes I couldn't afford. I decided I'd learn more that way. At the time, retail management jobs paid better an that's the route I went. I took one accounting class, an just focused on business as a career. It was a secondary interest I had. An I enjoyed it. I felt being in management was more stable then being an artist. I loved interacting with people & learning a new business model. I worked in taverns, restaurants an gas stations. I helped open new ones. I cleaned up old ones. I loved accounting, inventory, P&Ls, auditing an learning all about marketing in a practical sense. I loved the first of the month, rolling out new ad campaigns all the nitty gritty details of operating a business.

Up until 21 years ago, I just focused on my retail management business career & did traditional art “on the side” because I found there was an art to business too. Then I had kids lol an had to balance business, art an them. Then the internet happened an I couldn't help myself: Suddenly you could learn things they didn't even teach in colleges yet. I spent my free time teaching myself html, programming an how to draw on computers. I invested my time in developing a website. I learned all about how the to make the internet works I didn't spend my time just socializing on it like most.

To me, the internet was going to be HUGE. It was going to change the way people did business AND I was going to be able to do ART & business for a living. So I finally knew what I wanted to return to college. Before that I had just took the basic classes to get them out of the way. I just did not see the point of investing tons of money into a college degree when I could go out in the real world an learn it from the ground up hands on. But, this time was different: I had a vision in my head of what the internet would become. An it's here.

An there is more yet to come.

So about ten years ago, I decided I needed an to finally put an traditional art portfolio together an focus on art instead of my practice site: Mommysbiz for Daycare Providers & Parents. So what exactly am I?

I'm a Artist with a business management background an internet technology geek that does photography for a living while working on traditional art in her spare time.

LOL Hey, when your idol is Leonardo Da Vinci...

Your going to get into a lot of things. But it's turning out that taking the long way around to actually getting some art done is paying off. I can teach business how to market themselves correctly on here. I can teach artist and photographers how to treat their art like a business so they can actually support themselves doing it. Who would have thunk it?

Business Art & the internet is my mix.

What seems like a weird combination for me to learn turns out to be exactly what is needed in today's world. Because I see, really good artist struggling to sell. I see brick an mortar business still not using the internet correctly. Loosing out. But I don't want to be one of those “fly by nite guru's” on here. Most of them get on my nerves. They've all got it figured out an going to teach you in 20 minutes how to get rich on the internet. It doesn't happen that way folks.

It's complicated.

Yet you've got to keep it as simple as you possibly can or you will never get any artwork done. Nor make any sales online or off. An today's businesses an artist need to be in both worlds. An artist has to be both, an if you don't understand this: Then your a hobbyist an most of what I have to say or teach isn't going to be of much value to you. If your serious about being a successful artist, I will walk you through what you need to do on the internet. Business can learn from it as well. An we can get into specific businesses later: like photography.

Don't get your hopes up.

I won't sit here an mislead anyone it's NOT easy to do. It's very a competitive market even when you do not add artist to what it is you do. An you have to do more then a regular business on here to make it. But if your interested in the long haul, an leaving a legacy. I can walk you through what I do. I will go into details in with follow up writings. An I'll probably stick it all in a book later or something. I just want other artist to understand this is a long haul game.

It's not going to give you income quickly.

An only while art sales on the internet have gone up 40%, only 1% of artist are actually selling anything. It's why I'm not fond of the most of the internet gurus. They are making a living telling you it's easy when it's not. It's hard for a regular business to do this correctly to increase their sales but if it's done right you will. It's not an over nite thing. It's long term approach to having residual income an you will sell long after you are gone. You won't see results over nite from it. Think of being on the internet like a faucet, that leaks. It trickles at first, then eventually it gets turn on an pours.

An I can't promise you will.

An here's why: Not all artist are good. An I don't say that to discourage anyone. It's just a fact. We all aren't but what might not look good as a painting: might just look great on a piece of clothing. Or a coffee mug. An you get better at something with time. You could be loosey today, an be the best at something ten years from now with practice. Discipline. An that is what my approach to art, business & internet is about.

I didn't get good at anyone of them without putting in the work. So you have to be willing to do it daily. Or at least five days a week. Several times a day, depending on what your doing. My approach works, although I haven't been doing it as much being ill. So here's the run down:

You have to have art / product / service. It has to be good.

You need a website. Content is King. Your Art: Product or Service Write / Blog Do Photos Make Videos Voice / Podcast / Livestreams You have to have a portfolio of your work on it. It has to be updated regularly: Daily, Weekly, Monthly It has to have meta tags researched & Keyworded. You want to be found by search engines. It has to be simple to navigate & user friendly. It has to be eye appealing on the internet, tv & phone Example my Traditional Art Portfolio contains:

Fractal Art
Acrylic
Charcoal
Colored Pencil
Pours
Murals
Oil Pastels
Pen & Ink
Poems
Tattoo Designs
Watercolor

I work on it regularly. It expands me as an artist & shows what I can do. An I use it for content. I have probably over 350 pieces of work. It shows my progression as an artist as well. I can offer the orginals for sell right off my website. But I design as well an I do photography for a living. I have a portfolio of each as well. One for my clients to look up their session an order from. Book a session with me or for new clients to see they kind of portrait photography I do. An since I am a photographer, I have Specialty Art as well that's not of everyday clients. I add to that regularly, again creating more content. More stuff to be found by internet search engines: to get “my name” out there. Some of it simply gets used by other artist designing themselves. So I have a portfolio of clients others can see of my work. Plus a photography portfolio of:

Auto & Gas
Animals
Bands
Churches
Citys
Conceptual
Country
Dramatic
Emotive
Flowers
Garden
Holidays
Macabra
Musical Instruments
Park & Perserves
Quotes
Statues & Ornates
Social
Skys
Surreal
Tavern
Things
Word Art

I keep up with all these things on top of doing regular sells in portrait photography. You have to have real world sales! At minimum as a photographer I set the lowest goal of the day at 3-4 sessions when I worked full time. In season its 15-40 sessions a day depending on your location. Now that I'm ill & semi retired: I still do 3-4 sessions a couple times a week to keep honing my skills. I can't stress enough that you have to have real world sales an the ability to sell face to face. Either by setting up a location or studio to work out of for people to visit & buy. Or by doing art fairs. But this piece isn't about “real world” brick an mortar, which I can get into another time: Having a internet site is just as important as having a real world location. Think of it as the same. It's where people will go to learn & buy from you. An just like in real life you want them to be able to find it.

It's not enough just to have a website. You have to be found in and on search engines.

Ten years ago, many gave up on websites. Everyone had one, but they didn't understand what made one a good one or a bad one. They didn't put in a lot of effort to them an they failed. Or they didn't understand the science to them. If your doing this alone, like I have been all my life with no budget you can build one. It doesn't have to cost you much as long as you understand you have to keep putting content on it. It's like a living breathing thing: Just like someone visiting your studio, store or business. It will help you bring in more business if you invest time or money in to it. Ten years ago, their was about ten directories & search engines you could be found on.

A lot of folks gave up, it wasn't enough of a return on their time or money. Now it's a standard. Just as much as having a brick an mortar location. If you don't have one, your business / art isn't going to be found.

People research stuff before they go shopping.

So it's all the more important. An I could spend days on just talking about websites, an how to do them so you stand out in a crowd but I'm trying to keep this simple. So the average person can understand. Ten years ago, if you could keep yourself in the top ten of search engines, you'd be found. You generated visitors by word of mouth. One website owner, sharing another website owners address. They would all link together in a network or “ring” of sites. There was only one major social platform: AOL . On it you could pay an arm and a leg to advertise your brand. But you couldn't really sell art work that way. An most businesses didn't have that kind of budget. Let alone artist.

Selling for artist got done the same old fashion way: Word of Mouth.

Your buddy would tell their buddy, to check you out. Word of Mouth would spread. Sales still work this way. In real life and on the internet. But now instead of ten search engines, we manly have one people go to. An instead of one expensive social platform we have at least ten I can think of. Not only do you have to do artwork daily, sell regularly in the real world, update your website consistently. You have to be on social media! Businesses need word of mouth! But artist need it even more! You have to communicate to the world, your lifes work. There are at least 11 social platforms you should be on:

Google
Pinterest
Facebook
Youtube
Instagram
LinkIn
Twitter
Tumblr
Lifestream.aol
Podcast

And I'm sure there is more actually, but those are the majors. Some people insist you don't have to do them. An that you don't really have to update them much. An you don't if you can generate enough word of mouth without them in the “real world”. But if your interested in more customers, an getting more world of mouth is a good thing for you: Then you will. I could spend weeks on just this top alone.

Because it's not just about marketing, or becoming famous, how many likes you have or followers. Although those things may or may not come with it: It's about word of mouth: The best and oldest way to get what you do out there. I meet a few new people a couple of months ago. Never spoke to them in my life: but they knew: One I was an artist. Two: I was good. Three: I could do what they needed done. You can't buy word of mouth.

It's free and it's priceless.

Yes there is a right way to market on them an not offend anyone, without paying for ads. Which, I recommend for some an not others. It depends on what your art is. What your service is. Your product. I worked for one of the best studios to work for, CPI. In some of the best locations. An they have decent products, good service, great locations: but they could not beat the word of mouth on the internet. They could not compete with photographers on the internet. Not because they where bad, but because they didn't respond to customers on the internet. They didn't show their work as often as they could. So, great solo photographers grabbed the market because they where on social media. They showed better work & where doing the internet right. An they where getting all the word of mouth.

My studio went up 20K in sales all on word of mouth.

I had people traveling 60-100 miles just to come see me, do a session with me and buy my artwork. When the company was failing as a whole. Why? Because they heard about me.

All because I was good and asked them join me on social media & like my Facebook page. I'd get home from work, post my work of sessions customers gave me permission to an respond to them. The company as a whole didn't do that. They had great service, products an usually better photography but they didn't do that on the internet. An it hurt them enough to bankrupt them. So I can't even begin to tell you how important it is to have word of mouth: not just off line but online.

Now, that's about what it takes to run just a normal business real brick an molter business. The basics of it an I haven't even gone into details. An artist has to do one other thing, as if that isn't enough right?

Artist need to be on as many art sites as they can find. Why?

Your branding your name: Sometimes it's gonna be your name an your name only that sells your artwork. Remember, your wanting to leave a legacy that lives on after you do. That requires you be found as many ways as you possibly can. So search engines pick you up. You'll need to upload a decent copy of your art work on:

Redbubble
Fine Art America / Pixel
ImageKind
Deviant Art
Behance
Aritist.com
Etsy
Sedition
Society6

There are more then that and I recommend you get on as many as you can handle. I started out on ImageKind. To avoid the fees, I just posted my fractal art, a portfolio of the latest. You have to decided what your budget can afford. If you can be on all of them great. If you can't do what you can afford to. Most of the sites I listed are free, or low based. Your work will come up more in Google, generating more hits. An more sales. Don't expect the sales to make you a living. It's more about getting noticed, making a name for yourself and it living on after you do. A legacy. It does create residual income. Even if it's low, it's worth the effort. I personally just keep adding a site to put my artwork on.

I'm all over the place, so I can be found.

It's NOT easy. It's time consuming an only you can decide how much of your time it's worth to do this. My main portfolio of portrait photography is rarely seen. It's made me the most. I'd post it all if I had time to. Or owned all of it still. I myself, am getting away from that. My advice, is start with one of these websites, so you can sell prints & products of your work. Get a idea of how long it takes you. I'm pretty fast at it, so I can usually do a piece of work, post it to ten different sites an update all those social media accounts. Plus pay attention to people on them.

I have make the time to. I make the time.

I do mainly: Traditional Art, Design, Photography an thinking about going into the digital specialty art of photoshop manipulation. Each thing I do goes through this process.

Make the art
Update the website
Post to art sites
Post to social media
Sell the art

Sometimes it's reversed depending on the what kind of art your doing. In photography, it's smarter to sell it to them first, then post to social media. It just depends. But as you can see, I'm working four main things artistically an on about 30 sites to make that 1% of sales artist make on the internet. So when I tell you, it's NOT for the faint of heart.

I'm not lying.

I just mentioned art sites but graphic designers & photographers should be on:

Dreamstock
Shutterstock
Foap
Bigstock
Istock
Fololia

Some use Flickr, Pica an shopify. It depends on what your doing artistically. There's 3DOcean & Envato for designers or more tech savy. Plus freelancer for jobs if you think doing all those aren't keeping you busy enough. My point is, artist who are pretty disciplined about doing artwork to begin with make it. You entertain others with it as you post, creating more word of mouth. That thing, that most artist need to sell. I've been brought up on ImageKind, spotlighted on Redbubble an others told about me helping me out with my photography sales. Even if I didn't sell a lot online, it helped me sell a lot face to face in real life. It helped me get jobs in the arts. So while most artist don't have a marketing team behind them. Let alone a lot of money to throw around:

This is the way you go: Stackable.

It's a computer networking term, the takes one thing and connects it to many. It leaves a big foot print on the internet & in real life: A Legacy. I just have to remember I'm not a computer some days: an human.