Blog

Well, I went north to Saugatuck,Michigan in Late June.

I live there and have a studio, usually there about five months doing my midwest circuit of shows

In case you do not know me, I am a photographer who does both color and handcolored black and white images. I have been on the circuit for 45 years and do about 27 shows per year.  I actually earn a living from this, I started shows when I was in my late twenties.

This past Sunday, I turned the Three Quarter Century Mark.

This has been a totally different year due to Covid.

My last show was mid March at Vero Beach.  We got in one day and then they cancelled it and told us artists to get the hell out of Vero.

The art committee was for us staying but local authorities said “Adios”).

I went north expecting to do five shows, they all got cancelled.

I lost a couple of biggies like Uptown Minneapolis and Kansas City Plaza.

I had applied for a number of fall shows in Florida where I am a native.

None of those shows are going to happen due to Covid.

I am in three shows in Florida in January and Feb. Time will tell whether they go on.

Florida is not doing a great job of masking and distancing due to our idiot governor.

Howard Alan was able to successfully produce an art show in Ft. Lauderdale in October—Los Olas.

Amy Amdur was able to pull off a number of shows around Chicago, some with almost 100 exhibitors.  Same with Howard, he had 100 artists.

So it shows it can be done, pardon the pun.

Ironically, my hometown show, Images in New Smyrna, cancelled their Jan. Show.

I guess they did not want to spread it out with less exhibitors.

So far,I am In Bonita Springs and Naples in January.  I have Ft. Myers in Feb.

In March I have been reinvited to both Vero Beach and Winter Park, waiting to hear from Gasparilla. 

I have a reinvite to Des Moines in June.

So I have potentially  great shows to make moola at.  If they happen.

If the shows happen I am going.

I will mask up.  I will have hand sanitizers at my booth.

I have a solution to the print bin problem due to Covid.

I am in the age group most vulnerable to Covid, I had open heart surgery eight years ago.  But I feel confident I can survive and not transmit to Ellen, my wife.

Here is how I have dealt with Covid and been able financially survive.

I finally got approved for unemployment six weeks after I applied, so I got &125 per week.

A month later I got approved for the Federal PUA and got the $600 per week backdated to late April.

I was able to get the EIDL grant for $1000.  Which then made me eligible to apply for the SBA loan o small businesses.

I applied, and in early June I got the loan: $22,100 at three and a half percent for 30 years. Next August I have to start paying back on the loan at $108 per month for 30 years.

Good luck on that getting totally repaid. I am 75 so go figure.

The loan can be used for business expenses like booth fees and paying myself a salary.

I plan to start paying myself a salary in January.

So far, I have paid out almost $2000 in booth fees. I had to pay the 2021 booth fee for Des Moines in September.

My hope is to be able to do at least two shows per month next spring.

This loan has given me a small cushion.

I also collect Social Security

During the summer I worked on the average four to six hours a day in my studio.

In four months I have finished over 120 new handcolored images.

Some of them are going to be winners.  New moola coming in.

In my next blog I will talk about how I am going to display and sell work in the Covid era

Give me three days and the next blog will appear.

Stay healthy and Aloha, Nels..

I was a member of a Zoom meeting group that discussed how to make a video of your booth and/or artwork for the shows that have gone virtual. Because I'm no longer doing shows I created this video of some of the different styles of photographs my wife and I created over the years.

I had a difficult time getting the narration to line up with the pictures until I came across some AI text to speech software.  So after purchasing it I took all the text snippets and dropped them into the narration line in Adobe Premiere Elements, an inexpensive but full featured video creation software. Then I dropped in the series of images and moved them around to line up with their respective text. After that I added a subtle music tract to fill in the gaps where there is narration. What you're seeing is the result. Now I can work with any artist on creating their own video.

Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100

Larry Berman's Zoom MeetingLarry Berman's Zoom MeetingTime: Oct 26, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/4338895789?pwd=NXFRME9JRFdMK3VDUEJhdHJ5T2daQT09
Meeting ID: 433 889 5789Passcode: art-show

Check http://bermangraphics.com/zoom/ for audio files from previous meetings.You can check the page within 24 hours after the meeting ends.

Here's a link to the booth video I created. The audio didn't work during the meeting because I forgot to disconnect the external speakers that I have connected to my laptop. The muffled sound was because the speakers were about a foot behind the laptop. It should have been the actual laptop sound you heard. I'll play it again Monday remembering to disconnect the speakers or you can view it on Youtube: 

https://youtu.be/JXb0yBFUmJE

Thanks,

Larry Berman

http://BermanGraphics.com

412-401-8100

Notes:

1) PIC deaths refers to pneumonia, influenza, and Covid-19 deaths.  The CDC tracks PIC to remove the errors of mis-identification of the cause of death on death certificates.

2) Even when ignoring the last few weeks (which is always suspect due to slow reporting of the data), the death count is now within the range of the 2018 seasonal flu.

HMC is now accepting submissions for

the Artists-in-Residence Program and exhibition in 2021 at AIR-HMC, Budapest-Hungary.  For applying, please write us for more info and application form to 

bszechy@yahoo.com .

Application fee $20

We are looking forward to receiving applications of artists who have interest in our program. 

Beata Szechy, HungarianMulticulturalCenter

(HMC)

https://www.facebook.com/Residencies-in-Budapest-Hungary-218959226890/

Talking about the importance of a website seems redundant in the covid 2020 era, but even with the prevalence of the internet in our lives, there are still a number of ways you can use your website to maximize your presence and reach. A website works as a digital hub for your clients to interact with your brand when you are not around. It makes it possible for people to see your products without attending one of the events where you are selling and that increases sales.

If you do not have a website, you need one. If you do have one, odds are, there are still ways you can make it better. Read on to see the 5 things every vendor needs on their website. Great product pictures aren’t on this list because that is way too obvious. And yes, you should hire a professional to take those.

1. Give Customers the Chance to Buy Your Products

A website is a great place to showcase your arts, crafts, jewelry, or other handmade products. Throwing up a picture and a description about a piece of art is great, but it still requires a client to call you to order or to visit you at the next event you attend. If a client can’t buy your products online, there’s a good chance they’ll buy something similar on a site that will allow them to buy online. This a very real scenario that you have most likely experienced yourself.

Many think that making a website to sell products (called an e-commerce site) is difficult. Put simply, it’s not. There are several solutions that will manage an e-commerce site for you and here are just four of the most popular ones:

• Shopify
• BigCommerce
• Weebly
• WooCommerce

2. Include Your Life’s Story

There’s a good saying about marketing that “people don’t buy your product, they buy your story.” People want to relate to the things they’re buying. They want to know why you do what you do and how your product is special. This is especially true in the handmade industry because you make everything yourself.

Check out this post for how to write a compelling brand story. It may feel overwhelming to take on the task of writing the ideal brand story all at once, so do the small, easy things first.

If you want to keep it even easier and faster, create a page dedicated to your story and name it Our Story, then think about the following sections:

• The Who: Tell everyone about YOU! Things like what you love and hate, where you grew up, what your favorite foods are, what influences your creative process, etc. should be included.
• The Why: Include how you feel about your products, what motivates you to make them, how your business began, and how your passion helps your clients.
• The What: Include details if you use special materials in your products and why you chose them. What will these materials do for the customer?
• The When: Did you start painting or making jewelry when you were six years old or did you recently start because you want to put your child through college?
• The Where: Include where you create. Is it in a workshop in your backyard or on the top of a mountain overlooking a lake? Help paint the picture of the entire handmade process in your clients’ minds.
• The How: Include unique processes that you implement to make your product special. Maybe you only sew clothes during a full moon or you only use paint that you make yourself from plants that you grow. Own what makes you unique.

3. Calendar of Events To Buy From You in Person

Have a place on your website where you post a calendar that has all of the dates, times, and locations of the events that you will be attending. This way, if a customer would prefer to see your products in person, it’ll be easy for them to find you.

4. Include an Email Opt-In Field

A great way to keep your customers updated on new products is to let them know what shows you will be attending and generally keep them in the loop in an email list. Make sure visitors can enter their email into your site and be updated on the latest news from your business!

5. Vendor Insurance Badge

An excellent way to show that you are a credible business is to have insurance. ACT Insurance sells vendor insurance that can be purchased for single events or for an entire year. For those who do not qualify for an ACT policy, we recommend you get a quote from Insurance Canopy and explore their product liability coverage. After purchasing coverage you will be provided with a badge that only those with active insurance policies have. This badge gives your clients and event organizers peace of mind, knowing you are a professional with coverage that protects them in the case of your negligence.

Continually Improve

As you continue to make your website better, keep researching the best tactics of how to sell more products and engage with your customers better. Posts like this, Creating a Selling Website for Artists and Crafters will assist you in always improving.

Learn more

We're all looking for ways to find our customers. Ready to get on the road? Or maybe, stay at home and turn your yard into an art fair. In Ferndale, MI, 13 artists have gotten together to show their work in a socially distanced safe setting in their own yards. The 13 artists live in a radius of five miles of one another. 

"The hyper-local art fair includes 13 artists in 10 yards in a five-mile area of Ferndale. Guests are asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. Cash is preferred, but individual artists may accept other forms of payment."

Do you and your friends think you could pull this off? Somewhere in the archives at ArtFairRadio.com there is a podcast about artists starting their own events. You know how to display your work and definitely you know how to market it and seen so many shows you're full of ideas. I think you can.

Learn more about how they're doing it in Ferndale: Backyard Art Fair

This is a sponsored message

Calling all handmade sellers: what does your holiday craft show season look like? If you are anything like me, it looks like ... lots of open weekends.   (Cue the sad violin music)    Here's the deal: fall and holiday 2020 sales are going to take place largely online...is your business ready for that?   This is a whole new ball of wax: it's no longer enough to just toss up an Etsy shop and hope for the best.   This is the time for you to have a razor sharp strategy for HOW your business is going to pivot into this new way of doing things...and that means having a plan for what your business is going to be doing during these next few months.   There are a few things you need: A great product  A website sell your products from  Some great online events to participate in  An engaged audience The great product: that's on you   The website to sell your products from: I can help you with that (more on that later)   The audience and events: well that's what we are gonna talk about here.   In this masterclass, I am going to teach you the 3 things your handmade business NEEDS to have nailed down so that you can be ready for a rockin' 2020 holiday sales season.   (I have had my own handmade jewelry business since 2010, and I've been selling online since 2011. In 2015, I realized the power of using Facebook™ as a sales tool for my business, and I have been running highly profitable boutique-style sales using Facebook™ Events since 2016.   **Attendees who show up LIVE are also going to get free access to the EXACT framework I use to set up the same "Virtual Boutique Stroll" sales events that I run in my own business that have grown my online sales by over 150% this year!)   Click the link below to register today for this free masterclass and get ready to take back control of your show season!   https://www.bloombybelmonili.com/september-2020-webinar-registration-bloom

Has anyone used a Jackery Power Supply to power LED craft show lighting?

Starting in May of 2020 Art Fair Insiders has been producing podcasts and hosting Zoom meetings to help artists navigate the present day challenges of creating and selling their art. The first four meetings were hosted by Sharon McAllister from ArtFest Fort Myers. We discussed how artists can apply for economic relief through the government sponsored programs, PPA, SBA, CARES Act and Unemployment. Then we spent 3 episodes exploring how artists can utilize websites to promote their work online. The third phase was a series of podcasts on using popular social media applications to sell art.

Below you will find information about the people who volunteered their time and information to help artists move into the new normal and continue to find buyers for their work. Click into their websites to see how what they are doing can help you. 

1. Can a Website Sell Art?

• Kathleen Eaton, a painter from Sleepy Hollow, IL: www.eatonart.com
• Cat Tesla, a painter from New Mexico: www.artbycat.com
• Stephanie Wheat, a handbag designer from Chicago: www.rebellionbags.com
• Barbara Bloom, a shibori silk painter and soapmaker from Cleveland: https://imagesinbloom.com
• Lucy Kelly, a creator of one-of-a kind recycled jewelry from Pittsburgh: www.belmonili.com

2. Etsy. Is it a Fit for my Art?

• David Klenk is a custom furniture maker who has increased visits to his Etsy page by linking it to my product photo pins on Pinterest. He has not done a craft show or trade show since 2016. My first online sale was in 2006. I sell between $40,000 and $70,000 per year online.
• Jackie Kaufman selling on Etsy since 2008 has two shops, a long established jewelry business and a newer shop with prints. She  successfully uses her social media posts on both Facebook and Instagram to bring customers to her Etsy Shops to be able to sell worldwide."

3. Facebook: Can it Help You Sell Your Art?

1. Richard Sullivan from Naples, FL, who says he has "literally been to Facebook College. I know it sounds crazy but they have spent countless hours working with me."
2. Erik Jensen from Utah, who uses his very tech savvy skills to sell his art, created from computer keys, from his website and interconnected Facebook and Instagram accounts
3. Dawn Wilson, a high altitude and high latitude photographer and writer from Estes Park, CO, who integrates her website, Facebook and Instagram to manage her sales and serve as president-elect of the North American Nature Photography Association. 

4. Instagram: How Can I Use it to Sell Art?

• Catherine Freshly, landscape painter: catherine@catherinefreshleyart.com , www.catherinefreshleyart.com ,  https://www.facebook.com/CatherineFreshleyArt/ ,  https://www.instagram.com/catherinefreshley/  Catherine Freshley is an acrylic landscape painter from Portland, Oregon. She worked at an advertising agency for seven years, focusing on digital advertising strategy and brand strategy. In addition to being passionate about painting, Catherine is dedicated to disproving the starving artist stereotype. Her Instagram followers appreciate her candid approach to talking about the business side of being an artist and her digital resource guides for artists. available on her website, share the expertise that allowed her to quit her full-time job and earn more as an artist. 
  
• Jay McDougall, contemporary wood sculptor from Minnesota - www.jaymcdougall.com & www.artshow-artists.com; Facebook: JayMcDougallArtist & Artshow_Artists; Instagram: @JayMcDougallArt & @ArtShow_Artists
• Renzo Iglesias, L’Harmonie Creative Jewelry, info@lharmoniejewelry.comI've dedicated a page for your community where I plan to share all of my extensive knowledge and step by step actions on what you can do now to drive your business forward using digital marketing strategies and social platforms like Facebook, Instagram & email marketing. https://www.facebook.com/pg/renzoiglesiasmarketing
  I've participated in over 200 art shows and events for the last 8 years. Along the way, I have always had this passion about what really makes people buy someone's art or craft. One could think, well, it just looks good. But, I knew that couldn't just be the only factor. This passion to learn has led me to discover important people in the digital marketing space that share not only marketing strategies and techniques but also psychological marketing. I have then invested my time, money and energy; learning all I could about the digital marketing space and tools like Instagram and beyond.
  
  My plan: I'm finally ready to give back to the community that has supported me all these years. I plan to give back value tenfold by sharing what has worked for me. I'm excited to share how I use Instagram to drive traffic to my site, find my audience, increase awareness, do customer research, have content generated for free, name my upcoming designs and most importantly, drive sales, all through this one platform called Instagram.
  
• Dawn Wilson, photographer from Estes Park, CO:   www.DawnWilsonPhotography.com, Facebook: facebook.com/dawnwilsonphotography, Instagram: @dawnwilsonphoto, Twitter: @dawnwilsonphoto, YouTube: Dawn Wilson Photography is my channel name
  

 5. Pinterest: Can I Use It to Sell Art?

• Our guest Brian Reagan: "Pinterest is a gateway to my website that I can't duplicate with any other social media outlet. Before I kicked up Pinterest, I really didn't have a national audience.  I was limited to the individuals that we have met doing events in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. I am getting eyeballs that would never have found my website." His website: bhpltdohio.com 

The podcasts are always available at Art Fair Radio- https://www.blogtalkradio.com/artfairs and Apple podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/art-fair-artists-success-show/id440759328?mt=2

Live Podcast: Thurs, Sept. 10, 1 pm Eastern Time

With each passing day of the pandemic more attention is paid to avoiding risk in our personal lives and also at the events we plan where you can expect thousands of people in attendance. This session is directed at show directors to help them prepare for their events.

Chris Van Leeuwen, Vice President for Business Development for Veracity Insurance, joins the podcast to answer your questions about liability, property damage, loss and accident insurance that protects you against third-party claims that arise out of your business operations. His company offers the targeted insurance policies developed to insure events and shows, Artists, Craftsmen and Tradesmen Insurance, popularly known as ACT.

Art show organizers we want to hear from you. What do you need to know to protect your show? 

• Please put them in the comments below
• email us directly: meg@artfaircalendar.com
• call into the show - 805-243-1338

Be prepared for when the shows open again.

I know this is late.  I just happened to stumble upon this and thought I should pass this on.  The deadline is 5pm on August 28, 2020.  I thought maybe with shows pretty much being canceled someone may have the time to quickly put things together to apply for this.

The Appalachian Sustainable Development is applying for grant funds to pay an artists or team of artists to paint an outdoor mural on a new garden shed depicting agriculture and it impact in Central Appalachia.  

"If awarded, we aim to create a place-based mural (approx 8 ft. tall & 12 ft. wide) on our new garden shed at ASD's demonstration garden, 798 Hillman Hwy. NE, Abingdon, VA. If awarded, the work must be done: 11/1/20 - 4/30/21. #livingbetterlocally #supportlocalartists"

The shed to be painted is in Abingdon, Virginia.

You will need to submit your portfolio to scrum@asdevelop.org by 5pm on August 28, 2020.  I know it is late but thought I should post this in case there is at least one interested artist.

You can find more info here:

https://www.facebook.com/livingbetterlocally/photos/a.426442719943/10151422154984944/?type=3&theater

LIVE PODCAST: AUGUST 27, 1 PM ET

Hopefully by this time we have all settled into the Covid-19 lifestyle that has so disrupted our lives and you've adapted to the unanticipated new normal life of an artist. It may be time to assess the business part of your life as an artist.

Do you sell your art online for the world to find? Or are you selling at shows and galleries throughout the year? No matter the case, Artists, Crafters, and Tradesmen Insurance, also known as ACT, can help ease the burden of finding the right insurance for your needs. 

Chris Van Leeuwen, Vice President for Business Development for Veracity Insurance, joins the podcast to answer your questions about liability, property damage, loss and accident insurance that protects you against third-party claims that arise out of your business operations.

This is a call in show -- we want to hear from you. We want your questions.

• Please put them in the comments below
• email us directly: meg@artfaircalendar.com
• call into the show - 805-243-1338

Be prepared for when the shows open again.