IS IT REAL?

Had an interesting conversation this weekend at a bead show re the amount of "faux" tibetan silver components for sale on the web from unknowing (and knowing) resellers:

eBay Guides - Tibetan Silver - A Buyer s Advisory

reviews.ebay.com

The Wannabe Artist:  Running a Small Business

 An Interview with Jen Cushman

Last month I shared steps that artists need to think about when promoting their business.  One of the challenges of being right brained is that logic is not the dominant switch.  Not all artists are right brained, by the way.  And successful ones know that creating a path is important.  One of those is Jen Cushman.  

Cushman is a mixed media artist, well known if you’re a fan of what’s referred to as “Altered Art”--think skeleton key combined with an antique porcelain doll head adorned with horsehair and connected to a weathered construction ruler…on a pendant.  She’s “drawn to the imperfect, the funky, the quirky, the artsy and the authentic, be it people or objects or art.”

Cushman has arrived in the altered art world.  Her book Explore, Create, Resinate: Mixed Media Techniques with ICE Resin® features her art jewelry work and won a national bronze metal in the Independent Book Publishers Association.  She’s the Director of Education and Marketing for ICE Resin with partner Susan Lenart Kazmer, and regularly published in Belle Armoire Jewelry, Jewelry Affaire, Somerset Studios, Somerset Life,  Cloth, Paper, Scissors, WireWork magazine and the Crafts Channel of Lifetime Television’s interactive website. 

HOW did she get here?  I connected with Cushman after reading her recent column in  Belle Armoire Jewelry where she eloquently but pointedly called out someone that “borrowed” and promoted the art workshop she created.  She’s been my hero since, and we recently talked about her journey.

   

CS:  You are such a talented mixed media artist and have a very unique style.  How did you get started?

JC:  I was a closet artist originally.  I made the decision to be a journalist in high school as I wanted to be like Barbara Walters.  Then came 30 and a growing family, and I felt that I couldn’t do the daily grind at the newspaper.  As a stay at home mom experiencing a major identity crisis, I found a scrapbooking club.  Excited, I brought my supplies to the first gathering:  rubber cement, beige paint and the poly mesh bag from our Thanksgiving turkey, you know, to create texture on the beach theme page I planned to create.

The sound of welcome was deafening:  She wasn’t using the mandatory scrapbook stickers or die cut corners.  And didn’t get invited back to the mommy crop circle.

Fully recovered from her social misstep, Cushman forged ahead as a freelance writer for artist Mary Engelbright’s Home Companion where she produced and penned the, “Paper, Scissors, Art” column for the magazine.  “In 2004, I was writing and met mixed media artists Susan Lenart Kazmer and Michael DeMeng but didn’t dare show them my work until much later.  As artists, we put our heart and soul into what we do.  Back when I was writing for the paper, I simply collected the current news of the day and wrote about it.  I was scared to show work to the people I admire.  With art, it’s only me and my ideas.  I think as artists we’re insecure.  We think we’re not good enough.” 

It took 4 years for Cushman to share her art with Lenart Kazmer and DeMeng.  “They encouraged me, I learned at the feet of the masters and I’m indebted to them.”

CS:  Tell me about how you started your business as an artist.

JC:  The business part.  Artists think we’re different, but we have to be in a business frame of mind.  Whether you’re opening a restaurant or a clothing store, you need business principals.  We cannot just go at it based on our art.

Cushman is very humble when it comes to how she has and continues to build her business.  She’s clearly worked a plan based on values and what’s important to her and her family.  “This is where I’m different, it’s not a blueprint.  I was still working as a journalist.  Susan’s book came out, and she asked me to help market it.  And I did.  She took me to France.  We became business partners.  Her line is well-known and on the shelves at Michaels.  She has arrived.” 

CS:  What about your work?

JC:  For me, it’s very difficult to say, “look at me I’m fabulous.”  Having a network of friends saying it in the background is a great support system.   

And people do think she’s grand.  Full workshops in France with Lenart Kazmer where she teaches others.  A regular cast of followers on her website, the blogs she updates regularly, and articles.  Now when she opens her email opportunities are coming to her.  “In the beginning when I was publishing, I was comfortable.  But I needed to sell myself.  Make art and sell it.  Put a price tag on it?  Will they pay for it?  I started writing for a well known blog and in trade, they let me publish my own work.  From that I was able to network with the editors of the Stampington publications.  Now I write for them.  Always have business cards everywhere you go.  Contacts are everyone.  I believe the universe is about meeting people.” 

CS:  Uh, Jen…Stampington is the queen of art pubs and that’s a pretty huge leap, would you share more about how you did that?

JC:  In 2003 I saw my first mixed media magazine in a store.  I was stunned and just stared at it for long time.  There was ALTERED ART.  I do this.  Lightening bolt moment.  I got to know the people at that magazine and they asked me to write a column.  That was the opportunity, they asked me to write for them.  I was lucky.

Not really.  Cushman knows publishing.  She’s a natural born story teller.  She knows how to make an editor’s life easier. 

CS:  We’re not all writers, Jen. What can we do to get our art out there?

JC:  Contact the publication by email with an idea.  They are always looking for new artists and ideas. You see the same people again and again in magazines.  THEY make the editor’s life easy.

CS:  What if you’re turned down?

JC:  Do not take it personally.  You can’t, it’s not that you’re not good enough.  It means the timing is wrong.  The worse thing people do is to present similar things that appeared in last month’s edition because, “I make that too.”  Offer fresh ideas.  Confidently move forward in the direction of your dream.  Every day do something. Social media.  Studio time.

Cushman is doing just that.  Her second book will be published by North Light later this year and focus on beginner metalsmithing.  “Now I have less time to make art. My thing is all about trying to get people to a better spot, with permission to play.”

The Wannabe Artist: Running an Artisan Small Business

There are many like me, corporate by day types that dream of packing it in and selling their works to adoring benefactors. We’re not as cool as starving artists nor are we Van Gogh self-mutilating types. I’m just a Mom who can wiggle a pencil into something enchanting…a wannabe artist. And we’re out there en masse on sites like artfire.com and etsy.com self promoting our creations, awaiting discovery. Our mega million lotto win looks like this: The editor of (insert big name trade magazine) tweets a submission call and we trip over our workbench to get our masterpiece on the cover (so what if it’s only a postage stamp sized insert) followed immediately by our website crashing due to all the exposure.

Retail shops snub us until we’re established. So we need to be savvy. Blogs, Social Networking, weekend shows become our brick and mortar. What I’ll focus on is the many hats worn running and promoting artisan work -- the crafty side of business. I have the benefit of a few years under my belt regarding this topic and there’s many do’s and don’ts I’ve learned along the way. Artsy types tend not to be good salespeople. My day job is sales, so some of my skills come naturally, but I don’t particularly like hawking myself. It feels weird, not to mention that the rejection that you receive (often) is multiplied when it’s about something you’ve created. You have to grow some skin and be able to put yourself out there. I’ve learned the hard way, and here’s my net-net on what the marketing gurus teach:

Do #1: Create a Presence. This is a place or places you will frequent to talk about your work. The Web is a great place to start. Begin by searching for what you do online. Who’s out there? What’s trending? How do you differentiate yourself? Art is about you. Don’t follow what others are doing. I can go on any of the craft websites and find what I create, but I think I do it a little differently and that uniqueness helped me define my presence. In the beginning I felt that I had to have a whiz-bang website, that it was critical to success. What I got was carpel tunnel syndrome and frustrated as I’m way behind the web design learning curve. So don’t try to build a be-all website. Start out with a blog or a Facebook page to get acclimated. Unless you are, you are not a website designer. The do-it-yourself sites that say it’s easy? Not really. Create your presence slowly and be consistent about it. And if you have a teenager around, by all means entice them into helping you.

 Do #2: Establish a Brand. Yes, YOU need a brand. Why? Because there are thousands of artisans doing what you do. And that number is growing exponentially. In less than two years, my brand is beginning to gain traction, and that you're reading this helps, thank you! Creating a brand and gaining recognition takes some time. I use key words that place my website on the first Google page…go ahead, type “cremate bead” into search (I know, what’s that about?) It took many web hits for my carasmiths.com site to get this ranking. I’m still not really sure how I did it, but it’s our friend SEO, search engine optimization, which I’ll write about down the road as we’re just getting acquainted—she’s picky, I’ll tell you that. As you’re likely creating your brand on a shoestring, you need to focus your time, energy and dollars. In retrospect, this would have served me better:
 • Define yourself. If you don’t know you, your clientele won’t. I have a look that’s organic, not everyone likes it, and I know it. Being an artist at heart, I really didn’t care at first. Deep down though we all really want to be liked. To gain more appeal, I took what made my designs unique and made some changes. A glass pendant, no matter how stunning, that has “bitch” etched on it has a pretty limited target market. I went broader with “hope” and that opened some new doors.
 • Define your buyer. I’m using buyer purposely here as the person purchasing may not be your ultimate customer. They may be buying for someone else and you want their business too. So this is where you mark you spot. Your style tends to mirror your life, but needs to appeal to others. My favorite color is teal and I’m mad about waves. These wind up in my daily accessories. That a big part of my emerging wholesale business contains ocean scenes for high-end beach boutiques is no accident.
 • Define your plan. And work it. Be selective and learn about your initial selling venues. Your time is best spent creating your art, but you’ve got to work the room too. Go easy on yourself and start slow. A Facebook page is the friendliest place because you can talk with your cohorts and ease into the promotion conversation if you’re shy about it. Something as simple as a photo of your work with, “I made this today” can help you get started. A blog is likely your next step as you have more room to expand your conversation with a larger population...and of course you’ll invite all your Facebook friends. All the major selling venues (Etsy, Artfire, Ruby Lane, etc.) have conversation rooms where registered users can hang together at a virtual water cooler. Chat and learn with other artists. These are low/no cost options, and again, do these before you go with a website so that you can “crawl before your walk.”

 Do # 3: Become an Expert. At what? What you know. A while back I was asked to teach a technique to a glass artisan group far more advanced in skill than I was. But no one had ever tried the process I was demonstrating and I was the (temporary) expert. Seek out venues where you can share your wisdom. It can be as easy as a video on YouTube where many unwittingly have become viral celebrities. A demo that you write up and offer for free on a technique can lead to a workshop, more followers and buyers of your work.

One of the most important lessons I learned was not to try to be and do everything. Create a plan and work it, adjust accordingly. And stay true to your art — the Sistine Chapel took time to paint.

Spring cleaning and organizing...new art, website, blogs all coming soon! WHEW!

Like those artsy beer/wine bottles that morph into vases and glasses? After many a case of broken attempts, CaraSmiths is toasting http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFXngPx3w3M for posting just the right directions without all the hype. Worked in minutes, quick trip to the grinder...instant bar ware!