Art Show Monthly Newsletter/Magazine
This is the first of 12 monthly newsletters/magazines discussing how to have your own art shows instead of throwing away fees to enter art shows and craft shows. There will be at least six articles per month for each newsletter/magazines that I am writing each month.
To use the links below, click on on the red square.
Volume Ooe Volume Two
Why have your own art show?
Idea for “Presentation Pieces”.
Sales Tip To Increase Your Sales During Your Art Show.
One Idea For A Theme For Your Art Show
World’s Largest Art Show
Question and Answer: How Many Pieces Do I Need For An Art Show?
Why Have An Art Show?
It is one of the best tools we have to sell our jewelry, art and crafts. It is not as good as wearing your jewelry and selling to every person you meet during the day. I will cover all ten good reasons to have art show. They are not in any certain order of importance. I will say that I am going to follow my own advice. I only need one or two good reasons to do something. If there are more than four good reasons to do something thing I should do it! I have at least 10 good reasons. This indicates to me that having at least one art show a year is a MUST!
There are a couple of catches. One, you have to pick a date and then begin working towards having that show every week if not every day. Two, you must plan and make enough jewelry, art, and crafts to have a show. This is why I have not had an art show for over 10 years. I have been busy, sure, everyone is busy. This is only one reason that I did not have enough items to sell to warrant having a show. The real reason was that I sold everything that I have made. You must make items for your art show each week, if not every day. Let me convince you to have an art show at least once per year and then we will begin to plan one.
Reasons to have your own art show.
1.
One of the easy ways to bring in many new customers in a short period of time.
By having an art show you can get new customers to look at your art work. If you plan it right, use some inexpensive publicity techniques you will get potential customers to see your art work with little or no expenses. I don’t know of any other way to get as many new clients that your own art show will do for you. There are many ways to get these new customers to your art show. Some are listed below. These and other ways will be discussed in future Art Show Monthly newsletters.
Publicity Stunts will bring in complete strangers through the media out lets.
Incentives for your old customers to bring in new customers.
Tea and wine parties throughout your art show for new old and clients.
You will have this new personal art show to give you something to blast to the web.
An art show gives you an excuse to invite new clients in to look at many new items to buy.
2.Give you a financial boost.
If you need money an art show can be the fastest way to earn a large some in a short period of time. Whether you need $1,000.00 or $10,000.00 and art show can be your answer. Of course you need to have enough items to sell to make the money you need.
3.Your own art show can bring back customers that have wondered a way.
If you have tried to get your old clients to look at some pieces through whatever means and they have sort of wonder off and art show can be the vehicle to get them back. With your own art show they can get excited about see many new items in an atmosphere of fun and exploration instead of a straight sale pitch through an email, or you confronting them in person in what they view as a sales contact for you. They can bring a friend, enjoy some wine, hard liquor or ice tea and relax.
4.Your own art show can bring in those customers that you sold a $20.00 piece to in the past.
Remember this is why I emphasis making and selling $20.00 pieces of art in the first place to make new clients. Sure I will be discussing how to sell more to these new clients in “Making Jewelry Sales Easy” monthly newsletter, but your own art show is the single best tools to get them back in front of you on your terms, in your choice of location and on friendly terms. It is a must for you to invite these clients to your show.
5.Your own art show can be fun for you and your clients.
Oh, yes, having your own art show can be a lot of work, but it also can be a lot of fun if you plan, organize and then enjoy your show. I will help you plan an art show that will not only be profitable, but will be a lot of fun. Your own art show will most likely be the most fun you can have selling. It can also be the most fun your customers ever have purchasing items for them or as gifts for others.
6.Your own art show can be easy to set up if you do it right.
Every ones knows that planning is the key to making something easy to do and this will be no exception. I will show you how to plan your art show and set it up so that it goes smoothly and profitably. I have had students have an art show in their living room and only invite every past customer, neighbor, members of their church, and members of their local art society. They usually print up some cheap, but artistic invitations and passed them out to those people. They displayed their jewelry, and in some cases other art work, among and on their furniture. They had every item priced for a good profit according to my formula for pricing. They also served some wine, hot chocolate and soft drinks and baked some cookies. Their shows were one and two days they had different hours. About the only thing each art show had in common was good planning, enough merchandize, and they all made their goals, money and profit. They used no advertising or special props. One used her kitchen and displayed her jewelry on and over pots and pans. She named it something to do with pots and pans, but I wanted her to use the “everything is for sale except the kitchen sink” theme. I can’t remember what she named the show, but it did have something to do with pots and pans. She also served food during some times during the show. She did use most of my suggestions to increase her sales such as having “presentations” of jewelry with similar themes, giving incentives for those that brought new customers in, and started having “home parties” in her customer’s homes. Home parties will be discussed in the “Jewelry Sales Made Easy” newsletters.
7.Your own art shows can be the most profitable way to sell.
.A personal art show allows you to sell retail without splitting any of the profits up with other artists, a gallery, a show promoter or store by selling wholesale. Your only expenses should be your time and whatever you use to promote the show through publicity and not advertising. This does not have to be a lot of money and usually could be next to free. The most important aspect of having your own art show is that all your profits are yours.
8.Your own art show can be inexpensive to have.
I once had an art show that cost me less than $100.00 to organize, build and promote. I sold more than $4,000.00 in profits in two weekends. I was still teaching so I planned it for two weekends, Saturday and Sunday each weekend. I will discuss this show in detail in the article “Art Show Monthly, One Idea for An Art Show: An Ice Cave”.
9.You can get free publicity and advertising for your own personal art show.
With just a little creativity and some courage to take actions you could generate enough free “buzz”, publicity to get hundreds of new clients in a very short period of time. If you conduct your own art show in a professional manor this will mean great profits for you.
10.Your own art show can give your old clients and opportunity to invite their friends and relatives to your show and enjoy your art work.
No other forms of sales can do this for you. Sure an old customer may recommend your web site, but rarely will they take any steps to introduce them to you and give you’re the opportunity to sell them something.
Home shows can also do almost everything listed above, but not as fast as your own art show in your own location.
Idea for “Presentation” Pieces Number 1
Circles and Triangles
It is important to have several of what I call “presentations” in your art show, or for that matter, your everyday sales. A presentation is having a number of pieces; I like to say 10 or more pieces, that all have a similar theme. Each one can be a “one of a kind” piece but with something in the design that ties it to the rest of the pieces in the presentation. A presentation does not have to be something special, or an idea that no one else has ever had. I am planning on a least five presentations for the World’s Largest Art Show. I am planning on having a presentation of “Train Track Jewelry”, “South Western Styles”, “Neapolitans”, “Bones”, “Alien”, “Simple Wires”, and “Circles and Triangles”. This article will discuss “Circle and Triangles”. Maybe I will name this presentation “Tricles”. It sounds good to me!
Tricles
There is nothing original about this idea. Many pieces of art have used these shapes. However, in my presentation of 10 or more pieces there will be nothing used in the designs except circles and triangles. I may limit each piece to one of each. All the pieces would have one triangle and one circle. I think I just made that decision. Not only will they be simple in design but they will challenge me to come up with salable pieces using one of each only. I will combine solid circles and triangles combined with wire circle and triangles, and use different gauges and kinds of wire. Some will be made flat, some will be three dimensional. Some will be made to move and some to dangle. I will make mostly pendants, some earrings to match, maybe a bracelet, and maybe a ring. I will also make one set of pendant, earrings, bracelet and ring keeping in mind my goals for the show.
Remember that I do want you to take any idea, any design you find in my books, videos and these newsletters and run with them. Make as many as you wish as often as you wish. You may copy my designs but most likely will add your own flare to them. You may copy all or any part of any of the presentations too!
Sales Tip To Increase Your Sales During Your Art Shows
Do not let your customers take home their purchases!
That’s right do not let customer take their purchases with them until after the show. Of course the pieces that you have made, or can make during the show, as replacements for those pieces that you sell can be taken home by your customers. However, those pieces that are part of your “presentations”, the pieces that are part of the 20 or 30 similar, but different, pieces all displayed together, should never be allowed out of your show until it is over. Those one of a kind “masterpieces” should not be let go either until after the show. Each customer that purchases these more expensive pieces will be invited back for the “Pick Up Party” at the end of the show to pick up their pieces. They will want to if you do this right. I will discuss the “Pick Up Party” in a future newsletter.
You can set the price mark at which you will not let out of the show until the “Pick Up Party”. I would set it at somewhere between $50.00 to $100.00 and over. As people buy these pieces you proudly announce that by doing so they are invited to this special party where there will be refreshments, food, discounts on pieces that were not purchased during the show, and opportunities to save on future purchases. You will explain that if everyone took home the pieces they purchase you would not have anything to show on the last day of your art show. You will sell it to them, collect the money, and place a “Sold” sign in the piece. I will discuss how important putting the right “Sold” sign on these pieces can increase your sales for the show and years after. If they cannot make it to the end of the show party, you will be more than happy to ship it to them at the end of the show. This keeps your art show looking fresh and full. If new customers come to your show and there is nothing to look at, well, you get the picture.
You can decide when to ask the customer if it would be OK with them for you to keep the pieces they purchase until after the show. I do after the sale is finalized and I collected the money. Then I ask, “May I ask you to do me a favor?” They will say “Yes.” To this question 100% of the time, but may add “Sure, depending on what it is.” Then you ask them to keep the piece, or pieces, take a photo of it and e-mail to them, and invite them to the end of the show, “Pick up Party” exclusive for those that purchase these special pieces. I highly recommend using Square or PayPal credit card processing on your smart phone so that you can take a photo of the pieces and include them on all your receipts even cash purchases if you wish. Explain to them the importance to you that they let you keep it until then. Give them all the benefits of coming to the party and the fun they will have if they do. You could also promise to sign the display title card that accompanies each of these special pieces at the party. If they let you know they cannot make it to the party offer to ship it to them for free. I believe that keeping these pieces in my show that I would even offer a deep discount on any future purchases, or even a free $20.00 piece of their choice so that I can keep it until the end of the show. It is that important to me to increase my total sales.
Then you can really get them to agree by telling them how prestigious it will be to be the lucky one to purchase the piece before anyone else grabs it. Then offer to put their name on the “Sold” card. The “Sold” card can not only make the purchase even more eager to come to the end of the show party, but impress the new customers that they better no pass up a pieces. You will be surprised at how many customers will view this as a real treat, if not a real honor to have their name posted beside the piece they purchased. I have had customers bring in their friends to show them what they purchased and brag about it. They have even become salespeople for me showing their friends the art show and making suggestions on what they should buy. If they do not want their name on the card ask them to just use their first name and last initial on the card. I do not think anyone would object to that.
You should use your artist creativity to design your “Sold” cards using theme of your art show and printing them yourself. They do not have to be real fancy but should include a place for the customer’s name and a place for you to sign it at the end of the show. It could, also, include a place for a small note of “Thanks” that you could add. Make sure the word “Sold” is highly visible and bold enough that everyone can see what has been sold and what has not. You want to give all new customers that they better purchase anything they are interested right now, or they will miss out on getting their piece of your art show! It will help create a “Sales Frenzy”.
There are five good reasons to keep these pieces until the end of the show.
1.You will not have anything to display in the holes they leave in your “presentation”.
2.After selling a piece you can now take orders for that piece to be made after the show.
3.This will give you more time to make those less expensive, easy to make quick to make, more profitable $20.00 pieces that you do let customers take home with them.
4.The smaller selection of art that you have to show the higher your sales.
5.The most important reasons is that you want these customers to come back for your after the show “Pick Up Party”!
One Idea For a Theme For Your Art Show
Ice Cave
Years ago I needed to make some money for something according to my wife. We were short for one reason or another that month. She told me that we needed another $700.00 or so for the month’s bills. I told her not to worry that I would make some extra money in a week or so. She knew I would. I thought about how to make this extra money in a week and listed several ideas. I was making some small Sterling Silver sculptures at the time using some 3 inch skeletons. They were fun to make, and I actually continue to make them today. I had 10 or so of them made. One was a skeleton sitting on a toilet reading a newspaper. Several others’s made up a jazz band, and one was of a dentist and a patient in the chair with all the tools attached. Anyway, I had those made and quite a bit of jewelry. The jewelry consisted of western styled rings, pendants and earrings. I had a few bracelets too. I had a hundred or more of the solid Silver pine cones that I had cast from real Mountain Alder pine cones to sell. So I had a fair amount of merchandize to sell and had no real way to sell it fast.
I thought of trying to do a craft show, but did not have or want to spend the money for the show fee. I had done some shows and found that I would always rather spend money on materials and make more merchandize than spend it trying to sell it, especially doing art and craft shows. I decided to have my own art show in our basement where I had my shop. It was actually a fairly large basement with a short all way to my fairly large shop that I could teach up to 12 students at a time in. All I had to do is find a way to decorate it and then enough people there to buy at least $700.00 to a $1,000.00. I counted the cash in my bill fold and less than $100.00 to put my art show together. I also needed something from the lumber yard and decided to go get it and see if I would come up with a cheap idea to decorate for the show. As I walked by the insulation department I go an idea of using painting tarps to drape over furniture in our basement den and my shop benches and things. Then I was thinking about lighting it as weird type hippy tent. I was hoping to come up with an idea of promoting the show for free without just getting hippies there. That seemed to be a real problem and the cost of the tarps was cost prohibitive anyway.
Then I began thinking of the white ½ inch Styrofoam in the installation department and got the idea of using it to make a cave. I was thinking about painting it like rocks. Then the cost of paint and time ruined that idea. Then I thought that I could use it just as it was and build an “ice cave”. There would be no painting, no cost or time of the painting, just put it up, and put some blue light bulbs in all the lamps and fixtures to make it look cool, maybe even look cold. Then I could turn up the air conditioner to actually make it cold. I figured out how many sheets I needed to make the cave and did not have enough money, but I was trying to cover the entire “cave” with it including the ceiling. I realized that the ceiling of my basement was white and that eliminated one third of the sheets I need and one third of my costs. I bought all the sheets I needed and some blue light bulbs all for less than $50.00. I loaded on top my car and drove home.
I spent most the night until 4 AM making my ice cave and went to bed. When I go up I told my wife of the idea and she was not thrilled with the idea. In fact I think her exact words were, “That sounds stupid. You are going to tell people that our basement froze into an ice cave in the middle of July? How are you going to get anyone here away, and then I really don't want people coming to our house?” I told her that I would have everyone come in the back door and go straight down to the basement, and it would not be too many people because I did not know how to even get anyone to come, but I had an idea. We both went to work.
That night, after getting home from teaching, I cut holes in the “ice” and used that Styrofoam for the shelves to set my art work and jewelry on to display it. I used clear plastic food wrap to cover the holes and make windows so that people could not just grab the pieces. I just used straight pins to hold everything together and strung clear Christmas lights that we had to light the way over head. I found a whole string of blue light too, and put them to use. I was impressed and called my wife down and gave her the first tour of the ice cave. She was impressed but still thought it was a little “over the top” and silly. She still had no idea how anyone would find out about it, let alone come to see it. She did like the way the jewelry and sculptures looked.
The next day was Thursday and I called all the televisions stations, radio stations and newspaper and told them that my basement had frozen solid. I told them that I had carved an ice cave out of it and decided to have an art show in the ice until it melted. Over course they took some notes and told me that someone my call me to come out. I came home from school and there were no calls on my answering machine, a fairly new device in fact. No one had called and I was starting the show on Saturday! I was worried that I spent a lot of money for nothing. However, that night I did have about 20, or so, people come over for a party consisting of former students and some teachers at my school. During the “When Hell Freezes Over Party” that I had invited them to I actually sold several hundred dollars. I was pretty happy. I made some money, had some fun, remembered most the night, and my wife was happy about the money. All was good that night.
The next morning around 9 AM I got a call from the Rocky Mountain News. The reported said that she was going to be in my neighbor hood and that she would like to come by to see how a basement could freeze solid in July. We made and appointment and I got ready for my art show. I had put some fliers out around the neighborhood and was hoping someone would come. I had only one person come over on Saturday and it was the reporter.
She went through the ice cave and looked at all the art work and we went up stairs and sat down. She said, “This is one of the dumbest things I have ever seen, but I did like some of your art work. May I buy something I saw?” I told her over course, but she could not have it until the end of the show, if it was one of the one of a kind pieces. I explained that if I sold things today that I would not have anything to show next weekend and it would be a bad art show for me. She understood and then asked, “May I go through it again?” We went through the mine again, and she bought some pine cones and one of the skeletons sitting on the toilet. It came to over $100.00. She seemed to like the cave more than the first time through. I asked her again what she thought of the ice cave and she said, “Oh it is really stupid, but interesting and fun at the same time. We talked for about an hour and she left. No one else came that day, and a few neighbors came by, but I did not make any sales.
The reported called me on Tuesday and told me that she had written an article and that it was going to be in the paper on Wednesday. When I came home from teaching my wife was excited and impressed, and a little angry. First she told me showed me the two full pages of my article complete with lots of photos of my jewelry and sculptures, especially the skeletons. She was impressed and I was shocked. Two full pages in the news paper was about $10,000.00 worth of advertising. Then she said the answering machine was full, and that she already had some people come by to see the Ice Cave! “Did you know that she put our address and phone number in the article?” she asked. “This is not cool”, she added. “Chanel 2 news wants to come out and film it for the ten o’clock news and I have to clean house quick!” she went on to make sure I knew she was unhappy.
Anyway, I called the television station and they came out and shot a short story about the Ice Cave and my sculptures. They gave me almost a minute segment on the 10 o’clock news that night! The short ending is that I sold all my skeleton sculptures, many pine cones and some of the jewelry during the next weekend show. If I remember it right, it was well over $1,500.00, and that was real money back then so we paid our bills and flew to Vegas for the next weekend to catch some shows. Back then you could fly to Vegas, eat well and see some real “names” in entertainment for $300.00 to $400.00.
I had fun, made a great profit, made some new customers and had my 15 seconds of fame. My wife has the article somewhere but has not been able to find it. We have moved about five times since then and everything is boxed up. If I find it I will find a way to share it with everyone. Unfortunately VCRs were not available for about three months, so I did not get a copy of the news show.
Now, am I telling you should build an Ice Cave art show? Well, maybe! Why not! I may do it again. Actually I used the same idea and made a complete pewter mine with the same Styrofoam and painted it and some heavy paper like rocks. We gave daily tours through the World’s only pewter mine for over five years in Estes Park. It was very profitable and a fun way to make a living. My teaching schedule began to take so much of my time traveling that I closed it and have missed it since, but that is a whole other story to be told in a different newsletter. So plan an art show and make an ice cave, or use this idea, expand on it, change it to meet your own needs, but have fun, get some free publicity and make some money with your own art show.
World’s Largest Art Show
If you are thinking about having your own art show in the next year I want you to give some serious thought to joining us in participating in the World’s Largest Art Show in 2014. It is free to join and have your art show during the same time as 100s if not 1000s of artist have their own art show all over the world. There are many benefits of having your own art show are thoroughly discussed in the Art Show Monthly, Why have your own art show. There are 10 good reasons. By joining the World’s Largest Art Show you will receive free publicity opportunities that no other art show can present. Where you have your show is up to you, the exact schedule of your show is up to you, the hours of your art show is up to you, and the amount of profit you want to make is up to you. To have your art show included on the World’s Largest Art Show Web site is free. You may list your show, the dates and times, the location, what the main theme is and what you intend to sell. It is all free to subscribers of my newsletters. The web site will launch later this month.
Two years ago I want to have the World’s largest art show all around the world with every artist have their own art show at their location, but all on the same dates. The problem came when I found that Easter, that year, landed right in the middle of the show and one of the most important days of the show, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I did not check out holidays when I began to schedule it and let people know about it, but then had to cancel it. It is now time to have it! Everything is perfect to have it in 2014, March 26 through April 6, Saturday through Sunday. This is nine days, but every artist can set their one times and pick which days they wish to have their art show open. They can have different hours on different days; they can be closed on different days. The important thing is to have your art show during these dates. If you wish to maximize your profits you would begin it on Saturday, March 29 and close it to the public on Saturday, April 5.
What does it cost to participate in the World’s Largest Art Show?
Nothing, it is free to register you show on the World’s Largest Art Show which is ready to launch in the next few weeks.
What are the main advantages of joining the World’s Largest Art Show?
1.Free publicity and that means to you that you will get people to your show, new people that are not now your customers. Just being able to let all your news and media outlets now that you too are part of the World’s Largest Art Show will get more people to your art show than any individual effort that you can do by yourself.
2.Free help in planning our show through the Question and Answer board on the World’s Largest Art Show web site.
3.The dates are set! Sometimes this is the hardest decision to make if you want to have your own art show. That decision has been made for you. All you have to do is plan which days during those dates you wish to have your show. Then decide which hours each day you wish to have your art show.
4.What are the times? You can set your own times. Any time, on any of the days you choose to have your show. You can set your own schedule. I will make recommendations and help you choose what time will insure more profits. My thoughts for my show is hours is listed below
Saturday, March 29, 10 AM to 5:00 PM, Public Welcome, free entertainment!
Saturday, March 29, Opening Party for past customers only. Wine and cheese!
Sunday, March 30, 12 PM to 9 PM, Public Welcome, free entertainment!
Monday, March 31, 6 PM to 1 AM, UFO party and watch!
Tuesday, April 1, 9 AM to 9 PM, Alien Day and alien droppings search.
Thursday, April 2, 6 PM to 9 PM, Alien Music Night
Friday, April 3, 12 PM to 9 PM,
Saturday, April 4, 9 AM to 9 AM, Public Welcome, free entertainment!
Saturday, April 4, 5 PM to 9 PM, End of show discounts.
Sunday, April 5, 12 PM to 4 PM, Customer Appreciation Party and merchandize
pickup. Deep discounts on anything left to sell.
5.Location is up to you too! Each artist will choose their own location. Your art show could be in your living room, den, dining room, kitchen, basement, front yard, back yard, your neighbor’s house or yard, your local park or pavilion, your church, in your RV, in a warehouse, store front, gallery, an empty barn, a corn field or any where you want it!
6.Increased Profits for you and your business.
7.Participation in the World’s Largest April Fool’s Joke. You do not have to participate in this part of the World’s Largest Art Show. However, if you do you will greatly increase your profits through the extra publicity and sales to the new customers that it brings to our show.
8.Fun to have and during your show is a must. I will show you how to maximize your fun before and during the show.
9.More profits in the months following the show.
10.Guaranteed participation in future World’s Largest Art Shows and Events!
Question and Answer
Question:
How many pieces of art do I need to have ready to have a successful art show?
Answer
I like to start with how much money I want to make. You can figure this out by first making a decision of why you are having an art show in the first place. Is it the money, the profit? Is it just the fun of having an art show and showing off you art and skills? Is it exposure to your work to create future sales? There is nothing wrong with having a show just for fun and showing your work to those you love, know and the public. After all most people that show their work at state fairs and not trying to sell their work. I love to go and see what people are doing and showing off. Of course some are for sale, but most are not. I enjoyed seeing the sewing exhibits, the quilting, the woodworking, welding, cakes, jelly and jams. All are “art pieces” to me. I just wish we could taste some of the art. Even the displays made by 4H members that teach about farming, guns, horses, livestock, energy, electricity and hundreds of other topics are really pieces of art work. Some are very good and all are for just showing them off. I have never seen one of them for sale. Why would people and children do that much work on pieces they are not selling? I guess you would have to ask each and every one of them, but I think it is part of being a human and expressing ourselves through art.
If you are not going to sell your art show becomes simpler and easier. It is also easier to decide how many pieces you need. I guess you could have an art show with one piece, large or small. The number of pieces really is not important. You could invite everyone you know and do something for those people you do not know to let them know they are welcome to come and see your work and celebrate your skills and love of art. You could do everything that is included in the newsletter, except for selling and making a profit. You can make an art show each year the highlight of the year. Of course, I always say it is even more fun when you are making money!
If you are selling then you need to set a total of the amount of profit you need to make, and want to make. Remember, in most cases, we always take care of what we want, before we take care of what we need. You can plan what you want to make by the selling prices, over all money you will have after the show, or by figuring the profit that you need. I like to set three goals for an art show, or my sale in general. I use to set daily sales goals for everyday. I have gotten away from that, but somehow I have forgotten about this. Now that I just reminded myself of this important task, I am going to start setting four goals every day for sales and can do it for my art show too.
Goal 1: A minimum goal that I know if I do right things, I will reach this goal every day. Sometimes this will be the minimum that I must make. So, for my show I am going to set a minimum goal of $4,000.00. If I do not sell enough to meet this goal I will be disappointed and have to do some serious rethinking about what I am doing.
Goal 2: My real goal, and one that would really make me happy and eager to have another show. I think I will set this goal at $8,000.00
Goal 3: My dream goal. Mine for my art show in March/April is $30,000.00.
I am setting one more goal for my 2014 show and it is $100,000.00.
Let’s take my real goal, my dream goal and use it as a way to decide what I need to have and make to reach it. As I plan these sales it may become apparent that I have no shot at reaching my goals so I may as well set new lower ones. Let’s see what happens.
First I need different price points for everything I am selling. I will list them below and how many pieces I need to reach my goal of $8,000.00.
You can use the information below to start thinking about what you need to make.
$5.00 Pieces
I would need 1, 600 pieces if they were priced at $5.00. This could be done, but I would need a lot of people coming to my show. Making 1,600 things is not a pleasant thing either. I do want to make, and sell, a minimum of 40 of my wire sculptures each day to cover my expenses for the day of about $200.00. This will cover wine and snacks, electricity and one person to help collect the money! The World’s Largest Art Show is going to be from Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, April 6, for a total of 9 days. Nine days times 40 is 360 wire sculptures for a total of $1,800. I will then figure my cost to make 360 wire sculptures. If I can’t afford the copper wire, then I will need to reset my goals. My cost per sculpture is less than 10 cents, so the cost for all them will only be about $36.00. You need to plan this for each price point you try to sell. It, for sure, tells me I will not meet my goal of $8,000 by selling $5.00 pieces.
Some suggestions for other art mediums.
Drawing and Painting
A very simple drawing or painting of something you like that can be your signature $5.00 signed little piece. You must be able to draw this every time the same way and in less than one minute and keep it small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and dry quickly. I know you can do it and come up with something. This could be a note card, or greeting card.
Pottery, Clay, Fimo Clay and Ceramics
You will most likely have to make these up in advance, but a small figure or figurine will do it for you. You could also design a bead that never changes and can be put on a piece of cord that you can make 40 to 100 in a day, make for less than $1.00, sell for $5.00, make a profit of $4.00, worth $5.00 or more, and have fun doing. I like the special bead necklace.
Macramé’
You could come up with something you can tie that will do everything you need, make 40 to 100 in a day, make for less than $1.00, sell for $5.00, make a profit of $4.00, worth $5.00 or more, and have fun doing. I like the special bead necklace.
Photography
A favorite small photo that you never change that is unique to you and print 40 to 100 in a day, make for less than $1.00, sell for $5.00, make a profit of $4.00, worth $5.00 or more, and have fun doing. I like the special bead necklace.
Glass
A bead comes to mind with that you can make 40 to 100 in a day, make for less than $1.00, sell for $5.00, make a profit of $4.00, worth $5.00 or more, and have fun doing. I like the special bead necklace. All need to be the same color and design and something that becomes your small signature.
Fabrics
Maybe a book mark, lamp pull, a piece of jewelry like earrings, pendant, or pin that you can make 40 to 100 in a day, make for less than $1.00, sell for $5.00, make a profit of $4.00, worth $5.00 or more, and have fun doing. I like the special bead necklace. All need to be the same color and design and something that becomes your small signature.
If you work in another medium, let me know and we will come up with something that you could give away two or three a day that becomes you signature, and can easily sell for $5.00 to everyone that becomes your friend throughout the day. This will be covered in the “Selling Your Art Work Made Easy” newsletters. I do believe you need these pieces to have a really successful art show.
$20.00 Pieces
I would need to sell 400 pieces priced at $20.00 to reach my goal of $8,000.00. This would be too costly for me to do and would take about 8 days of my time. So I will set a goal of selling 20 of them a day for a total of 180 that will raise my goal to sell 200 of them for my show. This would make me half my goal for a total of $4,000.00. That’s half my goal, but that is not the importance of having $20.00 pieces in your mix of jewelry. I am going to have $20.00 pieces in every one of my presentations to get people looking at the pieces instead of seeing a $100.00 price tag and walking away. I have covered, or will cover the importance of selling 20 pieces to create customers and pay your bills in the “Selling Your Art Made Easy” newsletters.
Every medium that I have worked with or admired can easily come up with pieces that you can make 40 to 50 of in a day, make them for less than $10.00, sell for $20.00, make a profit of $10.00, worth $20.00 or more, and have fun doing.
$50.00 Pieces
I have found that I do not need pieces priced between $20.00 and $50.00. I can always reduce the price of $50.00 pieces. Now we only have to make160 of these $50.00 pieces to reach my goal of $8,000.00. This would be cost prohibitive for me even if my costs were less than $20.00 each, but I do plan on having a minimum of 50 of these pieces for a total of $2,500.00 for my show.
Every artist can come up with these pieces for sure, but email me with your medium or craft and I will help you with ideas.
$100.00 and over pieces
These pieces are you “one of a kind”, short of being master pieces, with better stones, chains, requiring more work, and maybe, but not necessary, larger pieces. I will have a minimum of 20 of these pieces for another $2,000.00.
$200.00 and over pieces
These are my inexpensive “masterpieces”! Things that I want to make, take a longer time, and cost more to make. They are the “show off” pieces. I want to have at least 5 of these pieces for a total of $1,000.00 or more for the show.
$500.00 and over pieces
These are my “masterpieces” for the show and I want to make at least one of these for each of my “presentations”, so, 5 or 6 of them. If I sell all 5 of them I will be well over my goal.
$1,000.00 and over pieces
I will make at least two to four of these pieces and maybe one for each presentation. They must be “eye catchers” for sure. These pieces should be so nice that even the news media will want to use them in a story.
$10,000.00 piece
One piece that you do not want to sell but everyone will want to see, especially the media. This piece does not have to cost you a lot either. It is just a special piece you make using your best skills. It is not a necessary piece to make you art show successful but it will make it easier to promote for free!
$100,000.00 piece
I may or may not be able to pull this one off, but again, it does not have to cost a lot, or be that big. It is just something special that you do not care if you sell, but something news worthy.
So sum up my goal of number of pieces I will need the following.
360 $5.00 pieces plus another 100 or so to give away.
100 $5.00 pieces to give away as gifts during the show.
200 $20.00 pieces
50 $50.00 pieces
20 $100.00 pieces
5 $200.00 pieces
5 $500.00 pieces
1 $1,000.00 piece
1 $10,000 piece
1 $100,000.00 pieces
743 Total pieces, but remember 460.00 of them are the $5.00 and free pieces that in some cases can be made during your show. 200 of them are the pieces I can make 50 to 100 a day, so only 5 days at the most to make. If you look at what I call the “serious” pieces, the ones you need to take some time to make, there are only 83 pieces to make. I can make 5 of the $50.00 pieces each day for a total of 10 days working time. I can easily make the $100.00 pieces in one day for another 20, or so, days. The other pieces will have to take some time and I plan on working on them from time to time.
Remember that these are goals and I really want to meet them, but I will not beat myself up if I do not reach them. They are simply a good starting point. Unless you set goals, you will never reach them. Without goals it would be like jumping in your car and taking off on a trip for a week without know where you are going. Now, my wife and I have done this, and loved it, and had fun, but it is not a good business plan for any kind of venture. Actually we did have goals for the trips, have fun, take any road that either of us deemed interesting, and come home. Well, coming home was not one of my goals!
