Etsy

I was surprised to get an email from someone asking why there was no mention of Etsy on my blog. (Answer: This is my second blog. I am old. I had mentioned Etsy on my last blog.) Considering that Etsy is a site I admire, as much for its communities as for its marketing value, here is the post from my old blog:

Web sales are not right for all artists and all art. Two-dimensional art remains best sold face-to-face in galleries and studios supported by a web presence. But for artists who create unique hand-made items that can be effectively sold on the web—crafts persons in particular—no site is more practical and valuable than Etsy. Etsy, says this man of patience, has proven its value over time to many artists whom I have interviewed.

Etsy (www.etsy.com) is a sales site and a community. If you do not know the site and think it may be of interest, visit it (without joining) and take a look around. When you go to the homepage, click on “Community” at the top of the page to gain access to these categories: “Overview,” “Updates,” “Forums” etcetera. By clicking on each of these categories, you can give yourself a tour of the community’s assets.

At the bottom of the “Community” page, if you scroll down, you will find a listing of “Virtual Lab” and “Team” events. This is valuable for “newbies”—people new to the community. If you join Etsy and become a newby, you can identify other members who live close by and contact them to see if you can find someone willing to have a coffee with you to explain how things work if need be.

One thing I like about Etsy is its commitment to the education of its members. It encourages you to become part of a team because, as in life, the team approach works better than the independent approach. Etsy provides a lot of support services to teams, including grants to support innovative member teams. Just click on “Teams” on the Community page to learn more. The “Workshops” page is another great resource page for newbies. It has an extensive archive of topics that may answer questions that come to mind about using Etsy to sell your work.

If you are an artist who works in two-dimensional media, a visit to the site may ignite some dormant creative desire within you. Visiting Etsy can be inspirational in terms of stimuli for your creative voice. It may motivate you to undertake a creative project different from your usual work that is marketable on Etsy. Using Etsy can create an easy new source of revenue for the artist that does not require any marketing expense.

The caveats: Etsy is somewhat US-centric. Buyers can use the “Shop Local” feature to make it more effective, and there has been some criticism about people selling work that they have not made. Also, the operators of Etsy have been criticized for being slow to crack down on problematic sellers. For more information and a history of Etsy, visit the Etsy listing on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org).

Student Resources Part 2

One of the assignments in my classes at Emily Carr University of Art & Design, is to submit some resources that we do not discuss in class. Below is part one of some of the resources submitted by my students; all comments are theirs, not mine.

• Canadian Art Weekly - http://www.canadianart.ca/- Weekly email overview of the Canadian art scene.
• CARFAC/CARCC - http://www.carfac.ca/ - Good source of business/copyright info
• Canada business website - http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/ - services for small business
• Small Business BC website - http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/ good for small business owners. Provide inexpensive seminars for starting and running a small business.
• One Stop business registration - http://www.onestopbc.ca/introduction/index.htm - actually made the beaurocratic maze of starting a sole proprietorship easy.
• Galleries West magazine – free at most galleries. Info about West coast art and artists
• Preview magazine – free at most galleries. Extensive gallery listings
• Denbigh Design - http://www.denbighdesign.com/ Art shipping, framing, installation
• Artists In Our Midst - http://www.artistsinourmidst.com/ - I live in Kitsilano and have visited several of the artists homes/studios and found it a really good experience. Would like to particpate next year.
• The Drift - http://www.thedrift.ca/ This sounds like a good community event as well as Artists in our Midst
• EBSQ – http://www.ebsqart.com/ - Web based site for self marketing artists. Loosely tied to Ebay
• Lynda.com – http://www.lynda.com/ - Sofware tutorials
• Canadian Art Therapy Association (C.A.T.A.): C.A.T.A. is a non-profit organization whose objective is to promoted art therapy within Canada. As an organization they offer: a bi-annual journal; tri-annual newsletter; news and events; annual conferences; access to seminars, lectures, exhibits, and workshops. I have chosen this organization because of the focus on Canadian content and in the future I hope to apply for bursaries or registration, research awards, and liability insurance through this organization. C.A.T.A. also lists employment opportunities and postings.
• American Art Therapy Association (A.A.T.A.): I chose the A.A.T.A. as a professional resource as they offer online access to their journal and they organize an annual conference which I hope to attend in the near future. Two unique services they offer are media coverage related to the Art Therapy field worldwide, and an Institute for Continuing Education in Art Therapy. This institute is online for distance learning, and I will be able to take advantage of this service for maintaining my professional skills.
• British Association of Art Therapy (B.A.A.T.): The reason I would like to choose (when qualified) B.A.A.T. as a professional resource is for their European and international section. They publish the International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape twice a year, and provide news briefings relevant to the profession. They also have a code of ethics that I would like to consider in relationship to Canadian ethical standards.
• International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (I.E.A.T.A.): Although this web-site does not focus strictly on visual arts, I find it one of the most creative sites. For example, they provide an IEATA Member Gallery. Each season they feature an artist on the site with their photograph, artistic statement, and biography. The purpose is to recognize, honour, and inspire their members. If I do not submit my own work to this site in the future, I would encourage other associations to promote this form of contact for their membership.
• Expressive Media Inc. This non-profit organization produces and distributes educational films and materials on art/ expressive therapies. They appear to be a valuable source of information on these topics.
• Emerging Artist Guide website. This site is meant to be a reference guide for those who are new to the art world. This site is meant to provide the tools needed to become a professional artist.
• Drawn.ca http://blog.drawn.ca/ This blog is really interesting in that it shows different forms of art that are great for inspirations. I think that on my blog, I won't just show entries on my manga art, I would also like to share other types of art (both my own, as well as other artists' works that inspire me or I would like to recommend to others).
• DeviantART http://www.deviantart.com A lot of people share their art (both artwork that they have created themselves, as well as artwork that they personally like and have gotten from other sources) on this website/art community. I feel that this site is a great for prospective/amateur/developing artists in that they can view artwork uploaded by various artists around the world and get inspiration from them. Furthermore, artists get the opportunity to receive some feedback from viewers (as there is a comment section located at the bottom) because these viewers are strangers and will be honest, as well as sell some of their artwork (through commissions and such) on this website.
• Myth and Mirrors Community Arts This website describes a community arts-based project that has been running for 14 years in and around Sudbury, Ontario. The project aims to “bring people together to find meaning and purpose in our experiences through reflection, dialogue and collective creation”, with a particular focus on addressing the challenges faced by a community rooted in a traditional single resource industry (mining) but facing many modern challenges. The website lists useful resources that link art theory and practice to community building, and links users to an extensive list of organizations and projects that build healthy communities through the creative arts. The site also serves as an archive for the many, varied projects that have been completed over the years. I believe this website will not only help me develop my exhibition proposal but also inform my own emerging practice as an artist. This is because my interest in creating art is linked more directly to community building and social change, rather than to a commercial practice. This site points me to many helpful resources, and in itself is an inspiration around what is possible. http://mythsandmirrors.wordpress.com/
• Collaborative Arts Resource for Educators – Protest Sculpture Lesson Plan This website features a lesson plan for educators interested in exposing high school students to the idea that art can be created to address social and environmental issues. The plan outlines three 50-minute sessions that take participants through the process of examining and reflecting on a social issue and expressing their concerns and feelings through the creation of a sculpture. The lesson plan also encourages teachers to help participants think about what other actions they could take. The website includes a downloadable version of the lesson plan, along with worksheets, links to examples of protest sculpture, a bibliography, and more. The CARE website itself features extensive resources for teachers, parents, and students that “promote arts integration in the classroom for the purpose of developing students who can think critically and work collaboratively”. The reason I’m interested in this particular lesson plan is that my proposal for an exhibition and symposium includes inviting artists and activists to facilitate workshops on creating protest art and this lesson plan might serve as a good resource for artists who have not lead such a process before. http://www.carearts.org/lessons/lesson-plans/o-t/protest-sculpture.html

Student Resources, Part 1

One of the assignments in my classes at Emily Carr University of Art & Design, is to submit some resources that we do not discuss in class. Below is part one of some of the resources submitted by my students; all comments are theirs, not mine.

• Basic Inquiry Allows me to further build up my anatomical drawing skills and create possible inventory. It is a resource for fine tuning drawing skills, group show casing, and workshops.
• Communications Arts (magazine publication) Good for keeping a look out on trends and what other designers, photographers, and illustrators are up to. It is also a good place for advertise and showcase my work; another route for gaining exposure and marketing myself because it provide competitions and call for submissions.
• ArtForum (magazine publication) Good source of contemporary art reviews, essays, and gallery exhibition. Continuous resources for learning more about art/ stimulate art making process.
• Alliance for Arts and Culture Provides job postings, volunteer opportunities, workshops, and resources. Good career builder-----I can still apply for a job in a related field if I feel I need a change of pace or a break from my practice.
• Helen Pitt Gallery This seems like a welcoming group for the emerging artist and has a good reputation. They have a broad universal theme that I believe my work could enhance.
• The Drift They provide public exposure to my work, maintain a web profile, and keep me informed of submission calls and other resources locally and across Canada.
• AIGA: http://www.aiga.org/ AIGA is an online professional association for design. It’s a great resource for prospective and current designers that highlight professional resources (i.e. salary surveys, industry articles), education opportunities and design trends. For now, I use it mostly as an educational resource for workshops and articles on graphic design programs. In the future, I plan to use their job listing website and post my work in the “member gallery”.
• Drawing Board: http://www.drawingboard.org/ This is a great resource for artists to post their work and get feedback from the public. The work can range from photography, illustration, life drawing, caricatures etc. This is useful in terms of finding inspiration for my design school portfolio or posting my own work for honest feedback.
• Software training online-tutorials: http://www.lynda.com/ Lynda is an affordable online training website that I use for tutorials on Adobe Photoshop. It’s great for people who want to learn the software on their own time and get up to speed on current design technology. I started with Photoshop, but I also want to expand my knowledge on Illustrator and InDesign.
• Before & After Magazine: http://www.bamagazine.com/ This is a great magazine that I subscribe to. It gives quick tips (online and print) on how you can use simple elements of design to improve your website, print materials, presentations, etc. Each tutorial is broken up into steps so it’s easy to use for everyone, including non-designers. This is a sufficient resource for me right now because I don’t have as much experience in graphic design. I’ll likely move onto more advanced tutorials as I progress in my career.
• Open Studio Program (www.langleyartscouncil.com/webpage/id/3). I chose this resource to provide me with opportunities for instruction, community building, networking, and mutual support.
• Langley Arts Council (www.langleyartscouncil.com). The Langley Arts Council works to raise the profile of the arts in Langley, promote and support Langley arts and artists, and to increase accessibility and awareness of the arts to the general public. I hope to actively volunteer with this organization. This exposure would be beneficial for my emerging career and will facilitate networking.
• Emily Carr University of Art + Design Continuing Studies (www.ecuad.ca/programs/cs). I will continue to pursue my artistic education by taking courses in a variety of mediums after successfully completing the requirements to receive the Certificate of Fine Art Techniques. I will acquire new skills to enhance my professional development and my own practice, be challenged to look at art with different perspectives, be involved in a peer assembly and have networking opportunities.
• Canadian Artists Representation (CARFAC)(www.carfacbc.org). A wealth of information and resources to address my issues as an emerging artist. Also, members have their names and website addresses listed on the CARFAC website.
• Canadian Art (www.canadianart.ca). I’ve subscribed to this magazine for a few years. It profiles Canadian contemporary artists and their work. I live outside of Vancouver and do not have many opportunities to visit many galleries. The articles and visual content of the publication challenge my thinking about what is considered art.
• MyArtClub.com (www.myartclub.com). A user-friendly website designed by artists for artists who wish to increase exposure and sell their work. They claim to be easy, effective and economical.
• Cultural Human Resources Council (www.culturalhrc.ca). This website has a very interesting and informative resource guide titled: The Art of Managing Your Career in Visual Arts. The guide clearly outlines the steps you need in order to reach your goals.
• Opus Framing and Art Supplies (www.opusframing.com/community). Not only to buy the tools of my trade, I use their website for many functions. Under the heading “ART NEWS”, I find the Call for Submissions, Workshops, Exhibition, Show & Sale, Studio Tour, Festival and Other links invaluable for keeping current with the Visual Arts community.
• Cultural Human Resource Council (http://www.culturalhrc.ca/).This is a web site with all sorts of information regarding career development and human resource issues. It has representatives for all types of careers in the arts. There is important information regarding training and career development. This web site can offer me trusted resources for my career in visual arts.
• Neatorama.com has an art blog that provides space and audience to artists of all kinds. It would allow me to introduce myself and my artwork. Neatorama gets millions of readers every month, so that's a lot of potential new clients. This feature is completely free and comes with no strings attached. Neatorama is one of the largest blogs on the web. It can drive a significant amount of traffic to my website (once I have created one) and profile page at their Art Blog.

Chris: What Made You Successful?

"What do you think are the factors that most influenced your success?" She asked me because had told her that I never worked outside the visual arts (with a little performing arts experience as well) and never in a union so I had no pension. But, I am "retired" with plenty of money to live on even though I always worked in a way that exploited my creativity. Sometimes I was an employee, sometimes I was self-employed; often I was both.

I own my own (small) place in the expensive Vancouver market, I have no mortgage and no debt. I have more money that I ever imagined having in the bank and no financial anxiety. I am not saying this to brag. I'm saying this because I took her question home and thought about it and this is what I chose to say to her in the next class: "I wanted a comfortable life and I worked hard. I succeeded because I had to. I had to pay my bills. I had to produce work, and lots of it, that someone wanted to buy. Period."

I got scores of grants, I sold services and products and I worked long hours. For me, the difference between working and playing was vague: I loved my work. That is what being an artist is in my experience. And yes, I had skills: I could write good persuasive copy and I was a good graphic designer and I used my skills to enhance all my grant applications and proposals.

Visual Art Incomes

If you want to sell art, consumer studies provide rare and extremely valuable insight into the minds of buyers of art and into trends in art sales. The results of art consumer surveys and studies should be essential reading for every artist who wants to expand sales beyond the boundaries of their friendships. If you do not study sales (at least to some extent), you are probably involved in intuitive, inefficient and highly competitive sales program.

The Xanadu Gallery in Scotsdale Arizona conducts art consumer research. Their studies involve mostly American artists plus some from Canada and other nations; the majority of their respondents are painters [64%]. Because my students and I are interested in visual art as a career, the Xanadu statistics on income were of significant interest.

A full 90% of the 1,200 respondents are involved with sales of their work—45% of those artists earn all their income from their visual art career; an additional 45% have “another job/career” as a source of income. As a reality check for my students, I valued the Xanadu questions on income that revealed 83% of them selling less than $25,000 in annual sales; only 17% reported income above that amount. (For comparison, Statistics Canada defined the "poverty line" [or low-income cut off] for a single person living in a major city in 2007 as $21,666 (before tax). To read more about the Xanadu survey, go to their website [www.xanadugallery.com], click on “Blog” at the top of the page and then on “State of the Art 2012 Survey” on the top right of the page that opens.

In 2009, Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINK) undertook a large survey that investigated the impact of the recession on U.S. artists. Their findings on the income levels of artists were largely the same as the Xanadu findings, but what was unique about their study was that it quantified the optimism of visual artists.

The LINK study painted a dispiriting picture of the recession losses of artists (48% reported decreased sales, 37% reported decreased grants. 35% reported fewer exhibitions, etc.), but it also reported that artists produced more work and remained optimistic about the future. Their optimism, however, may be naïve and may reflect their ignorance of the findings of studies such as the one they were in. As one artist says, “I have to believe things will get better!”

Survey results such as the ones quoted in this article are highly effective motivators for professional development. To my mind, not enough artists actually study sales to help advance their career; too many of us are merely doing what everyone else does, thereby minimizing their development potential.

The insights provided by surveys, plus general consumer preference studies are the best sources of information for your marketing strategies. The questions they ask can serve as models for “mini-surveys” that you can conduct with your own customers. The more you know about your clients, the better for your creative business practice. Surveying your customers furthers your relationship with them; it suggests that you care about them, their point of view and your career. Try it! You might learn a lot.

Because It's Tax Time

For artists in the Metro Vancouver area, Quantum Accounting Services is headed by Nigel Jones. His is a company I would trust to do my taxes because of his firm's familiarity with the arts.

I also trust Heming, Wyborn and Grewal because a partner there until recently, was Bob McMurray who is a past president of the Federation of Canadian artists.

Whenever I file my taxes, I enclose print outs of the CRA Interpretation Bulletins listed here.

An Artist's Post about Artist Statements

I do not know Joanne Mattera, nor do I know how it happened that I discovered her blog, but I did and I was impressed by her post on Artist Statements. Click here to get directly to the post and once there, perhaps you will find other posts by Joanne that are of interest to you.