Michele Williams on mon 25 mar 02
Rush wrote:
If anyone has any suggestions as to how we could be more successful I
would be happy to listen...
Try something like the "basket" business. You make beautiful bowls and the
customer picks them up. You keep a photo album of "selections" of bowl
fillers for giving. Selections could be:
1. A large mixing bowl could go with a gourmet spaghetti sauce and 2 lbs.
of spaghetti, a loaf of French bread, and red and white gingham napkins.
You charge double what the fillings cost, you charge whatever you want for
the bowl. You put it all in a box with a bow on top for gift-giving. Or
there could be a set of dishtowels, a rolling pin and cookie cutters.
You don't have to buy fillers until someone orders the set.
2. Housewarming gifts:
a. the bathroom goodies--toothbrush holder (cup with pierced cover), a
tumbler, a wall-mounted towel ring or two, a pair of hooks for the door, a
soapdish with a pretty soap to match, all in a box with a bow. Offer it in
the most fashionable decor colors of the year, and they will sell.
b. the boudoir set--the men's valet tray, the women's purse hooks for the
closet, the man's bar with belt hooks and tie bar, the woman's make-up tray
and matching mirror.
c. the kid's set: The ceramic box for the dresser top, a pencil holder for
the desk, and something with the child's name on it.
d. the pet set: Dry food bowl. Water bowl. Leash hook to put by front
door.
e. living room set: photo frame, potpourri bowl, keychain bar to fasten
near front door, and vase. All matched, of course.
f. the reader's set: why, bookends!
g. Kitchen set: NOT dishes. An angled recipe book or recipe card holder
with a small ceramic bar to put across the bottom of the book to keep pages
open. Bar with hooks on it for measuring cups--and you made the cups,
right? Comes with optional quiche dish.
Kid's Birthday Package: Kid's handprints and footprints in clay, with a
space to glue in child's photo, dated. Add a foil balloon & ribbons. Sell
this one with a special discount for multiples as grandparents and
non-custodial parents appreciate this kind of thing.
Other Kid's Birthday Package: The square cut into pieces of different
colors that can also make different figures. Chinese idea, wonderful child
development tool.
The Non-occasion Set: a half-dozen or so pairings of two items that can go
anywhere. One for the office that has a business card holder either as part
of the item or as a separate piece. One of the neatest card holders I ever
saw was a square vase whose base was empty--for business cards, of course.
Make it short enough that the view from customer to businessperson isn't
interrupted--restaurant-size vases, 3-4 inches tall. Pair it with a
notepaper-holder, a pen holder, etc. Promote these as office gifts, and
watch realtors snap them up fastest.
You get the idea. Ceramics is more than art, more than bowls & vases. You
just have to get people thinking that way. Sell a set of something with
individual prices and on Wednesday, the set of Whatevers comes with the
smallest piece free. Thursday, it's the set of Thingamajigs.
To start getting people to see your work, take some of that inventory and
donate it to some very public places--the library, to be displayed at front
desk. The mayor's office, hospital lobby, etc.
Make a set of Magic Bowls: Magic bowls sit at cash register at restaurants.
For a week customers put business cards in them and then a drawing
determines who wins a ...why, a free 3-4" vase/bowl/trinket from YOU...but
they have to go to your shop to pick it up, right? And won't those
vases/bowls/trinkets be at the back of the store so you can lead them past
all the other stuff you want them to see? (And buy some on the way out?)
Offer a free ceramics lesson once in a while.
Can you offer your wares at the Humane Society? Tell them that for each
bowl they buy, $1 goes to the Humane Society. People who are picking up or
looking for pets will buy a pet bowl from you because now they need one
anyway, and if yours are solid, slab-bottom flat so they won't ever
tip/spill, they won't buy any other kind if it breaks.
Offer some little historical tidbits about ceramics and ceramics in history
that your newspaper can print or the radio stations can read when there is
space/time. They'll always say "brought to you by" or "offered by" and
that's free advertising. Tidbits people like are about the thousands of
army men a Chinese emperor had buried with him, about how Victoria was so
impressed with a certain design that.......when a Churchill was baptized,
family custom dictated that a .........etc.
Offer a free something to anyone who can throw a cow chip farther than the
farthest mark you have (at the curb, in the yard, etc.) For kids, it could
be flipping poker chips a la Tiddly-winks, or just get Tiddly-winks and ask
people to visit to start breaking records. What can you think of to get
people to COME TO YOUR PLACE?
Think out of the box. What have we NOT seen done before? That's what
people will notice. And if there's fun, that's what people will go for
first, and if it's interesting, that's what they'll come back for.
Yes. I used to do advertising and PR.
Michele Williams
----- Original Message -----
From: "artimater"
To:
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 9:31 AM
Subject: business and art
I suppose business is allowed to kill artists because of some
(false)perception of glamour in being one...the old "love what they do"
thing...An artist is supposed to love what they do so much that they will
pay to work, so why would anyone ever give them an honest wage?....I've been
there; they don't....I think there is always some resentment from those who
get the money because they don't see our hard work as work....We are living
the good life what with all that satisfaction we get from creation..They
create nothing but problems...They can steal our money but they can't have
the glory...I read a story once about the famous "Flying Red Horse" of
Dallas. When they wrote about where it came from they wrote about the
owners of the company...Not one word about the men that actually produced
the piece....
I've also been producing art long enough to know that there is nothing
"Glamorous" about it....To get good requires great effort and much
sweat...It is dirty work around chemicals that will put you in your grave...
When I try to turn fine art into cash I find the same bullshit that I
found trying to make a living in commercial art....Only this time I have
control of the productHEHEHE...I can say, "Oh, you don't want to pay me an
honest wage for honest effort?...Well then you can do without"
I am now the owner of the business...Artimator Galleries....So far it
has only grown to a small presence on the web....no building....no company
cars...no corporate jet.......but it is still alive and well...
Across the street from me is the town of Addison....Within it's twenty
square miles are over 200 restaurants(It fluctuates)....There are lots in
the city that have went through 5 different businesses....They came and they
went....Somewhere I read that 4 out of 5 businesses fail in the first 5
years....I think for galleries the rate of failure may be even
higher...Though Artimator Galleries has failed to make enough money to even
break even; it is surviving....13 years now....It even became a dot.com this
year....It's inventory is growing...The progress is very slow but there is
progress...I don't make major moves that could lose the farm...We are
surviving where many, many, many have failed...I guess I'm not so stupid
afterall...
claybair on mon 25 mar 02
Sharon,
I think your statement "Expect fair pay for your work." is flawed is
because it is intensely subjective.
For example... last week Mel said that he charges $65 for his teapots.
On the other hand Rush would probably want $200+ for a teabowl.
Of course Mel's teapots are scarfed up at that price. He is happy because
for him it is fair pay.
I have no idea how many pots Rush has sold. I don't think he would be happy
selling teapots for $65 because he wouldn't consider it fair pay.
Personally I try to keep my prices competitive. If I cannot get my fair pay
I have to assess several factors. Is it a fair price? Is it the wrong
market? Can I streamline the time it takes to make it? Is it just wonderful
to me? If I lower the price will I feel I am selling my soul?
Sometimes it takes a long time to sell a piece. One of my teapots ($95) took
a year to sell.
It was one I really liked and felt I would keep it rather than lower the
price. The person admired it for a year and finally bought it. I felt good
about that........it went to a good home.
This has happened several times now. There has to be a no regret factor too.
I guess for me I have decided not to lower my "fair pay" prices but
compromise in making "fair price" items that the public does not have to
spend a year thinking about buying before they do so. This way I can get my
fair pay without feeling I am selling my soul or am a bitter "no one
understands or appreciates my work" starving artist.
I love pottery but I must confess the business end is my least favorite
it's a gray area in my gray matter...but I am slowly working on it.
BTW I thoroughly agree with you statement regarding Art school and the
inability or refusal to teach good business practices to art students. My
daughter has had NO training whatsoever on how to market herself as a
writer. When I asked her if any courses were offered she said no..... No
courses on how to submit work to publishers, magazines etc.
She will graduate next year and have to get a job in an unrelated field to
support herself. It was just as stupid 34 years ago when I graduated.
Choke.... it really was that long ago..... boy that almost makes me feel
like an old fart!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
Sharon wrote>>
> If anyone has any suggestions as to how we could be more successful I
would be
> happy to listen...(Chris?) but I don't see gutting the inventory at cut
rates
> as a positive move, especially since the inventory is the only asset of
the
> business...
At the risk of starting an argument, I will venture that while there are
many strategies (books and books full) on making a business successful, the
first is to act business like. Expect fair pay for your work. Present
yourself as a business person. Consider your skills investments that must
pay for themselves
You don't have to blow dry your hair or wear a suit, but have contracts,
telephone listings, web sites. Keep accounts. Know what things cost you and
be ready to say so. Stare down people who think otherwise (nicely, of
course).
How would Xerox act if a shop asked them to put a copy machine on
consignment for an unlimited amount of time, allow the shop to use the
machine, and then pay Xerox 60% of whatever they decided to sell the machine
for?
The reason I do a daily Q&A column for artists is to painlessly instill this
attitude (as well as good business practices) into the bones of my readers.
If you see it everyday, you eventually absorb it.
If it is possible for art schools to dis-teach, it is in the area of
business. They not only do not teach good business practices, they teach you
that there are no such things as good business practices and that real
artists don't have to think about business anyway -- their galleries do
that. Of course all the art instructors are living off their salaries for
teaching, not their work as artists.
(Demount soapbox)
Sharon.
--
Sharon Villines, MFA, Arts Coach
http://www.artscoach.ws
artimater on mon 25 mar 02
I suppose business is allowed to kill artists because of some =
(false)perception of glamour in being one...the old "love what they do" =
thing...An artist is supposed to love what they do so much that they =
will pay to work, so why would anyone ever give them an honest =
wage?....I've been there; they don't....I think there is always some =
resentment from those who get the money because they don't see our hard =
work as work....We are living the good life what with all that =
satisfaction we get from creation..They create nothing but =
problems...They can steal our money but they can't have the glory...I =
read a story once about the famous "Flying Red Horse" of Dallas. When =
they wrote about where it came from they wrote about the owners of the =
company...Not one word about the men that actually produced the =
piece....
I've also been producing art long enough to know that there is =
nothing "Glamorous" about it....To get good requires great effort and =
much sweat...It is dirty work around chemicals that will put you in your =
grave...
When I try to turn fine art into cash I find the same bullshit that =
I found trying to make a living in commercial art....Only this time I =
have control of the productHEHEHE...I can say, "Oh, you don't want to =
pay me an honest wage for honest effort?...Well then you can do without"
I am now the owner of the business...Artimator Galleries....So far =
it has only grown to a small presence on the web....no building....no =
company cars...no corporate jet.......but it is still alive and well...
Across the street from me is the town of Addison....Within it's =
twenty square miles are over 200 restaurants(It fluctuates)....There are =
lots in the city that have went through 5 different businesses....They =
came and they went....Somewhere I read that 4 out of 5 businesses fail =
in the first 5 years....I think for galleries the rate of failure may be =
even higher...Though Artimator Galleries has failed to make enough money =
to even break even; it is surviving....13 years now....It even became a =
dot.com this year....It's inventory is growing...The progress is very =
slow but there is progress...I don't make major moves that could lose =
the farm...We are surviving where many, many, many have failed...I guess =
I'm not so stupid afterall...
If anyone has any suggestions as to how we could be more successful =
I would be happy to listen...(Chris?) but I don't see gutting the =
inventory at cut rates as a positive move, especially since the =
inventory is the only asset of the business...
I have heard strategies here on CLAYART that I think would =
help...There is mel's "garage sales"...There is the growing and =
nurturing of a mailing list....any more?
Rush
"I only indulge when I've seen a snake, so I keep a supply of =
indulgences and snakes handy"
http://artimator.com
rush@artimator.com
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/texasceramics
Artimator Galleries
2420 Briarwood Ln.
Carrollton, TX 75006
972-841-1857
Sharon Villines on mon 25 mar 02
> If anyone has any suggestions as to how we could be more successful I would be
> happy to listen...(Chris?) but I don't see gutting the inventory at cut rates
> as a positive move, especially since the inventory is the only asset of the
> business...
At the risk of starting an argument, I will venture that while there are
many strategies (books and books full) on making a business successful, the
first is to act business like. Expect fair pay for your work. Present
yourself as a business person. Consider your skills investments that must
pay for themselves
You don't have to blow dry your hair or wear a suit, but have contracts,
telephone listings, web sites. Keep accounts. Know what things cost you and
be ready to say so. Stare down people who think otherwise (nicely, of
course).
How would Xerox act if a shop asked them to put a copy machine on
consignment for an unlimited amount of time, allow the shop to use the
machine, and then pay Xerox 60% of whatever they decided to sell the machine
for?
The reason I do a daily Q&A column for artists is to painlessly instill this
attitude (as well as good business practices) into the bones of my readers.
If you see it everyday, you eventually absorb it.
If it is possible for art schools to dis-teach, it is in the area of
business. They not only do not teach good business practices, they teach you
that there are no such things as good business practices and that real
artists don't have to think about business anyway -- their galleries do
that. Of course all the art instructors are living off their salaries for
teaching, not their work as artists.
(Demount soapbox)
Sharon.
--
Sharon Villines, MFA, Arts Coach
http://www.artscoach.ws
Please send questions and comments to Q&A@ArtsCoachFAQs.com
We answer questions for subscribers by personal email as well as in the
column.
To receive a trial Q&A service of two-weeks send a blank message to
subscribe@ArtsCoachFAQs.com
Sharon Villines on tue 26 mar 02
> I think your statement "Expect fair pay for your work." is flawed is
> because it is intensely subjective.
>
> Personally I try to keep my prices competitive. If I cannot get my fair pay
> I have to assess several factors. Is it a fair price? Is it the wrong
> market? Can I streamline the time it takes to make it? Is it just wonderful
> to me? If I lower the price will I feel I am selling my soul?
> Sometimes it takes a long time to sell a piece. One of my teapots ($95) took
> a year to sell.
> It was one I really liked and felt I would keep it rather than lower the
> price. The person admired it for a year and finally bought it. I felt good
> about that........it went to a good home.
> This has happened several times now. There has to be a no regret factor too.
> I guess for me I have decided not to lower my "fair pay" prices but
> compromise in making "fair price" items that the public does not have to
> spend a year thinking about buying before they do so. This way I can get my
> fair pay without feeling I am selling my soul or am a bitter "no one
> understands or appreciates my work" starving artist.
All these things are part of "fair pay." In the end you have to feel good
about the prices and the work you sell _and_ be financially able to sustain
the work. Paying attention to how much it costs you to do the work
strengthens your ability to "hold your prices." You can look at your work
and at competitive prices and see how you can lower costs without lowering
quality. This can also lead you to different markets. You may want to focus
your energies on a market where your prices and the quality of your work are
in line.
Business "sense" takes time. I remember when I started my first newsletter,
being an artist I spent months on the design and the choice of paper. My
printer who specialized in newsletters said "Just get it out there. People
want the information. They don't care how it looks as long as they can read
it." Make some money and then spiff up the design. Don't put more money in
than you are getting out or you will go broke before you get started.
Of course, I didn't listen. I was treating my newsletter like a painting.
The paper I chose took three months to arrive and the design of the
newsletter was not one of the reasons anyone renewed. It took two years for
me to lean that while the newsletter needed to be attractive, making each
issue a unique work of art was not the point and it was detracting from the
information and taking a lot of my time.
Each market has different needs and we have to get ourselves in line with at
least one before we can be successful.
Sharon.
--
Sharon Villines, Arts Coach
http://www.artscoach.ws
David Hendley on tue 26 mar 02
Yeah, Arti, I have a business suggestion for you.
Customers, or potential customers, don't want to deal
with a combative, egotistical guy who is waiting for
the chip to be knocked off his shoulder.
If you interact with your potential customers in a manner
even remotely related to how you come across on Clayart,
it would take a masochist to try to buy any art from you.
Don't get me wrong, I like your rantings here, but I doubt
if I would ever want to negotiate buying art from you,
regardless of how much I might like a piece.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "artimater"
To:
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 8:31 AM
Subject: business and art
If anyone has any suggestions as to how we could be more successful I
would be happy to listen...(Chris?) but I don't see gutting the inventory at
cut rates as a positive move, especially since the inventory is the only
asset of the business...
I have heard strategies here on CLAYART that I think would help...There
is mel's "garage sales"...There is the growing and nurturing of a mailing
list....any more?
Rush
Andi Bauer on wed 27 mar 02
>To start getting people to see your work, take some of that inventory and
>donate it to some very public places--the library, to be displayed at front
>desk. The mayor's office, hospital lobby, etc
My husband has recently taken several of his Kosai ware pieces to a local
jewelry store where the various baubles are draped over the pieces. Looks
very cool with the rainbow effects of the Kosai and the jewels.
Andi in San Diego
Andi Bauer
619-543-3758
email: mailto:acody@ucsd.edu
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