“Fall Winds,” 12×12 inch pastel drawing, Copyright 2008 Attaining Creativity

My coffee table, and work desk, is getting filled with books. I though I would share some of the titles:

• “Marketing without advertising,” by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry, part of the NOLO library (http://www.nolo.com/)
  It took a while for me to warm up to this book. Although the tips were great, they seemed geared towards businesess that were already well established. However, after reaching chapter 7, I’m beginning to find ideas and exercises that fit my needs. The book is geared exactly towards what the title says, focusing instead on getting referrals and word of mouth advertising. What I do like about this way of marketing is that it is great for startups with low (or even non-existing) marketing budgets. The book does not stray away from advertising, but it leads the reader through exercises about exactly who you should be marketing to, so that you are reaching a specifically targeted customer group that is more likely to respond, instead of every customer responding to your ad just because of low prices. 
• “The ultimate small business marketing toolkit,” by Beth Goldstein (http://www.m-edge.com/)
  This book focuses on helping the reader figure out who their customer base is. It comes with a full set of exercises that the reader can use to find the best customer base and the best ways to reach out to them.
• “The silk painting workshop,” by Jane Venables
  As I’m looking for various ways to expand my art, I saw a class for silk painting. In preparation, I checked out some books from the library. This book is definitely old-school, starting from scratch and showing the reader exactly what will happen with different dyes and silk. It takes the reader through exercises that will allow the artist to see what kind of experiments they can further try. The first chapter is a great primer that introduces the reader to every tool necessary for silk painting. It is written in very simple language and explains every tool and technique in great details.
• “Creative silk painting,” by Diane Tuckman and Jan Janas
  Although this book does have a short primer for the silk painting beginner, its focus is more on experimenting and trying new techniques that are more appropriate for a more experienced silk painter. It does give the painter a glimpse of all the wonderful creations that are possible through this artistic medium. 

What is on your bookshelf? 

“Kicking It” (conte and pastel drawing), Copyright © Attaining Creativity 2008.
Purchase the original.

I admit that I am more of a Web junky than I would like to be. I need to check my e-mail box as soon as my first cup of coffee is ready in the morning, and I need to check up on blogs that I follow or newsletters I subscribe to.

Because of the various entrepreneurial newsletters I subscribe to, I keep seeing lectures and seminars on Viral Marketing. That seems to be the hot, new term these days – that or Web 2.0. Social websites like MySpace and Facebook are beginning to be used as the new networking source of the 2000’s. Along with Twitter (a software used to follow a person), these terms are being thrown all over the web.

So instead of putting out a couple of hundred of dollars on a seminar, I went to my local library’s website and looked for books (I love to physically read books in front of me, not on a computer screen). Even up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, my library system is keeping up with the times, and I had them deliver to me “Facebook: The Missing Manual.”

Although the book was published in January 2008, it is already outdated (that tells you how quickly this site is progressing). The book is geared more towards connecting with old friends and finding a job in the 9-5 world. However, as a starter and a great resource on how to set up privacy restrictions, this is a great place to start.

With the help of the book, I set up my profile and a page for my art business . I have to admit that when I first went into the Facebook website, I was perplexed as to how to make it an advantageous business tool. The book actually helped in providing me access to tools that remain a bit hidden in the regular layout of the website, and although I still don’t think it is the most intuitive site, I am beginning to feel more comfortable using it. Another great thing about all these new social sites and software is that they are quickly becoming interactive. For example, I can link my blog to my Facebook page and eliminate the double typing or copying and pasting. And maybe, just maybe, Twitter and Facebook might be connected too – that is a future research project. I have to admit that ever since I first heard about Twitter, I’ve secretly wanted to join. I just have to make sure that I’m doing plenty of art business related events when I do, so that my updates are relevant to my artwork and not just “I’m currently picking tomatoes from my front garden patch.”

As with any tool, it is mainly about how you use it that shows how relevant and useful it can be. And I do realize that it isn’t the answer to all answers. I still have to physically connect with people, show them my work, and make them fans the old-fashioned way (and limit my Facebook time to maybe 15 minutes a day, or every other day). However, having another “crumb” with my name on it on the web shouldn’t hurt either – it just gives people another venue to find me through.

So, check out my links – I would love it if you became a “fan”!

Update: As I’m moving my business forward in “bootstrapping” fashion, I’m always on the lookout of getting some valuable information for free (I know, I know, that’s tough). Besides checking out the library, if you are interested in how Facebook can help your business (and there is a business side to art and creativity), check out this FREE teleseminar: “The 1st Secret Behind Creating Facebook Connections”, hosted by Jen Blackert and Mary Pat Kavanagh, taking place on Friday, September 19th, 2008, at 2PM Eastern.

I may be a jumper when it comes to jumping off the ledge into this business thing, but even I like to be as prepared and organized as possible when it comes to new experiences (we are all made up made of complex idiosyncrasies).

Most artists and crafters I’ve talked to make it a habit to “walk” a fair before deciding to participate. There are even magazine subscriptions (http://www.craftsfairguide.com/) available that provide artists with feedback and comments on fairs. The good thing about weekly markets is that you can check them out and have a pretty accurate sense of the customer demographic and visitor rate and be pretty sure that those stats will remain accurate in the following weeks, when you will actually be a participating vendor. Fairs that happen once a year can change drastically from year to year, in appearance, customer visits, etc. Although reviews and vendor feedbacks are helpful, things like economy can change drastically in a year.

Although I knew of most farmers markets in my region, I basically went to Google and typed in “city” I was looking at and “farmer’s market” and would get linked to the management company that ran the market. A broader search for “California farmers markets” gave me even more hits. After finding management companies, the next thing to check is whether the farmer’s market does accept craft vendors (some are solely organic produce or just produce).

Most year-long markets will accept applications ongoing, but it is always worth a call to find out if there really are spaces still available or to see how long the waiting list is. Markets that run only for half the year or a bit longer might be full already, but you never know – there may still be some weeks where there are a couple of empty spaces (people are out on vacation or for other reasons can’t come a particular week, etc.).

Once you find some that fit your schedule, are near you (whatever your own criteria is), go check them out.

- Get there at the same time the vendors do – this will allow you to see what the set-up process is. Is there a particular street that the vendors use to get in, parking areas?

- Stay for at least an hour after the market officially starts, and possibly longer – some markets take at least an hour just to rev up, while others are hopping from the get go.

- Take notes – how many artists/crafters similar to you, how many craft/art vendors overall, what kind of set up do they have, how many people are stopping by their booths, and how people are actually buying.

- Get acquainted with the demographics and note age groups (are there moms with kids, mainly couples, baby boomers, yuppies, college kids, young families starting out?). This will be helpful if you already know what your customer base is, allowing you to really see if the market you are checking out is a good fit for your products.

- Check out the logistics for yourself: are there bathrooms nearby that you can use, will you need a canopy (is it an empty parking lot or a tree-filled street), is there parking near the site or will you have to leave your items unattended while you re-park your car after unloading, is there police/private security on-site (if you have to leave things unattended and are by yourself)

- Go up to vendors and ask questions. I usually get at least two people at each market I attend asking me for the inside scoop, like cost, experience, etc. You’ll probably get some really great inside tidbits that aren’t stated on a website or application.

Although every week at a market is different, doing some of this prep work while you visit will give you a good idea about whether the market is a good fit to begin with. Some, you will almost instantly see, are not, and doing this kind of leg work will save you not only money and time but prevent aggravation as well.