Letter to a Young Decorative Painter: In-depth

Letter to a Young Decorative Painter: In-Depth

In my last post, Letter to a Young Decorative Painter, I shared a list of tips and ideas, advice and recommendations that I had sent to a “young” decorative painter…IE, someone new to the field, who is just starting out, and trying to get clients and build business.

How interesting it is to look back, and see all the things we have  done along the way to learn, develop, grow, sustain and thrive as an artist, entrepreneur, small business person, and member of the “creative class” and service industry.  A more in-depth look at my list seems in order.  Maybe it will open some doors for others, wherever they are in their career.

• Get a good Website, absolutely, to share and showcase your work. Absolutely essential. Anyone, anywhere needs to be able to access images of your work, your contact information, bio, and references, referrals, and testimonials.  I use my site as my online portfolio, calling card, tool of communication, and catalog! Start small, and develop your site as your business develops. WordPress sites are lauded as being user-friendly, and offering you the ability to update your own site, which can be a boon! You can choose to depict the kind of work you most wish to be hired for, and steer whoever looks at your site in that direction.

• Start a Blog, focusing on the kind of work you would like to do, etc. Many advise that having a blog is also essential in today’s entrepreneurial world. That may be, but only if you post on it  regularly! A blog also can be a tool of communication, a marketing tool, a place to develop ideas and attract audience, followers and colleagues as well as clients, and even create outlines and drafts for other writing projects. I have found that planning specific time each week to post helps get it done. You may want to focus your blog, or a series of posts on specific subjects, or aspects of your business.

• Network with Interior Designers and Architects, as well as Painters, Paint Stores, and others in the Building/Built Environment field. Networking is key, and there are many ways of doing this, in person, online, by referral, formally, and informally.  As a decorative painter, muralist and faux finisher, you may find great resources at your local paint store, design center, or design district. You may want to do some demonstrations of your paint store’s product, offer to do signage, or other small project for a designer or architect whom you admire, and would like to work with, or for a favorite charity, non-profit, or organization. Whatever you do, make sure you have plenty of business cards, and other print material handy to post, and pass out to anyone you want to connect with, or to those who may know others who could use your work.

• Join a networking group, such as “BNI INTERNATIONAL“, (Business Networking International). (Google it). The “BNI” model is a group that meets weekly, consisting of one person only from any profession, with the purpose of referring clients to each other.  Many skills, and challenges are inherent in the process: defining your business so that you can share about it to the group, presentation, listening and supporting others, volunteerism, and interaction, to name a few!  A tremendous learning and development experience, on both a personal, and professional level.

• Take an entrepreneurship or business class, or whole program, and put together a Business Plan. Entrepreneurship classes, programs and studies are becoming much more prevalent in our society, and educational systems. You can learn how to create a business plan, and put money, marketing and management mojo to work, in the company of like-minded individuals. looking at your numbers, putting your goals and objectives down on paper, presenting to a group, learning about others’ business plans can be stimulating, clarifying and sometimes startling, but always educational and growth-inducing!

http://www.rencenter.org/

• Have a selection of good-sized Samples, depicting your strengths, and the kind of work you most like to do, most want to do, and from which you think you will get the most business. What is the work you most want to do? Are strongest in?  is most sought after by the potential clients that are most sought after…by you? Create a set of samples, and a way to present them, so you can share with others your abilities, and what you can produce. You are in a visual business, so help potential clients imagine how you could transform their environment through your work.

• Create brochure, and a postcard, as well as a business card to go with your Site…they should all work together, as your business Visual Identity. Put your card and brochure in Local Paint Stores, and other appropriate venues! This is another arena where you can have fun, and put your color, design and graphics skills to use. it is not possible to do it all, and especially not well, or to professional standards, so enlist the expertise of  recommended / vetted and true graphics/web designer to work with you to develop a visual identity system that does you and your work proud. Your web and print presence are your visual calling cards, so make sure you present yourself at your best, and in the way you truly want to be seen.  Dianna Jacobsen, of  Jacobsen Design is a superb graphic and web designer who can design for clients based anywhere on the globe, and does.  Once you have your visual identity, put it out there…put it everywhere!

• Start an email newsletter (it can be simple) , and start building your Mailing List. Use your postcards! Keep in touch with your clients, potential clients, colleagues, associates and networking partners through digital and analogue means.  Email newsletters, blogs and social media can be a great way to stay in touch, but never underestimate the power of a beautifully designed card or stationary, and the handwritten word!
  

• Selectively, Do Some High Profile Work, at a Reduced,  or no Cost, for 1-3 Clients…to get your name out there, and showcase your skills and abilities. Have a party to celebrate it, at the job site if you can, when completed. If you are not yet known, move to a new locale, change the focus of your work/practice,  or have a great opportunity to support a cause dear to your heart, or for an entity that you want to connect with, consider doing a carefully selected and thought-out project that will gain you some visibility, recognition, and contacts, as well as give back to the community. Do not get into a long, costly, back-breaking job that will require elaborate scaffold or expensive materials. Consider something attainable, affordable, and impactful, and then use your communication systems to draw attention to it , create credibility, and potential referrals.  Ask the recipient of your efforts for a referral, testimonial or reference, and try to build your business from their. Most importantly, pick a project you will enjoy doing, and let the love show through!

Dress for Success

• Follow Online:  Alyson Stanfield/Art Biz Coach, The Art Business Institute, Artists Who Thrive at Ann Rea Inc., Rebecca E. Parsons at her Artistically Speaking Talk Show on Blog Talk Radio, and Cre8tive Compass Magazine,  and “HOUZZ“.  You can Google and Facebook all of these to find them, and also “LIKE” them on Facebook. Read all posts, and save those that most apply to you and your work in an email folder. The above are some of my favorites, and if you read their posts consistently, you can substantially add to your knowledge base. You will also be able to connect to the larger artistic community, and get new ideas! Remember to SHARE their posts on social media, and give credit where credit is due!

Art Biz Coach, Alyson B. Stanfield and Artists

• Get a Facebook Business Page, a  Twitter feed, and a Linked In and Pinterest  account, and keep up with them…interact and support others in related fields, and post many images. Share, support, educate, inspire and inform. Develop your online presence with care, remembering that as is stated in the wonderful film “The Social Network“, “The internet isn’t written in pencil, it is written in ink.” meaning that, assume that whatever you put on the web is there forever, for any and all to see.  So, present yourself truthfully, and as you wish to be seen…hopefully there is not too much of a disconnect between those two (!), and give to others, while spreading your own word and image.

ArtiFactory Studio on FACEBOOK

• Follow “Seth Godin“ for rich, daily doses information and inspiration. You can research his work  through Google/Facebook. Sign up to receive his daily blog posts in your email inbox.  Pithy, rich, down to earth advice on anything and everything related to marketing, entrepreneurship, creative business, and more. Easy to read, yet resonant, such that you can reread his words many times over.  Enough said…read his generous work!

Seth Godin

• Don’t get discouraged. Do something to grow your business every day, keep on  plugging, and, don’t forget to help others and give back!!!  I would love to hear how You are doing in the comments section! Thank you for reading, thinking, considering, and creating.  Bestest wishes!

Process = Patience

Process = Patience

We’ve all heard the adage, “Practice makes perfect.”  Most likely, it was (or is) parents, teachers, older siblings, mentors, coaches or masters we have encountered along the way who imparted this wisdom to us.  The truth of it is born out in our experience.  We may not reach perfection,  (Black Swan‘s Nina Sayers not withstanding), but we most likely will improve or even achieve mastery of whatever we take on, through practice.

However,  as we move along in life, most of us discover that just about everything is a process. Mastering a sport, whether it be rugby or ballet, requires undertaking various processes such as instruction, preparation, practice, performance and assessment/analysis, each involving numerous steps which are composed of yet more actions, which comprise the journey.  All great journeys by definition, start with a single step.

We  have to get started to cross the great water…

Each step is important, and each requires patience, though sometimes we can’t seem to see the end.

Sometimes we do get an inkling or a  glimmer, fleeting or not, of the prize at the top that awaits us.

A glimmer that might get clearer, as we draw closer,

revealing hitherto unheard-of beauty and intricacy.

The design may be revealed along the way….

and we see how it is made up of pieces..the pieces of every step.

I am reminded of this every time I begin anything, whether it be teaching a children’s art class, creating a mural, trying to close a deal.  We start with an idea, an intent, a desire, a vision, and then we must take the steps, go on the journey,  follow each process to its conclusion, without rushing, forcing or insisting.  We can “make it happen”, without making it happen, by realizing, it IS a process.

Patience is required for this process.   Process takes patience, just as practice makes perfect.  Our experience tends to be better, happier, more fun, and more satisfying if we at least accept the fact that all is process, and even embrace it.  Whether it is starting a new job where the details must be ironed out, or the agonizing process of applying or vying for a new job/project/program/home/apartment/mortgage….recognizing that it is a step-by-step process, and going along for the ride for all its worth will improve our attitude, impress those we are dealing with, and probably help to insure our success, perhaps more than any other single factor involved, because our maturity, acceptance and enjoyment will show to others.

Best of all, we will learn, grow, and develop in beautiful and intricate ways, hitherto unknown to you, by doing the work, making the commitment, and then going with the flow where others, and other uncontrollable factors are concerned.  Having patience with the process, knowing that each endeavor is comprised of multitudes of processes, steps, actions, reactions, responses, decisions and details will ease the pain of our process as a whole, and maybe even make it, an ever-deepening joy!

Here’s wishing You joy in your endeavors, and patience with your process as you take your steps, and go on your journey.

What process required your patience recently? (Or, not so recently?) 

If you are so moved, please share it with us here.

We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all going through this process called Life, together.  Bon Voyage, and Bonne Chance!