(Part 5) 10 Ways to Play Full Out at Being a Professional Artist

This article is a series of 5. Hope you’ll catch the first four installments.
Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4

I’ve rounded up a bird’s eye view of what it looks like to play fully as a professional artist in 10 key ways. It’s a journey and it’s not a get rich scheme, but I’m here to support you in your dream. Because the world needs great art, great work, and beautiful things!

Do you see yourself playing full out, practicing like you play, and making each day the real show and not the rehearsal?

10 Ways to Play Full Out at Being a Professional Artist – part 4 in a series of 5
Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, Series 4

9) Strategize Your Campaigns

Is this you? You receive, in your email inbox, the information for the upcoming show you are exhibiting in. It’s from the show promoter and it’s to let you know you have 45-30 days to send in your payment for electricity and finalize the booth furniture.

You start thinking about how many more pieces you need to make, details about the trip (Iike the hotel and airfare), etc.

Then you get busy making more work and forget about letting your fans and followers know about the show. So about a week or two before your show you might send out a note.

How is that working for you? Does it drive prospects to your booth? Do you think that one notice is enough of a call to action?

Why do we run our businesses this way… by the seat of our pants?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to plan farther out in advance. To strategize our “campaigns” out a year in advance?

Imagine having a year long calendar where you’ve indicated your shows, your travel time, vacation time, goals for work completion, and then …..wait for it……a schedule of when and how you’ll market your shows via social media, email newsletters (ezines), ads, postcard mailings, etc.

Wouldn’t it feel great to have a plan, to implement, and to see results?

There is an art to being elected (political office). It’s about strategic placement of information. “Seeding” ideas one week at a time, up until each debate and speech. Well it’s no different for marketing campaigns.

Best of all, it works really well!

10) Implement Visual Marketing

Your subconscious makes at least 78% or more of your decisions.

It relies on your senses (see, hear, smell, touch, taste) to pull information and make those experiences more memorable. The more emotion that is connected to an experience the more we remember it as well.

So it’s important that our visuals are strong and clearly branded to us. It’s what people remember.

Your photos must be professional. Your logo must be strong and clearly connected to the experience you want your clients to have in remembering and dealing with your company. It’s a first impression and maybe the last!

To further enforce your brand it’s best if you implement and reinforce these sensual and emotional elements in everything you do.

Here is a list of impressions you need to consider in your “branding”:

• your booth
• your ads
• what you wear
• your logo
• your maker’s mark
• your website
• your packaging
• your communications
• your images

The bigger you play at being a memorable artist, the more recognition, sales and success you’ll have. Hope this series of 10 Ways to Play Full Out at Being a Professional Artist has shown you a few ways that you can improve your business and experience the success you desire.

Leave me a comment and let’s connect!