D.O.G. Days Of Summer…

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animals, art for sale, art marketing, art sales, artists, big dog, dog, dog days of summer, dogs, fawn, fawn mastiff, marketing, mastif, mastiff, mastiffs, pet portraits, pets, selling art, summer, Summertime, summertime blues, sunshine, travel, vacation

It’s that time of year again.  Around the second week of July I start to get frantic emails from other artists asking me why the sales have all dried up. Some are so afraid of the lack of traffic and sales that they fear that the online art market has crashed.  These emails come from people who are relatively new to selling their work on the Internet.  Relax.  This is normal. Sure I am still making regular sales, but only at a fraction of what I earn most of the time.  This part of the year it always slows down to a crawl.

Why?  It’s Summertime!!  And folks who have been trapped inside all Winter are finally able to get outside and enjoy sunshine and green grass.  Families go on vacation, prepare older kids for college, go to family reunions and travel a lot in general.  It is not a time for decorating your home or office.  There is plenty of time for that when you are stuck inside 9 months out of the year.  Those in academics do not get paid over the Summer which is something I always factor in since I married a professor.

So what can you do?  I find that this time of year is a great time to do some traveling myself.  I plan trips to visit family and old friends every year.  My husband and I head to the beach as much as possible since it is not crowded and prices are super low.  Studio cleaning is always on the agenda as I love the freshness of organization come busy season.  You can also enjoy the freedom to create artwork that is fun and free from thoughts of marketability.  I have been stocking my stores with new items in preparation for the Fall rush.  It is a lot of work that has no reward at the moment, but I expect it to pay off later.

Join a new site.  Learn a new Social Media avenue.  Take a photography class. Forget about sales for awhile. They will come back.  They always do.  For now just enjoy this doggone Summer!

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Seeking Balance…

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abstract art, art, Artist, asian religions, balance, business, chinese philosophy, faabest, marketing, martial arts, meditation, painting, religion, sharon cummings, sunday morning, yang, yin, yin & yang, yin and yang, yoga, zen

 

I always know when I am not leading a balanced life. My OCD kicks in and I start to obsess about things like Twitter, Pinterest and Fine Art America. I check my phone for updates too much and I stare at my computer screen a lot more than is healthy. My art is my passion and I create for the joy of discovery, but I also run a full-time business. My duties include but are not limited to:  painting, photography, data entry, marketing, public affairs, inventory, custodial, packaging, bookkeeping and customer service. Whenever I hear a 9 to 5er complaining about overtime, I just chuckle to myself. Most people do not know what true overtime is! But today I am taking a break. After I finish a few of my daily tasks, I am going to take care of “me”.  Mani Pedi here I come!

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2013 An Intermission…

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2013, 2014, anniversary, art, art prints, Artist, auld lang syne lyrics, Family, friendship, fun, good fortune, good news, happy new year, january, joy, life, love, marketing, new year, paintings, photography, positive affirmations, positive energy, positivity, prints, romance, selling art, sharon cummings, success, successful artist

 

I am interrupting my regularly scheduled blog to make a reflective post today.  Yes, my blogs have been scheduled for the past two weeks because I felt it was more important to spend time with my husband, family and friends.  I took an intermission.  I scheduled rather than leave each day empty because I’ve had a lot to say in 2013 and I felt some bore repeating.  From all of the great comments, retweets, shares and likes I have received, I know it was the right choice.   

For me 2013 was an amazing year both personally and business wise.  There were a lot of changes and in retrospect each of them were positive.  Sure I made some mistakes, but there is no success without some failure.  

One of the changes I made was to focus on marketing my prints.  For years I resisted selling prints with the mistaken belief that it would somehow cheapen my original work.  I have discovered the opposite to be true.  While my prints sales continue to increase, the sale of originals remains steady at much more appropriate pricing.  I no longer feel like I am under appreciated.  I can live off my prints and create for the sheer joy of it without a single worry about selling originals or commission work.  I can now explore photography and digital work with great passion that is undiluted by constant struggling for sales.  This is a great place to be as an artist!

Personally, I have had to let go of some negative people who were keeping me from being my best.  A few friends and even some family members no longer have a place in my inner circle.  I am what they call “middle aged”…..And I find in this second half of my upcoming life that I plan on being a lot more selective than I have been in the past.  Mistakes will be forgiven, but abuse will not be tolerated in any form.  With this said, I have finally found a wonderfully small yet supportive group of artist friends who consistently promote my work, share experiences and send me love/support when needed.  And I do the same for them.  In 2013 I learned that with a better attitude, I can attract better friends.  I have also renewed my relationships with my sister and brother and have found great friendship, love and support there as well.  I celebrated 10 years with my wonderful husband in a romantic getaway that restored and invigorated us.

I have so much great work and camaraderie planned for 2014.  Everything is in place for me to have the BEST year of my life!

My hope is that each of you reading this blog can reflect back on the passing year and see the good in all of your experiences.  That even in the negative you can find the good lesson.  I wish that each of you look to 2014 with optimism and grace.   Happy New Year!

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind…..

Inner Strength…

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abstract art, art, art marketing, Artist, artists, artwork, career, challenges, contemporary, contemporary art, creativity, hope, inner strength, life, marketing, modern, modern art, painter, perseverancec, sharon cummings, strength

You hear it said often that success “looks” a lot like hard work.  I disagree.  The most successful people I know make it look easy.  It doesn’t look like work at all.  It would be more accurate to say that  success “feels” like hard work.  To make it as an artist you have to have a lot of “inner strength”.  Yes, you will be praised but you will also be severely criticized.  You will make sales, but you will also spend countless hours emailing/talking on the phone with people who never buy.  You will create amazing pieces but sometimes sit back in disbelief each day as the days turn into months or years without that work selling.  You will make artistic friends and creative enemies.  You will have days when you are so motivated to create that you feel as if your soul and brain will burst out of you into the Universe and you will have days where it feels an effort to sign your name.  Mostly you will have to market yourself like crazy.  You will eat, sleep and live marketing.  Social media marketing.  Business card marketing.  Brochure marketing.  Art show marketing. Cost per click/pay marketing.  It has gotten to the point that when people ask me what I do for a living, I pause because I am a “marketer” more than anything else. But dig down deep during these times and find that core fortitude…you are an artist.  Never lose sight of that….keep creating and tell them “I am an artist.”……

Find “Inner Strength” here:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/inner-strength-abstract-painting-by-sharon-cummings-sharon-cummings.html

Got Frenemies?

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art, art business, art marketing, Artist, artwork, competition, enemies, faabest, frenemies, friends, gratitude, help, loving your enemies, making friends, marketing, marketing art, sharon cummings, the art of business, the business of art, work, work satisfaction

 

Frenemies is a funny term, but it is one that often best describes online relationships where two people are direct competitors selling a similar product to the same audience.  I have been creating, marketing and selling my artwork online for over 10 years.  I started on eBay which was a brutal place for a fine artist and from what I hear, it still is.  That’s when it all started….where I learned to distinguish friends, enemies and frenemies.  Unlike many artists, I am a business person first and an artist second.  I have a direct way of communicating online.  I am ALL business which ruffles some feathers greatly.  The insecure, sensitive and overly emotional types can easily get offended by my style of typing.  Regardless of how I have been viewed by others, I have always offered my help.  I have spent many hours chatting, emailing and posting in groups so that emerging creatives can learn what I have had to acquire the hard way.  I share my secrets to success.  I congratulate others when their work is doing well.  I relentlessly encourage those that are still struggling to sell their work.  I do it because I like people and I enjoy seeing others triumph just as much as I enjoy my own rewards in this field.  EVERY sale is a victory for artists because it means that people are buying art.  And it they buy someone else’s work it also means they might buy mine.  I believe a lot of artists would have more “friends” and feel better about themselves if they learned that it is just as much the art of business as it is the business of art.  And if they would realize that the potential for art sales is astronomical….the pie is big enough for ALL of us and that when someone offers you some help….take it with gratitude no matter how it was delivered.  I will continue to help others regardless of the enemies and frenemies I acquire along the way…..because I am grateful that I have had the opportunities and successes that allow me to do so.  

Learn more about my work here:

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-sharon-cummings.html?tab=artworkgalleries