Sneaky Thief

"Sneaky Thief" got your attention, did it?

Well it should. But no, I'm not talking about some nefarious person on the Internet, but it might as well be, because it can steal business from you. More on that later.

The sneaky thief isn't a person, The sneaky thief is the distracting, time-sucking electronic quicksand spam emails you receive. All of it probably isn't even "spam" per se, but could be stuff that you signed up for!

I'm just as guilty as anyone reading this could possibly be. I just spent at least half an hour of valuable time to unsubscribe from different email newsletters. All kinds of stuff - health information from WebMD, recipes and special offers, really old business groups, and the like.

I think one of the problems we creative folks have is that we are just so gosh darn interested in EVERYTHING! But it becomes clutter.

I've had a problem lately of emails being "lost." I wondered if it was because I had my email account for so long, there was just so much junk in it that that could be bogging it down. So I took a closer look. There were a lot of email newsletters that I really don't read anymore. Either the information isn't something I'm into anymore, or I just don't have the time. But I realized I would just delete them out of habit. Deleting is fine, but the problem was that there would be a new email from the same newsletter the next week! So it was like shoveling snow while it's snowing. Running in mud, to use another nature analogy.

Well duh! Time to unsubscribe!

Most emails have an 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom (they're supposed to, but not all have that...sneaky jerks!) Safe Unsubscribe links are easy and convenient and follow the same format, which speeds up the process of unsubscribing from many mailings. Other sites have unsubscribe pages but some are made so you really have to do a lot of reading to make sure you actually tell it to do what you want. They do that so it will be harder for you to leave their list.

Now this unsubscribe process is ridiculously long when you have 100 to do. So here's my advice for what it's worth.

1) Before subscribing to anything, really think twice about how important it is to you. Do you really need it?

2) Review your junk emails on a monthly basis, so you can rid yourself of the time-sucking albatross more conveniently.

3) When you check your email, try not to quickly click 'Delete,' instead think about whether you really need that subscription or what-have-you any more. If you've received a newsletter from the same site or organization before and you've routinely deleted it, it's time for it to go.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that those extraneous emails steal business from you. How so?
I have so many emails that I didn't see all of them. It has caused me to be late in returning correspondence. That's death for any business.

Advice on packing and shipping your art

PACKING one-of-a-kind artwork for SHIPPING from Harriete Estel Berman

For the additional slideshows in this series, please see Harriete Estel Berman's website: http://ow.ly/cgLMT. Big thanks to Alyson Stanfield, of the Art Biz Coach for sharing this information!  Of course this is not specific to pencil portrait shipping, but a lot of the advice applies, and/or will give you something to think about!

Also check out: 

3 Great things to include with your outbound orders
Mailing your pencil portraits
Repeat after me...no more round mailing tubes!

Should you give clients previews of your unfinished pencil portraits?

Every customer has different needs. Some want to follow the portrait through every step of the drawing process. This type of client wants previews and updates all the way through the job and often.

The problem with the in-progress, unfinished preview from the artist's point of view is that the artwork does not yet look great. Because of this, an unfinished picture often causes too many problems in that it causes the client to doubt their decision to hire you. They may nitpick the artwork. 

Of course, the artwork's not perfect at this point, because it’s not finished!
Another negative aspect is that if you are sensitive, the criticism may effect your ability to create. Your self esteem may suffer.

I think it's best to avoid any in-progress previews, but rough sketches of your layout are okay.

So, how can you avoid sending a client an unfinished preview? You can diplomatically avoid sending an unfinished picture by letting the client know what to expect ahead of time, when you accept the commission.

You can tell the client you will send a preview by email when the art is finished, or you can tell them that you will send one in-progress picture. Assure them that you will stay in touch with them throughout the process.

Repeat after me...no more round mailing tubes!

It really pays to have a good UPS Store guy (Store #2721 in Loganville Georgia) to give you the information you need to hear, like: "Boxes or triangular-shaped is better than round mailing tubes, because round can roll...as in, ROLLS OFF THE TRUCK!"

Did you ever think of  that? That a round mailing tube could roll off the truck? Probably not. Seems obvious though, doesn't it?

 "Dammit, Jim! I'm an ARTIST, not a LOGISTICS EXPERT!"

The reason I completely switched over to shipping via UPS was an experience I had with regular U.S. Mail one Christmas.  I had a pencil portrait that needed to get to Ireland in time for Christmas. I had sent it in a round mailing tube (mistakes help us learn!)

I heard from the customer that his artwork arrived very late on Christmas Eve, but it all ended well since it got there, but it was a real nail biter. UPS gives me better tracking. I am happy to pay a bit more money for less stress and to be able to give better customer service.

I still have to mail larger artworks in a mailing tube, but now I often put the round tube inside a triangular-shaped one.

"I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives... I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say!"

Most of the portraits I do are 11"x14", so I mail them flat. If you have ever tried to flatten out anything that has been rolled up for some time, you know how difficult it is to handle.

That's why I prefer to send flat whenever possible. It's easier for the customer.

And it doesn't roll off a truck.

Time Management Tips for Freelance Artists

In cleaning out my desk, I always find interesting things. I am a collector of clippings, etc -- but not so much a good organizer of these clippings! So I often have to just be brutal and throw a lot of stuff out. But sometimes there are clippings/notes that are too good to throw away, but where to put them is the problem -- so I realized that putting it in this blog might be the best place for them.

Here is one of them, called Time Management for Freelance Artists.

• Ask yourself, what can I do right now to get started?
• Know exactly what you're doing and why.
• Concentrate on what you're doing, live in the NOW.
• Work with as much energy and enthusiasm as you can.
• Know when you are working and when you are not.
• Spend as much time as possible on priorities.
• Eliminate procrastination!
• Know your specific goals and your specific motivators.
• Think of time spent in waiting rooms as creative time.
• Invest time in exercise. Walk, run, join a fitness club.
• Keep your long-term goals always in view
• Pinpoint your most productive times of the day and use them to your greatest benefit.
• Set your own deadlines, and be a tough boss.
• When possible start every job when it is assigned even if your client doesn't need it until next week. You'll do a better job than if youre under unnecessary stress. Sloppy work doesn't pay.
• Avoid interruptions whenever possible.
• Learn how to say "no" and "goodbye."
• Know how long things take and always add on some more time for good measure "just in case."
• Establish high quality leisure and rest time
• Plan your day around routines that are a necessary part of your lifestyle -- showering, meals, daily chores and errands. Such regular routines are easy to plan around.
• When you can't be interrupted, kick on your answering machine and call them back later.

I do not know where this came from. I've had it for years, as you can tell by the reference to the answering machine! Just replace that last one with "if you are creating, let your calls go to voice-mail and call them back later."

Pencil portrait art business advice

Letter I received (edited)
Dear Darla,
I am an incarcerated artist with 25 years experience drawing pencil portraits from photos. I am due to be paroled this August to the Las Vegas area. However, my goal is to find a job in the arts-related field, so, if the pursuit of that job leads me elsewhere, so be it.  I'm excited and nervous as to what prospects may lie ahead.
I have a business/marketing degree that will be of some help, and a lot of creative energy to apply to any endeavor.
If you happen to have any more information that would be helpful to a person in my situation, please let me know.
Thank you for your time and help.
Respectfully,
RH
Dear RH,
Thank you for your nice letter. It is a good idea to be researching what you can do.
I think the best information I can give you is to tell you what you can expect. I have been creating pencil portraits by commission for about 12 years now. The best year I have had, I grossed $8,000. That is, before taxes and expenses. I am not saying this to be discouraging, but to give you an idea of what you can realistically expect.
I augment this income by writing, affiliate marketing and pay-per-click marketing. That brings about $2,000 a year.
This income helps me stay home with our kids. Also realize that because I am spending a lot of time raising children, I do not have as much time to devote to my art as you might.
Portraits may be something you can do to bring money in while you look for a job, and when you get a job, you can do portraits in the evenings and on weekends.
The art example you sent me is very good and you definitely should work on getting into an art-related field to stay positive and fulfilled.

A portrait artist takes Triberr for a test run

I recently tried a site called Triberr - it's a site where you join a "tribe" of other people and share each other's tweets by retweeting, etc. When the people in the tribe post to their blogs, the site autosends the posts to Twitter. Not just for that user, but to the Twitter feed of every person in the tribe. It did indeed increase hits to my blog (Triberr calls itself "the reach multiplier"). I think for some kinds of businesses it is great. For writers, I see it as an extremely valuable tool.

However, I received messages from some Twitter followers saying that they missed the "personal nature" of my Twitter account as it was before. A couple tweets went out automatically that had some kind of questionable titles and/or content.

Between the kind nudges from the fans and the inappropriate tweets going out, I decided it wasn't for me. Not to be prudish, it wasn't so much the content as much as my feeling of lack of control of things being posted that looked like I was posting them but I wasn't actually creating each action. I really don't feel comfortable in having that control taken out of my hands.

I will say though, that the networking and friendship factor in Triberr is a great thing, and one time when I had a problem, one of the creators of the website (Dino Dogan) emailed me personally and fixed my problem for me. I was very impressed! So Triberr has a lot of great things going for it.

I'm not knocking Triberr, but I do encourage you to really think about it, whether using a tool like Triberr to auto-tweet is going to be helpful for you, or whether it won't be a good "fit" for a portraitist. Personally, I think that portraits are such a personal thing for people to order, it deserves the personal touch.

If you want to learn more about how Triberr works, check out this About Us page of Triberr's blog.

3 Great Things To Include With Your Outgoing Orders

3 things you definitely want to include in your pencil portrait shipment

• An explanation of how to care for the art properly, encouraging them to call you with any questions or concerns.

• Your Business Card (at least 2. One for the client, one for them to give a friend)

• A Thank You Card or Note - Mine serves two purposes, as a thank you and gives the customer a discount on a future order. I have two cards - one for $10 off a future order, and another for $50 off a future order, that I use as business flow dictates (in other words, if I am overloaded with work, I don't give a $50 discount, I give the $10 card)

Ask questions to improve customer service

Pencil artists, there many ways you can improve your service to customers that don't cost you anything. One way is to know how your shipper works. Being educated about how your particular shipping method determines prices can help your customers.

Today, I had a customer email me from the United Kingdom. It is typical for me to give a quote and explain that I would need to check with the shipping company I use for the current price for mailing to the UK. But today I explained a bit more to the client -- that the UPS shipping rate is affected by many factors, including fuel prices at the time of shipment, and whether the destination mailing address is deemed Residential or Business. (Some rural addresses have surcharges because they are out in "the boonies")

It occurred to me that the customer might work in a town (at a Business zoned address) and could live at a rural address. In that case, the client could save a lot of money by having the artwork mailed to her at her work address.

So I mentioned this to the client and advised her "So if you have an office in one area and live in another area/code, and wouldn't mind which one the art gets delivered to, let me know both and I can check to see if either one gives you any kind of decrease in charge."

It's as easy as asking a question to get more information to be able to help somebody. With an international shipment, a little tweak like this could result in a much lower charge for your client. Of course they'll remember you for that, even if it doesn't help them in the end, at least you cared enough to look into it.

Always act in your customers' best interests.

Pre-Scheduling Your Twitter Posts

Scheduled Tweets - Maybe you don't know what this is. It's a Twitter thing, and even if you use Twitter, you may not be aware of it. But there are sites that help a Twitter user (usually a marketing/PR person) to pre-write their Twitter posts and schedule them to run at designated times. If you see certain people on Twitter all the time, you may think at first they have no life. Maybe they don't, but the odds are, they could just have pre-scheduled their Twitter entries.

It seems brilliant at first. What a great idea it is to spend about 20 minutes a day setting up your Twitter posts, then having them post automatically for you at certain intervals you set.

However, a problem that's inherent in these pre-tweets is that they can't take into account stuff going on in the world. The events of the past few weeks have really made me aware of this flaw. For instance, when Osama Bin Laden was killed, everybody on Twitter was discussing it. Automatic Twitter entries that talked about "how to decorate the perfect cupcake" were out of place. I can't remember if the Twitter posts were actually about decorating cupcakes, but there were Twitter entries that were out of place.

Similarly, when a majority of people are on Twitter discussing approximately 200 people missing and unaccounted for after a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, I again saw the sales and marketing tweets that were badly timed. I realized then that automatic tweets would be something I would never do. You never know what might happen in the world, and your auto-tweets could be terribly inappropriate.

UPDATE: I tried Triberr

11 Ways to Fail Fantastically at Social Marketing

Bore people. Keep your accounts completely void of personality.

Some people think that you have to be "all business," but (especially for artists) people really want to know about you. Your life may seem boring to you, but to our reader, the fact that you're sharpening your pencils or buying art supplies might be very interesting. Add a dash of humor. Combine a little business with a little personal flair.

Read more on my Squidoo lens

How To Backfire Using Facebook

I use Facebook. I've made mistakes (nobody's perfect after all) but fortunately from just observing what other people do, I've been able to avoid making too many mistakes.

One thing I've observed that is a sales backfire is someone using their personal Facebook account for business. I mean outright SALES. A person who uses Facebook this way can even turn off dear friends.

Here's an example of how that works - er...fails.

Your Facebook friend mentions her mother's birthday is coming up, and she posts this:

"My mom's birthday is coming up! She's going to be 60! We are planning a big party because it's also the weekend of my parents' 35th wedding anniversary! We're so excited!"

As a pencil portrait artist, of course you see a lot of potential here to "make a sale." As you know, as pencil portrait artists, our portraits DO make great birthday and anniversary gifts. Sure would be great to point that out, wouldn't it? [Warning! Warning! Do NOT do this!] But hold up, Sparky! Your friend did not ask for gift ideas for the occasion.

"Yay! I can create a beautiful portrait to commemorate this occasion! My portraits make great gifts for weddings AND anniversaries!"

If I could add sound effects to my blog, right here I'd put the sound of an aircraft going down in flames with a spiral of black smoke coming out of the engines.

Business "experts" might even advise you to work in your sales pitch into a personal conversation. On the other hand, why not just be a friend instead of a salesperson . People on your list probably already know you do pencil portraits and art. Or whatever it is you sell or do. They already know!

By blasting that stuff in there, even though you tried to seem conversational, you have failed. Your friend just wants you to be a friend.

This is similar to your friend inviting you into their house to a party, and you bringing your portfolio and shoving it in peoples' faces without your friend even inviting you to bring your portfolio. They invited YOU, not your portfolio. Appreciate that. Do you think you would ever be invited to another party at her house again after being so pushy? Most likely not. No "sale" is worth losing a friend.

The best response is something along the lines of "How wonderful that your parents have had such a long and happy marriage! If I can help you with anything for the party, let me know!"
Of course, don't offer to help with the party if you really can't help...but your friend is really just looking for some affirmation of how great the party and event will be, and she's clearly proud of her family.

If there is a secret to success on Twitter or Facebook, it's as easy as just being a friend and being appreciative. Work on being positive, but never be fake with compliments. If you say their kids are adorable, you better mean it. As ridiculous as it seems people keep trying to fake sincerity. It never works!

Let your business promotion happen naturally, do not force it. If you want a business promotion page, then set up a SEPARATE fan page for your art business. These pages are free to set up on Facebook.

Questions or comments on this topic? You can leave them here or feel free to contact me on Twitter @DarlaDixon.

Your website makes me want to hurl.

Pardon me, but it's time to be blunt.

I have been looking at a few artist's websites today, and I've been disappointed by what I've seen. It's not that the art on the websites was bad...their art is good.

It's that the artists are talented, I know they're talented, because I've either seen their art in person or browsed their portfolio -- but their websites don't reflect that. Their websites are full of gaudy colors, show artwork unfinished, have links that don't work, play obnoxious music in a repetitive, nerve-wracking loop.

What I see is talented artists trying to do their own websites. I created my own website, but I started it back when I didn't have much artwork to do. It's fine to fiddle around and learn to make a website when there's no business -- but, if you have art clients, you should be doing art, not struggling to create a website. Pay or barter a deal with someone who can set up your website. Let them do what they're good at doing, so you can do what you're good at doing.

It almost makes me sick to my stomach when the website doesn't reflect the artist's skills well. One artist in particular is probably the most talented artist I've ever met, and her website had me groaning, "Why? Whyyyyy?" It's very painful to see such poor representation on the web.

If your website doesn't represent you well, then it might be more appropriate to have have an Etsy shop or a free page on Fine Art America or Art Wanted.

Some artwork questions

Hi Darla, I absolutely love your artwork, and learned so much from reading your blogs.

I had a question, on your drawings with the dark backgrounds, what do you use to get the dark background and not have it smear all over your picture while you are drawing it in?

I use a sheet of paper, usually a sheet of typing/computer paper - I avoid paper with anything printed on it, in case the print or design rubs off. I do the background last. Some artists work mainly left to right if they are right handed, that helps too. But I generally draw the subject then I do the background. That's just my preference.

To keep white areas you want to stay white, you can use a product called liquid masque. You'll find it in art stores or art supply catalogs - It's not very common to find in a store. I've never used it but have always wanted to try it!

and if you just use regular pencil, how do you get it soooo smooth looking? with no pencil lines? It looks amazing.

Try sharpening your pencil really long, and then shade with the side of the pencil, instead of the point. Try the Tombow Mono Homograph pencils, if you haven't tried them. I love them. Then smooth it with chamois.

also when you sell your drawings, what is the average size of the paper you use, is it like 8 x 10 size or larger generally?

I prefer 11x14 paper and I generally make the image area about 8x10. It's a pretty good size but allows enough paper for the framer to work with. I like a bit of edge around the artwork myself!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. :D

You're welcome, check out http://www.squidoo.com/pencildrawingsupplies and http://squidoo.com/pencilportraitmoduleslist for more info!

Shipping and handling

I like using UPS to ship my portraits for several reasons.

The customer service I am able to give my clients, by being able to get a package to them on a particular day that fits best into their schedule (if required); Being able to tell the customer when to expect the package, and being able to give them a tracking number gives peace of mind.

USPS has some shipping options like Priority Mail, and that is cheaper than UPS. You can get some tracking, but the tracking is extremely weak...almost non-existent. So I stick with UPS.

Make sure your website won't overwhelm

I have been working on my website again. I've been pretty busy so I've left it alone, and the lack of attention has been showing.

One thing I've noticed is that as I added to my website, the list of links on the left navigation bar got very long. It had 15 links on it. That's just too much for the average website visitor to see. If you're lucky, the average site visitor is going to spend

Help me help you

I get asked for help often. Not that I know everything of course, but I love to help when I can, but people have to take first steps to help themselves. Of course, asking for help - as this person did, is a good and brave step for many people.


But when you do aks for help, good lord - don't make the person have to do Internet research in order to try to help you! How are clients going to find you too?!? In this case, I couldn't help but just be blunt. There was more I could say, but I decided to just start with basics.

Ask if the portrait needs to match another

You may remember that earlier I wrote about keeping a record of the specifics of portraits you do, especially portraits of children (measure the size of the child's image, for example - in case you do another child's portrait for the family and they want them to match).

Mailing your pencil portraits

Hi Darla!

What kind of packaging/how do you ship your portraits in to make sure they aren't damaged through the mail?

Thanks!!

I send my pencil portraits unframed. If you frame your art, then these ideas won't be the best for your purpose.

I used to use two 11"x3"x10", what I would do is cut down one of them to create sort of a cardboard envelope, then that would go inside a priority mail box kept flat, and then tape around the edges. It took way too long to cut those mailers and create the envelopes.

Uline corrugated boxes on sale

Uline is having a sale on corrugated shipping boxes. If you need boxes to ship your art, they are on sale for 35% off, but there is a minimum order amount of 100 boxes. LINK