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Originally Posted by Mischa Milosevic
Some years ago I was in a motorcycle accident from which I did not fully recover....
After some serious thought I decided to invest my savings in to art education....
To echo the statement of others I to cannot imagine life without art.
What do you think about doing a few freebies for prominent individuals to get ones name out there?
Thank you again for sharing your experiences and your time with us.
mischa
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Our 19 year old son is shopping for a motorcycle at this time and I am in a panic...I wish you would share your story. I want to discourage him.
I looked at your website and was delighted to see your sensitive works...many I feel (if not all) are from life...correct? Your aesthetic committment and financial investment has paid off and now you are ready to market.
You should not give this fine work away. You may offer it at a fund-raising auction for a worthy cause (do you have those?) Just make sure to set a minimum bid and arrange to keep half of that minimum for yourself, the other 1/2 and anything over the minimum goes to the charity. I have success with this.
18 years or more ago, when I was first attempting to build a client base, I made many appointments to show my works to prominent individuals, those with the
correct change of course.
If they responded favorably to my work, I would then show them examples by other, more famous, artists (some were even my mentors) I would also show them their fees...and watch as they gasped. Then I would place my own more modest pricelist down to help them relax as I appealed to them to sit for me that I might begin to gain respect of others & secure more commissions as a result. I explained that I had selected them based on their standing in the community and because I was confident that their endorsement would boost my career.
I asked for 50% upon the signing of the contract...the balance due upon delivery of the completed work. When they expressed delight and enthusiasm over the completed portrait(s) I would suggest that they host an unveiling party so I could introduce the work and myself to a new client base, for further encouragement I offered to forgive the final 50% payment if they would help me we secure two commissions with down payments by the end of their unveiling party.
I modeled this approach after Tupperware and Mary Kay parties by the way...are you familiar with those?
Those were fast and furious days, even though I had more rejections than takers... now that I am one of the expensive artists, everyone that turned me down, expresses their regret. Those who took the opportunity thank me profusely when we chance to meet.
Portraits for everyone!
Go for it!
Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas