Direct Mail

[Kimberly Dow]

Wish me luck folks - I threw my hat in this ring as well. I mailed out cards to my mailing list of maybe 200 collectors and others that have asked to be on my mailing list. And I bought a list of 600 names of folks who make over 150k/year and have shown an interest in art or antiques. I had to expand my area though - in Corpus Christi where I was moving there seemed to be only 250 names that fit that criteria - and that didnt meet the minimum. So - Im hitting Beaumont & Galveston as well. If this turns out to be worth it I may do San Antonio someday.

It's too soon to tell since I just mailed them 3 days ago - but I did get an email from a man in Galveston who says he spent a lot of time on my website, complimented me and says he wants to make a trip to Corpus to see my work in person. Guess I'll see. It did show me that the list is targeted since he told me a little about himself as well. I also recognized a name on the list I bought as someone my husband went to school with who won the lottery and starting collecting art years ago! I thought that was pretty funny that I'd recognize a name on there.

I am still going to try and get names from family and friends also - Mary's results were impressive!

[Mike McCarty]

Kim,

You might make note of this -- about 35 miles (+-) from Corpus, just beyond Port Aransas, lies Rockport. Rockport is about as artsy as it gets in that vicinity. There are a couple of galleries in the downtown and they have art festivals during the year. Also, as far as a mailing, there is a nice pocket of affluence there, it's called Key Allegro. It's an island reached by a very small bridge. Take a drive through with a note pad. Mark all the addresses where you see bikes, basketball hoops, tree houses, station wagons, and the usual destruction caused by kids.

There used to be a decent art gallery across the ferry at Port Aransas. I've seen some nice art in there. There used to be a serious landscape artist living nearby that placed his art there.

Also, you might consider Victoria, Texas. At one point Victoria had more millionaires per capita than any city in America. Victoria should be much closer than Beaumont/Galveston. You might do some searching in Kingsville also, there are some serious property owners over there, measured in multiples of miles not acres. I still think you need to paint a kid standing next to their prize bull, horse or lamb. Chickens are a start.

Here's my daughter in the Port Aransas bay.

[Kimberly Dow]

Mike, you sweet man you! Thank you. I know about Rockport - I actually used to show there years ago in their Art Association Gallery. It is understandably geared towards seascapes though. I'd have to go look, but I think I added Rockport to my list. It was suprising how many towns I had to add to get the minimum number of names...Pleasanton, Kerrville, Port Aransas, North Padre Island, Portland, Gregory, etc... I know there are more wealthy people there - I am just assuming it took so many because I was specific about the art interest. I did not know about Victoria though! I can't remember ever going there and I thought that was a more lower income area, so I am glad to know that one! The reason I added Beaumont and Galveston is because we have family up there and visit occasionally. I left San Antonio out because there were so many names and thought if I do that one I should buy it all at once.

I forget what a wealth of knowledge you are about this state!

Your daughter is having a grand time fishing there - no sea sickness for her I see! Did she catch anything on that trip?

On another note - any tips about digital cameras and sand? I had some ideas about beach scenes, but I am pathologically afraid of taking my new camera anywhere near that sand!

[Mike McCarty]

Victoria is a pretty good sized town. Years ago it was covered up in oil money, who knows today.

That fish (28 inch trout) was caught by my daughter on the last shrimp in the bait well.

Here is the set up around here. This is, I assume, a pro photographer doing the scene of choice here abouts. White shirts, khaki pants or jeans. You take this shot in the evening maybe 30-45 minutes before sunset, then you take them out near the water and try to work in a manatee with the setting sun.

I don't worry as much about the sand as I do the salt spray. Go over it with your aerosol spray can when you get home. Then take it into the shower with you and give it a good rinse, it should be fine.

[Kimberly Dow]

Mike, I did not give you permission to post that photo of me swimming.

[Michele Rushworth]

I'd get a cheap digital camera to take anywhere risky like the beach, on a boat or hiking, personally.

[Brenda Ellis]

Man, there is so much wisdom and good information in every thread on this forum!

Reading this thread has made me glad I'm still inexperienced enough for hairdressers to afford me!
Seriously, my biggest source of commissions has been word of mouth from a hairdresser in an uppity salon here in Louisville. I made an appointment to have my hair done (just a cut was all I could afford there!) and casually mentioned that I do portraits (at that time I was just doing pencil.) He had four children so that was a good-sized job. I was lucky enough to happen upon someone who believed in local businesses helping and supporting each other. I brought by postcards to put out on the counter by the hostesses desk. I got several commissions from that because the postcards worked with the word of mouth.
Coffee houses in nice neighborhoods were also good fishing spots for sketch commissions.

Once I began doing color and charging more, things changed. The hair salons and coffee houses have not been so good. I've gotten some jobs for pastels but things have really slowed down a lot. Of course, this is because of two things. My skills with color are not as refined as my skills in drawing, and there is a financial cut-off point. I suppose very wealthy people, even if they did frequent coffee houses, would not necessarily trust the competence of someone who has to advertise via coffee houses! I did however try a transition from hairdressers to antique shops. I traded a pastel pet portrait for an antique book case. The dealer hung the pastel in her store and I got a commission from that. And then reality hit. I have so much to learn before I can make the leap to the next marketing level!

But I learned that the method of marketing should fit the target. And I learned that there is a transition period for us developing artists where we might be better laying low for a while until we can get good enough to justify more sophisticated marketing strategies.

How I long for the old days when a phone call for a $75 sketch would make my day!