Even though it's not the most professional video, I like that the film maker went around and interviewed people in their booths, and got tips for how to do a good tradeshow.
-Quit counting fans, followers, and blog subscribers like bottle caps. Think, instead, about what you’re hoping to achieve with and through the community that actually cares about what you’re doing.
-Learn how to measure stuff, and quit making excuses for why you can’t do it.Katie Paine’s blog is overflowing with stuff. Here’s some metrics you might consider if they’re applicable for your goals. And here’s how you can start setting measurable objectives. -Understand the difference between making a business case for social media and chasing the next and greatest fad. If you don’t understand how to explain where social media impacts areas outside the business besides your own, make a concerted effort to learn. -Quit waiting for the water to be perfect before you get in. It’s not going to be, ever. Try something that makes strategic sense for your business. Julien Smith articulates a bit about why waiting for one tiny thing is often what holds us back.
-Focus on what you’re good at. Know the core of your business, and make that the center of your work, especially through the amplifier of social media. Chris Penn reminds us of the importance of this, as he’s apt to do.
Found this article on writing newsletters I thought was pretty good for people who are resistant to putting out a newsletter because they don't know how to do it.
Excerpt:
Write about what you know. Tell them why you paint, what inspires you. Write about the process, some of your subscribers will be other artists wanting to learn from you.
If you were recently in a show and won an award, tell them and perhaps include a picture. Got an upcoming show...let them know. You could include additional smaller photos of your work...a new painting or one from long ago.
Do you have something you've been working on for awhile...tell them, entice them a little. Give your subscribers an opportunity to purchase a piece at a special price.Continued...
When I first got this DVD in the mail from Netflix, Herb & Dorothy, I put off watching it for a week, because I thought "How exciting can an 'art collecting' film be?" Then one day when I was finishing a cup of tea, I finally put the DVD in the player and planned to only watch it for 10 minutes.
But once it started, I was glued to the story. I was completely moved and inspired by how a postal clerk and librarian with limited means had collected over 4,000 pieces of artwork in their tiny New York City apartment. In the 1960's they became early collectors of what later became world renowned artists, such as Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner.
Even though their collection was very valuable, they never sold a piece. They eventually donated their collection to the National Gallery in Washington D.C.
I am a designer who has created over a thousand greeting card designs and gift products for the marketplace.
For licensing information, visit my wesite or to purchase items, go to my shopping page.
These are books I own and recommend.
Some may be out of print, but used copies may be available.
Check link. Start & Run a Greeting Cards Business
Book covers starting a card business in the UK.
Good basic info, but financial/measurement info is in different monetary units.
Creative Illustration Workshop
Exercises for integrating illustration with other mixed-media techniques, and scan and layer your illustrations using a computer.
Print Workshop
Hand-Printing Techniques for low budgets. Interesting ways to put imagery on products. Perhaps a good technique for putting our designs on model items to show what they would look like on real products.
Digital Alchemy
Printmaking techniques for fine art and how to transfer images to a variety of surfaces. It includes decals and skins.
Critical Mass
Cutting-edge developments in international printmaking. Since printmaking is fundamental in most surface design concepts, this book's goal is a modern approach on a traditional printmaking.