Do people "like" your art on Instagram but never buy a single one of your pieces? CHF's Marketing Director Daniel DiGriz pinpoints the weak spots in the sales strategy and suggests specific ways to counter them. (This is part three of a three-part series on brand stories. Be sure to check out parts one and two as well.) Some artists … [Read more...]
Writing, Pitching, and Talking from the Middle
Your writing sucks. Your sales pitch is bland. And your speech, presentation, or workshop is underwhelming. Got your attention? My work in all of these categories has suffered the same fate at times. Quite often, it’s simply because I started in the wrong place. The art of performance is passion in life, but I’ve flubbed it more … [Read more...]
Move Past Gimmicks to an Authentic Brand Story
How do you develop a story about your artwork, and communicate that story to the public? CHF's Marketing Director Daniel DiGriz shares storytelling tools that will strengthen your brand and, in turn, help frame your art as relatable and necessary. (This is part two of a three-part series. Read part one here.) When talking about art … [Read more...]
Effectively Market Your Work Online
John Math is a marketing expert who owns and operates the Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, which conducts online art competitions and exhibitions for artists. In this Q&A, he shares his marketing techniques with CHF. You founded Light Space Time in 2009, with the intention of helping artists market their art. Why offer … [Read more...]
Dispelling Marketing Myths at ArtExpo New York
At this year's ArtExpo New York, CHF Marketing and Education Director Daniel DiGriz offered artists straight talk about marketing. In his presentation, which you can view here, Daniel reminds us that you don't need a "marketing ninja" to create messages that resonate and get them out into the world. You just have to understand your … [Read more...]
Generate Powerful Publicity: A Sistine Chapel Mindset – Todd Scalise
Todd Scalise is the founder and CEO of Higherglyphics, a creative placemaking firm that manages large-scale public art projects from start to finish: funding, art, design, construction, and merchandising. An artist himself, he knows the importance of generating publicity and brand awareness. In this 55-minute episode, he discusses the … [Read more...]
Develop Your Core Brand Story
What does your art say to the public? Do you have a strong message that utilizes story structure to clearly convey why your work is important, and why people must invest in it? CHF's Marketing and Education Director Daniel DiGriz delves into questions posed by working artists who want to improve how they communicate with their audience. … [Read more...]
Nail Your Art Story: A Case For Putting Artist Statements in Story Format
There are two types of fisherman – cast-and-hope, cast-and-work. The former put a bait and bobber on the line, throw it out there, pull their hats down over their eyes, and take a nap or maybe curl up with a novel and a bag of pretzels. If something occasionally swims by and likes the look of the worm and bites, they’re happy. Dinner … [Read more...]
Build a Brand That Gets a Response – Jenny Darroch
Building a brand means creating an expectation and giving your audience a chance to anticipate and desire what you’re making. We cover a lot of ground in this episode with Dr. Jenny Darroch, dean of the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. Jenny gives us a 30,000-foot-view of the art world, as well as the issues … [Read more...]
What Media Resource Has Helped Your Business?
There's a lot of advice out there about how to improve your business, which can make it hard to know where to look for impactful content. In a recent CHF Accelerator conference call, our staff and 2018 Business Accelerator Fellows discussed navigating entrepreneurial media and shared the business articles, podcasts, and videos that struck … [Read more...]
How to Grow Your Customer Base and Increase Sales – Steve Pruneau
Steve Pruneau serves as the Chairman of CHF's Board and is the founder of Free Agent Source Inc., a management consulting company that applies sharing-economy principles to client engagements. In this episode, he and host Daniel DiGriz discuss how to use the 'best practices' employed by successful entrepreneurs. If you’re struggling to … [Read more...]
Engage New Sales Avenues to Increase Art Income – Aaron Laux
Aaron Laux is an artist who makes 100% of his income from his art---a rarity in the profession. In this episode, Aaron and podcast host Daniel DiGriz discuss Aaron's business model and the Business Accelerator Program. A recent graduate of the fellowship's first year, Aaron explains how he expanded his business to explore and utilize more … [Read more...]
Identify Product-Market Fit for Entrepreneurial Success – Arree Chung
Arree Chung is an author, illustrator, designer and art director in the gaming industry, and founder of Storyteller Academy. In this episode, Arree and Daniel discuss a storytelling approach to branding, how to build one business that leverages another, and how Arree navigated failures and big breaks to become an illustrator and … [Read more...]
Cook Better Sales Letters And You’ll Bring More People to the Table
You hear this phrase, “the art of the sales letter” and it sounds like there’s a magic formula, or that it can only be done by a guru. And yet, all the cooks are pulling their ingredients from the same shelf in the kitchen. I eat a lot of Blue Apron, and what I like about it is that anyone can put together a chef-prepared meal. Sure, … [Read more...]
What Independent Publishing Can Teach Visual Artists – Eric Rhoads
Eric is the Chairman, Publisher, and CEO of Streamline Publishing, Inc. which publishes Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir Magazine. A career entrepreneur, Eric has 30 years' experience launching companies and media brands, as well as a decade in the art industry, working with collectors and organizing art conventions. In this episode, … [Read more...]
Digital Art Market Innovations: How to Engage Online and Off
Elizabeth Corkery is an installation artist and CHF Business Accelerator Fellow (2015-2016). Elizabeth, in conversation with CHF's editorial coordinator, discusses the development of online art sales, and strategies that are used to market art in the digital realm. What changes have you seen in the way art is being marketed and … [Read more...]
How to Collaborate with Museums – Seth Hopkins
Seth Hopkins is the Executive Director of the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA. In this episode, Seth and podcast host Daniel DiGriz discuss how artists get involved with museums---securing shows and becoming part of the permanent collection---as well as catching the curator's eye and boosting an art career. See below for … [Read more...]
Let’s Demystify the Pricing of Art
At a recent Sotheby’s auction, an untitled painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat set a record high, going for $110.5 million. A New York Times piece on the sale included information on the buyer, and addressed an inevitable part of the narrative: How did the buyer decide on this particular piece? What did he see in it? How many people were … [Read more...]
Translate Social Media to Sales – Gregg Chadwick
Gregg Chadwick is a Santa Monica--based artist who has been painting for three decades, and his work has been exhibited in national and international galleries, art fairs, and museums. He’s given many lectures on the arts, including speaking engagements at UCLA and Categorically Not---a forum that examines the intersection of art and … [Read more...]
On Selling Tools of the (Art) Trade – Ron Whitmore
Ron Whitmore co-owns and operates Artisan, an art-supply store that serves as a community hub for artists in its two locations---Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Ron also spearheads the largest artist material expo in New Mexico, featuring more than 100 workshops, and is the host of Art Fusion, a radio show that brings together musicians and … [Read more...]
Control How Your Art Business is Perceived – Maria Brophy
Maria Brophy is an art-business consultant and the author of Art, Money, & Success. She got her start managing her husband’s surf-art business (drewbrophy.com), and she applies that experience to her work with other artists. Her areas of expertise include licensing and the creation of multiple income streams. In this podcast, … [Read more...]
Making Your Art Business “Investment Grade”
Throughout CHF's year-long Business Accelerator, we are in constant communication with our Fellows and frequently request their feedback so that we can make the program even better. As part of this process, we compiled some of these artists' recent questions, and asked Daniel DiGriz, our educational and marketing director, to share his … [Read more...]
Creating Your Own Success – Dean Mitchell
Dean Mitchell is a nationally recognized painter of figures, landscapes, and still lifes, and his work often depicts themes from his southern upbringing. He’s won top honors from the National Watercolor Society and American Watercolor Society. Among the museums that house his work are the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the … [Read more...]
How to Find Your Audience – Mary Ann Weems
Mary Ann is the founder and owner of Weems Galleries & Framing, with two locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico—the first of which opened in 1981. The galleries’ holdings represent a wide range of styles, priced from five dollars to $8K, but Mary Ann emphasizes affordable art. A dedicated supporter of the Albuquerque arts scene, she … [Read more...]