The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
8 Reasons Why Artists Don't Sell at Art Shows
Unlocking the secrets to art show success just got easier. Join me, Matt Tommey, as I reveal essential strategies for artists determined to stand out and thrive in the competitive world of art shows and festivals. Drawing on my wealth of experience, I'll steer you clear of the typical blunders that can stifle sales and share how to create an irresistible connection with your audience. Expect to learn how to engage with your booth visitors in a way that leaves a lasting impression, and discover the profound impact a polished presentation can have on showcasing the true potential of your artwork.
Are you ready to transform your art booth into a buyer magnet? This episode is brimming with actionable advice, from mastering the art of pricing to maintaining a compelling, cohesive artistic vision. I'll guide you through the nuances of contemporary art trends and the critical finishing touches that elevate your creations from good to unforgettable. Plus, I'll shed light on the invaluable feedback process and how our Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program can propel you towards your breakthrough year. Don't miss out on these game-changing insights that could pave the path to your next art show triumph.
Join us inside Created to Thrive at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/artmentor
Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tommey, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, it's Matt Tommey. Welcome to the podcast. Super glad that you are here.
Speaker 1:Listen, it's springtime in the Northern Hemisphere. I know we have a lot of folks that listen in Australia and in New Zealand and in the Southern Hemisphere. But this time of year for us is a beautiful time. It's a time that people are getting out and doing art shows and Tanya and I have loved over the years not only participating in art shows as artists but just doing that for fun. In fact, this last weekend was our 27th wedding anniversary. Yes, clap, please. Yay, 27 years married and wedded, bliss and. But anyway, one of the things that we did this weekend is we went over to Dallas, fort Worth, and we went to a wonderful art show over in the Metroplex and got to see some an artist that we collect and met some new artists and just had a great time.
Speaker 1:But you know, as a mentor, I can't just look at. I can't just look at art and I can't just look at booths and go, oh, isn't that nice. I'm always thinking, oh, my gosh, if they would just do this or that, it would make their booth so much gosh, if they would just do this or that, it would make their booth so much better. Or they would not do this, they would sell a whole lot more art. And I was just thinking about that this morning and all you guys that listen to the podcast and the folks in our mentoring program and I was just like I want to give you these are totally off the cuff. But there's eight things that really I think are big reasons why artists are not selling more than they could be at outdoor and indoor art shows and art festivals. Just based on a few of the things that I've seen recently in going to several of these shows, one of the things and I hope that when you hear these, you're going to go oh, I don't do any of those, but you may be going oh, I totally do that. So the first thing that I would say is listen if you are in a booth again, these goes for indoor or outdoor shows. If you're in a booth and there's people walking by and all that kind of stuff, I don't care if it's early in the morning, late at night during the day, I don't care if you've been there three days or whatever.
Speaker 1:One of the things that artists do that just drives me crazy is showing little or no interest or boredom to the prospect. When somebody comes in and starts viewing their work, the artist is over there scrolling on their cell phone. They're reading a book. They never look up, they don't, they're talking to somebody else, they don't even acknowledge you. And I'm like guys, you're not just an artist, you are in sales. You are there to build relationships and to talk to people, and that doesn't mean you have to be chatty, cathy, but you need to greet everybody that comes in your booth with a smile, with bright eyes, with a welcome and um, you know, offer to share with them about your work or whatever, and and just make a basic connection. Now, if the person don't want to talk to you, that's up to them, but make a connection. All right, don't be over there scrolling on your phone. Second thing so many artists because you know I'm a talker, so I'm going to go up and I'm going to push the issue. I'm going to be like oh beautiful work, tell me about your work 10 to 30 seconds, anything about the uniqueness of their work in a way that will evoke more questions or interest or or further conversation. It's just kind of like they're a deer in the headlights, and that's one of the things that we coach people on in the mentoring program. All the time is learning to develop, uh, that brief opportunity for you to be able to introduce your work in a way that evokes emotion and interest, and so that is a big, big turnoff that can take an interested prospect into somebody that's going wah, wah, wah, not interested, all right.
Speaker 1:Thirdly, is this whole hodgepodge kind of booth set up with unprofessional walls and surfaces, just kind of thrown up, ineffective lighting or no lighting at all and doing things in a way that just doesn't present their work in a flattering manner? Listen, I just all the time I'm going into two people's you know booth and I'm just like has anybody looked at this for you? Has anybody given you any feedback on how this presents your work and whether the color scheme is working, whether the lighting or lack of lighting is working for you, whether this sort of hodgepodge, of little stuff that's piled up on tables, that has no depth or height differential or is anybody helping you with this? And so take time to learn merchandising and learn how to put your booth together in a way that really makes it stand out. That's one of the things I love to give feedback on in the mentoring program. I have people take pictures of their booth and let me give it a critique and talk about how we can make it better. It is not expensive to do those sorts of things, but you have to know the right things to do to be able to draw attention to your work and give it room to breathe.
Speaker 1:Next is framing work. Oh my gosh, you can have the best artists in the world and then, all of a sudden, here they come putting their work beautiful work in these tacky, cheapo frames that they've gone and got at a yard sale or recycled from somewhere else, just in order to have the thing framed. And I'm looking at it and I'm like, oh my gosh, this work is. This frame is too constricting, the color and style is wrong, it's too small, it's too big, it's a. You know, it looks like something that came out of grandma's attic. There's no breathing room, there's no matting, there's nothing that makes the artwork special, it's just as little. You know, wonky frame that's like you know, just boom, just ties up the artwork and and does not give it, uh, the room to breathe and to be celebrated. That's one of the reasons I love in my work, and not that this is right for everybody, but I love using floater frames for my work simply because I think it is. It is elegant, it is simple, uh, you can do it in just about any color or stain finish that you want, and it takes the focus off of the frame and it puts the focus on the work. And I just am like, oh my gosh, so many times I want to go in somebody's booth and be like take these frames off of the artwork, these little tacky things that you went up and got at Walmart just to have a frame around it. Please do not do that. You're doing yourself a big, big disservice. All right.
Speaker 1:Next would be an inconsistent pricing model or no pricing listed on your work there, and that requires somebody to ask. I've got a good friend of mine that does that and it drives me crazy when I go in their booth because they, you know their opinion is. Well, it makes people ask. But you know, I I've found it like as a buyer. It makes me feel really weird because I'm like, oh, I'm kind of interested in this, but I feel now, like you know, intimidated because I don't know the price. Is it way off of my budget? Uh, am I going to feel bad? It's, it's just weird. Or having things where the pricing is just all over the place and there's no way to make any sense of it. All right, having consistency in your pricing is really, really huge.
Speaker 1:Next, I think, is just artists that are doing a little bit of everything a sprinkle of this, a sprinkle of that, pet porches and landscapes and fruit and bowls and still lives and some abstract stuff and paint pouring and oil paint and a little acrylic, and there's some mixed media and all that. And you go in and you're like is this, is this the same artist? Like I don't even know I'm having ADD, like I don't even squirrel, I don't know what I'm looking at, because there's no discernible unique style or aesthetic that sets their work apart from others, and that is totally confusing and can be a big turnoff for artists. Last two, I would say, are big, big, important things and again, this is just opinion, but all of this is opinion, of course but dated color schemes and styles that don't look fresh and contemporary. I think of you know artists that have been painting for 20, 30, 40 years and they're still in love with the colors from the 80s and 90s. We can't be still using Dusty Rose and Hunter Green although Hunter Green's coming back but you got to know the colors and the contemporary style that's going on now so that your work can fit into people's homes and be something that people will want to purchase and want to include in, uh, you know, their world, uh, that they have in their office or or at their home.
Speaker 1:And then, lastly, I would just say, is poor quality finishing of the work? So many times I'll see a great painting and I'll look at it and the edges are cracked or the sides aren't painted correctly, or, if they do have a frame, it's all jacked up and it's just, it's just not done well, and yet they're wanting to charge a premium for that and those, all of those things, even though they seem like little things, when you are encountering that over and over and over, or several of those things, in one person's booth. It really is a detractor and causes somebody that may be a great prospect just to walk on by. So big takeaway from this take the time to create a great booth, learn the things that you need to learn to merchandise it well, create great art, finish it well, create it in a style that's unique to you, that's dynamic, that's contemporary, that's now, and get feedback on all of that. That's one of the things, again, that we offer inside of the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program is, whether it's your artwork, the way you're running your business, how do you set up your booth, how to build your business, growth strategies for all of that, how to get your heart and mind straight so that you don't get freaked out when all those challenges come.
Speaker 1:Listen, we do all of that and more inside of the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program, and we'd love for you to be in there with us as well so that we can help you make this year your breakthrough year. I love you, my friend, hope to see you inside Created to Thrive. Thanks for being with me on the podcast and I'll see you again right here on the thriving Christian artist. Hey, thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast. Listen. I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye, thank you.