March 6, 2011

trout vs. marlin

I've been grounded by a virus. I get sick so seldom that I can only be grateful that it happened when I could most afford to be down and out for a few days. I need to be alert and present tomorrow, though, as I deal with two sets of cable guys. As part of an effort to streamline and economize, we are ditching our cable/landline/ high-speed internet provider after they have given us the worst customer service in the history of the universe. We are only reconnecting the internet (with a different provider). Funny how we've reached a place where we can unplug our TV or phone forever, but not our cyber I.V.

Speaking of which, I need to get smarter about using the interwebs for business purposes. I get most of my clients the old-fashioned way, through galleries or real-world connections. I was hoping my Facebook page might generate some traffic but when even a bunch of my tech-savvy 'friends' failed to visit I wondered what I was doing wrong. Etsy worked for me once upon a time, but only when I was willing to list small and cheap and work it. We watched The Social Network last night and the reference to the fisherman displaying a three thousand pound marlin rather than fourteen trout struck home. I should be painting more marlins. Or maybe I should be blackmailing my internet friends into giving me a plug on their blogs and Facebook pages and giving them the trout I catch if they help me sell my marlin, heh.

While I was ill I did catch a few more trout, though, and have decided to test drive Big Cartel with them. Drawings this size, when framed, sell well in one of my galleries, but are probably still too expensive to stand a chance on Etsy without extensive flogging and networking, which I am unwilling to do. Unfortunately Big Cartel doesn't get Etsy's traffic, so it's probably an exercise in futility. Still, it's always fun to try out a new platform, successful or not. Check it out.

11 comments:

Tracey said...

Love the feathers, such a nice set they will make if your theory pans out ;) I have found the same with facebook. I find it is more of a way to see and be inspired by what other artists are up to. I don't have much faith that sales will ever come from my facebook page ;)

I find I miss a lot of posts of others as well as there are so many posts every few minutes that great posts get buried and I forget to peek on blogs that I used to visit regularly as I spend too much time on facebook, argh ;)

I feel the paint of how to sell though. I laughed last night when I was in my studio with my hubby complaining about my lack of storage space for all my paintings and he said I should quit painting until I sold some of the ones I already have. Hah, oh the foolish man, that is like going to the art store and not buying anything, defies logic :)

Angela Wales Rockett said...

Beautiful feathers, I especially love the blue one (of course).

I think the internet has powerful potential to get the word out, but there is just SO MUCH on it. I find I easily get overwhelmed by all the information it's trying to give me. Just a few years ago, when I first started blogging and using Etsy and all that, it felt much easier to find people and for people to find me. But then everybody discovered the power of the internet, and here we are. (I sense a blog post coming on.)

I hadn't hear of Big Cartel. I'll have to check out your page there.

Angela Wales Rockett said...

Oh, and I hope you're feeling better.

asperezas said...

"knock me down with a feather"
I recommend you this:
http://kingsofmaybe.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-sound-today.html
It seems to be made for this post! You'l feel better immediately :D

Lovely feather drawings :)

Unknown said...

I'm sorry to hear that you're under the weather, I hope it a very very short bout! I used to love public libraries, but I find some of the strangest characters there, at the main branch in the city, where I live, so I sort of avoid it. My local branch is lovely.

Are you getting a chance to look at great reference material, to stay inspired? I hope your trip there fills your creative well.

I found that any of the shops (e.g., Etsy, FB, etc.) work if you're willing to put a lot of work into the socializing and promoting of it. For me, it tends to be my email customer lists works best. The 80/20 rule certainly works for me. See you soon, dear one, feel better.

San said...

We got rid of our land line a while back and have never missed it, or the overly expensive bill. And we have the most basic cable TV. Yes, we have to have our internet. As a gallery owner, I get inquiries from time to time regarding a piece on our website. Such inquiries seldom materialize into sales, however, UNLESS the person has actually visited the gallery in the past. My impression is that things to have to be dirt cheap to sell readily online. But I probably just haven't figured it out.

Those feathers are lovely!

And I hope you feel better soon...

LDahl said...

So here is where you've settled for awhile? The Internet... too much in and not enough out. I notice I'm getting more and more prone to not saying a word... just pass on by.
But have to say I love your feathers, not the easiest thing to do.

LDahl said...

I've just changed your URL. Oh, and I meant feathers are not the easiest things to do, not saying I love them isn't the easiest thing to do. :-D Really I think I need some coffee to get my brain working.

andrea said...

How super to finally visit my blog and see all these comments! I've been disconnected for most of a week, only stopping by the library to check in on Facebook on one day. I won't comment individually but I enjoyed all and San, I think you're right. The internet is only for buying cheaper art. These feather drawings are selling for much less than you'd pay for the same thing at galleries. They sell like crazy at the one gallery and nobody's even interested here. Oh well. It was worth a try. Back to the drawing board!

Anonymous said...

I'm so WITH YOU on the ditching of the land line and cable. But I, like you, cannot seem to part with my internet connection. As for buying art online... I don't know. I like to be able to walk around a work of art...stand five feet away and then twenty feet away...visit the gallery in morning light and later in the evening when the artificial lights are on. Maybe that has something to do with who buys what where and how much they are paying.

andrea said...

I am beginning to realize that the whole arc of buying art online in on the downward side and I get it. I want to see it up close and personal, too. These are objects, not ideas, and if you talk to art lovers/collectors it's as much about the possession of something rare and special, not just about the image. Hm. And since I know my work is better in person it's no surprise that I am discovering what should be obvious to me. But then I was always slow to catch on to the obvious! :)