We think we have to post more, research hashtags, invest in advertising, create a lead magnet, learn to write better copy, or forget about a restful night's sleep. It’s true that you probably do have to do some of those things in order to attract more followers and subscribers, but you might also benefit from being open to doing things a little differently to increase those numbers.
In this episode, I talk with Trudy Rice about how she has grown her Instagram and email list by cross-promoting other brands. Trudy uses a platform called Ampjar, but the underlying lesson is to find like-minded people and share each other's art, products, and services. Trudy refers to this as “shouting them out,” and in our conversation, she highlights what it takes to get set up with the service, and how it has impacted her success in a major way.
Highlights
Trudy Rice details her Australian flora and fauna art, teaching, and other current projects. (2:13)
Taking original prints and paintings to a homewares line. (4:28)
Quantifying the growth of a successful art business through a variety of income streams. (6:18)
The primary systems and marketing channels Trudy uses for her sales. (8:25)
Details about the Ampjar mailing system and the karmic aspect to shout-outs. (11:37)
The algorithms behind the Ampjar shout-out system. (13:57)
How to systematically simplify the process of promoting your business. (17:39)
Prompting other artists while promoting yourself. (21:16)
The variety of brands that Trudy promotes through Ampjar. (22:18)
How to connect with new and international audiences through shout-outs. (23:57)
Tracking the success that has come by integrating new systems. (26:08)
The importance of collaborating with other artists with any system that works. (29:23)
How to do the work once and benefit from it over and over again. (30:17)
Trudy shares her project and collaboration plans for 2021. (33:35)
Mentioned
Resources
Intro and outro music by Wildermiss
First posted: artbizsuccess.com/karma-rice-podcast
Let’s do this together: https://artbizsuccess.com/community
Music by https://wildermiss.com
My guest for this episode is Romy Owens, an artist and curator who makes site-specific installations, as well as smaller objects, in reaction to place, community, and transformation. Last fall I had the opportunity to visit Under Her Wing was The Universe, her enormous public sculpture that was installed in 2020 in Enid, Oklahoma.
In this episode I talk with Romy about her commitment to raising $100,000 for that outdoor public sculpture and native prairie landscape as a gift to her hometown. As it turns out, $100,000 was just the beginning, and while it all worked out in the end, it wasn’t exactly easy getting there. Not only did Romy have to raise a lot more money than originally projected, she had to stand up to the naysayers in the community.
Romy is an artist that knows how to effectively measure success. Community collaboration, fundraising, overcoming controversy and yes, using spreadsheets are just a few of the topics that you won’t want to miss in this conversation.
Highlights
Romy Owens shares the leap of faith she has taken with her art and with her community. (3:30)
Conceiving the project Under Her Wing was the Universe. (9:55)
Relationships that informed the piece and Alyson’s reaction to seeing it in person. (12:10)
Naming the piece and finding value in all that is revealed in the universe. (16:06)
Securing space for the project and making the connections that brought city approval. (20:04)
Funding from the city and how Romy planned to cover the rest. (23:50)
Launching a GoFundMe fundraiser. (26:40)
Meeting tight deadlines and overcoming obstacles along the way. (28:26)
Overcome your fear of hearing “no” when raising funds. (30:33)
Handling the controversy that comes with creating interesting art. (33:02)
Key collaborators and supporters in creating a piece of this scale. (36:27)
Keeping track of your progress with a system that actually works. (41:09)
Measuring success and setting goals in specific and meaningful ways. (43:24)
Ideas for generating interest in your art. (49:32)
Mentioned
Resources
Intro and outro music by Wildermiss
About My Guest
Romy Owens is an artist and curator living in Enid, Oklahoma. She makes site-specific installations, as well as smaller objects, in reaction to place, community, and transformation. Her curatorial work attends to a similar focus. Both Owens' artistic and curatorial practices are presently centered around community art designed to impact social change, using art as a method to broaden our understanding of specific issues.
This week, my guest is Simonne Roy, a contemporary American impressionist painter grounded in the plein air painting tradition. For years, Simonne has been inviting VIPs into her home, which she had transformed into a gallery, for a one-night party. The money and effort she invested in the event resulted in good sales and relationships. Each year's success built on that of previous years.
When Covid struck, her hopes for a successful home gallery show in 2020 were dashed, until, like many scrappy entrepreneurs, Simonne found a different way to make it happen. She decided to hold the VIP appreciation without the party.
In this episode, you'll hear how Simonne gave people a private experience that few people get to have with art, which she calls the Quiet Gallery Experience. If she measured its success by the amount of sales only, she could have counted it a success. But sales were almost secondary because Simonne measures her success by the goodwill she created with her subscribers and collectors.
Listen closely to hear what she did to set the stage and make it special, what she would do differently next time, and how she netted the same amount of money from the participation of fewer people.
Highlights
Simonne Roy shares the journey that led to her art business and her current income sources. (2:28)
Transforming a house into an intimate, personalized home gallery. (7:10)
The inspiration that saved Simonne’s gallery experience during Covid. (13:42)
How can greater vulnerability result in more meaningful connections? (20:05)
Scheduling a full day of showings and Simonne’s goal for each visitor. (21:51)
Preparing any space for a full gallery experience. (25:22)
Results from the gallery included sales, a teaching offer and increased connections. (29:29)
Reducing overhead for an event can still result in positive net sales. (34:10)
Marketing an event and creating a thoughtful gift for your customers. (36:14)
Simonne shares the lessons she learned for next time. (38:11)
A peek at what is holding Simonne’s attention in the studio now. (38:34)
Mentioned
Resources
Intro and outro music by Wildermiss
About My Guest
Simonne Roy describes herself as a contemporary American impressionist painter grounded in the plein air landscape painting tradition. She is also a Francophile, and has lived in France for extended periods over the years—adding quintessential French subjects such as pastries, breads, and cheeses to her nature-inspired paintings.
A lifelong resident of Pennsylvania, Roy lives in Lewisburg, where she maintains her studio and home gallery.
Confronting numbers can be intimidating, but it is an essential step to growing both yourself and your business. It forces you to be realistic about where you are, including your weaknesses, and it challenges you to make up for any lost ground.
This month we are looking into measuring success and today I want to share with you the tracking procedure that has helped grow my business by up to 40% every single year. I’ll share ideas to help get you started on your own monthly business report, highlight some of the fun and surprising areas you need to track (beyond just the sales) and tell you how to download a copy of a monthly report for your art business.
The numbers definitely won’t tell the whole story, but if you’re looking for an effective and telling way to measure your efforts, your satisfaction, and your success, this is the place to start.
Highlights
What numbers should you use to measure your success? (0:01)
How I learned the true value of being authentic in my business. (1:26)
The importance of confronting numbers when you’re ready to grow yourself and your business. (3:37)
The number one thing to include in your monthly business report. (5:12)
Report the monthly numbers and then find insights in them. (5:38)
The value of making cool connections every month. (6:53)
The most productive and enjoyable approaches to promoting and sharing your art each month. (8:30)
Upcoming interviews that will elaborate on the theme of measuring success. (10:22)
How to download and customize your own monthly art report. (11:58)
Mentioned
Resources
Intro and outro music by Wildermiss