Emerging artists forum – Sunday 9th May: Notes

Emerging artists forum – Sunday 9th May: Notes

I.Media tools for creative entrepreneurs

Lewis Bostock- filmmaking background – put a short film online – got featured on Creative NZ website – has had 30,000 views – huge audience. Started investigating use of technology.

- personal branding – artists should see themselves as a brand – not in any evil corporate way, but more as a promise -  what do people expect from us when they see our work?

- this idea has a resistance from artists – “pigeonholing” – but need to do this in order to build long term audience. Think of it as visual signature, style

- social networking – eg Twitter, Facebook – about building an audience from immediate peer group – not “target demographic” , but more peers – the people that love you.  Want referral from friends “check out my cool friend”. – can therefore broaden audience out through immediate network

- transparency and clarity is impt – ie “I am on Twitter to sell this.. to get ppl to come to this”. – be clear about what you want.  Be bold and staunch about stating what you want. eg I want ppl to come to my show and pay $15.

- when ppl see and understand what you want, it empowers them to help you

-medium is shifting from media based (programming interrupted by advertising – message is one way)  to two way eg the consumer  can comment on product. Producer can answer questions, be avail to hear consumer feedback, it becomes a conversation. Does dialogue around a work increase ticket sales? Likely. Instead of relying on an expert critic, we all become critics and opinion makers.

- so what happens after we get interest on social networking?  need somewhere to host our content – able to view easily and tech supported eg Youtube, Vimeo.com, blog engines, website - weebly.com, carbonmade.com  - website maker with video and photo hosting, soundcloud.com – for  audio content.

- Is it crucial to have a web presence?  - depends on artist. good for international presence.  Also good if you are interested in having a dialogue with your audience.

Old media/new media shift  - do established artists need one? Don’t be afraid of it.

Facebook – be clear about why you’re using it.  Do your profile accordingly.  Choose the messages you respond to. Do respond to personal posts (maybe by private message).   Go to other artists’ sites, follow their work, comment if you want.  Social karma comes back.

Funding applications – Creative NZ etc – they no longer look at your CV - they google you.  Publishers/agents will look at your existing audience, networks, body of work – are you good at promoting yourself?  So – Google yourself - do you like what you see?  If not you can influence this. 

What type of web presence do you need?

Facebook – ppl you used to know. Friend request – you have to mutually agree to converse. Most trafficked website in NZ.  43% of NZers use social network. Excellent word of mouth engine.

‘Like’ page vs personal page – can separate private from public.  Personal – you are gatekeeper for your own network.  ‘Like’ page – not a person – can be a company, now you can “like” it – no gatekeeper. How do you get more fans for your page?  Get your friends to suggest a page. If you “like” something your friends will know and are more likely to follow.

Twitter – ppl you will soon know. Like a cocktail party – going out and eavesdropping on conversation – “follow them”. They are not obligated to follow you back. Speed networking – you can scan a Twitter feed and track the “buzz”. Set up a permanent search about yourself so you know what people are saying.

You can link to images on Twitter. Also Twit pic – an album which updates to Twitter.

Linkedin – professional network – CV based, for people who are looking for a job.

Tumblr – content based application – multimedia blogging platform – good graphic design , can have short posts “microblogging” . Instantaneous publishing.

Rule of thumb – spend no more than 30 minutes per day on social networking.  Re farming it out to someone else to do?  Don’t outsource unless you are a big company, because social networking depends on authenticity.

Hump day – peak of access to Facebook/Twitter is wed 9- 2 pm.  So this is best time to broadcast an event.

Access issues – is it only a young person’s game?  Nope! Average age of FB user is 39.  The fastest growing demographic on FB is women 45-56. Average age of Twitter user – 38.

It’s easy to get an online presence – write a press release, go to suburban newspapers, build a prior relationship, - this makes it easy. Often making an acquaintance online first then moving it offline works.  eg follow someone on Twitter – then if they follow you back, you can make contact.  Remember your bio and your tweet print will influence whether ppl want to follow you.  Add a link so people can find more information.

If you cold call – do follow up with an email.  Make it easy for journalists. Provide them with a concise media pack – who/what/where/when, 2-3 story leads, a prewritten short media release, one or two good images (head shot, detail of work).

try to get a distinctive name  - not common name – so it’s easy to find info about them.

II. Agency and representation

- How do you approach a gallery?
Start by doing research – go to exhibitions, find out what their theme or “stable” or audience is – find a fit.  Make yourself known, introduce yourself to gallery director without being too pushy, then eventually send an email with a pdf of your work and make an appointment.  ? bring in a piece of your work ? – split opinion on this. If it’s portable, more possible.  Gallery directors are often keen to be asked about their direction and themes.

Pdf – title, date, size, medium, materials and edition
Edition of photographic or print or video – up to price. Editions of 10-25 is standard.
Be strict and honest with edition version.
Take photos of objects with scale object eg pen.
send it in digital before the meeting that you’ve arranged by phone with follow up email.
Take a hard copy of the image with you when you go to the meeting.

Don’t formally ask them to represent you on the first meeting – just show them your work, and if they are interested they will ask.
Be prepared to listen to their feedback, and respond with courtesy – they are people and rejection is hard. They are more likely to look at your work next time. Remember why people are gallery managers/producers/publishers – it’s because they love art.

If you are seen as an artist who takes feedback on board – from audience, producers, gallery owners etc – then they will feel ownership in your work and are more likely to come to see your work.

In showing you’ve done research and making each approach personal, even if they don’t want to show your work they are more likely to be interested in talking to you.

Tips: find a writer who can write about you. Make it a win win situation – send them traffic, offer to collaborate with them, offer intellectual/artistic exchange. What style of writing depends on the publication.

What type of publication – go to your own bookshelf or magazine rack first. Know your niche, minority group or sub culture – exploit this.  Think about subculture – think about doing it yourself or zines, ezines – or find a group that’s doing it and contact them. eg Dybbuk.co.nz  - writers doing art, artists doing writing. See if they are open to submissions.

Consider using a publicist if your show is big enough to justify the money – they can broker those relationships for you to the big things – eg NZ Herald, TV segments, Listener etc.

III. Mentorship

How to get Mentorship

Finding a mentor – if you’re open to the idea of being mentored, it’s more likely that they will be open to the idea

Formally or Informally:

1) Formally – enrol in a degree, ie postgrad diploma in writing drama – identify and approach likely mentors, set up appt, ask  “Would you consider taking me under your wing”. Take into account costs, structure of course, time commitment.

2. Informally – if mentors show interest in your work, they often approach you or attend events where your work is displayed. They will often go out of their way to express interest in your work.  So – if someone you admire displays this interest - go up to them, be open, be confident.  Enthusiasm and desire to explore, clear drive, as well as talent are the most attractive things for a mentor. Set up a meeting with them. “Would you consider helping me or mentoring me” It helps to have a specific project in mind. “I’m having trouble with this bit, could you help me”.

Other ways in:
- Scholarships – eg New Zealand Society of Authors, other guilds – pay something and broker a semi formal contract between you and your mentor – put down in writing what you want to explore with your mentor

Whatever discipline you are, there are many development programs – New Zealand Society of Authors, Writer’s Guild, Development Organisation. Ring them up, talk to them. There are people employed to give advice on this type of thing.

Finding who is available to mentor. Go to Gallery openings (hopefully your own) if people that you’ve admired for ages come up to you and if they come up to you most likely they like your work. Get their contact details and talk to them a bit more about your work. They’re also people and they also like people valuing their work. KNOW THEIR WORK, if you tell them you like their work, be specific. Be shameless, but don’t be a groupie! Bring your businesscards.

Businesscards – Vistaprint.com. Free business cards. Pay for processing and packaging $7.50 for 250 – 500 cards
Moo.com – make a businesscard through Flickr.
If you’re an artist, make it really beautiful and unique. Hand-printed, etching, great material. Make sure they’re easy to mass produce, and you should have them handy every time you’re in an event.

The returns of paying for business cards are high. They sit in people’s wallets, are looked at and passed on to others. make sure you label yourself what you want to be your brand. Rate of return on getting contacted back is high. 

- you have to believe you have value, that people would want to look at what you worked hard on, the more you talk about your “brand” and the more practice you have, the better people will know what you offer in terms of your art.

Guilds – New Zealand Society of Writers – Writers
Playwrights – Script to Screen
Artist’s Alliance

The bigger they get and the more funding they eventually get, the more politics get involved. So do your research, don’t just rule them out because of hearsay.

New Zealand Writer’s Guild – online resource
Screenwriters Guild – development programs that are free. Great networking sites, free food, you’re their target audience.

Script to Screen Events – writing side and showing feature film side
- Industry members, creatives, focused discussions, industry leaders, free pizza, summary at the end
- Auckland Tuesdays monthly
- They started doing development opportunities, workshops, free or low cost
-Take advantage of them coz you don’t know who you’re gonna

Pecha Kucha – 16-20 speakers, creatives, 20 slides for 8 mins each
- always packed at Galatos
- so from the speakers to the audience there’s PLENTY of people that could be possible mentors / collaborators.
- www.pechakucha.co.nz

The next Forum is on 27th June, 2-5, Satellite Gallery:

- Business side of Art - Sophia Minson
(does anyone have a good email address of an accountant for creatives?)

Copyright  – intellectual property - Yee Yang Lee

Engaging with public institutions – Vera Mey