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Did you know on an average week I may be approached by as many as 20-35 artists looking for gallery representation? Most of them are ineffective. Are you making the same mistakes?
Before I explain, let me introduce myself. My name is Jason Horejs. I have owned Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, for more than eight years.
In August, I published my book, "Starving" to Successful | The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art. The information I share is intended to help artists like you approach galleries in an organized, systematic and professional manner.
For starters, when seeking gallery representation, you are well advised to avoid the following common mistakes:
Mistake #1: Presenting an inconsistent body of work.
Artists generally love their freedom. They want to experiment. They love a challenge. They crave variety. All good things, except when you are presenting your work to a gallery.
The work you present to a gallery needs to be unified. It doesn’t need to be repetitive or formulaic, but it must present you as a consistent artist with a clear vision.
Often I feel I am looking at the work of multiple artists as I review a single portfolio. To avoid this problem you need to find focus in your work.
If you work in several media and a variety of styles, focus on just one for the next 6-12 months. Create a body of work that feels like a “series”. Once you have 20-25 gallery-ready pieces in this series, you will be ready to approach a gallery.
You can further create consistency by presenting the work in a cohesive way. Use similar frames for all of your paintings or photographs, similar bases for your sculptures, or similar settings for your artistic jewelry. Make it very clear all of the work is by the same artist.
If you simply can’t rein your style in, consider creating multiple portfolios, one for each style.
Don’t confuse the galleries you approach with multiple styles in your portfolio.
Mistake #2: Producing insufficient work to sustain gallery sales.
Many artists create marketable work, but in quantities too low to make a gallery relationship viable. Successful artists are consistently in the studio creating artwork. You may be surprised to learn the results of a recent survey I conducted.
I asked artists how many new works they created in the last twelve months. Painters responded that on average they were creating 53 pieces every twelve months; sculptors 31; glass artists 500!
Gallery owners need to feel confident you will replace sold art quickly and maintain high quality. They want to know that if you are successful you can replenish their inventory.
Don’t despair if you are far from reaching this goal. Rather, look at your creative production for the last year and set a goal to increase the production by 25% in the next 12 months.
Several suggestions to increase your productivity:
1. Dedicate time daily to your art. Maybe your schedule will only allow for two hours daily, but you will produce more by working for those two hours every day than you will by waiting for big blocks of time. Treat your studio time as sacred. Train your family and friends to respect that time. You don’t interrupt them when they are at work; ask them the same courtesy when you are in the studio.
2. Set a production goal. If I could tell you the secret to producing 50, or 100 pieces per year, would you listen? Here it is: create 1 or 2 pieces per week. I know it seems overly simple, yet few artists work in a concerted, disciplined way to achieve this goal. (A common objection I hear to this suggestion is that quality will suffer if an artist works this quickly. In my experience, the opposite is true. A certain level of quality may only be obtained by putting miles on the paintbrush, spending hours in the darkroom, moving tons of clay or stone.)
3. Remove distractions from the studio. Move your computer to another room. Unplug the telephone. Nothing kills an artist’s focus faster than the constant interruption of technology. Your inbox and voicemail will keep your messages safe while you work.
In "Starving" to Successful I will teach you how to create a powerful
portfolio. Your new portfolio will end up in gallery owner’s hands,
rather than in the garbage can.
Mistake #4: Lacking confidence and consistency in pricing.
One of the greatest challenges facing you as an artist is knowing how
to correctly value your work. Many artists price their work
emotionally, and inconsistently. Galleries can’t sell wrongly priced
art.
Worse, nothing will betray an unprepared artist like not knowing how to price his/her work.
Many artists mistakenly under-price their work. They do this because
they feel they are not established. They do it because their local art
market won’t sustain higher prices. They do it because they lack
confidence in their work.
In the book I will help you come up with a consistent, systematic formula for pricing your art.
Is your work priced correctly?
Mistake #5: Approaching the wrong galleries.
My gallery is located in an art market dominated by Southwest and
Western subject matter. My gallery stands apart from most of the
galleries in Arizona because I have chosen art outside the norms. Yet I
am constantly contacted by Western and Southwestern artists. They seem
surprised and hurt when I turn them away. They could have saved us both
some discomfort by researching my gallery before approaching.
Which markets should you approach first? How should you research the
galleries? Is it safe to work with galleries in out-of-state markets?
"Starving" to Successful will teach you how to create a list of qualified,
appropriate galleries to contact (I will also teach you how to approach
them).
Mistake #6: Submitting art through the wrong channels.
Conventional wisdom, and even some highly respected art marketing books
will advise you to send your portfolio with a cover letter to the
gallery. You may also hear it's best to call a gallery and try to make
an appointment to meet the owner. You might visit a gallery's website
to learn of their submission guidelines.
In
my experience, these methods all guarantee failure. I will share with
you a more direct, simpler approach; this approach will tremendously
improve your chances of success. The approach is no secret, and yet
most artists don’t employ it.
Find the solutions to avoiding all these mistakes in the pages of "Starving" to Successful.
In addition to learning how to avoid the mistakes listed above, you will also see clearly how to effectively
organize your work, build your brand as an artist, communicate
effectively with your galleries, and much more.
I will give you concrete steps you can take to systematically prepare for gallery relationships.
The first printing sold out in one month, the second printing is already 3/4 sold out- I encourage you to order your copy today.
Order the book now at the special, discounted price of $19.50.
If you would like to get a better sense of the book before you order, please read a sample chapter.
Please email me directly, jason@xanadugallery.com, or call me toll-free at the gallery at 866.483.1306 if you have any questions about the book.
Sincerely,
J. Jason Horejs
Owner
Xanadu Gallery
7039. E. Main St. #101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
jason@xanadugallery.com
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Recommendations from Artists Who have Read the Book |
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Hello, Jason,
I received your book yesterday, and read it in it's entirety immediately. You have provided excellent, practical and insider information that will be extremely useful for me, and no doubt, for other artists as we make our way in this complex world of art. There are several points you made that I will begin right away, and some I will put into action soon. Your book is the best single guide to stepping up from juried exhibits to gallery representation I've seen, and I have looked at many such sources.
Thank you so much,
Rosemary Claus-Gray
www.rosemaryclaus-gray.com |
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Hi Jason,
I need to thank you for writing "Starving" to Successful. I received it the day before I left home for a needed respite and read it every night. It super charged my ideas so much I would have trouble falling asleep. I found it an easy read, not pontificating, and the best, telling us what doesn't work and the simplicity of what does work.
I had already done some of the things and considered some which you guide us in your book to avoid, saving me time and effort (i.e. brochures, etc). I have recommended it to some artists I spoke with at a gallery Grand Opening on Sat. night, so you may be getting more orders from the Colorado Springs area. My greatest weakness is with computer work, yet I am dedicated to learn how to use it to best advantage. My summer goal was to learn to set up an e-newsletter...and this one I just received from you has reminded me of that goal. Perhaps you will receive one from me by the end of September.
Thank you over and over for your effort and vision to write this book.
Best regards,
Carol Ettenger
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Hi Jason,
I've been taking your webinars and was up to pg 128 of your book while I was sitting our Art on South Main co-op. A first time customer came in looking for a wedding gift. Your writing was so fresh in my mind the script went almost word for word, introductions, the handshake, the what kind of work do you do, ,etc. I invited him to a reception that night and he got worried the items he wanted might sell then, so I did the "may I write it up right now" and put a sold sign on; then he bought an additional one for a second wedding gift! (It was for glasswork, not my pastels; but the sales technique worked).
Thanks for your time, Jason, and for giving back to the artists thru your common sense approaches.
Lynn Chapman
www.LynnChapmanArtist.com |
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Hello!
I'm 2/3 through your book and it just arrived yesterday. LOVE IT. It's written in a simple, concise, educated way and is not intimidating at all. I already have a new respect for galleries. (I have always avoided them because I thought they kept too much %, and my experience has been only with uber-snooty ones on top of it.)
Ann McGriffin
www.mcgriffinstudios.com
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Xanadu Gallery | 7039 E. Main St. #101 |
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480.368.9929 | info@xanadugallery.com | www.xanadugallery.com |
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