Bill's PurpleCrayon Blog

ELBOWS TO ARMPITS IN ANN ARBOR

Last weekend, the members of PurpleCrayon Direct were out en force at the elbows-to-armpits extravaganza in Ann Arbor, easily one of the biggest and most important fairs in the Midwest.

We talked to a lot of Artists (one of our favorites was spikey-haired Wild Weldon who, when asked for his card, produced an ace of hearts with his contact information on the back side), enjoyed a cornucopia of Art, ate passable Art fair food, saw some friends (such as Ashley Fitzgerald and her family who make those engaging Twirly-Whirly toys) were jostled and stepped on one too many times, and got too much sun.

It was nice to see familiar faces, including...

Abstract painter Bruce Wilson (who's as engaging a conversationalist as he his an artist)...

Saugatuck digital painter John Leben whose "speed tile" Art -- and book of the same name -- is fascinating...

Brass and copper Artist David Curles of Kennesaw, Georgia (you have to see his beautiful banner-type sculptures to believe them; Elisabeth is all set to buy a French horn beautifully etched onto a sheet of brass)...

Saginaw photographer John Galbo's exquisite Art, including his incomparable Impressionistic photographs...

Illustrative cartoonist Bruce Holwerda...

It was also nice to meet new Artists (new to us, anyway) with something to say, such as...

Colorado monotype Artist Sharon Strasburg, whose work immediately caught our eye...

South Carolina mixed medium Artist Andrew Norton Webber whose Art is truly out there, but riveting...

Florida abstract painter Betty Neubauer, who graciously spent 10-15 minutes telling us about her paintings...

Wisconsin sculptor Dennis J. Heimbach who works wonders with welded steel...

Calififornia sculptor Richard Silver who creates wonderful glass pieces that I'd love to see on one of my end tables some day...

And many, many more.

Although some Artists scorned the breadth and depth of the fair by calling a lot of what one could find there "art on a stick," the one comment we heard most (and it was a valid one) from Artists at this show was similar to the ones we heard at Krasl:

"There are too many Artists...the competition is unbelievable."

So true.

Why do you think we created PurpleCrayon Direct?

Keep Purple!


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ALICE COOPER SAYS SHE'S POISON

I know he may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Alice Cooper still puts on a great show.

Elisabeth and I saw the 55-year-old rock icon at his stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last night. We caught every nuance of the concert from our front row vantage point -- and, apparently, he and his fellow musicians caught us, too. It's always a thrill when musicians acknowledge their audience. But it's especially cool when they repeatedly wander over to to point, smile, show off or flirt. (Yeah, Elisabeth was the subject of a few flirtations from guitarist Eric Dover -- who bears a striking resemblance to SNL's Chris Kattan -- lady killer bassist Chuck Garric, and even Alice himself.)

We had a blast. It was our second time seeing Alice together. The first time was last October in Kalamazoo, Michigan. An unforgettable night. One of the best shows I've ever seen.

Yet as magical as that fall evening was, last night's concert was probably even better.

For one thing, Elisabeth knew all the songs this time and could sing along at the top of her lungs.

For another, when Alice and company returned from their encore to launch into "Poison," either Eric Dover remembered us from last fall (we stood in front of him then, too), or else something about Elisabeth (her drop-dead gorgeous smile, perhaps?) caught his fancy last night, because we saw Alice mouth the words, "Which one?" to Eric. Eric looked down at us and indicated Elisabeth. So Alice more or less dedicated the song "Poison" to her, pointing his finger at her when he got to the line, "You're poison."

Granted, not many people would relish being called "poison," but when such labels come from Alice Cooper as he sings one of your favorite songs, who's going to complain?

I'm glad Alice Cooper is still around. His hit-after-hit concert was incredibly fun and upbeat. He and his band put to shame the twentysomething warm-up band (Lennon, named after female lead singer Lennon Murphy), who scowled, badly played their instruments, and wallowed in lyrical angst.

I hope the veteran bands (such as Journey, Styx, REO, Boston, Moody Blues, Yes and Kansas) stick around a while longer. It's so refreshing to watching talented musicians sing and play such incredible, melodic, sing-along music. They never do it with a scowl. And they don't look like they're being tortured onstage. In fact, they look like they're having as much fun onstage as the audience is having watching them.

To me, that's the very definition of a great concert.

Keep Purple!


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MUSIC INDUSTRY BLUES

On the Today Show this morning, Katie Couric reported that the music industry, beset with a drop of some 25% in sales, has decided the problem must lie with music fans. The industry's solution? Sue fans for up to $150,000 per song downloaded "illegally" from the Internet.

Huh?

I wonder if it ever occured to the suits in the industry that the reason why people download one song here or there is because entire albums are mostly crap. Also, what if downloading songs and spreading the buzz about exceptional music Artists has kept the industry alive? In other words, maybe the sales figures would be off by 50% or more if not for people finding out about cool songs and spreading the word to friends and family.

I've been listening to music for some 30 years and I can't remember a time when songs were so homogeneous.

If the music industry wants to achieve top sales it shouldn't sue its fans; it should only sign and release albums from Artists who are exceptionally talented, unique and remarkable.

Keep Purple!


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TWO GREAT SHOWS...
(And two myths about web sites)

Saturday, we drove north to the Pentwater Fine Arts Fair.

Sunday, we drove south to the St. Joseph Krasl Art Fair.

On Monday, we rested.

Just kidding.

Both shows were well attended and featured some extraordinary artists. But the Krasl show blew us away.

Not only was the Krasl show on a scenic bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, but the sheer number and variety of artists was staggering. Plus, the weather was gorgeous. It was a truly perfect day, and a remarkable art fair.

We spoke at length with a few of the artists at the Krasl show, including Nancy Wolfe of Ann Arbor, Kelby Love ("Wildlife & Ethnic Art with Exacting Detail") of Elkhart, Indiana, Rick Ott (whom we also saw at the Leeper Park show in South Bend) of New Buffalo, Michigan, Jim Keith of Brassworks (Englewood, Tennessee), Gregory Stephen McIntosh of Ojai, California, and Vivienne Lee from Miami, Florida, whose exquisite paintings I absolutely adored.

Other artists at the Krasl show that we admired but didn't have time to speak with included painter Will Lurcott, photographer Lin Christopher of Roswell, Georgia, clay artist Marti Mocahbee of Cincinnati, Ohio, and clay artist Tom Kendall of Plainwell, Michigan. Tom's Oak Leaf Pottery was breathtaking. The colors he uses resonate with something inside of me. I was instantly drawn to his booth and spent 15 minutes beholding his brilliant artistry.

Please seek out these artists. They're extraordinary.

Kelby Love, for example, is not only an exceptionally gifted painter of realistic wildlife scenes, but he was also fun to be around. His booth was a favorite of children of all ages. I hope to work with Kelby in the near future.

We heard two comments frequently at the Krasl Art Fair:

1. "There are a lot of really talented artists out there. The competition is incredible."
2. "What good is a web site? I don't have time to keep it updated, and even if I did my paintings sell so quickly they'd be gone before I could list them on my site."

The first comment I've addressed in previous blogs and on the PurpleCrayon Direct web site. Yes, competition is severe. Probably more so than ever before. That's why Artists need professional advertising, marketing and branding assistance. The days of doing it yourself, or having a friend of a friend do it for you are long gone. Today, people expect to see in brochures and on the web the same level of talent they see when they walk into your booth. The words have to be rich, compelling, and well crafted...and the images have to represent you as accurately as if you're giving someone a tour of your gallery.

The second comment has become a bit of a surprise to me. I'm not sure why web sites are so misunderstood, but there are essentially two myths about web sites that I'd like to address.

The Two Myths About Web Sites

1. Any web site is better than no web site, and
2. My art would sell faster than I could put it up on the site -- why bother?

First, you need to know that a web site is not just a place holder. It's a 24/7 opportunity for you to sell, to keep in contact with your customers and to let the world know who you are. In sort, it's part of your brand.

One of the most basic rules of thumb about a web site is that its URL (web address) should be intuitive, even simple -- in fact, as simple as your name or the name of your gallery.

Having a site with an address like www.yahoo/members/~artistpages/Picasso.com is a sure-fire way to lose your audience. For one thing, they'll never remember the address. For another, it's not intuitive. If someone walks by your booth, loves your work, remembers your name and tries to look you up online when she gets home, you're in trouble if your URL isn't a simple domain name unique to you. The very best domain name is your own name with dot com behind it.

This is where bargain basement web pages put up by conglomerate artist co-operatives often fall short.

In today's world, branding is king. By branding, I mean offering a united front to your audience. Every contact has the same professional look and feel. Every mailing, brochure, business card, web page, radio spot, poster, post card and video is unique to you. When someone looks at any piece of your promotional material, they know it's you they're looking at.

Second, a web site isn't necessarily for selling your art. It's for selling you as an artist.

Selling art online is tricky. For instance, when you post representations of your art online, you're fighting against a few bugaboos; namely, is the color accurate? Was the painting scanned properly? What kind of monitor is your audience using to view the painting? How will the colors reproduce with each person's monitor? And if someone prints a color copy of your painting, how will that painting look? Remember, between the original scan and the color capabilities of someone's color printer, you're at least two steps away from what your art actually looks like.

Bottom line: Is someone going to find your web site and give you a credit card number for a $2,500 painting or sculpture right then and there? How about $250?

Not likely.

Then why have a web site at all? and why have it richly illustrated with your art?

Because you want to (a) establish credibility, (b) continue the brand experience, (c) pique and maintain interest, (d) announce upcoming shows.

A web site allows people to find you when you're not at art shows. It allows them the opportunity to read more about you, get to know you more, find out something about you they didn't know by looking at your art in a booth.

Think about it. You probably only sell one piece of art for every 50 people who walk by. Maybe the ratio is higher, even. One in a hundred.

What do you think it would take to sell to the people who ooh and ahh at your art but don't buy from you at that moment?

Maybe all it would take is a web site that continued the selling process. Not just any web site, either. A site that helps brand you as a unique, professional artist worthy of the price tags on your work.

Every artist needs a web site. A site that's easy to navigate, easy to maintain...and professionally written and designed.

But that's not all. You need to direct people to your web site. In other words, you need to let them know it's there.

PurpleCrayon Direct can help you with those tasks.

And more.

Give us a call. We'll be happy to explore the possibilities with you.

Keep Purple!


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"HERE'S MY SITUATION..." (PART TWO)

The buzz is building!

We've talked to a lot of Artists in the past month -- including an actor in Chicago, a musician in Grand Rapids, a glass blower in Holland, and painters from Wisconsin to Traverse City and Saginaw.

It seems that everywhere we turn, there's an Artist who tells us, "You're coming along at just the right time. Here's my situation..."

And then the inevitable questions, "What can you do to help me?" and "How much will it cost?"

There are no cookie-cutter answers. Every situation is different. It depends on what you need.

For example, one of our services is strategic direction, which means we'll talk with you to see what your goals and dreams are, assess what promotional materials you currently have, and then suggest tactics that fit your unique situation.

HINT #1: The most important strategy you, as an Artist, can put forth is to look professional in all you do. Especially if your work commands top dollar. If your paintings sell for $1,500, $3,000, $6,000 -- or more -- and, yet, your "brochure" consists of a self-made business card glued to an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper you just photocopied (in black and white, no less) at Kinko's, chances are real good your audience is going to wonder if you're as successful as your price tag claims.

Likewise if you're in a band. If you don't have professinally shot promotional pictures, a real press kit, a well-done web site -- with all of the pieces looking and feeling the same -- then your chances to land bigger, more important venues will be hampered.

What I'm talking about is "branding," which is a marketing/advertising term that means you put forth a professional, consistent image -- all your business cards, letterhead, ads, web site, brochures, flyers, and commercials have a certain look and feel about them that's unique to you. Why? So if a potential customer sees any one of these pieces, she will still know it's your work she's looking at.

Most Artists aren't aware of this but...

To the public, your promotional materials are just as much your Art as your Art is.

If that's a new idea to you, maybe you should read it again. It's important.

You spend a great deal of time and effort matching the perfect matte and frame for each painting because every detail is critical to your Artist's eye. Yet how much time and effort and thought have you put into your promotional materials?

A sale of your Art begins with the first handshake, extends to your brochure and/or business card, and maybe even ends with a visit to your web site. If at every point along the way a potential customer isn't intrigued, flattered, convinced, and impressed -- NO SALE.

This is especially true for pass-along material. If you're working the Art show circuit, and someone stops by your booth because a painting caught her eye, that's great. You can talk to her in person. Maybe even impress her greatly.

But the painting isn't for her. It's for her Dad. And it costs $2,500.

So she picks up one of your self-made brochures or business cards, takes it to her Dad, hands it to him and says, "You should see this person's Art! It's fantastic! You'd love it!"

Her Dad looks at the black and white photocopied "brochure" and says, "The painting costs how much?"

NO SALE.

Writing convincing copy (which is another word for, well, the words in an advertisement) is an Art form in itself. It's what I do for a living. I write words that move, motivate, inform, educate, and entertain.

HINT #2: It's just as big a mistake to assume all writing is the same as it is to assume all painting is the same.

Just because you have words on a page, or on a web site, doesn't mean those words are representing you well, or are doing the job they're supposed to do.

I've been a writer for 20 years. And I can tell you each time I sit down to write something I have to draw upon all of those years of experience. Copywriting is a craft. It's an Art. It's a talent. It's a gift.

Just as your Art is.

So what can we do for you? More than likely what you can't do for yourself.

Do you have a logo? A web site? A brochure? Business cards? Do you need ads? Radio commercials?

Do you have a database of customers and prospects?

Do you want to get off the grueling Art show circuit so you'll have time (and energy!) to paint, plan, even think -- yet still have your Art generating an income for you?

Do you want to get into bigger and better galleries? Venues? One person shows?

Do you want to put your best face forward to a talent scout?

Do you know who your target audience is? Can you define it?

Do you know what your image is? Do you know how you're perceived by your audience already?

Do you need CD graphics?

You see, there's a lot we can do to help you. And the cost depends on which things you want us to tackle first.

Our fees are about half those in a typical advertising agency -- yet you're still getting seasoned and successful advertising and marketing talent. It's sort of like having your own in-house marketing agency at your side.

Give us a call. Our schedule is starting to fill up. But we can always make room to chat with you.

Let's put our heads together to see how we can help you take your career to the next level.

Keep Purple!


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