If you want to be an artist and become known as one then you need to commit your self to the idea. Make a decision to make art. This may sound obvious but it is not always as easy as it appears to make art or be an artist. Being happy about the title of artist is a beginning and knowing that this is the path for you will help you to motivate and concentrate your thinking to do what is needed to see this happen. There is a great bit of wisdom in the bible. It says that “without a vision the people perish”. Without a goal you can easily be blown around by the wind of whatever is happening at the time. You can be ruled by circumstance instead of soaring above them to claim the prize of the path you are taking. After deciding that this is the path you want to take, then you need to make art regularly. Don’t leave it until you have the time, such as when you retire. Doing a little often is better than waiting for the time when you have time, which tends to be never. You may have to plan this. Set aside time, write it in your dairy and do all that is needed to secure this time for making art. You may need to turn your phone off. You may need to pay someone to look after your children or business for a few hours or a day. You may need to plan your holidays to ensure that you do make art. Try planning an art retreat. There are many online opportunities. Persevere, with your art. Practice will improve it. If it doesn’t seem to be improving then find an artist who can help you or a workshop. Visit an art gallery. Study art that is similar to yours to see how others have dealt with similar problems such as techniques of paint application or lack of inspirational. Talk with other artists. The people you mix with can positively or negatively influence how you see yourself. As the saying goes, you cannot change your family but you can choose to spend time with people who motivate you on your chosen path. Find an art group to join, or start one youself. Think about why people should buy your art. Ask yourself why your art it is valuable and worth someone’s while to buy it. If you don’t value it, why should anyone else? Make art that you can be proud of. Meeting with other artist is one way of “getting your name out there”, even if you find that they are not your type or not that motivating. Don’t “hide your light under a bushel” as the bible saying goes. Once you have even a small portfolio of work that you are reasonable happy with, you need others to see you and it. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. I always carry in my bag, a little A6 size book that has copies of my images in it printed onto glossy photography paper. I add to it as I complete each work. This enables me to show people my art when they ask what kind of art I do. I have a business card as well so that I people are able to contact me later or view my work online. You need to get a website to show your works even if you do not have an online payment system such as pay pal on it. There are many free websites hosts available and a lot of free help is also available. Search your local community for places where you can display your work. Build up some permanent display places such as universities, hair salons, restaurants, cafes, shops, clothing boutiques, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and showrooms and book shops. If people see your work in a range of place they begin to value your work more and think of you as artist, even a well known one. Join some art groups that hold exhibitions, even if that is all you do in the group, it is one way of building your art presence. As soon as you have enough art works, have a solo exhibition. You can apply for grants to fund the opening and the space, or find a display space that is free and hold it there. Exhibitions are a great way of promoting your work. Make a catalogue. If you have a computer you can create it yourself. You will need to write a small art biography and make sure you have your contact details so that people can contact you later if they like your work. Create a flyer or postcard to email to people and to hand out around the place. This should look professional. Keep one or two with you to give to people you meet in your day. Make appointments with your local papers to let them know about your exhibition. Send them an invitation. Generously advertise your event. The more you advertise, the more people will start to think of you and your art even if they do not attend the opening. Take photos of people looking at your art at the opening, to display on your website or to send to your local paper. Even if only 3 people turn up, ask them if it is ok for you to have them looking at your art for your website. Be positive about the event. Others are more likely to come to another of your exhibitions if they hear a positive report. Find someone to do a review and send it into your local paper. Keep a record of your art and art events. Be diligent in your record keeping. List buyers name and contact details, the size and date you completed the art and always take a photo of it before it sells. Professional photos are best but if you cannot afford this take your own. When I first selling my work, I did not take photos and now I have only the memory of what they were like and memories cannot be trusted to serve you faithfully throughout your life. Your memory or talk will not be enough to let others know of your ability. There are a lot of online art communities and galleries where you can show your work free of charge. Search these out or ask someone who belongs to some to share their experience and links with you to the sites that they have found useful. There are many other was that you can build your reputation as an artist. Set aside some time to build a list of them. You can more of the ideas I wrote down at: http://citwings. com/art_promotion. html
Posts Tagged ‘Market’
How to Build Your Reputation as an Artist – Promote and Market Your Art
January 14th, 2010Chinese Contemporary Art Ceramics Market Trends Up
January 11th, 2010During hard times of this financial crisis, the auction market situation become unstable. However, the Chinese contemporary art ceramics gone against the market trend and ascending, which make investors sit up and take notice. Keep Silence as a Perfect Gentlemen when Watching a Chess Game (by Li Jusheng) The colorful gold bell bottle named “Karaoke Map” owned by Zhu Jianxin sold on the 2008 RongBao Autumn auction with a final price 39,200 Yuan;On the China JiadDe 2008 Autumn, a color underglazed porcelain bottle named “Boating on River” owned by Bai Lei was sold on price 78,400 Yuan;On the Beijing HanHai 2008 Autumn, a Zhen Baichong hand-painted color landscape porcelain bottle sold for 89,600 Yuan, at same time, a fine porcelain bottle painted with tiny Wang Zhiwen calligraphy and landscape painting was sold for 224,000 Yuan by the buyer. On the China Guardian 2008 Autumn Auction a ceramic figurine called “I’m pregnant” made by Zhou Guozhen was sold on price 257,600 Yuan; A high temperature color glazed porcelain ware made by Li Jusheng and named “keep silence as a perfect gentlemen when watching a chess game” sold on a highest price as 1,904,000 Yuan. I’m Pregnant (by Zhou Guozhen) As early as on the China Guardian 2007 Spring Auction, the first special auction for “Modern and Contemporary Ceramic Art” in China was launched already, on which the mainly auctioned arts & crafts were came form contemporary artists of industrial arts in JDZ, and there were totally 79 pieces of artworks were sold out and the total mount of sales is 15,784,160 Yuan, with a high transaction rate of 97. 4%. Among them, a high-temperature colored glaze inlay ware named “Teenage Life” produced by LI Jusheng, one of great masters of industrial arts in China was sold for 1. 232 million Yuan, which is the highest price on the auction. Through the Guardian 2007 Spring Auction collectors become to realize the value of Chinese contemporary ceramic art, while on auctions hold on autumn later, Beijing HanHai and RongBao auction also opened its special auction for modern and contemporary art ceramics separately, and both of them has acquired good achievements at this hard times of the auction market caused by the current international financial crisis, and the value of master artworks also show a up trend in the market. Teenage Life (By Li Jusheng) Mr. Chen Linlin, the project manager of China Jia De Porcelain Crafts Department believes that with its unique techniques, strong sense of the times, originality and technicality, Chinese modern and contemporary ceramic arts & crafts have attracted collectors, and as the collecting mentality of collectors become mature gradually, the traditional criteria lines of “Judge a hero via ages and times” is now slowly changing, and they thought the artistic value of the artwork is worthy more attention. In addition, as there are no technique problems in contemporary art ceramics, the art value of a special artwork could be identified easily by collectors, together with the market is still in its infancy, so the average price of which is rather lower and no bubbles in it, so there is a large space for price rising in future. The head of Beijing HeBiXing Ceramic Art Museum Mrs. Wen Li said that she had realized the collection value of contemporary art ceramics since three years ago, she often visited those masters of industrial arts and professors in Ceramic Academies in Jingdezhen, LongQuan, and buy fine artworks once encountered. As artworks she collected more and more, she found the current market had not put enough attention on contemporary art ceramics. Upon that she opened the HeBiXing Ceramic Art Museum, and devoted to create the primary market of art ceramics. After three years of painstaking efforts, she found some improvements in the market finally, and the success of the auction market also has given more confidence to collectors aimed for Chinese contemporary art ceramics.
Chinese Contemporary Art Ceramics Market Trends Up
January 9th, 2010During hard times of this financial crisis, the auction market situation become unstable. However, the Chinese contemporary art ceramics gone against the market trend and ascending, which make investors sit up and take notice. Keep Silence as a Perfect Gentlemen when Watching a Chess Game (by Li Jusheng) The colorful gold bell bottle named “Karaoke Map” owned by Zhu Jianxin sold on the 2008 RongBao Autumn auction with a final price 39,200 Yuan;On the China JiadDe 2008 Autumn, a color underglazed porcelain bottle named “Boating on River” owned by Bai Lei was sold on price 78,400 Yuan;On the Beijing HanHai 2008 Autumn, a Zhen Baichong hand-painted color landscape porcelain bottle sold for 89,600 Yuan, at same time, a fine porcelain bottle painted with tiny Wang Zhiwen calligraphy and landscape painting was sold for 224,000 Yuan by the buyer. On the China Guardian 2008 Autumn Auction a ceramic figurine called “I’m pregnant” made by Zhou Guozhen was sold on price 257,600 Yuan; A high temperature color glazed porcelain ware made by Li Jusheng and named “keep silence as a perfect gentlemen when watching a chess game” sold on a highest price as 1,904,000 Yuan. I’m Pregnant (by Zhou Guozhen) As early as on the China Guardian 2007 Spring Auction, the first special auction for “Modern and Contemporary Ceramic Art” in China was launched already, on which the mainly auctioned arts & crafts were came form contemporary artists of industrial arts in JDZ, and there were totally 79 pieces of artworks were sold out and the total mount of sales is 15,784,160 Yuan, with a high transaction rate of 97. 4%. Among them, a high-temperature colored glaze inlay ware named “Teenage Life” produced by LI Jusheng, one of great masters of industrial arts in China was sold for 1. 232 million Yuan, which is the highest price on the auction. Through the Guardian 2007 Spring Auction collectors become to realize the value of Chinese contemporary ceramic art, while on auctions hold on autumn later, Beijing HanHai and RongBao auction also opened its special auction for modern and contemporary art ceramics separately, and both of them has acquired good achievements at this hard times of the auction market caused by the current international financial crisis, and the value of master artworks also show a up trend in the market. Teenage Life (By Li Jusheng) Mr. Chen Linlin, the project manager of China Jia De Porcelain Crafts Department believes that with its unique techniques, strong sense of the times, originality and technicality, Chinese modern and contemporary ceramic arts & crafts have attracted collectors, and as the collecting mentality of collectors become mature gradually, the traditional criteria lines of “Judge a hero via ages and times” is now slowly changing, and they thought the artistic value of the artwork is worthy more attention. In addition, as there are no technique problems in contemporary art ceramics, the art value of a special artwork could be identified easily by collectors, together with the market is still in its infancy, so the average price of which is rather lower and no bubbles in it, so there is a large space for price rising in future. The head of Beijing HeBiXing Ceramic Art Museum Mrs. Wen Li said that she had realized the collection value of contemporary art ceramics since three years ago, she often visited those masters of industrial arts and professors in Ceramic Academies in Jingdezhen, LongQuan, and buy fine artworks once encountered. As artworks she collected more and more, she found the current market had not put enough attention on contemporary art ceramics. Upon that she opened the HeBiXing Ceramic Art Museum, and devoted to create the primary market of art ceramics. After three years of painstaking efforts, she found some improvements in the market finally, and the success of the auction market also has given more confidence to collectors aimed for Chinese contemporary art ceramics.