No Show

Heidi Maiers · 03-08-2005, 09:46 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Mary, that's the point - I DO have a desk job and would like to be able to sculpt full time. As I am the main breadwinner for the family, I'd have to be doing pretty well sculpting to be able to give up my day job.

Kimberly, quitting isn't in my vocabulary. If it was, I would never have gotten this far.

Michele - you are right, you never know where the right lead can lead! The 5k included show cost, I made all new pedestals for my display plus bought an area rug, and the main cost was material and foundry costs for making the pieces I had on display. Of course I will recoup those costs if I sell any of those pieces, but it's hard to sell them when they're not on display anywhere. The galleries around here are zipped up tight and I haven't even been able to even get an appointment with any of them to show them my work.

Sharon, I agree with you completely which is why I have resisted doing the trite stuff. I am not Indian and know nothing of their culture, so it doesn't make sense for me to start making Indian art. The area is saturated with it as is and all I can say is "ho hum" when I see it. People keep telling me to make it because that's what sells around here. Hard to know what to do. I did get the name of the head art director at Franklin Mint a while back and sent him a letter. That was quite a while ago and I never heard back.

Well, persistence pays off and eventually, I'll find my "niche". In the meanwhile, I'll just be glad I don't depend on my art to make my house payment.

Michele Rushworth · 03-09-2005, 12:39 AM

Anyone jumping into the art show scene for the first time has a lot of up front costs. The good thing is that now you are set to do many more shows, at very little incremental cost. I wouldn't give up on them. Many artists do VERY well that way.

One local artist here does our biggest summer show that lasts three days and sells moderately priced pastels. She sold $30,000 of her work the first day last year and I understand that is fairly typical for her. I don't know how many other artists at that show did that well, though. Maybe many, maybe not.

Advertising in all forms is a roll of the dice. There's a saying, "Half of all money spent on advertising is wasted. The problem is, you never know which half!"

Jean Kelly · 03-09-2005, 12:50 AM

I wish it had gone better for you Heidi, but I believe that your talent will win out in the end. I agree about the western scene, your "Feast and Famine" is so powerful that I'd stick with work like that to mass produce (maybe)? I know I'd buy one, but certainly couldn't afford an original. I like Sharon's idea, there are lots of ways you could make a fortune--Chia pets!

Jean

Linda Brandon · 03-09-2005, 01:26 AM

Hi Heidi,

I was thinking about all the artists in the various outdoor shows during our recent weekend downpours. I know how financially disappointing it must have been for so many, and I'm especially sorry to hear you were one of them.

I wish I had something useful to add here. All I can say is that I so often walk into rooms that consist of three walls of windows, a big screen TV and (maybe) some schlocky decoratory thing that echoes the colors in the furniture.

Since so many houses have pools out here, though, I keep thinking that some kind of fountain/sculpture niche could be made by some enterprising creative artist such as yourself. Move the art outside... have you done this already?

Mary Sparrow · 03-09-2005, 10:46 AM

I'd like to clarify my comment about not selling out. I agree with Sharon about the western art, I personally don't care for it, but obviously a lot of people do and that is fine. What I mean by I don't think you are selling out, is that doing other things with your artistic abilitiy to support yourself until you can do what you REALLY want to do is not selling out. Only find something that you enjoy and that interests you. I think Linda's idea about outdoor sculpture is a wonderful idea, have you done any of that?

You are so gifted and amaze me with your sculptures, I have no doubt you will be a tremendous success before it is all over !

Michele Rushworth · 03-09-2005, 12:20 PM

I think "selling out" in any profession just means doing something a person despises or feels ashamed of just to get more money, whether they're a lawyer, an artist or a banker.

The question of whether one is "selling out" or not is purely up to the individual's own feelings about the work they themselves are doing.

Sharon Knettell · 03-09-2005, 06:10 PM

Heidi,

I have worn so many artistic hats in my life to keep myself afloat. I have done toy packaging art, Cosmo illustrations, discount and high end fashion illustration and my personal favorite, "My Little Pony " art for Hasbro toys.

The most lucrative part time job of all of them was the discount store fashion illustrator. I worked 26 weeks a year, half of the 52 weeks which was split with another illustrator. I made about $45,000 a year part time and had the rest of the year to work on my portrait portfolio and paintings. Unfortunately they went to photos. People would sneer and say, why are you working for that crummy chain? Oh they payed one week after the work was delivered.

I cried when that one tanked. The trick is to get the most money per hour when you have to work.

By the way, just sending a letter to these companies is NOT sufficient. You must send slides and a CV.