Artist As An Entrepreneur

Artists As An Entrepreneur

You are an artist and you are trying to make a living with your talent, but no one takes you seriously.How can you convince everyone that you are a serious artist?  You can accomplish this by presenting yourself in a professional manner, and by objectifying yourself to your potential "clients".  Yes, you are trying to secure clients when you are trying to convince someone to allow you to showcase your talent, and your talent is the product which you are trying to sell.  Most artists have to make "cold calls" when trying to gain new clients, and you must have a professional looking proposal to present when seeking out these potential clients.  What should be in your proposal?

One: Professional Head Shots.
As an artist your main product is You.  If you were selling computers, you would provide a picture of the computer, as well as, a description of the computer and what it could do.  You would not send a Polaroid of the computer, so you shouldn't send a Polaroid of yourself.  Hire a professional photographer to take several different head shots so that you can adjust your proposal based on the purpose of the proposal.  You need a "corporate" image shot for the times when you are trying to gain print clients, such as magazines and newspaper editors.  You need a "fun" shot for your book cover if you are an author or CD cover if you're a singer or musician.  You also, need a "sexy" shot for purposes of advertising on posters or television.

Two: Professional Bio.
Again, when making a "cold call", you need to present your potential clients with a description of the product you are selling - You!  Using the example given above, you would not provide a description of the computer handwritten on notebook paper or with spelling and grammatical errors.  Misspelled words and missing punctuation may be necessary to get your point across if you are an author; however, it appears unprofessional when present in your bio.  Your bio is often times the first look a potential client has of our product, You.  Your bio should appear professionally written and should provide a complete description of you, your talent, and how long you have been pursuing your talent professionally.  However, you should treat your bio the same as you do your resume and limit it to no more than two (2) pages.

Three: Press Kit
Your press kit serves as your business proposal to your potential clients.  Your press kit should be just that, a kit.  It should be in a professional looking "case which, in most cases, will be a folder of some type.  It should include a head shot, your bio, a few professionally written press releases announcing a live performance or the release of your "product" (CD, Book, Painting, Sculpture, etc.), a "sample" of your work (CD, pictures of artwork, a portion of your book/screenplay/etc) and some actual newspaper/magazine "clippings".  You can use resume folders that contain pockets, as well as a built in business card slot  in which to place all of these items.  You can also use report covers which are typically made of plastic, and contain clear sleeves in which you place your head shot, bio, releases, and clippings.

You are bound to be viewed as a professional artist if you employ the three techniques above before venturing out into the entertainment business, and seeking potential clients.

Note1:  The material presented above was originally composed in 2005 before everything became electronic, however, that doesn't mean that it is outdated or obsolete.  It just means there are alternative ways to distribute your information which I will outline in notes below.

Polaroid was a type of picture that was popular back in the late 80's early 90's as the picture could be viewed instantly, and it was rather bulky and very unprofessional looking.

Note2: Current day press kits are referred to as EPKs - Electronic Press Kit, however, these kits should contain the same information listed above.  If you have had a story printed by the media, you should ask the reporter/journalist for an electronic copy of the story that appeared in their publication so that you can still include "clippings" in your kit.

While it may be tempting to include as much as you possibly can in an EPK, keep in mind that large amounts of data travel slowly over the internet and if too large won't arrive at their designated destination.  So limit your EPK to what you would include in an actual "hard copy" press kit.

Note3: It can be beneficial to have two (2) bios prepared and ready to distribute at all times.  The short bio should be no more than two (2) paragraphs, 500 words or less, and should include awards/accomplishments/etc..  This bio would be used to introduce you at seminars, conferences, etc., and also for promotional publication for example on a web site or electronic announcement for an event at which you will appear.  The long bio is what I described above, and would be sent to reporters/journalist prior to being interviewed so that they have a base from which to formulate questions to ask you during the interview.

Hope you found the information in this post (and the whole blog) helpful as this is the last entry in this blog!  Yes, it's over!  I've given you all the information I can under this title!  However, don't fret, I will begin a new blog later this week or early next week for those seeking careers behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.  And if you're an author, you can check out my other blog "So you want to be an author" at GStylfire.blogspot.com.

It's been fun chatting with you!

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Creating a Web Site for your Business

Creating a Web Site for your Business
There are three basic types of web sites: Informational, Interactive, and Merchandise Purchasing or Store Front.  Your products and/or services will determine what type of web site you should design for your business.

One: Informational.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers must meet face to face in order to complete a transaction, such as a hair salon, employment staffing agency, or business consulting services.  Your site will inform potential customers of who you are, what you offer, where you are located, and how to contact you.  The site will be very easy to maintain, and most likely won't consist of more than five pages. (Disclaimer: The previous information was originally written in 2005.)  Today, you can also provide a link to an online scheduling site such as Schedulicity.com where customers can schedule appointments for the services that you offer.

Two: Interactive.
You are operating a service only business where you and your potential customers don't have to meet face to face in order to begin a transaction such as web design company, or a printing company.  Your sire will provide your potential customers with surveys, questionnaires, and/or fill-in forms which they will use to inform you of their needs and allow you to provide then with a bid proposal for their acceptance before any work is begun.  This site requires a little more maintenance than the informational site in terms of keeping the surveys and questionnaires updated.

Three: Merchandise Purchasing (Store Front)
You are selling pre-produced merchandise or personalized merchandise, and are wiling to accept payment electronically and willing to ship the merchandise to your customers.  You would provide your potential customers with a catalog of available items, the prices, colors, sizes, and any other pertinent information about the products you have available for sale.  You would also provide a shopping cart and a secure means of check out and payment acceptance.  This is the most detailed and most expensive of web sites, and requires a lot of maintenance as products ad inventory changes.

Your web sire can be as basic or as complex as you see fit.  You may choose to combine features of all three types of web sites, and create a unique web site for your business.  Just remember that your web site should reflect your business not your personal image.  So, you don't want to incorporate Hip-Hop music on your web sire if you're a bankruptcy attorney nor do you want to incorporate Beethoven into your web site if your company manages Hip-Hop artists.

Designing the Image of your Business

Designing the Image of Your Business
You keep handing out business cards to the same people over and over again, and no one seems to remember receiving your card in the past. How can you make your business cards and your company standout in the crowd? You design an image for your business that distinguishes your business from other companies. This can be accomplished by employing one or all of the following methods of company branding.

One: Company Colors.
This is the least complicated and most economical way to establish an image for your company. First you must decide how many colors you plan to use in creating your company image. Let me suggest that you adhere to the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple yet Sassy) rule when deciding on your company’s color scheme. Two complimentary or contrasting colors work best, however, you can use as many as four colors. You want to choose colors that either have some personal meaning to the owner(s) of the company, or reflect the products/services you offer.

Two: Company Motto/DNA.
This is different from your operating credo, but just as important. Nike’s motto is ‘Just Do It’, and Sprite’s motto is ‘Obey Your Thirst’. Deciding on a motto can become quite complicated; however, I learned a nice little trick from the founder of Caribou Coffee. He stated that you should know the DNA Of Your Business, and the DNA for his coffee shops is ‘Drink Normally Asked For’. In other words, his staff should learn the type of coffee ordered by its daily customers. People enjoy knowing that their wants and needs are important to the people they are doing business with, and knowing a customer’s preferred drink makes them feel important. The DNA for my company is ‘Designing New Aggressive Alternatives’, which describes all five divisions of my company. Whether I am creating a new computer system, or marketing/advertising campaign, or web site, or letterhead and business cards, or a poem, I am always designing something new that provides my customers with an alternate way of doing business aggressively.

Three: Company Logo.
This is the most complicated technique for setting your company apart from other company’s in your area, and they don’t necessarily have to be competitors. If your logo is distinctive enough, people you have networked with will remember your company and can recommend you to a colleague who requires your services. Just as with the colors, the company logo should have some personal meaning to the owner(s), or reflect the product/services offered. For instance, if you offer typing services and have a passion for elephants, then your company logo could be a picture of a typewriter with a sheet of paper coming out the front with a picture of an elephant on the top of the paper. However, you want to make the picture of the typewriter and the elephant unique so that they stand out, and make an impression on the receiver of your business card, letterhead, or any other printed material. Also, be sure that your company colors enhance the graphics you have chosen for your logo. You wouldn’t what your elephant to be brown or black, which does not give your logo a distinctive look.

All three of these branding techniques can effectively distinguish your business from other businesses as long as you remember to approach creating an image for your company with a K.I.S.S.