Marketing 101 for Artists - Starts TOMORROW!

Howdy Everyone!
Just wanted to pop in to let you know Marketing 101 for Artists starts tomorrow! These guys know their stuff!

Also for this class only they are including an Individualized Website and Social Media Critique.

This is an affiliate link below to sign up - I will make a few dollars if you sign up by clicking this link which I REALLY appreciate you supporting this blog and all the awesome experts that have taken the time to share what they know with us - thanks!

More info https://jb155.isrefer.com/go/Mrkt101-February2016/anntroe/

A bit about them from their website:

John Mavrakis

John draws on his deep executive expertise with brand titans Hallmark, American Greetings, Discovery Channel, The Body Shop, Intl., Kathy Davis Studios, Mary Engelbreit Studios, and The Gap/Banana Republic to strategize and execute the mission of ideaologie.

Melissa Schulz

Melissa’s vast experience as a Creative Leader, associated with leading brands such as Hallmark, Hard Rock, American Greetings, and Kathy Davis to name a few. With 20 years of experience in the art licensing and product development fields, Melissa has strategically led creative teams through transitional, successful and growth periods. Charged with entrepreneurial spirit, she has spent years helping artists and companies strategize their business growth path. Most recently, Melissa has devoted much time building the Kathy Davis brand online through social media marketing, as well as great success in traditional marketing channels.  Through the process of building her own jewelry line, she has proven her “hands on” capabilities in all aspects of the business. Finally, she is an optimist, a relationship builder and a brand ambassador – all things that have helped season her for her latest challenge to strategize and execute the mission of ideaologie.

let me know if you sign up and keep me posted on how the class goes for you.

Artist Spotlight - Fizah Malik

Tell us a bit about yourself: Did you go to school for art? Are you self taught?
I am a Textile/ Surface pattern designer based in Sydney, Australia. I grew up in Pakistan and hold a Masters Degree in Textile Design from the University of Punjab. I am currently doing my second Masters degree in Design from University of New South Wales ( Australia). I have been freelancing for almost 6 years now and after my Masters degree I did an in-house job for one year. I moved to Australia after that and had to start all over again in a new market which was completely new to me with no contacts.

I started finding work online and eventually got a few projects from Australian companies and have been working with the same companies even after 3 years. I work as a freelancer for Specialty Fashion Group, Homebodii and Mrs. Darcy in Australia. I am also a part of Laura Campion design studio(UK) , which I joined 6 months ago.

Do you work in just one medium? Several?
I experiment with all sorts of mediums including watercolours, inks, photography, gouache & digital design. Photoshop has been my companion for many years and I am a newbie when it comes to Illustrator but its growing on me now. Although I love making designs digitally and would love to buy a Wacom Cintiq someday but nothing can beat the feeling while drawing on a fresh piece of paper on your sketchbook, it feels so natural and has a flow to it that I really enjoy. After staring at the screen for several hours a day I like to step away from the computer and just draw!

What inspires you / where do you get inspiration from?
I have always been drawn to bold and bright colours, textures and detail. I think the beauty of the design lies in the detail and shows the commitment of the artist to that piece of art or pattern. Florals are my fav subject matter and nature gives me all the inspiration that I need.

Lately I have been drawn to fun and cute characters and have started taking interest in kids wear and  pattern design for kids and and I owe that to my 18 month old daughter.

What are you working on now?
I am currently doing an online course called Ultimate portfolio builder by Art of business and surface pattern design and trying to get a good body of work together to target towards the fabric/apparel industry. I am aiming to get licensing deals in the near future and exhibit at a show like Surtex or Printsource.

Besides this, I am doing a #100dayproject on Instagram these days. I upload a new pattern each day and will continue to do it for 100 consecutive days and it has not only helped me with my creative block but has exposed me to different opportunities. A Uk based company Flying Vinyl spotted me via Instagram and approached me to design the pattern for the Record sleeve for their company.
I also recently got the opportunity to be part of a new studio called Collective 12, which will feature the work of 12 artists working together and bringing their own unique style to the table and creating commercial surface designs for application on fashion, homewares, stationery and architecture. It's amazing that I was also discovered through Instagram for this project and was the 12th artist to join the team. This project will be launching in late July/August and I am very excited about it. This is why I love working as a freelancer because i am not limited to any space or city/country.

Anything else you would like to share with us?
I am grateful for all the opportunities that I have been getting lately. I have worked as a freelancer for many years now and always wanted to work on my own with no creative restraints. It's always rewarding to work as a solo artist and get recognised by your own unique signature style and that's what I am aiming for.

Are you an early riser? or night owl?
I am a night owl and have been that way since my uni days. I enjoy the utter silence after my baby goes to sleep and I get time to myself to paint or draw or simply relax.

What is your favorite food?
I am a complete foodie and I LOVEEE pasta. I can eat pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner provided I don’t have to deal with the calories later ;P

My Online presence:

Fizah Malik
Website: www.fizahmalik.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/fizah_malik/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fizah_malik

Fb: https://www.facebook.com/fizahmalikdesigns

Social Media - Working for Me?

Happy Friday Everyone :-)

This is another topic sent in during a previous giveaway on this blog - thanks! So, "how well is social media working for me?" It depends on how you look at it.

FREE works fantastic for me! Yes it does take my time, but no printing, postage, paying for advertising space....over time I have added more social media to my plate than when I first jumped into Twitter.

It may help you to know and to take a big easy breath, that I only used Twitter when I first started to hangout and advertise through social media. I was looking to promote my CafePress store back then, profits went to my local food bank. You can start any where, I don't know that Twitter is the best place. Just start where you are interested. Take on one social media site at a time. When you are ready to, add another one. Consider what it is you want to get out of social media.

I got on Facebook a few years after Twitter. A friend kept pestering me back then. She would say "Twitter is like a cocktail party and Facebook is like a lemonade stand." She was saying I needed to be on both. Maybe a year later?, another friend said I HAD to join Pinterest so I did. I jumped into Google+ about a year and a half ago I think around the same time I started blogging. For the life of me I can't remember when I set up Linkedin... I think before all of the other's but I didn't do much with it. Now I am quite active in a few Linkedin groups.

So BY FAR the blogging gets the most activity. I promote the blog on all my social media sites. As I write this I am pushing 4,000 page visits a month. (Some visitors will visit more than one page, most don't). The blog provides a great landing place to interact with people. It is a handy place for listing useful links. I never expected the #PatternParade blog page would do as well as it does :-) BUT most discussion occurs in Linkedin groups and Facebook groups. The majority of blog traffic comes from Linkedin and facebook - I assume from the groups, especially since Facebook filters who sees your posts and who doesn't.

You should note that as I write this I only have 59 blog followers. That is quite a contrast to almost 4,000 page visits a month. Something to keep in mind if you start blogging. Low blog (or no) followers doesn't mean your blog isn't working.

Also of note, I have only gotten business from Twitter! I have picked up a few graphic design clients even though I only promote art licensing on Twitter. Pinterest (for me) has the best click through rate. I haven't seen any benefit from Google+ yet, I don't have many followers. I do like having another "plug" into the Google machine (one of the reasons I chose Blogger for my blog).

This year at Surtex, a lot more people recognized me - I assume that is from social media. I can't figure out how else they would know who I am. Also the reason I posted the current photo above a few weeks prior to Surtex. That way people could recognize me :-)

Summing up this longer than usual post! Social media works great for me! I am getting out of it what I am looking for - connecting with all of you :-D

THANK YOU for clicking on the affiliate links when you are interested in purchasing one of those products. It means so much to me when you help support the time I spend blogging.

Looking forward to your comments! Maybe if you are all interested, I could talk about blogging specifically.

You might also like "How I Pay the Rent" post.

Google Plus: Set up a basic page! You don't have to post.

 

Click image to view larger.

Notice the photo box and contact info on the right!

Happy Friday Doodlebugerz! I tell my graphic design clients a few times a week to set up a google+ page. You don't have to upload a header, just upload your photo or logo and add your contact info. Don't post if you don't want to, you are busy! 

What happens? When someone searches your name or brand - your contact info pops up on the right hand side complete with eye catching photo! (or logo). NOW your are plugged into a very powerful search engine machine.

One and done - FREE, CHEAP and top of the page. Just do it :-D

Make my week and follow this blog - thanks!

Social Media and Double, Tripple.... Posting?!

Here is what I do - Tell me your thoughts?

For the last year - Oh wait! Happy Blog Anniversary to Us! - I post on this blog once a week. THEN I post a link to this blog in a couple of Linkedin groups, Twitter, Facebook, a Facebook Group, Google+, AND Pinterest.

I didn't start out doing that cuz I know that I have a lot of the same followers on all those sites. I was/am worried about the 'annoyance factor' when one of my fabulous followers comes across a repeat post. BUT after mustering up some courage, I posted in all those previously mentioned places and my traffic went up. To me that says I am reaching more people who didn't happen to catch it in the other places I posted...

NOW I have even re-Tweeted, re-Facebooked (you get the idea) about mid week to all my social media sites. Traffic goes up again. Clearly I am reaching new people.

Are any of you annoyed with this? Numbers are NOT the only reason to blog - connecting with people IS a reason to blog. I must admit that when I check out a new follower on Twitter (or any social media site), if all I see is the same tweet over and over again, I don't follow them.

I do try to mix it all up for everyone's sake.

Seriously, let me know your experiences, thoughts - I can take it! :-) Thanks in advance.

What You Need to Know About Giveaways

Is it a contest? Is it a sweepstakes? It can easily slip into an illegal lottery.

I think it would be fun to give something away for FREE. Have some fun and generate more followers for this blog. I have read and heard people suggesting a contest as a way to increase social media followers. I started researching and my head started spinning.

Follow the Federal and State laws & keep in mind other countries - you may need to leave out Canada because the winner can not be chosen by luck. I found this website, it makes you think and gives what sounds like good advice: http://sarafhawkins.com/blog-law-is-your-giveaway-legal/

Follow the rules for each social media platform. This website seems to know what they are talking about: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33352/Everything-You-Need-to-Run-a-Successful-Social-Media-Contest.aspx

You need a terms and conditions statement - I didn't go any farther and try to find one online. BUT I did find this website. They have what looks to be a neat free plugin to help run your contest, but only the monthly paid versions come with a terms and conditions generator. https://www.rafflecopter.com/

I am chuckling, but now I am worried about even offering these links I found without some sort of disclaimer! So, I do not endorse these sites or any other sites I may have linked to in this or any other post. I am just sharing what I have bumped into in the world. It is up to you to find out the best way to go.

Share your contest stories! I would love to know what you have learned.