{"id":9607,"date":"2013-11-08T03:00:09","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=9607"},"modified":"2013-11-08T09:56:57","modified_gmt":"2013-11-08T17:56:57","slug":"artist-entrepreneur-v-variety-artists-alphabet-guide-writing-art-aletta-de-wal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/08\/artist-entrepreneur-v-variety-artists-alphabet-guide-writing-art-aletta-de-wal\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Entrepreneur: V for Variety\u2014 The Artist\u2019s Alphabet Guide to Writing About Your Art by Aletta de Wal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"065-alphabet-end-of-15th-century-letter-V-q95-825x910\"<\/a>Welcome to the\u00a0Artist Entrepreneur Column<\/strong>, an occasional series where we talk about the fun, wild and scary ride of succeeding as an artist entrepreneur of all stripes and types and mediums.<\/p>\n

Welcome back guest columnist,\u00a0Aletta de Wal<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 She specializes in helping visual artists succeed in their fine art careers. She posts regularly on\u00a0\u201cThe Artist\u2019s Alphabet Guide to Writing About Your Art\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and other success tips for fine artists on the topic of writing about your art. Today it\u2019s\u00a0V for Variety.\u00a0<\/strong>Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cThe essence of the beautiful is unity<\/i>\u00a0in variety.”<\/i> <\/a>[1] At first, the two words \u2013 unity and variety \u2013 sound as if they oppose each other. In fact, they work together.<\/p>\n

Unity organizes the diverse elements of your art composition.<\/strong> \u00a0Without variations on themes, styles or methods in your artwork, \u00a0you\u2019d simply be making copies of the same idea, scene or composition.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d get bored and so would your viewers.<\/p>\n

Your signature style unites your art as your voice unites your writing.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to come up with a new look for every<\/i> piece of writing about your art. That would be counter to the advice I\u2019ve given you about creating a clear identity\u00a0for your marketing.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

On the other hand, when every blog post you send is the same, don\u2019t be surprised if your readers hit delete as soon as the page loads.<\/p>\n

To keep your readers interested and engaged, find the middle ground where your promotional goals intersect with what different members of your audience want to know.<\/strong> For example, students in your art workshops are keen to know when to sign up for your next classes. Unlike licensing agents, they are likely less interested in knowing about the new border patterns you’ve created for linens.<\/p>\n

What I want you to do is come up with fresh ways to let each member of your audience get what they are looking for. That means that \u201cone size fits all\u201d doesn’t cut it here.<\/p>\n

I put together a \u201cmenu\u201d to help you make the key decisions to add variety to your writing.\u00a0 I always emphasize the importance of putting your audience in the forefront of your marketing, but I also know that most writing begins with an idea of a problem to solve for your readers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, depending on how you like to start, choose a topic from Column A and match it to an audience group from column B, or vice versa.<\/p>\n

Then decide how often to write and how to distribute what you’ve written.<\/p>\n

For example, \u201cwork-in-progress\u201d would be of most interest to \u201cstrangers, visitors, viewers, followers and buyers.\u201d I get some \u201cdaily painting\u201d e-mails and I find that my interest waned after a couple of weeks. \u201cMonthly\u201d feels about right and in a blog post\u00a0that you can archive on your website.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are publishing weekly then you can choose three other variations for each month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Column A: <\/b>What to write about<\/b><\/td>\nColumn B:<\/b>To Whom<\/b><\/b><\/td>\nColumn C: <\/b>How often<\/b> <\/b><\/b><\/td>\nColumn D: <\/b>How to distribute<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Art<\/b><\/td>\nStrangers<\/b><\/td>\nOne time<\/b><\/td>\nPrint<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work in progress<\/td>\nVisitors<\/td>\nDaily<\/td>\nBrochures<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work completed<\/td>\nViewers<\/td>\nWeeklyEvery two weeks<\/td>\nCatalogues<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work on exhibit<\/td>\nFollowers<\/td>\nMonthly<\/td>\nClassified ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work purchased<\/td>\nBuyers<\/td>\nQuarterly<\/td>\nFlyers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accomplishments<\/b><\/td>\nCollectors<\/td>\nAnnually<\/td>\nLetters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Article published<\/td>\nPatrons<\/td>\n<\/td>\nNewsletters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Awards<\/td>\nAlternative Venues<\/td>\n<\/td>\nPostcards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Appointments<\/td>\nArt Bloggers<\/b><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\nDigital:<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commission<\/td>\nArtist Colleagues<\/td>\n<\/td>\nAudio Book<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grant<\/td>\nArtist Mentors<\/td>\n<\/td>\nBlog<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Public Art Installation<\/td>\nArt Licensing Agents<\/td>\n<\/td>\nE-mail<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Residency<\/td>\nArt Licensing Manufacturers<\/td>\n<\/td>\nE-Book<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Prestigious membership<\/td>\nArtist Representatives<\/td>\n<\/td>\nPodcast<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Events<\/b><\/td>\nGallery dealers<\/td>\n<\/td>\nSocial Media Network<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alternative Venue<\/td>\nMuseum Curators<\/td>\n<\/td>\nText message<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Auction<\/td>\nRetail Stores<\/td>\n<\/td>\nVideo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Art Fairs<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\nWeb Site<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commission Installed<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gallery Art Walk<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gallery Group Show<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gallery Solo Show<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Museum Acquisition (your art)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Museum Exhibit (your influences)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Open studio (yours)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Open Studio Tour (organization)<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Workshops<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

All this variety could make your head spin without a system to manage your marketing communications.\u00a0 That\u2019s called an editorial calendar:<\/strong><\/p>\n