How to turn your Passion into Profit

American artist Janet Farthing sells her paintings online! "Ireland" is SOLD!

Do you consider yourself an artist? Have you ever wondered if anyone would buy your art work? Are you interested in turning your passion into profit?

There is no better time to share your gift with the world. The internet makes it easier than ever to promote your masterpieces and earn an income.

One easy way to do this is by starting an online shop on Etsy or Ebay. Since it is free to start your own Etsy shop online (as it is with Ebay) and since Etsy is “the online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade,” let’s go over some quick tips that will guide you through starting your very own Etsy shop:

1. First, know what you can sell on Etsy: Vintage items (twenty or more years old), crafting supplies (handmade or commercial), and products that you have handmade. For a more in-depth look at exactly what you may sell on Etsy, visit http://www.etsy.com/help/article/147.
2. To get started, you must sign up for an Etsy account; follow this link to do that https://www.etsy.com/join.
3. Once you have an account with Etsy, you will need to register as a seller. For instructions, see http://www.etsy.com/help/article/125.
4. “When you sign up to be a seller, you’ll get your own easy-to-use online shop. You can customize it with a banner, fill out a profile and set your shop policies.” For instructions on setting up your Etsy shop, see http://www.etsy.com/help/article/246. This step should be fun! Use your imagination and your Etsy shop to express who you are.
5. Once you have your Etsy shop, you will need to list your items. For step by step instructions on creating listings, visit  http://www.etsy.com/help/article/187. It helps very much to have a camera and to add pictures of your items. If you don’t have these resources, perhaps a friend is willing to help. For use of its website, Etsy charges a small fee on each sold item; to read about these fees, visit http://www.etsy.com/sell/fees.

Below are some very helpful links for creating a successful online business:

-Tips for making a great, buyable product: http://littleput.typepad.com/me/2008/01/tip-2-make-a-gr.html

-Choosing an Etsy name (you may want to read this before registering for an Etsy account): http://www.piddix.com/your-etsy-name.htm and http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2008/shop-makeover-series-whats-in-a-name/.

-Making a banner for your Etsy shop- http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2007/skill-share-making-a-banner/.

–http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2008/a-beginners-guide-to-starting-a-shop-on-etsy/ is packed with links on subjects such as creating your profile, pricing, budgeting, shipping, shop policies, photographing your product, your first sale, promoting your shop, and more. This is a wonderful all-in-one resource link!

Whether you are a seasoned artist or just getting started, chances are you may have a wonderful, artful, handmade product others would love to buy. Today may be the perfect day to take a step toward selling your product and earning extra income from your talents!

If you choose to start an online shop, will you leave us a comment and let us know how things are going for you?

Image  made available by janet_farthing on Flickr through Creative Common License

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What to Write About on Your Art Blog (www.segmation.com)

 

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In a previous blog post, we explained 3 ways that artists can benefit from blogging. Basically:

• A blog provides exposure for you and your work.
• A blog provides insight into your working process.
• A blog facilitates connections between you and your fan base.

Now that you’ve set up your blog, what should you write about? Let’s take a look at a range of topics you can blog about to keep your readers interested in coming back for more!

Give your readers an inside glimpse into your studio. Show them what you’re working on and tell them about your working process – what inspires you, what materials and techniques you are using, what challenges and surprises you’ve encountered.

Show your readers a bit about your personal life – but not too much. An art blog is an ideal way to get “personal” with your fan base and potential gallery contacts. By including cute anecdotes about something you experienced or by sharing photos of your new dog, your blog readers will see you more as a real person than as a bunch of pixels on a screen.

At the same time, be careful not to get too personal. Be aware that everything you write can affect your image, so don’t write posts about what you ate for breakfast or what TV shows you watched last night. There is such a thing as “too much information”, so before you hit the “publish” button, ask yourself, “Does it help or hurt my art business if people know this about me?”

Plug your upcoming gallery shows, competitions you’ve entered, workshops you’re leading or attending, and any other art-related events. Your fan base will be interested in seeing that you are active in your field, so keep them updated on your artistic activities. It’s okay to toot your own horn, but try to avoid “sales talk”.

Write about things that inspire you. You can write about other artists you admire, your favorite place to paint, or a cloud formation that caught your eye on the way to the grocery store that you quickly captured in your sketchbook.

Provide tips about making art. By sharing what you’ve learned about art, you can help establish yourself as an expert in your field. Other artists will appreciate your openness and potential collectors will take note that other artists look up to you.

Above all, remember to make your art blog both friendly and professional. Think of your blog as a combination of:

• an ongoing conversation with a trusted gallery owner whom you have known for years
• a warm welcome to a new fan of your artwork
• a chance for friendly art talk over a cup of virtual coffee

In other words, many different types of people will be interested in reading your art blog, so try to write with these various audiences in mind.

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A Closer Look at the Color Red

How do you feel when you gaze at a large red Rothko painting, spend time in a room with regal red wallpaper, or see a stop sign?  While the color red carries different meanings depending on its context, the body’s biological response is the same: red can raise both your pulse and your blood pressure.  Additionally, red can even make you feel hungry by increasing your body’s metabolism – which is why many restaurants use the color red in their logos and decor!

Red is the longest visible light wave, ranging from light pinks to deep crimsons that have a wavelength between 610 and 780 nm.  Our modern word “red” comes from the Old English word rēad.  This warm, eye-catching color has strong meanings that tap into the heart of various human emotions and experiences, depending on the specific context in which it is found.

For instance, in Western culture, red can signify anger and aggression (as in “blood red” or “a face that turns red with anger”), but it can also denote love, lust and passion (from red roses to the red-light district).  It also functions as a strong warning color that represents danger or emergencies.

On the other hand, the color red in China is related to happiness and good fortune.  In both China and India, red is the traditional color for wedding dresses.  In Africa however, red is associated with death and mourning.

Red is one of the earliest pigments used by our prehistoric ancestors, who made red ochre pigment from clay to paint the walls of caves.  Red pigments have been created from several surprising sources, such as crushed cochineal insects used to make carmine red.  Madder lake derives from the roots of the madder plant, while vermilion was made from powdered mineral cinnabar, which is a red mercury ore.  These days, most red artists’ pigments are created synthetically in factories, including hues such as poppy red, cadmium red, rose, alizarin crimson, and quinacridrone magenta.

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