"The Lost Horizon" 36" x 36" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas $3240
Success is neither magical or mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.~Jim Rohn
Art 2K14 was my third art challenge in a row. I am still learning about myself, my art and the business of marketing as I complete each challenge. My focus was to continue to paint 15,000 to 20,000 square inches for the year, but my biggest focus and challenge was to market and sell more art. It turned out to be a very successful year. In fact, my 2K14 sales was 4 x's the amount that I sold the first challenge, as I consecutively doubled each year. I would like to share some of the things I learned this year and perhaps you can tell me what worked for you this year.
If you don’t make your art public and available for your customers to see your sales will be random.
Out of site out of mind.
Not every venue is the best venue for your work.
You need to know who your customers are.
The more you try different venues, restaurants, country clubs, wineries, galleries, etc. the easier it will be to find out what is more effective and productive for sales.
Build a relationship with your customers and reward them for being your customers.
Great customers love your work and are great promoters of your work, use it to your benefit and their benefit.
Brainstorm and be creative with new ideas and venues for your art.
If a venue was very successful, try to line up the next year with duplicate venue that can either be the same or evolve into something bigger.
It's important that your art is sold by people who love your work.
Keep in contact with your customers, through newsletters, email, snail mail or visits; let them know what you are up to.
Remember your customer’s taste. When you paint something you know they would like, personally contact them and give them first choice.
Make sure you know what your dollar goal is for the year. Keep track of your sales monthly, to figure out your pace for the year.
If you succeed your goal, please keep up the momentum and take advantage of the sales.
Sales come in spurts.
Always be building inventory because without inventory there is no sales.
Have a variety of art to fit all your customer’s needs.
Make sure you save enough of your money from your sales to cover your supplies and extra costs.
Be willing to invest in high quality materials, including framing; your customers will notice.
And lastly, if you start becoming really successful, don’t sabotage yourself. You deserve your success, because you worked hard for it. Keep up the momentum.
*15,000 square inches completed for 2K14
** "Lost Horizon" 36" x 36", acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, Price $3240, If you would like to purchase this painting please contact me at jvander51@msn.com or call (408)460-7237 Thank you!
A Sacred Place-36" x 36" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas $3240
Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. -- Joseph Campbell
I’m a contemplative. I don’t know if I always was one or if that developed after I decided to stay home when Blake was born. I used to be in wholesale lumber sales, where constant noise and activity was the norm. I enjoyed the adrenaline rush of selling a commodity item and yet now I enjoy the quiet solitude of being home.
I have a “sacred space” that I visit regularly. It faces the most spectacular view. As I sit in this space, I easily go within. It puts me in a place of no time where I connect to the larger mind. Here I listen, I pray, I learn, and get inspired. I have been going to this space almost daily for the last 25 years. I originally went to this “sacred space” to be heard and prayed often for it. But now I have learned to listen and be. I am guaranteed something will always happen when I am in this space, especially if I am open.
Listening to the constant chatter that surrounds us daily from social media, the news, television, our cell phones or just noise in general prevents us from hearing our creative muse. Our thoughts from the reptilian brain, the extraneous debris of unusable information encloses us from the frontal creative part of our brain. We become unfocused and distracted by rampant thoughts causing our internal space to be small and cramped. Quietness and solitude can create a vast space for innovative ideas, inspiration, guidance and problem solving.
Find your sacred space, it can be at home, in nature, or wherever you can find a moment of peace and quiet. Soon you will discover this sacred place will also become your creative space, a place of no limits, boundaries or time.
2K14 CURRENT FOOTAGE 10276 SQ INCHES *ALL ART FROM JANET VANDERHOOF’S FINE ART GALLERY, MAYBE SEEN IN JANET’S STUDIO AT MORGAN HILL, CA. YOU MAY PURCHASE BY CONTACTING MY EMAIL JVANDER51@MSN.COM OR PHONE (408) 460-7237. THANK YOU!
“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?“ – Henry David Thoreau
"Cypress at Pebble Beach" 36" x 48" gallery wrapped, Oil and Acrylic $4320
When is the best time of the day to create? I guess the answer is anytime as long as you create.
Each morning I have a plan to get as much done as possible. I do believe my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but I also believe that my schedule is lopsided and out of balance. There are certain things I must do daily and have committed to doing no matter what. I recently added meditation to my list and have been meditating for close to a month. Meditation has made me more focused and also more productive. But it has also made me realize that I am not using my day effectively, especially to create.
So the question when is the best time to create? Everyone probably has a time of the day they feel most productive. I am a morning person so A.M is the most productive time of the day for me. I have heard of people waking up at 3:00 in the morning being inspired regularly to create, so I don’t think there is a hard-set time for creativity and there is an argument that you can’t wait to be inspired before you create you just need to be present and get to work.
In the A.M. I have the most energy and I am the clearest. I usually use this energy to do things that don’t take much thinking; they are habit, exercising, cleaning, chores etc. Then why am I wasting this precious energy that would be most effectively used otherwise especially to create? I do have an answer for that, but that may be another post. I do believe it is “guilt”.
So as of today my schedule is going to change, and that includes creating first thing in the morning. I will try this for 7 days and let you know how my experiment goes.
Would you like to join me? Or is there a schedule that you would like to share that helps you create at your full potential?
*Cypress at Pebble Beach, 36" x 48" oil and acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, $4320
2k14 current footage 7,780 sq. inches *All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
"Abundance" 36" x 48" acrylic on museum wrapped canvas
I have only 602 square inches to go. I can’t believe I am so close to completing my Art20k challenge; painting 20,000 square inches this year.This challenge has created much momentum in my life. I thought that the Art20k challenge would only affect my painting and career as a painter, but found out "the more you do the more you do". I believe this creative energy has caused me to change many things around me with such force. I not only had a challenge to paint 20,000 square inches this year, but also stretched myself to have major remodeling in my home. Doing both has been quite demanding. What was once difficult has now become a natural way of being.Here are some of my enlightenments from doing this challenge so far:
Customers prefer a variety of sizes.
Galleries prefer larger sizes and found they want sizes that fit over couches (I hate to say it).
The more square inches the more sales dollars.
I have a tendency to be more free and creative painting larger.
Smaller paintings can be studies for larger paintings or a catalyst for an innovative idea.
I want to paint looser and looser.
Painting larger makes me want to paint what I enjoy, not what others want.
It can be difficult to complete goals when life has other demands.
I am committing to a higher production standard.
You need to take care of yourself when you do big challenges, eat well, plenty of sleep and take time outs.
Where there is a will there is a way.
Find a way.
I have stretched myself and now realize that I can do more.
What was once a challenge is now a matter of fact.
I can’t go back.
*Painting above, "Abundance" measures 36" x 48" acrylic on museum wrapped canvas, price $4320*ART20K footage completed square inches 19398*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Family Ties 36" x 36" Oil and Acrylic on 1-1/2 museum wrapped canvas
Don't try to recreate something you've done before. Challenge yourself constantly.~Suzanne PartridgeMy setting a big goal for 2012 to paint 52 paintings in one year, caught the attention of Alyson B. Stanfield Art Biz coach. She invited me to speak to her Silver Incubator Group to tell my story; perhaps inspire them to take a leap and challenge themselves to a big goal. I’m now belonging to Alyson’s Silver Incubator Group, where like-minded artists join together on a members-only Facebook group to share advice and their experience. There is a monthly coaching call provided by Alyson, as well as a Monthly Special Topics call, of which this was one of them “Challenge Yourself with a Big Project with Janet Vanderhoof”. The Silver Incubator Group also provides audio recordings, transcripts and products, a plethora of up to date information to help you become the professional artist you always wanted to be.Below is the audio recording of my interview with Alyson, my gift to you, hopefully to inspire you to create your own big challenge.
*Painting above "Family Ties" measure 36" X 36" Oil and Acrylic on museum wrapped canvas-Price $3240*ART20K footage completed 17670 square inches*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
