Jul 2

Written by:
7/2/2009 

My sister is an artist. She paints and she paints very well, because she spends a lot of time doing it.  She's made a little bit of money here and there off of her art but TRUST ME, it's not because of her savvy marketing skills.

I witnessed one of the transactions on a gray, misty Sunday afternoon as we were admiring some of her work while it adorned the walls at a winery in the town where she lives.  A very well-to-do lady picked a couple of pieces and was interested in the stories behind the art and, eventually, what the price tag was if she bought two paintings.

My sister, being almost as pure of an "artist" as there is was very visibly uncomfortable with the prospect of parting with her creations.  After much consternation, she told the lady that she wasn't willing to package art up at a reduced price.  Selling them just wasn't that important to her.

The result?  She sold BOTH at full price right then and there. 

Her marketing bridge is broken all over the place.  She has very little in terms of printed promotional material, a cruddy looking website that I've offered to improve for her, and no real desire to step up her game.  So it's obvious that she's just a really good artist because this lady was not deterred.  Chalk this experience up as an exception rather than a rule.

Running a business in a creative industry as both the creator and the business person is a unique challenge in itself.  I can see where a lot of ventures have most likely failed because somebody had a GREAT idea and no clue how to tell the story of the idea and get it sold into a market;  and I don't know how common it is to have both a creative aspect and an understanding of business, marketing, and sales at the same time. 

Purely creative people will tell you that you just can't force it. The situation has to be right for a great idea to come about. So they'll take great pains to make themselves a space that frees their mind and time. And if you encroach upon their space when they're "in the zone" you'd better be prepared to catch the wrath!

But as a guy in a creative business, I have to be both creative and professional at the same time.  I'm fortunate in that I have natural creative tendencies but have worked on the business side of things throughout my career (for the most part).  Business can be learned - creativity can not.  So I strap on a suit from time to time and try to remember the guy underneath so I don't come off as stuffy or rigid.

What does all of this have to do with my artsy sister and her paintings?  She lucked out that day.  I can't claim any responsibility for the sale because, quite frankly, I was stunned at her reticence to sell.  But, as a creative type, I could understand her initial position of holding out.  As a business type, I can certainly appreciate her hard-nosed negotiation whether she knew that's what she was doing or not.

Perhaps there's hope for her after all.