Sunday, May 31, 2015

Free Sample - van Gogh Liquid Metals

Feel free to print the above coupon and bring it to the open house to obtain your free sample.  




We recently met Liam and listened to Kathy's speech from an Art show, and we absolutely love their philosophy: "WE DON'T JUST SELL PAINT, WE SELL EMPOWERMENT!". 

Really, that's what all artists and art lovers look for, right? We want to unleash our imagination, our creativity, and have fun! A can of paint will remain just as a can of paint but with your creative brush strokes YOU can transform it to a beautiful piece of art. 

While Picasso transformed a bicycle seat and its handle to a bull head and made it Art, how able we start from transforming a used armoire to a beautiful "rustic Spanish style" new baby? Cannot imagine it yet? Check out their projects, and I assure you will find your inspiration there. 

We at Belle Fusion suggest joining Studio Van Gogh and learning more about their "Paintology". They teach classes for non artists and all the way up to advanced classes. They also offer a wide variety of Art classes such as abstract painting using watercolours, acrylics and/or mixed media as well as furniture painting.  Here are some gorgeous painting styles you will learn in the classes!

We love their job titles too (see below). It shows their identity, their characters, and how truly creative they are~ 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathy van Gogh 
- Queen of Paintology
Liam van Gogh 
- Duke of Shipping and Customer Satisfaction
Victoria MacPherson 
- Princess of Process
Not sure if Aggie the Dog will be there, she will be probably patrolling to ensure all the safety measurements are in place ... - 
- Noble Steed and Squire of Safety!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again feel free to print the above coupon and bring it to the open house to obtain your free sample.  
June 13, 2015 it is - can't wait to see you there~







------------

Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with the highest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.

-----------

Saturday, May 30, 2015

~ Power Marketing for Artists ~ SMART. Marketing


"There's a saying, "work smart, not work hard"... but why can't we do both: work hard AND work smart? That's a double effect!"  - Belle Fusion

Many of you might have heard about SMART Goals setting. It is well-used for businesses or individuals to set up a process to achieve certain result(s). The Goal should be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. This is a great model and we here first of all wish to respect this acronym.

From the last blog, we have mentioned about "The 7 Tips on How to Boost your Value" and tip #7 was what we suggested for SMART Marketing.

We use the same acronym and hopefully it will help you remember the "5 pillars of SMART Marketing" without spending a fortune:

S - Sponsorship
M - Momentum
A - Affiliation
R - Research
T - Thank-you Message



Sponsorship 


From time to time, many charities or non-profit organizations are in need of fundraising or a promotion campaign. You can act as a sponsor to them by donating one of your artwork, or your time creating a workshop teaching people about painting or playing music. This will help you build your portfolio and get yourself more exposure to the public by paralleling with the great charities or organizations.

A recent success story: One time an Artist helped out his students hosting a collective student art event, this was a win-win marketing for both the artist and the students to get known.

It's also ok to ask for or get sponsors. All you need is to present your value and your idea that the potential sponsor could benefit from or work together to bring business for both sides.

If you are an emerging artist, RBC has an sponsorship program where you can apply for funding. It's not just the financial benefit you will gain, but also building your credibility to your future sponsors.


Momentum


Evolve with time. Keep up the momentum.


As much as we prefer personal connection, it's undeniable it's a social media era now. Back in the old days it was really hard for Artists to sell globally. So now we might as well take advantage of these free platforms. Sign up with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Houzz, Google+, etc. We always recommend putting a water mark on each image though because most of the platforms do not provide copyright. There is no need to post in every moment but you cannot NOT post. Your clients can be ANYONE from ANYWHERE and transaction can happen ANYTIME.

It's an ongoing learning process . It's true that it takes quite a bit of time. However, you don't need to be a pro to learn about SEO, Google Ads, click through rates, website or blog traffic but you must have some fundamental knowledge on these terms so if one day you decide to hire a marketing personnel you will know how to track his/her performance and action.



Affiliation



Find one or two Artists organizations (e.g. The Federation of Canadian Artists) and join their membership. It certainly gives you a good reputation and they promote you on your behalf too.


Another good marketing platform is online market (shopping). Here are some examples: Direct2Artist, Etsy, Saatchi Gallery, ArtPalArtspan, Absolutearts, Each of them have their strong benefits. Note: you can always join as many as you want depending on your needs and budget.



Research


Do you know Lululemon hired the Artist Ola Volo for creating a beautiful Art mural for their Robson and Burrard Store? Do your know Louis Vuitton’s belief in art too? Among other collaborations, their fashion house linked up with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama to create a limited edition of products. Spend a little time to read some news and articles or even search them up in Google, or subscribe to Vancity Buzz or Newsletters so you will get are related email / buzz from them. You will find something that can intrigue you. Learn from other successful Artists, it can lead you to the similar direction too. Some ideas might become your inspiration for your new marketing idea.




Thank-you Message


Say thank you to everyone including your clients, media, blogger, whoever posts your updates in Facebook for you (as long as it doesn't violate your copyright).  As we mentioned in the last article, building rapport with people is extremely important.


Also send congratulations to other Artists or your client moving in a new home or receiving an award. Everyone likes compliment! That's how you keep people remembering you. This is a free marketing, yet the most powerful means of marketing.


Last but not least...

Event, Event, Event~~ actively participate in events whether you are just a goer or a vendor, you won't be disappointed with this action because you will always find great connections that might transport you to the next stop!

That's your SMART Marketing we create for you! Hope you find it useful :)


On a side note...

We found some really good recommendations on "How to Get Others to Visit Your Site" and "Links" on page 149 from the book "Secrets of Power Marketing", The book we mentioned during the "Intro" of this series. This book can be borrowed from a library or purchased online. If you are unable to find this book, please give us a shout and we will paraphrase it in our response to avoid plagiarism.

Hope you enjoy our blog so far. Any comment? We love to hear from you!

------------------

Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with the highest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.


Sunday, May 24, 2015

~ Power Marketing for Artists ~ Value Proposition



Stand Out Like This Strawberry!


One time I saw an artist selling her beautiful resin-like art using pouring medium in a flea market. Two ladies walked by. One of them (Lady A) looked at the art and was amazed by this artist work; then I hear the other lady (Lady B) told her, "it's so easy to do it, you go buy this and this, and you do this, so you don't need to buy it from this artist... she is charging $xxx which is way too expensive."

One day Picasso drew a small sketch in a restaurant in Paris... 

Someone asked him how much it would cost,

He said, "$20,000".

"That's crazy, it only took you 2 minutes to do it!" 

"Yes," Picasso said, "... but it took me a lifetime to get there!"

We can say that the prospective buyers are sometime ignorant, but it is very common because they don't know the true value behind the work.

So, dear Artists, if someone doubts your work with you price, don't be upset, all you need is to tell and boost your "VALUE".

Here, I wish to share with you the following "7 Tips on How to Boost Your Value" I created picking some goodies from Bender's and Torok's "Secrets of Power Marketing", and added my suggestions.


#1 - Understand the Principle of "Price" vs "Value"

First thing first, we need to understand what is price, value, and total value.
Price is what you pay; value is what you get ~ Warren Buffett 
Formula: 
Total Value = Actual Price (Cost) + Perceived Value (Benefits)

From the scenario at the beginning, the Artist needs to explain to Lady B the below "perceived value":

  • Buying time. She can save the time to create the art since the Artist already did it for her. Time is money right? She can spend the time doing something else that has higher ROI.
  • Buying the Artist's creativity. The art is unique.
  • Buying convenience. She can buy the real piece immediately that suits her home furnishing, no need to DIY with trials and errors. The piece is ready to hang. She receives instant enjoyment.

Think about the extra value (non-monetary) value your client is getting and make sure you are always prepared to tell them.


#2 - Create Perceptions 

How much are you worth depends on how professional you portrait yourself to the world. Remember in last session we talked about two social life styles between Picasso and Van Gogh?

If you choose the first one, then apparently you will be always out there meeting people, therefore, handing out business card will potentially start your conversation with people. A good quality business card is a must. On the business card, it should include 2 images: your beautiful smile face and your most sold painting.

The business card should also include your website. That's for the people to search you up in the internet and learn more about your credibility after the meetup. A well designed and layout website will give an idea what type of artist you are. You are an Artist with unlimited creativities in you so treat your website as a canvas, don't settle with a simple and tacky outdated website because it will portrait a second meaning that you are ok with lack of creative style.... third meaning that you can't justify what is gorgeous... it becomes really hard to justify the artistic sense in your painting.

Dressing for success especially when meeting with people in trade show or other social network events. Many people won't agree because they believe what's inside is more important. However, this is only true if you are already known by everyone. It's like an interview every time you meet with people, the difference is, as an Artist, your interview can happen anytime, anywhere so the first impression is very important. When you become well-known and famous, then you can start forgetting about the "dress for success" part.

Artists love helping each others, so if you open yourself and ask your artist friends how they do for their lovely website, business cards, what they usually dress for social meetups, most of them are very happy to share with you their experience.


#3) - Have a Tagline about Yourself 

Create a short tagline (less than 20 words), memorize it, practice until you say it confidently. When meeting with people, do not just tell them, "I'm an Artist". Tell people more so it will stick to their mind and associate you with the image. Here is an example:

"I'm an abstract Artist... I enjoy painting the synergy of nature and wildlifes... here is my business card (refer to #2 business card with 2 images)


#4) - Tell your Inspiration

Prepare for a story on one or two of your paintings how you came up with the idea of painting it. Write that inspiration with your autograph on the back of your painting so people acknowledge they are not only paying the price for the painting, but also the unique inspiration from you where they cannot obtain from anywhere else, another perceived value here.


#5) - Know your Audience

The scenario I mentioned happened in a flea market, don't get me wrong, there are tons of treasures found in flea markets. However, 90% of the people go to flea market are looking for economic stuff. so they pretty much expect buying things at low price. So always think about who you want your potential clients to be. That will help you set your price. You can raise your prices as you get better, but most of the time you are stuck with an image and position for a long time. If you set your demographics to middle of the pack, then your marketing strategy should tailor to those audience.


#6) - Come Forward to Build Rapport

Always show your positive attitude. The only way to build rapport with your client is to come forward, take initiatives, prob and learn of your clients about their lifestyles, show interest in making friends with him/her. already prepare for a list of questions that will help you know more about your clients. (I can share more about "effective probing" upon request, please comment below and let me know)  . You never know, even if he/she won't buy from you, his/her friend might, his/her family might.


#7) - Enhance your Credibility - Smart Marketing

Yes, you must market yourself, no matter how much you hate this idea and prefer painting only. Tradition marketing like TV, Radio, and such are very expensive. Nowadays, we are all very lucky to be able to access to social media platforms, we might as well take advantage of this. What I meant here is Smart Marketing. Lay out a budget of your Marketing money first.

There is no need to spend a fortune. From time to time, you don't even need to spend money.

Since the "Smart Marketing" topic has a bit bigger content size, I will share it in the next session. =

To be continued... stay tuned.

-------------------

Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with the highest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.


Thursday, May 21, 2015

~ Power Marketing for Artists ~ Intro



I recently read a book called "Secrets of Power Marketing" by Peter Urs Bender & George Torok. This book is incredible and I totally want to share some goodies I picked from it which I feel will help you take your art pursuits to the next level!

"Live like Picasso, don't live like Van Gogh" was the line that caught my attention.

How though?

Here are some inspiring messages from the book...

No doubt, their paintings are worth millions nowadays. Both artists are geniuses at painting. However, Van Gogh was an introvert and very low profile. And suffered from depression...
Picasso on the other hand, was surrounded by people. He was always pumped with endorphins by being admired, loved, and laughter. He was not afraid of meeting people, and was always ready to defend his belief in art and his own talent.

"What is art?" He was asked,
"What is not?" He responded....

To him art is an element that can happen and be created anytime; anyone or anything can be an inspiration towards his art.  

Bender mentioned in this book:

"If you have something great but do not communicate it, you will not succeed."

I wish to add one more line to it: 

"Even if you don't have the best product but you are always out there and are approachable, you will be successful.

Not to devalue McDonald's and Coca Cola products. But hey, there are other burgers and soft drinks with better reviews than them but McDonald's and Coca Cola are successful...

Back to the secrets of power marketing topic, I will share more from the book tomorrow about "value proposition" and "smart advertising", stay tuned!

---------------

Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with the highest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.



*Special thanks to the authors for writing this great book.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Artists vs Designers - Part II

Art vs. Design.

The discussion continues!

Good art inspires. Good design motivates
Image credit: Web Designer Depot

Last post, we wrote about how Art is about the “feel” and “sentiment” and the “expression” from the artists whether it is old master, impression or abstract style, and really depends on how you, the receiver, interprets the artwork.
This week, we’ve found some great thoughts on the subject from John Onolan, Founder athttp://www.Ghost.org, who wrote a great piece on art versus design:
Few artists call themselves designers because they seem to better understand the difference. Artists do not create their work to sell a product or promote a service. They create it solely as a means of self-expression, so that it can be viewed and appreciated by others. The message, if we can even call it that, is not a fact but a feeling.
And to add to the confusion, what about furniture designers? We can argue that a furniture designer combines an art piece and their designed furniture to bring the best out of each and to create a beautiful home decoration or a piece of would you say functional home art. New furniture design is helping homeowners visualize how Art and Design can work well together.
Below, furniture designers at Abbot of Cordova bring together function and art with their ancient sacred stone inspired line (hint, that’s real gold and jade):
Abbot of cordovaSo what do you think – is it all art? I think it is absolutely beautiful!
  ----------


Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with the highest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.

Artists vs Designers - Part I

  • Furniture. Design or Art? Both? or Neither?
  • Graphic Designers: Are they artists?
  • Are photographs ‘Art’?
Art and design are created from scratch from both the Artist and the Designer. Each uses certain guidelines and specific tools to achieve the end result. 

Art is about the “feel” and “sentiment” and the “expression” from the artists whether it is old master, impression or abstract style, and really depends on how you, the receiver, interprets the artwork. Art sometimes implies and incorporates a secondary message of a tone, a political and societal opinion or sexual elements which leaves extra room for interpretation. 

Designers such as Graphic Designers and Interior Designers use their technical knowledge and creativity to achieve a certain goal or project according to the client’s request. It might still require an artistic mind to complete the project.

Now think of a fashion designer who designs clothes with Art prints on the fabric. Are they an artist or a designer? Neither? Both?

The discussion continues… what is your comment?

Join us, as we explore this highly contentious issue in the art world through multiple upcoming posts!

----------

Subscribe: Click to subscribe if you want to...
- learn more about what's going on in the art world
- learn how to boost your art selling
- learn how to collect great art with a biggest Return On Investment
for free.

Follow us in Facebook and twitter #Belle_Fusion, This means a lot to us to continue providing great source of information to you.