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
