Go!

There are many meccas. For artists, it’s NYC.

On the strength of a nice, little grant from The National Endowment for the Arts, in the 70’s, I headed to NYC.

I had no job, but I knew a few people. I knew I could land and sleep on someone’s couch for awhile. That was enough. It was a good move. I could take in the art movements from around the world and found my little niche in that world. Thrilling!

The other day, I gave a talk to a bunch of business students at Morehead University - in a lovely, small town in the midst of Kentucky’s rolling hills.

In telling my story, my hope was it would give students courage to follow their heart - not just make rational decisions.

Rational decisions are over-rated. What’s rational to one person may be seen as totally crazy by another.

Say, someone wants to be an opera singer. That person will hear, from people who may never have listened to opera --- and really don’t know what they are talking about ---- that they will never make any money pursuing an opera career.

Don’t listen to them!

Instead, Go to Italy, Go to NYC, go to places where opera is valued.

Sing!

Want my advice to students?

Go! Follow your dreams. Want to work in the tech world - Go to Silicon Valley, or Houston, Boston or Hyerabad in India. Want to dance - Go to NYC. Is there a place you’ve always wanted to live? Go there. You will find work you love because you love the place.

Go to your Mecca. You will be rewarded and enriched.

Flirting is Marketing / Marketing is Flirting

Putting on the lipstick & the heels!

When I start complaining to my, sometimes exasperated, staff that we will have no work after we finish whatever mascot we are working on....

....and we will be absolutely out of money,
.....nobody will ever want a mascot again
......we are finished, kaput, done
.......and we will have to auction everything off for a mere pittance

They all roll their eyes and get back to what ever they were doing. They have heard my sad refrain before.

Then someone says, "Start flirting!"

Heels and lipstick

There was a woman who worked for me many, many years ago. She, too, had heard my sad refrain one time too many. She finally said, "Put on your heels and bring in some work!" I did. That's when I realized, marketing is like flirting. 

If I've worn some sensible shoes to work, I take them off and put on my emergency, cowgirl boots w/ heels, put some color on my lips and get down to the business flirting ---really marketing, but aren't both pretty much the same?

In marketing you want to:

• Attract clients.
• Present your best self for the business.
• Inspire trust and be trustworthy
• Put forth a proposal
• Work on the relationship
• Close the deal

Kinda like flirting.

The Mascot Studio - Favorite photos - Artists in the Material World

Some mascot makers at AvantGarb Mascots - Kristin, Megan and Anne and the Loudmouth Fish

Laura shows off her muscles!

I bought a "Boss Lady" tee shirt & it inspired a whole outfit - complete w/ my aunt's pearls and a fake, turquoise Rolex

Mike is wearing shades made for a tiger  - as well as a stylish tee.

Mike wearing Floyd the Monster's back legs - w/ Peter, out male mannequin

Anne w/ and awfully nice tail

Dave with Tivo inner structures

A very small part of the Mascot Wall of Fame

The wall of lost mascot parts - a moose tail - moose don't really have tails, a hand w/ too many fingers, a penguin crotch, a too short jaguar tail.....

Good Exposure for Your Art? Really?

Most of us have been there. Someone has flattered us by asking if we would be willing to display our work at their business - a restaurant or a lobby, maybe a snazzy spa.

When a business comes by and says they would like to hang your art on their walls, claiming it will be good exposure, approach their offer as the beginning of a negotiation.

Free is too expensive for the artist. 

Have a monthly rental cost sheet - maybe $500/painting/month - whatever cost you feel comfortable with. If people are spending money for something, they pay attention to it. If they live with it long enough, they may buy it.

Make demands, as well like: 

• The art must be hung by an expert under your supervision. 
• The business is responsible for and carries insurance that will cover any damage that might occur to artwork while in their workplace. 
• Get a deposit before releasing your artwork for display.

Don't give art away for free. 

Art is a calling. It is also a business.

©Jennifer Smith 2015

The Rules for Creative Cohabitation in the Studio

I had the good fortune to hire a wonderful, red-headed, Baptist, southern woman and a totally out-of-the-closet, really funny, gay man. They were both hugely talented. They had a great 3-D sense and an intuitive understanding of interior, mascot engineering.

....and they really, really liked each other and I adored both of them. They kept me laughing.

To keep the peace, at AvantGarb, I knew I was going to have to set some boundaries. 

These guidelines are good ones for every workplace. Well, you might not be that interested in new ways to knot a piece of thread ---but you'll get the picture. 

The Rules for Creative Cohabitation 

in the Mascot Studio

When making mascots, we have to communicate clearly with each other. Ask questions often and you must have courage. Keep communication open and transparent.

Fabric, foam and fuzz are endlessly fascinating in a mascot shop. As are:

• New ways to knot a piece of thread,
• Interior mascot engineering
• Sturdy ways to secure a helmet in a mascot head.
• Really corny jokes.
• Funny, buoyant stories,
• Mascot videos at lunch
• Favorite illustrations in the ULine catalog
• ...you get the picture

Not endlessly fascinating and creative inhibitors are:

• Personal politics and personal sex life.
• Any words you wouldn’t say in front of a 4 year old - we want to keep the mascot spirits sweet - even the ones with the Game Face.
• Anything disgusting. If it’s a story you really love, but think it might possibly be disgusting to some --- don’t tell it --- it’s the thing about keeping the mascot souls sweet.

Last but Certainly not Least, Dress Code & Hygiene:

There is no back room. We’re all on stage at AvantGarb so….

• We have to look good AND, have clothes we can work in - it's a delicate balance.
• Stylishly distressed clothes are fine - no worn-out clothes with holes, tears, weird stains, inappropriate words or images.
• It can be a dirty job. We get sharpie marker on our hands, adhesive in our hair - let's give ourselves the best chance we can at looking pretty good - start out clean.
• ...you get the picture

Get a Payroll Service

Most art students dream of making their mark through their art, and that often means they are going to step into the small business world.

When there is too much work for one person to handle, the hiring begins. It's an exciting time for a small, art biz.

When people are hired, they have to be paid.

Anyone who works in my little mascot-making business, AvantGarb, is put on the payroll immediately. This mean we're taking out taxes, Social Security and whatever else is required.

Here's an easy little tidbit to save on time-consuming calculator or Quickbooks time  - Get a payroll service!

When you start hiring people with some regularity to work in your arty biz, it's time to get a payroll service. At AvantGarb we use Prime Pay.

A payroll service: 

• makes out the checks - real or virtual - 
• pays all the taxes, social security and whatever else gets deducted---ok they don't pay the taxes, they swoop the money out of your account and send it to wherever it needs to go.
• sends all of the end of the year W-2s
• understands all of the quarterly reports that have to be done
• keeps you sane
• ...and it doesn't cost much

A payroll service keeps everything neat and clean, so you can pay attention to getting the work done and bringing in more work.

I love my payroll service. You'll love yours too!

Credit Cards - Make It Easy for People to Buy Art

People buy impulsively. Make it easy for people to buy art from you. Get a Credit Card system.

How much cash do you walk around with? Probably not much. Here, in the United States, in 2011, many of us have debit and credit card and that's how we pay for gas, lunch and even parking meters. We don't walk around with a checkbook.

If you're serious about selling, don't make it hard on your clients.

At AvantGarb, we create custom mascots. It took me a long time to get a credit card system. I thought I was too small to need one. Fortunately, I work with pushy people in advertising, PR & marketing who speak their mind with force and clarity. 

Once, many years ago, one of those pushy people asked what kind of business I was running - if I didn't take credit cards. I took offense for a day. The next day I made bunches of calls - to my bank, to other artist friends, and I got something set-up with Cambridge Payment System. I have a wonderful consultant there, Lois Jennings, who checks in with me pretty often.

I'm a happy mascot maker, because with a credit card system, it's easy for clients to pay AvantGarb.

...and when AvantGarb gets paid, everybody gets paid.

Of course, love makes the world go round, but on time payments are pretty nice too.