Although Russellville, KY is not a surprising location to be (it's referred to as mid-south, about 45 min - 1 hour north of Nashville), the "word-of-mouth" type of publicity happened to me while living there for almost 9 years. In such a tight-knit and SMALL community, it's easy for word to get out about a newcomer from the (dreaded?) north possessing the unique talents of an artist. And, as luck would have it, I had no competition within town. As a result, my commissions gradually increased through the years (actually, I got my start there in portraiture, having been a freelance fashion illustrator in my home state of NJ). I even wound up with a few commissions from Nashville, Bowling Green KY, St. Louis, Charlotte, and Florida.
However, as Karin alluded to, I, as a northerner, dreaded or otherwise, never felt COMPLETELY accepted by the locals. I was accepted due to my uniqueness, but only on THAT level....in THEIR minds, once a northerner, always a northerner, I guess. Despite all that, I must say that I would indeed love to return to the south one day (after the kids graduate from High School?), but nearer the coast.
The situation I was in after a divorce in '97 prompted me to move back to my hometown in NJ in late '99. Since then, VERY little has happened for me in the art world (except a rejection from my very first attempt to enter a juried show)...resulting in having to take a part-time job. This state in particular is extremely populated, so trying to find just the right niche in which to get that word-of-mouth spreading has been very difficult. And, it doesn't help when I hear people (even my boss at work!) tell me such discouraging things as "it's more of a southern thing", and "people won't pay your price" (I don't think $400 for a head and shoulders in pastel is too high).
I tried a 1/4 page ad in a new "exclusive" publication, but to no avail. I realize that advertising needs to occur repeatedly and consistently in order to get noticed, but at $600 a "pop", it's out of my budget. So, in the meantime, I'm in a dry spell, trying to figure out what to do next. I'm at this site all the time and try to soak up all of the advice from "y'all"...keep it coming! In the end, I guess I could say that KY has (so far) proven to be a better location from which to work as a portrait artist than NJ. Hopefully, I can prove that wrong...wish me luck!
P. S. The BEST thing did happen to me, though, after moving back to NJ....I married the love of my life...and you can't BEAT that!!
