So you’ve create your artworks and you’re ready to promote your art exhibition or event. You could use the Internet and all manner of promotional web sites, blogs, mailing lists and systems to get your creativity out there, but at the end of the day, certainly at the beginning of your art journey nothing beats personally showing your art to people in your area who can actually turn up to your real world art show.
I don’t really want to drag around a big art art folio
Imagine if every time you show your art to people that you have to open up a big art folio. This can tend to be a bit confronting. It looks like you are trying to sell them something right there and then, so they tend to get turned off straight away. I had this very problem when I first started out so I set about solving it and came up with a solution…
Let me introduce you to your new best friend; your Personal Organiser Mini Art folio
I don’t really want to lug my artworks everywhere with me just in case someone takes an interest, so what I do is keep a mini art portfolio with me at all times when I’m in exhibition promotion mode.
This is how it works…
The key is to talk to people as you meet them in your everyday life and somehow let them know that you are an artist, but without actually saying up front “I am an artist and look at my artwork”. Instead you need to help them to ‘discover’ that you are an artist, and then ask you for more information.
For example, when you are in a shop and the manager of the shop serves you and asks how your day was, rather than saying “pretty good thanks”, say something like “oh I’ve been very busy working on an artwork for an exhibition”. Invariably they will ask you what kind of art you make, at which point you can open your trusty personal organiser mini art folio and actually show them.
A personal organiser or Filofax is a pretty non-threatening kind of object; everyone is used to seeing them, so its no big deal as you open yours up as you are paying for something.
After you’ve shown the shop manager your work you can invite them along to your exhibition. Invariably they will be quite honoured to be asked. Pop their details into your personal organiser pages. When you leave the shop also add a few notes, detailing any useful specifics about the person you’ve just met, and in particular which artworks they seemed to respond best to.
Your personal organiser portfolio is not limited to use in shops, use it everywhere! In the office, when you are socialising, when you are sitting in the park, on the bus, train or in the gym, absolutely everywhere. At any opportunity let people know that you are an artist in casual conversation and when they ask for more information, just whip out your art folio, engage their interest, take their details and invite them to your exhibition. The key is to engage people in conversation such that they ask for more information about you, rather than you just rattling on about yourself and boring the pants off them.
[et_bloom_inline optin_id=”optin_3″]
Tip:
If someone you meet starts going on about how their brother, sister, mother, dad, grandpa etc is a fantastic artist then the chances are that they really will not be interested in your artwork even though they make for a pleasant (mostly one-sided) conversation.
Warning!
When you first start using your personal organiser art folio it is very tempting to invite all your close friends, family, and relatives along for your first exhibition expecting that they will think you are fantastic, the next big thing and support you by buying all your artwork. In the majority of cases I have seen, unless your friends, family and relatives are very generous, all they will do is tell you how very clever you are and then drink all your beer, wine and nibblies, making for a very expensive art exhibition.
Instead try to invite people who might actually have a disposable income with which to buy your artwork such as business owners and professional people. Good art costs good money and the people who are generally interested in buying good art have good incomes, so invite those people! After talking to people for a while, you should start to become a bit of an expert a picking out potential prospective art buyers and useful contacts.
I’m not saying don’t invite your family at all to your exhibition, just be prepared to have a very nice but very expensive party if you do.
Do it all the time
The secret to promoting your exhibition successfully with your art folio lies in using it and having it with you ALL THE TIME. Keep all your credit cards, money, notes, names and addresses in there. The more you keep in there the more excuses you will have to open it up.
I enjoyed reading your insight on how to get one’s art exhibition started. It gives me encouragement on making this happen for myself. I have full confidence in my work because of the reaction I get from all the people I show my work to. To be honest with you, when I accomplish the goal of having my own art show, it will be a mind blowing experience for all kinds of audiences. You can check out some of it on my website but I have more thats not on their. But thanks again for your website. It is very inspiring.
Thanks Mike.
Checked out your site. You’ve got a whole street culture/superhero/christian crossover thing going there. If you haven’t done so already I suggest you do some huuuge painted canvases in your style.
CP
I just want to find as many venues as possible to get my artwork out there. I hope that people enjoy my work, as much as I like to create it!!!
Nice pencil work Frank.
Hey Stuart! Thanks for all the practical advice, really like you style and I think you’re utterly right about the psychological aspects of selling. Will keep your posts in mind when finally having my first solo exhibition!!
Hi. Love your tips! I was hoping for a bit more information on the Personal Organizer folio though. Are we talking about the larger book style things with calendars and address book? How are we displaying our works in this? Are we using photos? I apologize if I’m coming off a bit sow but I love the idea and I need more information. 🙂
Here we’re talking about filofax style personal organizers. They come in various sizes. I like to use a smaller one.
http://www.filofaxusa.com/ They come in various sized to suit your taste.
I print out neatly edited and cropped photos on my colour printer on glossy paper, cut it neatly to size on a paper guillotine and then punch holes in the paper using an adjustable hole punch (different filofaxes have different numbers of holes). The cutting to size and hole punching are important as filofax paper is not of a standard size.
It does take a little designing to get it all looking just right. If you are not a whiz with photoshop and Illustrator it might be worth getting a friendly graphic designer to put it together for you.
Great article! I find my iPad mini works great for presentations too and getting connected with people fast. I usually close the conversation by adding them on social media or email and forwarding a PDF portfolio if asked. Carry it everywhere.
I love the Filofax idea. What size do you use? I would think the A5 would be better visually, though it’s larger. The smaller version may be difficult to look at (small images). Also, presentation of your work — one can have close-up images, but also additional photos that give size context. I’ve also heard different points of view about having photos of you, the artist, with your work — some say that’s a no-no, but I don’t see the problem. Advice?
I like the small one. Its more personal. I would only have pictures of the work in there… less distraction
Great article. I really can appreciate the non- approach as a way to sell oneself.
Good advice..thank you so much. I am in a few smaller galleries as well as the shows and do quite well but of course room for improvement. I am constantly fretting over prices..I sell anywhere from $150(postcard size to $1200 for 18 x 24 canvas ..framed giclees 18 x 34 for around 475. I some times here pricing too low can also look bad but have to make money right?! Any advice on pricing..(and my work if you have a minute.)
Thanks!
Chloe
I’d say if you are an ’emerging artist’ (whatever that is) 😉 and you are in a nice retail gallery your pricing sounds about right. If you make it much smaller you won’t make any profit.
Hey just saw this! absolutely…postcards are a waste. Still going strong.
edit..I meant 18 x 24 not 34.
Which mini folio do you use? The A4 size Original Notebook folio (225mm x 320mm) or the Finsbury Personal Organizer (135mm x 191mm) or the pocket size Finsbury Pocket Organizer (115mm x 147mm)?
I like the idea of keeping all my cards in it like a wallet to always have the excuse to pull it out!
loved your article! Now off to paint!