Do This!
Artist Marketing Newsletter Focusing on Action Steps

What's Going On: Announcements /Classes
>>>Do This: Submit a Solid Proposal
Artists Respond: What They Have To Say

WHAT'S GOING ON

: : GAINING THE EDGE IN TODAY'S ART MARKET : :
October 29-30 in Golden, CO
Be one of the first twelve to register for this workshop and receive a free consultation with Bruce Baker or me (your choice!). Especially for artists submitting to arts festivals, this workshop will be relevant to anyone seeking a better presentation. Topics include: Branding; Better Booth Design; Effective Sales Techniques; Your Artist Statement; Your Slides & the Jury Process; The Relatively Pain-Free Artist Statement; and More Loyal Buyers.

Tell all of your friends. We'd love your help getting the word out. Email me and let me know if you can distribute rack cards at your art festivals or through your art organizations or forward emails to your friends. I'll send you everything you need. Find the details and register at http://www.artbizworkshops.com

All Kinds of Finds and Tips. It's updated almost every day! This week:    ►The Artist's Refuge in Costa Rica.   ►Developers who are making art a large part of their building planning.   ►Daily updates (and audio slide shows) from the New York Times. Find out more on the Art Biz Blog: http://stanfieldart.typepad.com

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Artists seeking to further their careers are constantly submitting proposals, including grant applications, public art proposals, and commissions. I was reminded this week how critical a good proposal is when the giant blue bear started going up outside of the Denver Convention Center. As I recall from a panel discussion I attended, this sculpture, by local Lawrence Argent, won the project because the artist proved he could do it. In other words, there were no holes in his proposal.

Whenever you have to submit a proposal, make sure it's solid by following these eight steps.

1. If application guidelines exist, read them. Read them again and again, highlighting the important parts and making sure your project is a good fit.
2. Understand your project fully. Make sure you can do it and that you can articulate as much. Is your budget complete and realistic? Do you need to hire additional help? What kind of a model would help readers visualize your project?
3. Always keep the beneficiaries in mind. Are they the public? The workers in a large corporation? Who will benefit from your project and are you addressing their concerns?
4. Aim for clarity. Emphasize key points in the first paragraph and grab the imagination and attention of the reader.
5. If the organization offers help with proposal writing, take it! You will get to know the staff and will, as a result of your dialogue, submit a far better proposal than if you did it alone.
6. Allow yourself plenty of time. Do not write a proposal the night before. You must have time to change, rearrange, and edit your content.
7. Have at least one other person read your proposal. This falls into the "duh" camp. Editors exist because everyone needs one. A non-biased set of eyes can see holes in your proposal that you can't.
8. Go back to the guidelines and make sure you have your supporting materials in order before you send it in. The length should be within limits and, as a general rule, you shouldn't submit anything that isn't requested.

ARTISTS RESPOND 

In response to "Move On" from last week, New Zealand artist Susan Knaap wrote:

"I think that 'moving on' is an absolutely vital ingredient when it comes to artistic success. I have a lot of artist friends who seem amazed when good opportunities happen to me--they seem to think that these things just fall in my lap. What they don't appreciate is that I'm constantly working. I'm not sitting back and hoping for someone to recognise me. I'm applying for a show, arranging an exhibition with a friend for next year and a solo the year after, updating my website and art statement, handing out business cards . . . the list goes on. I don't see myself as particularly talented, but I am a hard worker and when I was at University doing a Psychology Degree, I remember being told that passing well meant a combination of 10% talent and 90% hard work. I see 'moving on' as a multi-directional thing. I try and cast the net wide, so to speak. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'll catch good fish every time, but at least I'm increasing my chances by putting myself in the zone."

See Susan's work at http://www.susanknaap.com

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