Artist Website-Marketing Strategies that Every Artist Website Must Have

Selling Art Online: Your website should be an integral part of your marketing offering your art for sale. The website is like having your own physical gallery and if the website is set up correctly, it should do your marketing and talking for you. Imagine if someone told you that you have to show your portfolio to numerous clients situated all over the world at the same time. Not physically possible , but that is exactly what your website will do for you.

Your website strategy has to be 2 fold 1) get the maximum number of people to your site- traffic

2) increase the conversion rate i.e get them to take the desired action

Here I will share with you Tricks to help you in making your website visitors take the desired action

1) Make Sure Your Website Looks Professional and Portrays the Image You Want to Show

Just like a physical gallery, your website should be clean, uncluttered, your background and image display should be like the walls of a gallery giving your visitor a pleasant experience that can be remembered. Make sure the Images you upload and clean and professionally done.

Now for the Cool Stuff

2) Use Your Website to Start Building a Relationship with your Prospects and Clients

Include in your home page what is called an Opt In Box which is simply a box where visitors can leave their name and email details. You will have to give a compelling reason for them to give you their details. Unless they really like your art, they will not easily join your mailing list. So give away FREE reports that will educate them about aspects of buying art and then you can start communicating with them and giving them a chance of getting to know you. Can you see how powerful this can be.

3) Make Use of Videos

You already know how powerful You Tube is. Using videos will propel your business as people love videos. You can have a video on your home page introducing yourself to the visitor or showing them works in progress. This way, they will become a part of the process of your art creation as you reveal videos of the progress of your works.

4) Create A Blog

Through your blog, you will be able to give your followers and prospects a chance to see what you are doing on a day to day basis and how your career is progressing. If you are organising an exhibition, the blog will give updates on what is happening and again help in formulating that relationship and interest in you. Similar strategies are used on Facebook and other social media sites especially Twitter.

5) Build Your Credibility

If you have testimonials or exposure in the press, this should be put onto the home page. This is because when people land on the website, if they can straight away see an example of your art work and the buzz around you, then they will want to stay and find out more.

6) Measurement and Statistics

In order to get more conversions, you need to be able to measure what works and what does not and this is through having your website fitted with tracking tools such as Google Analytics which can show you where the visitors are coming from and what action they are taking.

I hope the above information is useful to you. To Your Art Success

Author: Juzer Kimti

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Globalizing Performing Artists Careers and Performances

Of course its understandable when people crock their heads and perk their ears up a bit, as if they did not hear me the first time. "Globalizing" artists careers is what I said and that is exactly what I meant.

It stands to reason that this is the next natural step in the "evolution" of entertainment. Think about it. We have done just about all we can do with the stage and its devices (God from the machine). From the times of great Greek thinkers like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Greek tragedy Commander Euripides, much time has passed.

Moving on past the stage to motion and audio media has been exploited to its fullest capacity, so much to that point that admittedly every one seems to agree, "what is left?" After hundreds upon hundreds of years of reworking the same themes, dogma, trials and philosophies over and over, truly, "what is left?"

Enter: Superstar-case. Not only Supers.... but its "family" of related entities and believers. You may want to be one of the naysayers like a certain Professor Kevin..., rant, rave and curse all you like. The end of an era is at hand. A new dimension of life is unfolding as we read,... or write..., or speak.

Best you contemplate the profundity of what IS going on rather than remain cocooned in your own self absorption, trying to belittle those less privileged than you, who may be recipients of the benefits of an outstanding education.

Unfortunately, some of us work for a living or have beautiful, but poor parents, who can ill afford such luxuries no matter how much their heart desires to fulfill a child dream. And yes, we the children do dream, dare I?

The one thing that sets us all apart on the playing field, regardless of the circumstances we are born into, is a little thing called life.

Whether you agree with its fairness or not, simply put, that is life!

Nevertheless, back to the subject at hand. It seems the only natural progression that seems to fit with all the dynamic changes that have occurred these last few years is the "internationalization", the "globalization" of performing artists and content creators abilities and careers.

Can you imagine the awesomeness of what could and would be created if these two inimitable forces are joined at the hip in a cohesive union of the best and brightest from both genres?

Start thinking about it...

Author: Kenny Beck

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Modern Art and Expressing Emotion

One of the most common sayings you hear about art these days is that it expresses the artist's emotions. Indeed, this has become what many people believe to be the whole point of modern art. While it may be true that a work of art indirectly expresses the artist's emotion, this is not the point of it, and it is not even an essential aspect of art.

Lets look at one of the usual definitions of art that you hear today, that it is a physical creation that expresses emotion. The first part of this is right, art does have to be a physical creation. That is an essential aspect of it; if someone were calling something non-physical a work of art, they would be incorrect. This will be explained further after a few other points.

As far as expressing the artist's emotion, of what value would that be to anyone? What would be the point of knowing the artist's emotions at the time they created a work of art? Why would they make a whole painting for that? What is important about any of that?

Whether someone was happy or sad at a particular moment in time is of no real concern to me, and does not warrant artistic creation. This idea makes art all about the artist and excludes everyone else from any real value. Art is not just about the person who creates it.

The problem most people have is they concern themselves too much with the creation of art, not the work of art itself. Most people assume that works of art in themselves have no purpose, so they focus on the action of their creation.

But works of art do have a purpose. We know this because they have been part of human existence since before language or civilization or just about anything. Something without a point would not be so intertwined with human life.

So what is that purpose? It is to express values. A work of art, if it is a work of art, should express mental ideas of values in physical form. It makes complex and deep abstractions on life available to the five senses. These values will elicit emotion, just as they do in other forms, just like when someone tells you a political belief that you strongly disagree with you get angry.

So it is not the artist's emotions that are being expressed, it is their ideas on what's important and valuable in life. The focus on emotion has lead to some of the worst art ever created being accepted by people.

When people see a modern artist making random splotches of paint, they assume that the artist is expressing their emotion, and they let the work be considered art. This is a mistake. Art is far too important to not think about and analyze. Modern art has gone astray and people need to have the courage to point out when something should not be called art.

Author:R Stevens

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The Origins of Glass Art

Cut glass and glass blowing production came from ancient techniques and were gradually refined over the ages. Cut glass objects were used as commodities, gifts, and jewelry in past millennia. Today exquisite cut crystal is sought after for its heirloom qualities and gifting allure.

Natural glass, like obsidian, is a dense volcanic glass, and has been used by man for millennia. To early man, obsidian glass was an extremely rare and valuable commodity, Because of the way volcanic glass fractures, sharp edges occur. This inherent quality of natural cut glass was put to use and was often made into sharp spear points and blades.

Man-made rudimentary glass was made from silica sand, plant ash and lime. Over time it was discovered that if glass was heated until it became semi-liquid, it may be molded or shaped and left to cool into a solid new piece or vessel. In ancient times glass pieces were valued as a substitute for precious stones, gems, and gifts.

During first century BC, the craft of melting and blowing glass into useable objects was developed. Glass pieces and items gradually became more common after the discovery of glassblowing. Objects such as vases, bottles, and cruets were mouth blown and mold blown during the Roman Empire, usually for ordinary purpose and daily use.

Common glass normally has a greenish hue. The green tint is caused by miniscule amounts of iron impurities in the sand used to make glass. Glass producers learned to make decorative and colored glass by adding metallic compounds and mineral oxides such as cobalt. Colored glass of reds, blues and greens became prevalent. After craftsmen learned to score and cut glass, they found clear glass refracted light in spectacular fashion. Thus, clear cut glass became popular, and demand for colored glass plummeted.

Around 1000 AD, a new development was made in glassmaking. The glass making component of soda-lime, was replaced by potash obtained from wood ashes. From this time on, glass from the northern part of Europe differed greatly from that made in the Mediterranean area, where soda-lime remained in common use. Centuries later in Bohemia, ashes from beech trees were used. The production of Bohemian "forest glass" was progressively refined over the years.

During the 11th century new ways of making sheet glass came about in Germany. Glass blowers would blow spheres, and then form them into cylinders. They would cut the glass while still hot and then flatten the glass into sheets. Glass makers in Venice, Italy improved this method in 13th century. By the late 1300's there was as many as 20 glassworks in Bohemia and Moravia. The 12th century saw the arrival of stained glass production. Stained glass, another form of colored glass, was made by adding metal impurities. Church and monastery applications of stained glass can be traced back to examples that remain today, i.e. St. Bartholomew church in Kolin. A glass wall mosaic is preserved there from around 1380.

Venice became the dominant center for glassmaking during the 14th century. Here new glass making methods were developed and export trade such as mirrors, tableware, and decanters flourished. Secrets of glass making were highly guarded in Venice, but eventually glass workers moved to other areas of Europe taking their knowledge and skill with them. As ornate glassworks became more popular, Royalty began ordering decorative glass articles to be made, to give as gifts of distinction for occasions.

A technique called "the Crown glass process" was used to make glass until the mid part of the 1800s. A glassblower would spin around 9 lbs of molten glass at the end of a rod until it spread out into a flat disk nearly 5 feet across. The glass disk would then be cut into panes. Glass from Venice was highly prized for over four centuries as they managed to keep this technique secret. In 1688, a method for casting glass was invented. This led to glass and glass panes in becoming a much more common material. The glass pressing machine was invented in 1827 and facilitated mass production of relatively inexpensive glass items. The glass pioneer, William J. Blenko, is recognized as first glass producer in America to use the cylinder method of creating flat glass by the 1920s.

The Bohemian countries of Czech and Slovakia are still known today as two of the finest cut glass and cut crystal producers in the world. Cut crystal pieces are prized as elegant anniversary and birthday gifts.

Author:John Simon

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Health and Safety for Artists

Know the potential dangers of the materials you use

Many of the chemicals found in art supplies are carcinogenic, and can present health risks if not handled properly. Some are potential skin irritants (some Acrylics contain a small amount of ammonia or formaldehyde), some should not be inhaled (pastel dust is very nasty), while others are highly flammable (turpentine).

Most art supply manufactures are extremely safety conscious, and publish full details of possible risks associated with their products.

Don't be complacent: take the time and effort to find out what the health risks are for the materials you, and observe any recommended precautions.

Do you visit clients in their homes?

If you visit clients in there homes, never visit anyone without leaving details with a friend. Tell them who you are visiting and where you are going . Let them know what time you expect to return home, and arrange to phone when you return to confirm that you are safe. If possible, take a friend with you the first time you visit a new client.
Public Liability Insurance, protects the policyholder in respect of their legal liability for injury or damage to third parties arising out of, and in course of, their business.

Do you allow clients to visit you at home?

In today's compensation culture, when accidents happen, some people look to blame others. If you allow clients to visit you at home, you have a duty of care to ensure their safety, and there is always a risk they may trip or fall, which could prove very costly.

If you need to meet clients in your home (for example, you may teach from home), then you need third party public liability insurance.

Do you publicly exhibit your work?

Similarly to the above, if you exhibit work, it is always worth checking whether the event organisers have obtained appropriate insurance. You may be required to make your own arrangements.


Networking

The work of an artist is generally solitary, and anyone engaged in this occupation should consider the occasional need to network with other artists.

The benefits of networking

There are a number of benefits to networking, but briefly it allows the sharing of ideas, knowledge of best practice, and prevents feelings of isolation.

For example, you might need occasional technical advice, want to know how others deal with routine administrative tasks (say packing and posting pictures), or maybe just let off steam - to someone that understands!


Internet forums for Artists

There are a number of different means by which networking can be accomplished, but the simplest, and most accessible, is to find and join an Internet artist’s forum.

When choosing a forum, there are two broad considerations: the size and activity of the membership, and the forum’s focus.

The number of members, and number of posts, is usually detailed at the foot of the forum’s home page. A sizeable membership (1000s) is normally an indication that the forum is a lively hub. Small memberships (a few 100) tend to indicate a less thrilling and responsive community.

Membership of a forum with a reasonable level of members/activity, and a narrower focus, can be the most gratifying. You are more likely to feel a kinship with, and derive a benefit from communicating with people who share your particular branch of art. Conversely, with a more general forum there is a greater possibility of meeting people with radically different ideas (the realist and the abstract expressionist struggle to share ideas, or knowledge of best practice).

Author: John Burton

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Taiko

The Japanese Art of Drumming

For many years I have had an interest in Taiko, the Japanese art of drumming. The literal translation of the word taiko from the Japanese means "big drum." So when you hear someone refer to taiko drums, if taken literally they are actually saying, "big drum drums." Taiko is the generic term and is used when referring to the style of drumming.

I don't know if it's the sound they create or whether it is my amazement at the player's discipline, precision and stamina. Probably a mixture of all of the above.

My main hobby is the martial arts, and in my mind Taiko players share many of the same attributes as martial artists. For example, the commitment to practice and developing skills, the cultivation of stamina/energy and a certain amount of showmanship are shared by both. In Japan practitioners learn the art of Taiko in a Dojo; the literal translation is, "place of the way". Exponents of Karate will also attend a Dojo. In both instances the training and the transmission of the arts are rigidly structured and highly disciplined.

In recent years I have noted a rise in the number of opportunities to see Taiko troupes in Britain. Not all the groups are Japanese and there is a wealth of talented British players. Pretty much all of the events are well attended. There is even some fusion stuff going on, it may not be for the traditionalist but it is really interesting.

Taiko has even made it into the corporate world and companies or organisations can use Taiko as a team building exercise. There is also a number of Taiko Groups that run evening classes and weekend workshops for the enthusiastic amatuers amongst us.

One of the drawbacks in the UK is that drums are very, very expensive and equipment is hard to source. I should know I spent long enough looking for a pair of bachi (drumsticks) for my wife, in the end I made them for her.

This year we saw the 5th Annual Taiko Festival held in Exeter and was organised by Kagemusha Taiko. The 6th Annual Taiko Festival is already being organised and again it will take place in Exeter on 16-18th July 2010.

So what is the appeal of Taiko?
For some reason drums of all kinds from Samba to African seem to evoke an almost primeval instinct within many people. It may have something to do with the fact you can actually feel the music and rhythm.

Hey, it may not be for everyone, but you should go and see a Taiko troupe in action. You would need to be pretty cold not to be impressed on one level or another.

My name is Malcolm Murphy and I own and run http://www.ichinisanbachi.com a company that manufactures and sells bachi (Taiko Drumsticks). To the best of my knowledge Ichi Ni San Bachi is the only company in Britain where you can buy bachi online.

It came about by a strange quirk of fate: when trying to find a set of bachi for my wife it became apparent that nobody in the UK provided this particular service, and if I wanted to buy them I would need to pay through the nose for them as they would have to be imported. Once I had made them for my wife, other Taiko Players asked her where she had managed to get them and the rest is now history.

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