artists

Art World Tips: Why Should You Network?

by Monika Blichar, Producer & Owner Art World Expo

A shot of the Diamond Dolls Networking Group in 2013.

When I used to think of traditional networking, I used to think of early morning breakfast meetings, serious business suit types, and 60 second pitches with those little dingers to make sure you don’t go over your allotted time to talk about your business. 6:00am is not the best time for me to tell people about what I do, let alone try to condense my passion and creativity into 60 seconds! This is likely the case for many artists and creative types. (I’m also quite a recluse, believe it or not, and dread going to large events!) Instead of forcing myself to attend early morning meetings and go out to late night events, I dedicate my time to networking in different ways.

First, I focus on who I know already. My immediate circle of contacts are invaluable to me as I have known them the longest or have already had dealings with them. Who is in your network already? As an artist or creative entrepreneur, look at who you know already and see what they can help you with. Do you need places to post content, locations to show your work, or introductions to business professionals? Ask people you already know to help you out and send you referrals or recommendations. I’ve discovered that this can be done on Facebook too and that people are quite helpful with their comments and recommendations.

Since I really enjoy working from home and my studio and rather not waste precious time driving and running around the city to events or meetings that may or may not be worthwhile, I scour my social media networks. If I am looking for specific businesses or people, I search on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I send message to people or businesses directly through these channels first, and if I really feel that there could be a good collaboration, I also proceed to send them emails. If I really think that we should meet, I call and try to book an appointment or invite them to come by our studio and gallery.

Last, what I really tried to focus on in terms of networking last year and what I will continue to do this year is fostering relationships with my existing clients and affiliates. I worked hard to stay in touch with people; either via phone or email. I invited artists to participate in other opportunities throughout the year including our first Artisan Holiday Sales Catalog and being featured at local markets in our exhibition stalls. I worked hard to create relationships that were meaningful to me and also that benefited both parties when assessing business strategies and long term goals.

This year, I challenge you to look at your networking goals and really find out what you are looking for in terms of what you want from your business and career. For me, I know that the best things in my life come from authentic relationships, concise planning and intuitive instincts. When I look at my business and my relationships, I see a network and community that I love. This, I truly believe, also helps me succeed! After all, if you aren’t doing what you love, no amount of networking will help you!

Have some thoughts about this article? We love to hear from artists in our community! Be sure to touch base with us at artists@theartworldexpo.com or comment on this post! Get in touch with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and join our conversation there too!

Monika Blichar is an Entrepreneur and Artist. She is owner of MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery in North Vancouver and producer of Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. She is always pushing boundaries as an artist and creative entrepreneur. Her love of the arts has been a part of her life since childhood.

Top 3 Tips for Art Sales in 2017

By Monika Blichar

Have you thought about what you need to do in order to prep for art sales in 2017? It’s never too early to start and we love to help artists and art dealers stay on top of their game especially in the sales department. Here are our top three tips to prepare for a successful year of art sales.

1-Create a Monthly Calendar and Sales Plan

Knowing your weekly and monthly goals as an artist or dealer is crucial to helping you stay on target throughout the year. We like to have a sales goal monthly and also break down our product sales goals. For example, when we have new cards or prints at our gallery, we try to find a number for sales of those products and meet them by month’s end. This can work with original pieces, accessories or even service packages and if you have staff or affiliates, can be motivating for them also -especially f you offer a sweet prize for top sales. We recommend a monthly goal sheet made in the last few days of December. Once you’re done, post each month goal in your studio and revisit each sheet at the end of the month to keep yourself and your team accountable.

2-Partner Up

Most artists and dealers work alone. This is hard! Who can you partner with? Can you find a local coffee shop or business and propose a month long exhibit in exchange for a commission on any sales? What about finding an intern or sales agent who would like to help by promoting your work in exchange for commissions on everything they sell? Get creative and find partners who are motivated to sell your product to help you. Two heads are always better than one! Not only will you increase your chances of sales, but you will also spread out your workload making more time for you to create!

3-Register for Shows

The best way to sell your work is to be part of a variety of events that are targeted to your market or demographic. Register for a variety of markets, trade shows and exhibitions throughout the year. Do your research and find out how many guests are anticipated, where they are marketing and how long the show has been running. The flip side of being in events is also being prepared. Always make sure you engage with guests, have cards and a draw to gather emails, and then follow up. Being present at the events is especially important if you are the artist because it is great way for local buyers to get to know you and gain access to you and your work. Maybe they have questions they would not otherwise ask unless they meet you in person. Perhaps they were too intimidated or too far to come to your studio to ask about a commission or buy products. Be sure to consider a sales agent at events only if you are absolutely sure they know your products inside and out and they know how to sell. As a business owner, you want to make it as easy and as pleasant as possible for customers to find, connect and buy from you.

If you have any suggestions or ideas about you plan to do for 2017 art sales, leave a comment or send us a message! Remember to share this post with artists or dealers who could use these tips!

Good luck in 2017 everyone!

AWE TIPS: Why It’s Important to Participate in Trade Shows

by Monika Blichar

Each year, we get numerous questions about the overall experience of participating as a vendor in our event but also in other events in the area. Though there are many reasons we highly recommend participating in a variety of shows, it is up to each artist and vendor to really think about how each show will be the most useful for his or her business that fiscal year. Whether you are looking for new networking connections, selling more of your work, or simply adding to your CV of shows, everyone’s needs will be different but equally important.

When thinking about participating in an event, we came up with our top three tips for why it’s important to participate in trade shows! Have a look and if you have a suggestion, be sure to leave a comment!

1-New Market

While the Internet and Social Media are wonderful tools, there is only so much you can do from behind a computer. As an artist and business owner, it is crucial to your success that you mingle with potential customers and fans. Artists who have the luxury of staying behind computers or in their studios have really good sales agents, affiliate dealers and promoters who are paid either hourly, on contract or commission. Even then, they still have to make appearances, do book signings, speaking engagements and show up to events. If you don’t have a budget to hire on contract, hourly or give up a percentage of your sales to an agent, you need to be at a variety of shows to expose your work to new markets. This will help you build a following in new markets and help build your brand identity and recognition.

2-Getting Out of Your Studio

The worst thing you can do is stay in your studio hoping that buyers will come knocking! How will they know you are there if you don’t invite them in? Sure you have event pages, Instagram #HASHTAGS and probably (or hopefully) an email marketing newsletter, but getting out to meet people in person is so much more effective it is ridiculous. Getting out of your studio doesn’t just mean that you need to go to trade shows and set up an expensive booth; you can get out of your studio an market in creative ways without spending a fortune. Here are some of our favourite ways to share work:

-Live painting at an event

-Giving a talk or demo at a workshop or trade show

-Partnering up with a local charity and giving back

-Donating to Swag Bags

-LIVE Streaming from events you are attending

-Offering Classes or Workshops at your studio

-Being a guest facilitator for a corporate client

3-Location, Location, Location

Where do you want your work to be seen? If you have a higher priced product, will you sell it at a school craft fair? If you have a less expensive mass produced product, will you sell at a luxury boutique? Likely, you need to sit down and make sure to show and sell your work (and its varying degrees) in the right places. If you are participating in shows that don’t offer you what you are looking for not only in terms of sales, but of networking, affiliate marketing, and growth opportunities, why bother? Before you sign up for any show, make sure you ask yourself the questions: “Why am I doing this event?” and “What are my goals for this particular event?” Be sure to gain as much insight into your own responses as possible and work with the coordinator(s) of each event you participate in closely to help you achieve your goals.

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This year, we are participating in the West Coast Women’s Show again and we’d love to see you. Enter to win 2 tickets to the show by heading to our Facebook page and finding the photo below with the contest details! Contest closes October 15! Good luck!

AWE on FACEBOOK

New York’s Hottest Artist

New York’s Hottest Artist

Marko Stout and his shows seem to be everywhere this year. Stout’s recent show in downtown SoHo in early September this year drew large lines of young people, art collectors and fans waiting to get into the exhibition to meet this cult artists and see his exiting new works.

The critically acclaimed New York artist Marko Stout is considered by many to be the coolest and most relevant multimedia artist working today. The New York Journal said he was the “rockstar of the art world”. A recent Huffington Post article called Marko Stout “the next Warhol” and “the quintessential New York Artist”.

Although Stout is known as a popular New York artist his career begin in California, but his popularity grew when he moved to NYC is 2009 and developed his trademark gritty urban style. The recent years has acceptance of the artist by the traditional art world, galleries and dealers, along with a growing traditional and social media buzz which continues to gain the attention of numerous collectors with his works selling for rapidly increasing amounts. The past couple years has seen a rapid increase in the stature and interest of the artist, as he advances from local New York and group shows to larger international exhibitions and prestigious gallery solo shows.

Marko Stout has moved beyond New York City and is now featured in Miami, Berlin, London and other international art cities. Stout’swork will be featured in an upcoming solo show at the Art Nation Gallery in Times Square this fall and highlighted at the Art Basel show in Miami this December. Images from his latest collection, upcoming shows and news can be found on the artist’s official website MarkoStout.com.

Art Workbook by Founder Monika Blichar Helps Spark Creativity

“You’re Going to Make It-A Creativity Workbook to Help You Make Your Best Art!” by Founder of Art World Expo Monika Blichar has been a real hit this summer!

Monika has been working with emerging and established artists since 2009 via various projects including teaching at MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery in North Vancouver. In response reflections about how to help people be more creative in their art and lives, she put together a unique workbook to help even the most beginner artist ignite creativity!

Inside students can complete 10 exercises on things like highlighting, shading, perspective, colour wheel and even some work on portraiture. Monika also included some inspirational worksheets that will help anyone pin-point what they would like to do with their creativity and take action steps to achieve those goals. Blichar says that fostering the desire to create is crucial to well being and spurring imagination. She can’t live without creating and attributes her own creativity to doing something right-brained every day. “Whatever it is that you would like to create,” she says, “it can be nurtured and developed with an open-mind, dedication and most importantly, fun!”

Monika is always giving back to the arts community through fundraising and this is just another way for her to help others start their own work and be sure they understand the fundamentals of art. The first 100 books help support facility costs at MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery. So far, Blichar has sold 80 copies! Help her meet the goal by ordering an Ebook Here!

Fundraising Offers at our Studio!

We have been very fortunate to have the wonderful support of our community since opening our studio and gallery space three years ago!

As a result, we have been able to accomplish many wonderful projects including ongoing children’s and adults arts programs, art shows featuring local and international artists in our studio and gallery as well as via Art World Expo, and even starting Painting Dreams International Art Tours and so, so much more!

A big huge THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us sustain the space and our projects by continuing to take classes, volunteer for events and shows, and purchase locally crafted merchandise. Everything helps and each one of your efforts really makes a huge difference in helping us build a thriving arts community around inclusivity, creativity and imagination here in Vancouver, BC.

As the summer season is in full swing, we are ready for another season of fundraising! Please have a look at some of our offers this month and help us meet our goals! All proceeds help support our efforts to help others find and foster their creativity, whether they are budding or professional artists.

July/August Fundraising Offers for Our Patrons!

GET CREATING IN STUDIO!
$13.00 PAINTING CLASS
Use anytime during “Studio Painting” classes. No Limit but must be used within 2016! Makes a great gift or a fun activity!

“YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE IT-A Creativity Workbook to Help You Make Your Best Art!”
$17.00
The first of Monika’s “You’re Going to Make It” Creativity Workbooks! This is the first and for a beginner artist who wants to be creative, spark imagination and make his/her best art! Inside, you’ll find 10 exercises, tips and tricks, and inspiration to keep you motivated and excited about being a creator rather than a spectator! This is an EBook format for easy delivery.

GET INTERNATIONAL! -UNAVAILABLE UNTIL SPAIN 2017
$80-2nd Annual Painting Dreams International Art Tours-Wroclaw, Poland the Capital of Culture 2016! Get your company seen by putting your logo on our travel totes and luggage this year! Includes social media marketing posts (minimum 3 posts) of your company on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds. We will also post your website link on our tour videos.
LOOKING FOR ART?
$150 MONIKA’s “#GLAMOURNOIR50” Painting Challenge-50 Original Pieces looking for new homes! All the pieces are up on Monika’s Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1719504204958169.1073741832.1556162547959003&type=3&uploaded=1

$250-VIP DONOR PACKAGE
15 PACK Painting Class, a Lavender West Coast Mind Body Scrub (Value $20) and Body Bath Salt (Value $20) made with Lavender from France! Choose one Custom Painting from either “40 Painting Challenge-French Series” or “Glamour Noir” pieces by Monika. ($100-150 Value per painting)
VIP DONOR PACKAGE Value: $310-$360

$500-ULTIMATE VIP DONOR PACKAGE
-Includes everything in the VIP ART PACKAGE plus a week of Full Day Art Camps fortwo kids (Value $450+gst each) as well as a painting dreams scarf (Value $20) and a credit in the official 2016 Painting Dreams International Art Tour promotional video as an “Associate Contributor”.
ULTIMATE VIP DONOR PACKAGE Value: $1500

If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 604 999 6177. All offers above are available until June 30, 2016.

All funds raised this month will help support Make and Break Arts Foundation’s fundraising goals this summer.

Funds will be used:

-support facility operating costs
-arts programming costs: supplies and staff for the 2016 summer season
-Art World Expo production costs
-Painting Dreams International Art Tour operational costs

Be sure to help us support our projects this year and do what you can-everything really does help and it means so much to us to be able to continue to offer all these wonderful events in our community and represent Canada abroad.

We appreciate your support and look forward to offering you some great locally made or produced services, products and events!

Have a look at the Fundraising Offers HERE!

Finding Inspiration-3 Tips for Artists

by Monika Blichar

One of the hardest things artists struggle with is finding inspiration. We have no shortage of ideas that come to us, but actually finding inspiration for individual pieces or collections can be tricky! This is even more true when you experience a creative block-nothing’s coming!

Having spend the last two weeks abroad on tour with our annual artist retreats, Painting Dreams International Art Tours, I have thought about inspiration quite a lot. Being in a new place has not only inspired me to make new and entirely different work, but has also opened up my palette for a thirst for something more in art and creativity. I thought I would share my top three tips for finding inspiration with you while sitting in our city apartment on a Sunday evening in Wroclaw, Poland. Feel free to try them out, share and connect with me on social media and share what you’re doing to find inspiration!

1-New Environments

We all know that stepping away from your day to day routine can spark an enormous amount of insight, creativity and inspiration. Each time I travel, I make sure to document my surroundings carefully as I always find some kind of spark of intrigue in the things around me when I create paintings especially. In our suite this year, I have been delighted to see antique furniture and items that are engaging in my curiosities. I haven’t painted any of these items yet, but have taken pictures so that I don’t forget and can incorporate them into my art later perhaps.

My room where I’ve been writing and sharing my trip, art and visits to galleries. Below are some of the cool pieces in this suite.

2-Challenge Yourself

Another thing to remember when looking for ways to find new inspiration is to challenge yourself. If you’ve always painted flowers, try buildings or landscapes. If you’ve always made abstracts, try doing a portrait or a plein air painting outside at a local park. You don’t have to travel far to try new things! It’s just about the conscious effort of finding new items, people, or local things to draw on for inspiration for new work. I also recommend trying new products. Recently, I worked on the two paintings on cedar blocks below with beeswax, fabric, pearls, paint, pages from “The Winter’s Tale” by Shakespeare too! I added word cut outs from magazines and even dried leaves!

These are the two pieces that were definitely outside my norm. Both are available for purchase. $150/each or $250 for the set.

3-Research

If you are really stuck on finding inspiration. I leave you to the wonderful world of Google. Where anything is possible and researchable. Try typing in a word or era and see what you find! The possibilities are limitless and everything is “Google-able!”

Check out this Google Doodle by 11 year old Audrey Azhang, the 2014 Doodle 4 Google winner.

In response to the question, “What would you invent to make the world a better place?” more than100,000 Google Doodle contest entries were received from students in grades K – 12.

Azhang told Google:

To make the world a better place, I invented a transformative water purifier. It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, then massively transforms the water into clean, safe and sanitary water, when humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life.

From: http://searchengineland.com/doodle-4-google-winning-illustration-earns-winner-30000-scholarship-spot-googles-homepage-193568

Don’t forget to like my page on Facebook and connect with me on Twitter! I share lots of daily tips, progress and love to hear from artists all over the world about their work!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monika-Blichar-1556162547959003/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MonikaBlichar

Painting Dreams Art Tour-Wroclaw, Poland

by Monika Blichar

Wroclaw is known as “the meeting place”. With its picturesque architecture, many coffee shops and restaurants as well as attractions to visit, any artist will find an array of inspiration. The city is full of people, art, history and culture!

Photos: City Square called the Rynek, Botanical Gardens, and a painting from 1864.

Our trip here this year is part of Painting Dreams International Art Tours. Each year, a group of artists joins us for a two week tour of a selected area overseas. This year, we chose to take the tour to Wroclaw as it is the European Culture Capital for 2016 with stop overs in Amsterdam and Warsaw. We arrived late on Saturday night and since arrival, have enjoyed visiting attractions such as the Rynek, museums, and art galleries. The city is quite busy this year and we are finding that many people speak English well. Our travellers are able to get around easily on the trolley system and our apartment is located minutes from the downtown core. So far, some of our highlights have been visiting the National Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and the Panorama.

Though our group is small this year, we have made time to create works and are anticipating cooler weather in order to be able to paint plein air! The weather has been unusually hot for the area this year, but we have been able to create a few pieces over the last few days! Sketching has been ideal to get some ideas down on paper and our canvas pads and travel kits have been a great way to create pieces that are easily transportable and that can be made anywhere.

Sketch by Monika “Polish Princess” as well as two acrylic paintings. Inspirations for these pieces have been the city’s 300 some odd gnomes and Polish scenes, insects and architecture. Works in progress.

Kathryn has been working steadily on her bird piece. Colours are coming along and she has been working from the workbook provided to tour members. “You’re Going to Make It-A Creativity Workbook to Help You Make Your Best Art” by tour operator and art instructor Monika Blichar. You can order your own copy of the workbook EBOOK HERE

If you are interested in travelling with Painting Dreams International Art Tours, please register for our next information session on August 28 held at our studio and gallery in North Vancouver, BC. If you are out of the area, we will be streaming the meeting so you will be able to be present virtually. Please register PAINTING DREAMS IN SPAIN 2017

3 Tips for Shipping Works of Art

3 Tips For Shipping Works of Art

by Cormac Reynolds
whistl.co.uk

Your art or any art is important and more often than not also delicate. So, how do you best serve your interests and ensure its safe in transit – here are some golden tips.

Pack the Art Work Correctly

Make sure everything is secured and well protected to ensure it does not get damaged whilst in transit. This may mean taking extra time to do the packing because you want to be as careful as possible in order to keep the art safe.

We recently packed some valuable painting that was going to be shipped to Nigeria. We covered the glass with 2-inch masking tape. The masking tape is used to keep the art from being damaged if the glass breaks during transit. If the glass is broken, it will stick to the tape, instead of cutting the painting.

Then, we cut a sheet of polystyrene to cover the taped glass. Then, we used small bubble wrap to wrap the art both ways. A larger bubble wrap was used for further protection. Most carriers request 2-inches or 6 cm of cushioning around an object to provide protection. If you use less, the carrier may not uphold your insurance claim if the item is damaged.

We make sure all sides are cushioned in order to protect the frame. You can also use frame protectors, which would be well worth the cost if the frame is large.

After the picture is wrapped, we slid it into a dedicated art box. The lid of the box slides down to the bottom of the box, so you have a double wall of protection. When you put the art in the box, you have to ensure it is snugly fit. You don’t want the art moving around in the box because that can cause damage.

The Outside Packaging Needs to Be High-Quality

Ensure you properly mark and label all of the items, so that the people who handle the packages know that they contain valuable items. You also need to make sure the exterior packaging is of high-quality.

You don’t want your treasure to arrive and the packaging is in tatters. Even if the artwork is in perfect condition, you want the exterior packaging to reflect the value of the piece inside.

Find a Shipping Method That is Good and Affordable

Shipping art does not have to come with a high price tag and there are many quality vendors such as Whistl that can send it for an affordable price. If you’re an art dealer you don’t want the price of shipping your art pieces to take all of your profits. You want to make sure your items are safe and handled properly but you want to pay a fair and reasonable rate.

If you’re shipping your artwork abroad, you also have to ensure all of the paperwork is complete. You’ll need customer’s declaration documents and you may be liable for import taxes in the country the item is being shipped to. These are all things you should consider when looking for a shipping method.

Keep these three golden rules in mind and you won’t go wrong. However, you must remember to choose a carrier that has a good reputation for handling the packages that pass through their hands. When it comes to protecting your works of art, you want to make sure they are safe from the time they leave your hands to the time they get to your customer.

Painting Dreams International Art Tour-Stop 1-Amsterdam

by Monika Blichar

One of the many canals. Photo credit Sabrina Widner.

One of the best parts of our operations is being able to travel with Painting Dreams International Art Tours. On top of our annual exhibition, studio classes and programs, we love summer because each year, we are able to go to artsy hotspots and explore with other creatives! We love hosting and coordinating these trips for art lovers and adventurers

Sabrina, Kathryn and I arriving at the airport! About 13 hours of travel from Vancouver with a stop over in Chicago.This year, we decided that we would take our tour to Wroclaw, Poland and make a couple stops before and after our 12 day tour. Our first stop is Amsterdam and let me tell you, if you are an artist of any sort, this is definitely a place you need to visit! Cafes, galleries, museums and exhibitions are in abundance-every corner is filled with unique artisan works as well as a fabulous ambience from 165 canals. Amsterdam has 51 galleries, approximately 1,515 cafes and bars, 1,281 bridges, 2,500 houseboats, and 881,000 bicycles. No shortage of things to sketch or paint here!

Kathryn enjoying our first trip to a cafe in Amsterdam!

The city centre has amazing cafes to visit.

My first sketch complete with morning coffee!

From all the places I have travelled over the years, Amsterdam easily has the friendliest locals who not only smile and say good morning when they are whizzing past you on their bikes, but who are keen to help you have a great time here! If you haven’t yet, be sure to follow our page on Painting Dreams on Facebook! On Saturday, we will be heading off to Wroclaw to enjoy the European Culture Capital for 2016. Until then, be sure to connect with us as we explore the sights and attractions in Amsterdam!