Selling

Last night I was with "SA Artists" at Woodlawn and St. Marys. This is a meet up group that got together to sell work. This was the second time we met, and had twice as many artists at this location. No one really made any money last night. It is always a disappointment when I don't sell something. But...


I think this will work out in the end. Just in most relationships in business or personal, there is that awkward time. Each time I show in these mobile selling situations, I try learn as much as I can. Most have similar problems. Each time I work through them. Here are a few:

• Quick set up. I no longer bring a table. I use a wooden portable shelves I made earlier this month. 4 Shelves and it folds up.
• Pricing. Currently I price depending on the situation. I maybe pricing too low. This is something I need to work through better.
• Connections: Lately I'm being asked to show at future craft shows. I'm not seeking them out (although I need a few more BIG ones). I'm getting a few repeat customers too.
• Packing up work. I pull work from my shelves for each show instead of keeping them in the boxes. It keeps me aware of what I have and what I need to make.
  

My new car has been a real trooper. I'm able to fit quite a bit it. I do need to find similar sized plastic boxes that will be easily packed and stacked. Once I get a canopy I'll need to use my space in the car better.

My next official show is at La Gallaria Balleza on August 27th. I may take some stuff to school for a bit of pocket money.

Rejuvenated

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted on my blog since November. I had quite a bucket list. So much has happened since then, I don't know where to start. To be honest managing the new normal for me is been a bit stressful. But I don't regret the new venues and friends I've gained over the course of the last 6 months.

What I've accomplished so far:

• I've learned that I need to create a variety of work that ranges in prices. In other words I do need to sweat the small stuff. Crosses throughout the year were a big seller. I have gotten a great response to pit fire pieces and my "Dollies". I hope to continue exploring new designs.
  
• I don't expect much help in setting up my booth. I started out setting up a table but have evolved into a portable. The shelves are easily set up and display the work in the best light.
  
• Work on clay constantly. I find that when I take a holiday from work, I end up scrambling the last minute to produce enough work for the spur of the moment show. Deadlines are a great motivator.
  
• I need to balance my job and my creativity. I have to admit, I got tired a lot last year. I still need to work on this. I have to clubs and other various duties at school. I also the PR rep for San Antonio Potters Guild. This involves creating a newsletter every other month.
  
• I now have a much clearer idea what I'm doing. Create! There is no substitute to actually doing the process. I took two classes at Southwest School of Art. I took "Basic Throwing Skills" and "Alternative Firing Methods. Check out my new pictures. I started working in porcelain, both in throwing and for hand building. The clay has some incredible effects from the alternative firing. I'll blog later on what I've learned. I started throwing a bit differently. I never really was a good thrower I didn't have a clear understanding of the process. I now can set up the wheel at school and can actually teach the kids the basics.
  
• Social media is a godsend. I've used it to share my experiences and my work in progress. I've gained new friends from my shows and life in general. Facebook has become a useful tool to spread the word of myself as an artist.

I truly feel rejuvenated for the upcoming school year. I am anxious to get started and hope to spread the my positive energy into my students.

Updated Blog

Hi,
This blog used to be called Traveling Artist and Other Ramblings. I originally created this blog to share my travels with my family and friends. But I've been concentrating on my ceramics and want to promote that aspect of my life. I've created photo stream of my work. I've been very busy this fall. I find I have many things to accomplish in the promotion of my work. I am flowing the advice from a Shapeways Blog posting by by Andrew Price. His advice is thus:
Step 1: Get a Blog
Step 2: Make a Short Film
Step 3: Make a Tutorial
Step 4: Be a Real Person
Step 5: Expose Yourself
Step 6: Get Published

I have to say in this day and age, I have no excuse not to promote myself. I have so many free services available. Google is a perfect example. This blog and a website have been in my name for over year. But only in the last three months have things taken off. So now I have something to say!

On to the next step on the list!

Step 2: Make a Short Film: I'll do a pit fire demonstration. TBA

Thanks Guild

I want to thank everyone who showed up to the Potters' Guild meeting last night. We had a nice size group and we even had a few with laptops. I hope I was able to show how the useful the web can be. I will post on the Wiki more tips and lessons as I work through Google sites. The key is just click on stuff and see what happens. The site is live, so make sure you have basic info to share and then work on the bells and whistles as you go. Good luck!

What's New and Free

Not so long ago artists had to hire someone to make take care of their technical needs. Even if they had the know how, they may not have the funds to buy the software needed. More and more companies are building relationships with the creative community. Education is a great resource for finding new programs for their students. I will share different things that are available for use.

Must-have Windows Software

Must-have Mac Software

Google

Webs partners

I'll add more as I learn about them. If you have a site to share, add a comment.

Do I need a website?

I'm good at searching the Internet. When I find a new artist I immediately look for their website. It's frustrating to find them scattered about the net on other people's sites. They maybe featured with a group or information for an upcoming show. But there may only be one or two images available. Now I can search using my phone to search for information. If I like your stuff I want to know more about your work.

Creating a simple website that contains your name and a few images will go a long way. It is like an interactive business card. Using a free site like Google Sites, allows you to update your website without much hassle. If you have a web album, you don't even need to be at your home computer. But it the key is maintaining it. I've been to sites that haven't been updated for years. I don't go back.

When you buy a domain name, find a company that will be sticking around. Yahoo and Google have inexpensive monthly contracts. But don't pay more than $10 a month for your domain. There are more complicated software that will create a better looking site. Adobe has "Dreamweaver". It uses an FTP system of uploading your site. If you are interested in learning more about web page writing I suggest you look into the local community education program through one of our many districts. I know Northside offers many different web page writing classes.

Here is the difference between a template website and using software.
Template: https://nisd.schoolnet.com/outreach/lmkes/rotationspecialists/shore/
Software: http://nisd.net/knowlton/Shore/Shore.htm (I haven't updated this one lately)

A gallery of your work will not betray any trade secrets. If anything it will send heads spinning with ideas. I often use images off the web to help my students become inspired. It is a jumping off point for their work. Use your web page to jump into the future.

Photo Albums

From Booth July 15, 2009

One of the biggest challenges an artist has is to share their work in the best light. I was a two-dementional artist for years. I've photographed my work and my students' work. But now as a potter, I have to learn new ways to photograph my work. I will admit that I haven't solved this issue yet. What tips I can give you is not the quality of the picture you take but the form. Many artist have transitioned to digital cameras. Sometimes we get megapixel crazy. When we choose Fine and high numbers for our camera settings. This produces a large image and hard to work with. You can choose Fine and a lower size setting. Most images on the web look about 2" x 2" and when printed they maybe larger. Typical photograph file name extension will be either jpg or jpeg. These will work for the web. The larger the image file the longer the website takes to load. Stick with good quality small images.

I want to promote starting a photo web album. Even if you don't have a website you at least have a place for people to go and view your work. Check out Tips on photo albums. I use Picasa I can access anywhere I have Internet. I share with family and friends mostly. I plan to expand into the more "public" sharing. The nice thing about using Blogspot and Picasa, I can blog about a particular image in my album if I'm at a computer not my own.