A 900-pound Gorilla named Marketing

The FaceBook Contest #2 is about to be finalized, with the winner announced on Saturday, Sept 18, at 6 pm. There seems to be some confusion as to why I would give an original painting away. Well, let me explain.

In order to create a brand for my art, it has to be known and recognized. Jean LeBaron Art is rarely known outside of NJ, so I decided to create a Facebook page so that my art could be viewed by many people in different areas of the country. And it's working. I even have fans that live overseas. So you see, the method in my madness is not quite so insane as some would believe. Still, others may argue that the artist is still as mad as ever, but really, that is all part of the plan, too. It makes people wonder what in the world I'll be up to next, and that's a good thing. Someone once told me to start a rumor that I can only paint in my studio, in the nude. I never started that rumor, because it hit too close to the truth. :D

Marketing your art is a full-time endeavor, and I can see why many artists hire someone to do all the mailings, inventory, marketing, research, and P.R. Some artists see marketing as the 900-pound gorilla in the room, ignoring him because it takes too much time away from Making Art. Let's face it; it takes almost as much creativity to promote as it does to make the actual artwork. And it makes my brain tired. But no one is going to beat a path to your studio door without you getting your name and work out there, so it becomes a necessary evil. There are a million books, workshops and seminars dedicated to marketing your art. Unless you are the 1/2 of 1 percent who are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time with the right artwork, you are going to have to market yourself if you want to sell your art. And I want to sell my art. So............there you have it.

Artists are creative types, and it always amazes me that artists spend so little time in coming up with creative ideas for marketing, name recognition and promotion. Spend an hour making a list of the different ways you can promote yourself. You'll be surprised at what you may come up with!