Welcome to my beautiful new website and welcome to the very first Studio Dirt Blog!
I can’t express enough how excited I am about my new website. I’m not sure that I’ve ever been so beautifully represented. It took a village, my village. My village that brought support in every possible way. They showed up with input, suggestions, ideas, their never-ending patience, corrections, knowing when to call in the big dogs, did I mention their patience?
So here’s the dirt…
I am here to testify that you can very much teach an old dog new tricks. I’m so ready to combine all the old ways of marketing my work, with the new marketing avenues available. Here’s my takeaway...
While being shut down by Covid I spent much time watching young artists social media accounts and was fascinated by the opportunities that I was oh so unaware of. Their marketing reach as well as their sales are jaw dropping. Of course, there’s a beauty in face-to-face sales and actually living the artist life. I find benefit and disadvantages in both and am convinced that the answers often lie in between.
There is value in traveling to shows and experiencing the connections. I’ve so missed my friends, my collectors, my fellow artists, meeting new people, the energy exchange, and sharing my art. There is something to be said for holding a piece of art in your hands or seeing the fluidity of the piece and the color flow. The eye just takes it in differently.
The downside is, it’s a booger to set up and tear down a show. Your artwork is always vulnerable in transit, and the overhead (booth fees, insurance, travel expenses, etc…) strips away at your profit. And now there are new cooties out there.
On the other side. I’ve been watching the young spunk artists and their social media transactions and it blows my mind. I would watch their shop restocks get swallowed up in a matter of hours by their gazillion insta followers and could only wish for that kind of reach/exposure. I know it’s a time-consuming commitment, but it's really impressive how they manage their accounts. I love the idea of not having to worry about demographics and just being able to sell to serious art enthusiasts. All while being able to do it in my pajamas at 2:00 in the morning.
So that puts me in the precise spot where I’m most comfortable, somewhere in the middle. Like I said, there’s beauty and benefit in both. So, I have chosen to tap into both worlds and drink in all the good stuff that I can. I’ll keep a few shows on my calendar, as well as strengthen my social media game.
I have a lofty goal to increase my Instagram (@fromearthtoartpottery) followers by the end of the year. Then I can feed them to my beautiful new website for sales, product launch, and information.
Thank you so much for all of it. I feel as though the new possibilities are endless.
Lets do this!