Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for writing! That sounds like a really nice opportunity. I have a couple of thoughts. Each vendor probably has an idea of what percentage of the sale they would like to carry your pieces in their shop–because, after all, they make money off the sale of your pieces, and the service they are offering you is a place to sell your work. I would ask the vendors up front what that percentage is. Then, the percentage you give to each vendor should be the same–because otherwise, similar pieces of your jewelry are selling for different prices all over the Artist Garage, and that could be awkward for you.
I would also caution you to then up your prices on your website to reflect the percentage added on to the jewelry being sold in the shops. Your vendors don’t want to have a piece of your jewelry on sale in their shop for $50 to find out that the customer could get it on your website for $40.
Good luck with this! It sounds great.

Hi Stella!

There are venues in NYC that deal in small scale assemblage works, such as Pavel Zoubok. If you work in paper, you should not miss the Works on Paper show at the Park Avenue Armory as there is a good representation of galleries from all over the world who are there, and some represent contemporary artists. And mixed media is often embraced by the fiber arts community, and there are always exhibition opportunities with them. If you are doing very small work, you could explore the miniature art world. Good luck!

Hi Hannah!
The nicest thing about college is that you learn about the history of art in the world, and also where one might fit in the continuum of art making. Another inspiring thing is having deadlines. And finally, but not least, is having teachers and colleagues to give you feedback.

Without going to college, I would suggest making or finding these things for yourself–find a group of artists with whom you can meet–say, a figure drawing group in your town (or gather such a group yourself if none exists). Make a date with yourself every week to go to the library to look at art books, or to a museum or surf the web. Deadlines are the hardest to conjure for yourself. But maybe find a couple competitions you might like to enter, and prepare for those deadlines, or enter yourself in an art or craft collective that is having a sale in three months…
Good luck!

Hi Leo,

I love large work if there is some reason for it to be large. You know? Work that is very large or very small is wonderful for how we relate to both physically as human beings. But the heart and meaning of the work has to drive its size, of course, not an outside force of what might be popular.
I had a book binding teacher who said that every aspect of a book, from its size, to the choice of book cloth color, to the thread that sews the folio together, has to be driven by the contents of the book. So–let the insides drive the size. Good luck!

Hi Katie!
I have heard lots of people say not to use pictures of one’s children, or reveal personal details (“tomorrow we are all leaving for a three week cruise!”) about one’s whereabouts online. That’s just common sense. But if you are blogging and writing about your farm and farm life, then I think using pictures of the farm is great. Maybe just be choosy about what you include.

As regards to book promotion, I benefited tremendously by taking a class at NYU on Publicity. That’s not to say that’s what you should do, too, but it helped me look at the problem of publicity as a fun puzzle instead of treacherous shoals. Hal is a great resource and guide, and hiring someone to help on occasion–like a big push, or for a specific event–takes the pressure off.

Good luck!

Hi Mike!
Sometimes, even when you have made a clear decision about something you want to do–in your case, to sell your artwork–you have to make some sub-decisions about what it is exactly that you sell. And, even thought it seems antithetical to the artistic spirit, it serves us all well to make a business plan. Who is our audience? What do we want to provide them with? Identify exactly what you are selling–paintings? Prints? Or are you selling images that would be awesome on t-shirts? Or printed in limited edition books? Then–pick one venue, like Etsy, for example, and concentrate all your energy on that–check out other etsy stores, read about tagging, titles, descriptions and how to maximize your presence within that one venue. Don’t get discouraged, and keep after it. Good luck!

Hi Angelica,

I don’t know that there is a hard and fast rule about exactly how much time to spend in the studio each day. I know that some artists spend their best time (when they are the most refreshed and alive–for some it is the morning, and some the afternoon or evening) making their art, and an equal amount of time in the day doing the business of art (making contacts, answering emails, sending out packets of images and application materials). Other artists put aside a day or two a week to put on their business hat, and spend the other days of the week making art. I think as long as you are working on a regular schedule, it almost doesn’t matter how you sort it out for yourself. And don’t forget to give yourself time off in the week to recharge your batteries. Good luck!

Hi Glenn!

Do you want to self publish a book? There are lots of on line venues for self publishing. But perhaps the first thing to do is to step back a couple of steps and figure out what it is you hope to gain by self publishing a book of your work. Do you want to sell it? Or have it for your own pleasure? Or use it for a portfolio, like a booklet of illustrations to send to art directors or book editors. OR, if you have thought of putting your work in a book, it might be that on some subconscious level, you see your work in sequence, as telling a story. Maybe you are a graphic novelist, or maybe a book artist. So, I guess I would plot out my goals for this book work before sinking the money into it. Good luck!

Hi Brittani!

Figuring out what to charge for artwork is always a trick, and especially figuring out what your local market will bear. Obviously, metropolitan artists can charge more for their work than rural artists. The world wide web can even out the playing field, however. I would suggest that you pick an on line marketplace for art sales (Etsy, even), and surf through all the storefronts there and see what people are charging for stuff that is similar to yours. Then set up a marketplace (after copious research and reading of all the Etsy marketing books in the library), and start experimenting with commerce! Good luck!

Hi Mariane!

The first thing to do is some exploring–of yourself, of what you think you might want to do. Go to the library, look at art books, leaf through magazines, surf the web. Decide what specifically you would like to do, and then list the first three steps to getting there, as best as you can. Do you want to illustrate children’s books? Then look for your local chapter of SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), attend a meeting, ask what the next steps might be (developing a portfolio, for example). Look at children’s books in the library, analyzing how they work, how many pages, who publishes the ones you love. If kids books illustration isn’t your thing, decide what IS. Decisions, especially specific ones, have power and magic in them. As soon as you make a couple, doors will open and your path will get clearer. Good luck!

Hi Sharon,

A have a friend who, when she is making an artwork, tapes a piece of paper on the back of her canvas or assemblage, and when she starts working on it, she signs in, noting the time, and when she stops, she signs out. At the end of working on the project, she will have an approximate idea of how much time it took to do each piece. I know this might seem like an anathema to creativity, but you might find at some point, that it is delightful to know how long things take to complete. It is like when you read a wonderful novel, and you have gone miles in the book, and through every twist and turn, and then look at your watch and realize that you have only spent fifteen minutes reading. Good luck!

Hi Jean,

What a great question. The best decision I made was to go to college and study art. I think because deciding to be an artist and committing to it had intention and power behind it: I was invested. Learning about art through the ages and across cultures began a lifelong love of learning about art from all over, and the studio classes built the beginnings of a daily art-making practice. The second thing that happened that helped a lot was having a loathsome job briefly, when I first moved to NYC, as a textile design salesperson (not my own designs–I was repping designs from Italy, mostly). I had to learn how to make cold telephone calls, and being a shy person to begin with, this was no small feat. I didn’t love that job, but the silver lining was that now I can call and talk to anyone about anything!

Hi Sue,

There are multiple ways to go about a tshirt business. One is to invest in a digital fabric printer, and print your own blanks in your studio. Another is to design silkscreen images and explore silkscreening as way to print designs. You might also find a printer that will print your work for you at a reduced cost–ask around who prints the local school’s basketball shirts, for example. Then, you have to decide if you want to sell your images on line, or if you want to do the arts and crafts fairs, or both. And you have to put on your marketing hat–if you imagery has a particular focus, what other venues might be interested in your work? Gift stores at hospitals, at the aquarium, at historical sites, tourist spots, Harley conventions, Comic-cons–what group might be interested in your images? And how can you reach them? Good luck!

Hi Tristina!
This sounds great! What about this for submitting to publishers–three chapters (incl pictures and how to), and an outline for what the rest of the book might be. That way, they get a real sense of what you are about, and your writing style, but you don’t have to write the whole book before you have a client. Also, you should check out what books might be found with your potential book on a book store shelf, and write a marketing analysis–how your book would compare and contrast. Good luck!