When we arrived, there were many people already there at the gallery.  I wasn’t sure what this artist looked like, and it took me some time to find him huddled in the far back corner of the room, sitting hunched over in a chair.

I approached him and said “Hi!  I’m so glad to meet you.  I’ve been collecting your art for a long time!”  He barely looked up, still sitting, and grunted an inaudible greeting.  I felt awkward.  I continued “It’s great to have you here in Southern California.”  He didn’t respond, as he was looking past me, possibly hoping to see someone more interesting to talk to.  Feeling  uncomfortable, I slowly slinked away.

I left that exhibit feeling disappointed that I went.   I didn’t purchase any art that night, and I never bought another one of his prints again.  Why?  Because I was sorry that I went.

It’s Easy to Make them Glad they Came:  It would have been so easy for this artist to not only make me feel glad that I went to his show, but to encourage me to buy one of his paintings and remain a collector for life.

Let’s relive that scenario again, only this time, with the result of an art collector being glad that they came:

When I arrived, there were many people already there at the gallery.  I knew immediately who the artist was, as he was greeting almost everyone who came in the door.

I walked in, and he looked me in the eye and said “Thanks for coming.  I’m glad you’re here.”  And even though he was saying that to everyone, I still felt special.  He then pointed me to the wine bar and suggested that I look around.  “Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.”  He said.

Later, feeling welcome and comfortable, I approached and said “Hi!  I’m so glad to meet you.  I’ve been collecting your art for a long time!.”  He thanked me, and asked my name.  Then he asked where I was from.  And he seemed very interested in knowing more about me, and what I liked about his work.  I felt very connected to him, and most of all, I felt that he appreciated me being there.  It feels good to be appreciated!

I bought a painting that night.  I spent more than I wanted to, but now that we were on a first name basis, I felt very connected to this artist.  I am a collector for life.   And I was glad that I came.

Here’s Just a Few Little Things You Can Do To Make Them Glad They Came:

1. Greet every guest at the door and tell them”I’m glad you’re here!” (like you mean it). Shake their hand.
2. Offer every new arrival a drink (or direct them to where the drinks are).
3. Connect your guests with other guests “Oh, Tom, I want you to meet Phil.  He’s been an admirer of your art for some time.”
4. Offer to give a tour of your new paintings – walk the guest from painting to painting.
5. Ask everyone what their name is, where they are from.  Engage and act interested in them.
6. When someone’s leaving, thank them for coming, and mean it.

Just these small actions will make the difference between your event being memorable or not.

What if I’m Shy or Not a People-Person?  Some artists have trouble being outgoing.  That’s okay – just as you learned to paint, you can learn to be friendly and act interested in someone.  It doesn’t take a lot to say hello to everyone that walks into your exhibit.  And it’s just as easy to thank them when they are leaving.

I want you to be remembered!  Make the effort, and the rewards will come back to you tenfold.

xxoo Spunk Brophy (Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/mariabrophy)

PLEASE, Check out my other blog that helps creative people to design the life and career of their dreams!

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips to a Profitable $ Art Exhibit
2. License Your Art Part II – Make a Plan
3. Make a Veerrrry Scary Skeleton Head!

PERSONAL EXAMPLE: About 80% of our income comes from licensing Drew’s art. (See Sigg Bottle to your left). The image on the bottle titled “PURE JOY” was painted in 1998 and the original was sold to a collector from LA at an exhibit at The Surf Gallery in 98′. I think we sold that painting for about $500, but we’ve licensed the image for so many different products over the years, it’s earned us approximately $450,000 to date, and continues to be a popular, iconic image.

So, what do you need to do license your art? Click on the “more” link for our 6 tips:

6 TIPS ON LICENSING YOUR ART:

1.) GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR @&*! and make a REAL committment: because to be successful, you have to be 100% committed. It’s hard work. It’s not a walk in the park. It may take 10-20 years of developing yourself AS A BRAND to see the big time money. You can’t be one of those lazy artists that only does what he feels like doing when he feels like doing it. No excuses, no complaints, no whines. Make the committment!

2.) Learn everything you can about licensing: A committed artist will attend the Licensing International Expo, join LIMA, take the Licensing University courses, and read every book you can on licensing. I recommend Licensing Art and Design: A Professional’s Guide to Licensing and Royalty Agreements as a great start.

3.) Develop your art and yourself as a Brand: You are your brand, and so is your art. Have your own distinct style, one that is easliy recognized. People have to like you to want to buy your products – so be cool.

4.) Get an attorney that specializes in Licensing: This is so important. You’ll need an attorney to put together your licensing contracts. You can get one contract that is generally used for most deals. We do that. But please, don’t use your uncle Bob who’s a general attorney. It’s like going to a General Practitioner for a boob job. They’ll screw things up. You can find licensing attorneys at the licensing trade shows, through LIMA, etc.

5.) Always retain the (c) to your art: and have complete control over what anyone does with it. You’ll have a duty to your licensees (the companies that license your art) to not let some of your art get bastardized by someone else. The only way to ensure complete control is to ALWAYS retain the (c) to EVERYTHING, even those pieces of art that you think are not important. Trust me on this one.

6.) Strategize and plan your direction. Where do you want to have your products sold? Do you want high end items or to sell to the masses. Plan this out. And go back to tip #1……….

I have so much more to write about on this topic!

If tip #1 didn’t scare you off, please feel free to write comments and ask questions!

I want to see you succeed…..

Faithfully yours, Spunk Brophy

This article (c) 2008 Maria Brophy

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips to a Profitable $ Art Exhibit
2. License Your Art Part II – Make a Plan
3. Work Smarter, not Harder – How to License Your Art Part 1