I also wanted to title this post 'It's not you, it's me'. Both work.
Two weeks ago I was all excited. I had decided to expand my art work empire and open up a little satellite gallery on the Second Style sim. I had grand ideas.
Two weeks on, my rental is up, and I have decided to retreat, retrench and regroup. But it's not a bad thing. I just haven't sold enough to make the little place commercially viable.
Thinking about it, and talking to a few people, I think that perhaps the problem is that people come to the sim wanting to shop for hair, clothes, shoes, jewellery and other apparel. They're not really coming wanting to buy art, or even furniture in general. So either the customers are in the wrong frame of mind or in fact they're the wrong customers entirely. Either way they're the wrong flavour. I am not going to reach my target market sat with a little gallery just there.
This assumes, of course, that I have a market at all.
I don't have enough good things to say about the Second Style sim though. It is a lovely little place. I can recommend it, should you be looking for a store on a mall-type sim. Just don't do it if you intend to sell art.
It's by no means the end of the road for Swirly Disco Flames though. Oh no. Just a minor hiccup and rethink. So please do not panic, those of you who do actually buy my work. My main, primary, foremost and original gallery will remain until Chry decides she needs the space for something else. Also of course, there is the little installation at [[UrbanARTs]] (how on earth do you type < and > within a href tag without t'internet getting confused, btw?)
I need to reconsider how to market and promote my work, I think. A general mall sim is clearly not the way. There is something rather exciting in the pipeline that I do hope to be able to tell you about soon though. But for now, I can only say - "watch this space".
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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It's Idle Rogue policy not to deprive starving artists of their 200 prims, no matter what hairbrained scheme I may have going this week. As long as I make rent each week, I quite like the idea of there being an artist-in-residence (without the reside, of course) and you being it. As to promoting and marketing, if there is anything I can do, let me know.
ReplyDeleteI would say "you're a scholar and a gentleman" but you're not a gentleman, and I have no idea if you're a scholar.
ReplyDeleteSo I'll just smile and hug ya instead *hugs*
Oh, and did you see I had taken down my 700 prims-worth of picture lighting?
Hey... youre posting when you should be at RL work? Naughty!
ReplyDeleteOr is SDF really taking off...
(Did you find my Ode to Marnix?)
It was...erm...lunchtime. Yes, that's it. Lunchtime.
ReplyDeleteAnd no, not so much with the taking off.
And no, didn't find any ode. Q and I searched for ages and ages for our shrine
Check inside the tree stump...
ReplyDelete"How on earth do you type..."
ReplyDeleteUsing an Ascii code :p
http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/reference/article.php/3472621
-Quaintly
I think I might have mentioned looking into joining an art gallery, back when you were first starting out. That is without question the most effective way to get exposure. Join a gallery- S&S Gallery Of Fine Arts is the best I've found in SL. Don't join a gallery that charges you rent.. its best to join one that takes a small commission and works hard to promote your work. S&S does.. you should show your work where people are specifically looking for art.. and in a gallery that has many events per week. You can always have a modest size exhibition and put landmarks to your main gallery in your sale packages.
ReplyDeleteI think for artists, trying to go it alone- especially in the beginning, is nothing but a dead end. Please check out S&S Gallery, talk to Stefanik Dagostino.