Should You Consign to Galleries?

Don’t Miss this Last MInute Craft Marketing Opportunity

 

Tomorrow’s Mother’s Day and while I’m sure YOU have your mom’s hand made gift all wrapped in an earth-friendly, re-usable treasure, do you know there are many people who take their mom out on Mother’s Day and let them choose their own gift? Some actually send their mom’s money to buy their own. I didn’t realize this until I had a gallery and Mother’s Day, not just the days prior, but actually on Mother’s day, our sales were always up there with the Christmas holidays. Women would come in with or without their families, see something they loved and a pay cash. We always heard, “my daughter (or son) sent me the money to buy myself something.” This surprised me because for me the fun in giving is coming up with the idea. 

People feel very generous towards their moms on Mother’s Day (as they should everyday) and as an artist or crafter you’re missing the boat if you don’t make sure that your creations are in their line of vision tomorrow. No, it isn’t too late. The shopping isn’t over yet… Read more

Don’t listen to to media. Selling crafts is not typical retail.

This past week, the news was full of more doom and gloom about retail closings and mall bankruptcies. It would be easy to get discouraged, thinking, “If a big department store that’s been in business for generations can’t make it, how will I?” Well, you aren’t in competition with the big box stores. And if you’re comparing yourself to them, it’s time for a major mindset shift.

Your target customer is the discriminating shopper who wants something unique and handcrafted. Yes, people are being more careful with their dollars now and you have the advantage in that when times are tight, consumers want what they are spending on to be special. They may not be shopping for household appliances right now but when it comes time to purchase a gift or a piece of artwork for their home, they are making conscious choices and want something they don’t see everywhere.

Keep sight of who you are and what your work is all about. You are an artist and unless you are not staying ahead of the off-shore knock-offs, you have no reason to be concerned about ‘competition. You have something special that your customers are proud to give. They love to tell the recipient that they met the artist in person-it’s important to know the story behind their purchase.

Right now it’s more important than ever to have your products “shout” of handmade. Take the time to put hangtags on each piece, identifying it as handmade, maybe even talking about the technique. Include a bio and ideally a headshot. Remember, it’s the human connection that makes the difference.

What crafts are selling best right now?

As we are getting into craft fair season, I am hearing from clients and friends that two areas of the art market are doing well in the present economy.  The reports are consistent that the very high end and the under twenty five dollar price points are selling. Mid price crafts are suffering. What does this mean for you? 

My advise to any artist, craftsperson or retail gallery is always, in any economy, to make sure your line has a variety of price points. Of course this is easier to do in certain medium than in others.  In jewelry for example, you may want to produce more of the pieces that you can price in that gift range-work that can be cast in quantity or easily and quickly assembled. With the hand forged, more labor intensive pieces, you may want to use more precious metals (gold, platinum) and gemstones. If you sell midrange paintings, this is a good time to expand into some moderate priced prints, small matted or simply framed card sized prints and also to do a few originals on a larger scale. Any work you can print, cast, or otherwise produce inexpensively is a good idea. Put the originals of these less expensive pieces aside. (Don’t exhibit them at the same shows as your prints.) Then have some other work that you only show the originals of at this time.) Do be sure to scan these for future printing.)  

Whether it’s wearable art or home furnishings, try to focus on the two extremes -this is not the time to try to sell mid priced work. 

Keep in mind also that with the big box stores closing and manufacturers losing those accounts, this may be a great time to move into having a segment of your line outsourced for licensed production. Printers, casters etc are hungry for work so they are likely to be more flexible with minimums and also willing to give you a price break. 

How can you repurpose some of your work to sell well in todays’ economic climate? Are you ready to reach out to a new target customer?  It might feel a bit uncomfortable at first if you aren’t used to commanding high prices, but now is the time to see who your collectors are. Not only will it keep your business thriving but you also might just enjoy seeing the fruits of your labor and products of your passion bring in the big bucks. It’s  a boost to the ego as well as the wallet. Who will purchase an original piece that is priced significantly above your normal range? Is it time to do some custom work? Id’ love to hear what you are doing to get into a different price point and and a new audience. 

Procrastination or Inspiration?

This morning, in an attempt to procrastinate a few minutes prior to beginning a project I’d been resisting, I checked my inbox and found an email from my friend and mentor, Barbara Winter,  complimenting a post by Todd Henry of Accidental Creative. Henry encouraged members of his community “to spend some time this week in unnecessary creating”. He goes on to say that  “One of the ways we grow, uncover long-lost interests and curiosities and develop new skills is through unnecessary creating. It’s important that we not neglect our personal creating for the sake of our create-on-demand role. In fact, it’s been my experience that the more we neglect our personal creative exploration the more it affects our ability to create when we have to.” I found this the perfect reason to procrastinate awhile longer and go down to the beach for a little unnecessary sand doodling with my toes. And what an accidental creative experience it was. Lost in my “pedi-art”, I forgot about my dog, Lucy until I heard her crunching yet another oyster shell. Knowing if she swallowed it, we would be in for another sleepless night with a sick dog, I demanded she drop it. Normally, she clenches her jaw tightly and refuses to let me have a look, quickly swallowing her treasure before I can rob her of the delicacy. But today, she let me have her sandy prize and as I dug to bury this disgusting morsel before another dog found it, I spotted a lovely aqua piece of glass  Rubbing my tumbled treasure on the way back to the house, I remembered an artist I know who makes jewelry from found sea glass, and another who uses recycled glass and I knew I had to do a story about artists who make their living using recycled and found objects.  (link to recycled art)  Thank you, Todd and Barbara for permission to spend some time for “accidental inspiration.”