RESOURCES

Suggestions for Steps

(Visioning Project)

Here are some basic steps that you could use as a base to build from. You are not required to use any these, they are only suggestions. Welcome to Success! - Lisa Chipetine

 

Create a Series, body of work or produce more work

 

To develop a personal style - finding your voice

Lisa's Suggestions:
1. Make sure you have a large design wall where you can pin/tack and work on multiple pieces at one clip (if this is not available then large foam core board units can stack and be brought out)
2. Decide on a centralized theme for the year (topic)
3. Decide on one construction technique (you can use this month to experiment). Weigh which you like against what is fastest
4. Pick a size to work with that you are comfortable designing around
5. Pick a centralized color palette and take 50-100 fabrics (unless you are doing printing/dyeing)
5. Mass construction techniques - set up at least 3-5 canvases to work on simultaneously (Carol Taylor does this)
6. While working, look at the piece you are dealing with in terms of one of your multiple canvases (in other words, don't focus on one piece at a time)
7. Complete and sew set one of above
8. Assess what worked, what didn't; document succesful designs and why
8. Set up again, additional canvases (shoot for 3-5)
9. Choose complementary Color palette on the color wheel to your original color palette
10. Take successful design documentation and work on expanding these ideas
11. Complete and sew set two from above
12. Compile, photograph, price and create portfolio of works

 


Develop a marketing strategy for my work

Lisa's Suggestions
1. Decide on exactly what your goal is with your marketing (to create sales or just exposure - it's important to be honest and make that distinction)
2. Decide on a monetary budget you are able and willing to dedicate to this effort
3. Identify what stands out about your work, is it whimsical, funny, shocking - what aspect of it could you promote that would make people remember it?
3. Take your very best detail shot of one of your quilts and create a logo around it (you may need to gain assistance from a graphic artist to do this)
4. Create a tag line to go with it (example: I use Quilts, they're not for the bed anymore...)
5. Identify and investigate availability of website url to align with the concepts you have defined above; make sure its short and easy to remember (not difficult to spell!)
6. Design stationary (print) web materials (embedable jpegs for emails or attachments) to create your overall brand (Make sure everything you send out has has your logo, tag line, url and CONTACT information (not just an email sorry- emails get lost)
7. Make sure you have a headshot (smiling) with one of your quilts in the background (to personalize the work)
8. You gotta have a story...people do want to know. Make a 150 word synopsis of what inspires the work and what you want to portray to the viewer
9. If you don't have a website get your own wiki (fast, cheap and easy www.wikispaces.com) (FYI: you can lock the pages and change regularly even gain feedback from viewers)
10. Define industries, venues where you could market your "story"
11. Purchase mailing lists (print or email to these specific venues/industries/individuals)
12. Mass mailing (print and email see www.constantcontact.com for email)

 

Have a solo exhibition or special traveling exhibition or

 

To obtain gallery representation

1. Come up with a specific theme for the exhibit
2. Develop a story to go along with the theme
3. Make a decision on what size your are comfortable working with. In a solo exhibition you will need to create 3-5 similiarly sized pieces and then a variety a smaller price points (venue will be concerned with what they can sell). Be honest about your production rate and plan accordingly.
4. Create smallest pieces first (tiny gifts)
5. Create medium pieces (this may be all you do); STAY IN THE IMPULSIVE BUY PRICE POINT ($350 - $750)
6. Create large pieces (if applicable)
7. Define venues where you could market this story
8. Research (in person if possible) where these venues most saleable price is (if sales is a driver in this goal)
9. Sketch out or create small studies that you can photograph. Create a mini-portfolio with photos story cv; if you are out-going, make sure the venue knows you will help to sell the work
10. Approach venues (be open to asking them about changes you could make to make an exhibition possible) realize it may be a year away;
11. Develop your own online solo exhibition (using a program such as www.animoto.com)
12. Launch your own solo (press releases/ email lists / social network postings)

 

To earn money selling my artwork (selling completed work or obtaining a commission)

Lisa's SUGGESTIONS (It's all about exposure):
1. Conceptualize a piece of work that would appeal to a wide audience (I hate to say it, but something relatively safe; corporations do not buy nudes or controversial works (like mine, LOL), but make sure it has a story (don't go over 40 x50)
2. Make some small pieces no larger than 8x 11, frame and offer to hang the art in local establishments with the caveat that you can also hang a blurb about yourself (advertise a one of a kind Christmas gift - you may be able to get a commission by Christmas).(see Jacque Davis mentorship call) even places such as dentist, doc tors offices, restaurants (make sure not near kitchen)
3. Offer to give a demo/talk at any such establishment
4. Have an open studio day and send press release to a local paper (if possible, good to do over a holiday weekend or near the holidays).
5. Investigate local artists in other mediums (glass is great) to potentially either hang several pieces or plan a show together
6. Call your local chamber of commerce to see a listing of potential art friendly business venues (banks).
7. Check local business oriented networking groups, contact and ask if you can post your information or give postcards for their next meeting
8. Build the conceptualized piece
9. Make sure your website is up to date; create a guest book, if possible
10. Align yourself with a charitible cause (annual auction/raffle give a percentage to foundation)
11. Press release to all newspapers within a 500 mile area of your home
12. Post on social networks and ask people to sign your guest book

Setup a Professional Studio

Jean Judd's Studio suggestions (we all work differently, use what works for your style):

  1. Purchase or borrow the book Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space by Lois L. Hallock.
  2. Look at other textile artist’s studios online (see the Mentorship Call from November of 2008 and the Studio Design page on SAQA-U).
  3. Determine if you want your studio onsite or offsite. Some artists prefer to have an in home studio while others need an off site studio.
  4. Inventory what you have for equipment (tables, machines, textiles, etc).
  5. Determine what you can reuse, what needs to be improved on to be useable.(I took an old computer table, raised it up on 6”x6” beams and it is a secondary cutting table at just the right height and fits a 36x30” matt.)
  6. Look at items that are NOT art/quilt related to use in your studio. (I have repurposed 2 stacking wood music cassette cases to hold thread, notions, etc.)
  7. Check out used office furniture outlets as you may find some office pieces that will work great in a studio (map/engineering drawers work great for art quilt storage). Fireproof filing cabinets can be obtained for 1/10 of the price this way.
  8. Work up multiple design ideas on paper – be sure to include having to MOVE to get to another workstation.
  9. Overkill on electrical outlets is a must – put some at 4 foot level as well as the traditional floor level.
  10. Banks of full spectrum lighting should be incorporated also – helps with color matching, etc and have them on separate switches so if your space is large, you don’t need all of them on at the same time.
  11. Consider making one or two walls felt design walls – no need to paint these walls, just staple up 72”wide felt over the drywall and finish the edges with floor molding to frame it. Only need staples on the edges and where pieces of felt are overlapped. I have my outlets cut out even on these walls so I don’t loose plug in capability.
  12. Consider wood or tile floors to facilitate finding needles, pins and easier cleanup. Cushioned floor mats are good for cutting areas.
  13. Make a computer counter by shopping the bargain bins at Menards, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. I found a 10 foot wide counter top for $40 that looks like marble. I put it on 3 kitchen cabinets (storage space) and use it for my computer stations and lightbox. I find myself at the computer only briefly quite often and I can just stand and check something quick or I use a tall director's chair as my chair for longer stints on the computer.
  14. Artist portable easel (cheap on eBay) comes in handy to support portable design walls made from scraps of wall paneling covered with felt. I have a couple different sizes (31"x31" and 60"x29") that I have by my sewing machine station to work on smaller projects.