Your Art Career Is Like A Symphony

The Decisions You Make Now Will Set The Tone for Your Success in 2010

A Message About Art Marketing from B. Eric Rhoads, Art Publisher

 

I'm often asked by artists which of my marketing ideas is the most important to a successful art career. That's like asking which instrument in the symphony is the most important. Marketing is successful because of a combination of practices, just like a great performance is a combination of instruments. But what is most important to success is a great conductor.

You are the conductor of your art career, and making sure you are a great conductor is the most important thing you can do. Decisions you make determine the quality of the outcome in all areas of your career. If you can think like a conductor, you can be a great art marketer.

Have you ever met a symphony conductor? I've only met one, Israeli conductor Itay Talgam. They say symphony conductors have the longest lifespans of any profession because they have such a strong sense of control over their lives and the lives of those around them. Stokowski lived for 95 years, and gave his last concert at the age of 93. Toscanini lived to be 90, Sir Thomas Beecham 83, and Eugene Ormandy 86. A MetLife study of 437 active and former conductors of major regional and community symphonies that started in 1956 and ended in 1975, when 118 of the  conductors had died, found that more than 20 percent had lived to be 80 or older. The death rate for the entire group over that time period was 38 percent below that of the general population. Will you take control of your life and career?

How To Think Like A Conductor:

1. Hear the music in your head. A great conductor knows exactly what he wants the music to sound like before he ever starts rehearsals. A great marketer always starts with the end in mind. You must envision your definition of success before you start.

2. Follow the score. A great conductor always follows the score exactly. A great marketer always has a marketing plan and follows it.

3. Interpret the score. A great conductor does not copy others but interprets a great score, adding his emphasis, his mix of instruments. A great marketer is original and seeks to find unique ways of presenting the product.

4. Rehearse repeatedly: A great conductor rehearses many times prior to a performance. A great marketer rehearses by testing concepts with small groups to see what works and what does not, so marketing projects are fine-tuned before their big push.

5. Hire great musicians. A great conductor hires musicians not only for their great playing ability, but for their attitude, responsiveness to direction, and team spirit. A great marketer seeks the most fine-tuned tools to fit their unique needs and make the execution of campaigns more effective.

6. Hold high expectations and standards. A great conductor will not tolerate players who don't live up to high standards. A great marketer will make sure that everything they touch is done with excellence in both design and execution.

7. Make continual adjustments. During a performance, a great conductor makes continual adjustments to different sections of the score and orchestra to make the performance perfect or to compensate for a weaker section. A great marketer understands that things don't always work as planned and therefore they must remain flexible and willing to make adjustments at all times.

8. Use your right and left brain. A great conductor is an artist focused on beauty and on making wonderful music from the creative right side of his brain. Yet he or she must be left-brained to be organized, to lead, to execute excellence. A great art marketer not only focuses on producing great artwork, he or she doesn't ignore the business side of life and the necessary steps to success.

9. Continually enhance your reputation. Great conductors are aware that if they are unknown, people will not flock to symphony halls to see them. They work hard to build a public image and continually seek opportunities to reinforce that image. A great marketer knows that being invisible does not sell artwork. They know it's important to become known and to reinforce that continually, so they become better and better known. They never stop promoting because they know marketing is not a destination, it's a process, and that without a continuous effort, they will soon be forgotten.

10. Live with confidence. A great conductor is slightly arrogant and believes strongly in his or her abilities. He believes he is the best and believes his music will move people and change lives.
A great marketer is confident and proceeds boldly. He controls his negative self-talk, he knows he deserves success, and he believes that people not only want his art, his art will change lives.

11. Strive for drama. A great conductor knows that drama stands out and that emotion moves audiences. He seeks to create a performance that is visually and musically dramatic to move his audience. A great marketer (and a great painter) understands that drama makes for great campaigns, great branding, and great imaging, and that you cannot engage people intellectually only, you must engage them emotionally.

Are You A Great Conductor?
If not, don't feel badly. You can master anything by reading, asking the right questions, and having the desire to succeed. Most of the artists I know would rather create art than market their work, yet they know they need to seek better ways to sell art. And most of them cannot afford an agent or handler and therefore need to master the art of self-marketing. My goal in 2010 is to make you a better marketer and help you sell more artwork. It's not too late to start composing your score for success now.

Start with the end in mind and begin making a plan for what you want and need to achieve. Let's make 2010 a great year together.

Eric Rhoads

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PS: It's hard to believe we are entering our second year with Artist Advocate Magazine. We have helped many artists boost their careers and sell more artwork by connecting them with galleries. Several artists we've helped sold more artwork in 2009 than they ever anticipated. We would be honored to help you secure an art gallery. We place the magazine in the hands of 6,500 art galleries around the country (and some outside the country). Our next issue deadline is rapidly approaching. If you wish to learn more, contact one of these very qualified individuals and they will work hard to make 2010 a great success:

Kathleen Lawrence-Davis ([email protected])

530-934-3687

Lisa Freedman ([email protected])

914-907-9842

Peggy Taylor ([email protected])

828-628-9021

If you haven't watched our video , you can view it here. OR visit us at www.artistadvocatemagzine.com

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Eric - though the 'football' message did not get through to me enough for me to actually read it, this one did, and I am making it a goal of mine to participate in your magazine. I've already achieved a couple of goals I set for my art career this year (giving my first workshop, scheduling my second - at participants' request), giving a talk at a small museum on Blogging my art, and it's not even March! I've started a Blogging Challenge last year and finally everyone in it 'gets' it. I feel much more confident and I am starting to feel like a conductor! Thanks!