With the holiday season upon us artwork tends to fall by the wayside. There are parties to attend, gifts to purchase, relatives to visit, and all the other myriad of things that need to be done. What's an artist to do?

A painter friend of mine has a rule. He finishes at least one painting per day. Yes, you read that right. He is disciplined. He completes one painting so that it is ready to be sold every single day of the year.

Now, he is a rather fast painter. I certainly can't work that quickly. My type of art requires a much longer time to complete. However, I could create a rule that I have to work on my art for a certain amount of time every day.

Yeah, right. I've gone almost seven weeks without doing any artwork. But, but, but, I had valid reasons. I had to make a wedding gown. And we've been remodeling. And there were a couple of migraine days. And, and, and...

There will always be excuses. Yes, I understand, life intrudes. However, if you are serious about your work, then why aren't you devoting time to it?

I am going to take my own advice and work on some art. TODAY!

It has been another interesting year at the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair Festival. One of the things that made it interesting was the fact that my marketing efforts are starting to pay off. This is the first year that I can directly attribute a large percentage of my sales at this 9-week long art show to my email list.

And, it was the first year that I have ever heard the following comment: “I’m bored.”

Not the kind of thing you want to hear. So, here’s what happened: I was talking to a woman and her young daughter. I was explaining how I create my art. I showed them both the work in progress and the parts and pieces that go into it. As I always do, I made it a point to include the child. When I finished, the mother turned to her daughter and asked, “So, what do you think?” In a loud and obnoxious voice, the girl brayed, “I’m bored!”

Her words reverberated through my section of the show causing the other patrons to look in our direction. The mother was apologetic, but it was clear that the girl simply did not want to be there. (Unfortunately, I did not have a good comeback prepared. Only later did I think to say something like, “Oh, you poor thing…Is your imagination broken?”)

That one comment grated on me.

Not only was it insulting to me, but to my artwork as well. But, is was uttered by a girl who wasn’t old enough to know better. But, it was still bothersome. But, it really wasn’t directed at me. But, it stung. But… but… but…

Here’s the thing…for every one of those comments, you will get many like this: “My son and I attended the festival and yours is one of the select number of cards I actually did pick up. Thank you for sharing your art talent with us. We really enjoyed it… So thanks again. I wanted to express my appreciation for the way you beautify the world.”

This lovely gem of a compliment showed up in my voicemail yesterday. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I touched someone enough that they felt compelled to let me know.

So, the next time you hear a rude remark about your art, think of all the wonderful things other people have said about your work. They’ll help to soften the blow of those negative comments.  Focus on those positives, and keep beautifying the world.

This isn't so much about what to write about, but how to make it easier to write posts.

The first idea is to write in a series. My previous post was about 7 ideas for writing blog posts.  This post continues with other blog ideas. Rather than writing one really long post, break it up into separate sections and post them periodically.

Next idea: Write a bunch of posts all at once. Don't post them all at once, just write them in one sitting. Save them and post them over several days.

Another idea: Check if your blog host has the capability to post automatically. Some blog hosts will let you schedule your posts. That way you can write several posts and then schedule them automatically to post even when you're not sitting at your computer. I am writing this post right after I published the previous one, but this one won't get posted for a couple more days.

Last idea: Update an old post. Publish an older post but include more information to update. For example, if your post was about creating a piece of artwork, repost it and include the information that the artwork sold.

That's all for now, I have to go make artwork for an upcoming show.

I used to have trouble trying to figure out what to write in my blog posts, and my Facebook posts for that matter. I used to wonder if anyone was even reading my posts.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only were people reading, but they actually cared about what I was writing.

What I've discovered is that the more I write, the more people are interested and the better my chances of someone purchasing something from me.

So, if you're having trouble coming up with things to write about, download the infographic below and try out some of the ideas.

Often times the first words upon greeting a fellow artist are, "Are you ready for the show?"

It's a common question with a common response: No.

Let's face it, we're never really ready for a show. There's always one more thing to do, one more item to create, one more display to improve.

The days before a show are spent agonizing over what to make that is going to sell at that particular show.

And then there's the endless visualizing of the booth display. Maybe that print bin would work better on the other side of the booth.

In the end, you do all of the preparations you can. You make your best guess as to what will sell at that show. And, you display your work in the best possible way with what you have.

Finally, you get to the show, you set up, and you do the best job you can at selling your work.

And then you go through the whole process all over again for the next show. Ah, the life of an artist.

For many years I kept a mailing list. I dutifully took a guest book with me to every show and collected names and addresses. The book would come home with me and then get tossed in with the rest of the show stuff until it was time for the next show.

This went on for years. I had this book of names and never did anything with it.

About two years ago I decided it was time to do something about that. I signed up for an email service (I happen to like MailChimp) and started sending out a newsletter.

At the beginning, I wasn't really consistent about sending out emails. However, I would always try to get a newsletter out right before doing a show. What I quickly noticed was that my customers were coming to the shows! It was just a few customers, but those few actually bought from me and made the difference between the show being profitable or not.

When I started communicating more consistently, I noticed something else. Many of my newsletters would include photos of my progress on a new piece. When these customers would come to a show, they would ask if I had finished the piece yet.

This was very exciting to me. People were actually interested in what I was doing. And they were excited to be a part of it.

Years ago I used to do a show in Dana Point, California. It was a beautiful location right by the ocean. From my booth I could see the tall ship Pilgrim. I sold pretty well at this show.

For a variety of reasons (mostly that I kept forgetting to sign up), I stopped doing this show. Well, this year I thought I should do it again. My reasoning was that my newer artwork more reflected the location. I am doing much more nautical art and I figured it would be a great fit at this show.

I got up early the morning of setup and arrived at the show location 10 minutes before the allowed setup time. I like to do this whenever possible just because it is easier to setup when you don't have to contend with your neighbors.

When I got to the check-in area, there was no one there. Not even the usual line of vendor vehicles waiting to get in. Did I get the date wrong? No, there were lots of barricades up and other pre-show stuff going on.

I found the person in charge and I was in the right place, I was just the first one there. They showed me to my space and I started setting up. About 20 minutes later a few other vendors started straggling in.

Then I noticed who the other vendors were...

There was the window replacement contractor, and the local credit union, and the made in China seller, and the made in Vietnam seller, and, well, you get the idea. When I had a chance to walk the show, I found that maybe 5 out of 50 or so vendors actually made their own stuff.

There were many other changes to this show as well. Like music that didn't fit the theme, and making visitors pay to get into all of the event except the vendor section.

Needless to say, my sales were not very good. And, I was really disappointed.

And what did I learn from this experience?

Two things: First, shows change and you've gotta know when to keep doing them and when to stop. And second, heed my own advice. Investigate a show before doing it.

If you want to avoid the mistake I made, get this book, The 35 Questions to Ask Before Applying to a Show:

I recently started coaching a fellow artist. Although she has a background in marketing, she is not sure how to apply all of that to selling her own artwork. She knows she needs to do something, but she i't sure what. Her first thought was that it was her website that needed updating and she asked me to work on it.

She was right, her website was just a bunch of photos with no story behind them. I started out by asking what her objective was. She wants to sell her art.

Okay! Now that I know the objective, I can ask some questions.

• Do you have an email list? Sort of.
• Do you send emails out a on regular basis? No.
• Do you have stories written about each of your art pieces that gives the viewer an emotional connection to the art? No.
• Do you want to only sell your originals or do you want to also include print-on-demand items? Ummm, what?
• Do you have a hook to get people to want to continue to visit your website? No.

Turns out she needs a lot more than just her website fixed. In this case, this artist is in need of an extreme makeover. All of the above mentioned stuff needs to be done all at once. Each of those puzzle pieces fits with all of the others.

Let's break them down...
Your mailing list is a list of pre-qualified leads. These are people who saw your work at a show or who have visited your website and liked what they saw. These people are gold.

That mailing list needs to be nurtured. Sending out a newsletter or other communications on a periodic basis will keep you at the top of their mind. And maybe give them a nudge to visit your website again.

When they do get to your website, if you have a story to tell, they will have a reason to make more of a connection to your work rather than just looking at a pretty pictures. The more emotional the connection, the more likely that they will buy.

Not all artists can or want to have print-on-demand products available for sale, but for those who do, you are giving your customers an easy way to purchase your work. And you're giving yourself an easy way to sell your work. If you're not familiar with print-on-demand sites have a look at FineArtAmerica.com, CafePress,com. or Zazzle.com. There are many other sites of this type, but this should give you a good idea of how they work.

And, if your customers don't buy from you right away, you need to have something to entice them to continue to visit your website. There are many ways to do this. You could have a blog on your site that answers some of the common questions that you get. You could offer them a freebie like a free calendar that they can download and print themselves (click here to see mine). Or you could send them to a page on your website that has an easy tutorial.

All of these pieces feed on each other and should be done concurrently. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. And there is no right answer to which one to do first. My answer is pick one and do it!

Over the summer I was working on this piece as a tribute to my father. He served aboard this ship when he was in the Navy.

As I often do at shows, I demonstrate my techniques. One particular afternoon as I was working on this piece, a lady came up to me and wanted to know what I was doing. As I was right in the middle of a perfect section to demonstrate, I gave her the full description of my process. I showed her how I look at the photograph to get the shape and size of each element just right. I showed her how I cut out each tiny piece, I showed her how I glue the piece down. And then I showed her how I stitch it to add the detail.

When I finished with all of this, she asked, "Where did you buy the kit?"

My mind first went blank. Then it started racing. I was thinking, "Um, did you not listen to my explanation? Did you not watch me do this? Does this even look like a kit?"

After all of this quickly went through my mind all I was able to say to her was, "It's not a kit."

I still don't know what a good comeback would have been. And I am still dumbfounded by this question. I guess people just continue to surprise me. And, I think I'll just not have an answer for this one. Chalk it up as another one of those things to laugh about after the show is over.

So if you are struggling with how to respond to people at shows, then you need this book, The Shy Artist's Guide to Answering Questions. Click below to get one.

It's been a while since I lasted posted. A lot has happened in that time, the most significant of which has been the passing of my father.

This has been a very difficult time for me and my family. And, it has had a very direct impact on both my writing career and my art career. I am hoping that as time goes on, things will become easier.

For now, please bear with me. I will get back to writing again soon.