Tiny Steps & Big Results! The Power of Passion and Personal Connection

Have you ever wanted to make your passion your full-time lifestyle?  I've actually lived that way for most of my career having started my first business when I turned thirty. In the process of starting and running three businesses I've learned a couple of things.  Passion for your day to day work and intimate connection with your clients, customers or collectors are what drive a business. Any time you can nurture that connection with phone calls, email, newsletters or any other form of communication the more tuned in you'll be to their needs.

This year I've been hyper-focused on learning the cutting edge marketing strategies I've adapted to the field of fine art.  I've identified an incredibly simple system that can be used to create and grow any business. Here's the video introducing the system: 

I've written a book that is great to use as a reference for your own strategic marketing plan.  A preview of the book is available here: Monetize Your Art.  The final book will be released on Amazon.  In the meantime I want to be sure you can take advantage of the system to maximize your holiday sales.  It's the season for art shows and craft fairs and you can fine tune what you're doing by watching the free video series.

Subscribe to the six part series FLOW, Six Powerful Strategies to Monetize Your Art by downloading your copy of the book.  You'll receive the video series each week and be able to grow and improve your business as you implement each step in the system.

I'll be rolling out my life system Artist in a Box over the next few months but this is time sensitive.  It's prime selling season for the fine artist and crafter and this will help. 

Here's the Video "How To" as Promised!

Video is a growing, proven way of reaching people. It's not my art but I can certainly use it to reach potential collectors in a big way.

This is almost too simple. The hardest thing to do is get up the guts to do it.  Google how to set up a Youtube station or, as I did, get a kid to do it for you. (Mine happened to be 26 but he's still my kid;) 

Welcome to my video studio!  My son just informed me
that I can improve the quality of the next video by using
the iPhone camera on the other side.   

The setup here includes a french easel, two white umbrellas designed for outdoor painting to difuse the light and two standing lamps with incandescent bulbs.  There is natural light coming from both sides of the room where I'm sitting. My main goal was to avoid weird shadows on my face.  Next video I want to work on getting a little more polish...Makeup and hair can be refined.  I also need to figure out where to look so that I'm looking directly into the camera. Any tips on that are welcome. 

Three big tips for filming. 

1. Keep your energy up during your video. SMILE! Be sure that it reaches your eyes. I've seen one too many how to videos that would cure my current insomnia but a genuine smile will engage you and your viewer.  If you get bored or lost I can promise you that your viewer is long gone. 

2.  It's not about me! The video I'm filming is for you. I think of it as a tangible gift that I hope will help you achieve your dreams. That shows. My guess is that you can feel that. When you do your own videos, for example to invite your collectors to a show, keep that in mind. 

3.  Remember your motivation. It will keep you focused. I don't want to learn editing right now so I had to do this in one take. Anything longer than two minutes should probably be less linear. That will add interest. 

Please leave questions, comments and tips. You'll help anyone who reads this that way. Thanks and talk to you soon!  Mary-Gail