Art as Business: Progress Report VII

This autumn has been so totally overfilled with projects, exhibitions, workshops and sketching for a commission that I’ve barely been able to blog about it properly – and I must say that especially my Art as Business Series has suffered from lack of attention. I keep telling myself that soon, soon, I’ll have more time – but soon seems to linger just at the horizon all the time - it's like trying to get to the end of the rainbow…  I’m just not managing to get any closer.

But I thought that I should at least manage a little Progress Report today!

Commissions/Public Art
In August last year I gave myself the task to get more commissions for Public Art on a regular basis to secure some incomes (while working on getting somewhere with “my own art” without compromising). A year later - in August 2010 - I thought that maybe this shouldn’t be the way to go for me – but I was drawing conclusions too early. Some things need time in order to show results:

happening
- On December 3rd I’ll present my sketch for a Public Art Piece for a school (I’ve been posting a lot here at my blog about my work in progress).
- I’ve been asked to make another mural project in spring 2011 with new school children, but at the same school as before. Here you can see what we did in spring.
- I’ve been asked to make a minor mural for a private client

might happen
- Just a few days ago I got a question from an art consultant about the mural I painted in 2006; there could be a similar project for me coming up.
- While following up a contact I got a hint that I might be up for a public commission in another municipal. I can’t count on it, but it could very well happen..


…honestly I can’t do it all in 2011 and I don't want to do it all in 2011 … maybe save some for 2012?

Galleries
I’ve not had the time to work on this properly, and have therefore set this as a priority task for spring 2011 - but some things are happening:
- 2 Separate exhibitions in spring (minor public art galleries/Konsthallar)
- Booked a meeting in December to set the date for upcoming separate exhibition (2012) in a gallery where I’ve exhibited before.


Teaching/Workshops
Since January I’ve only agreed to teach art when offered a good salary (no more night classes!). I want to limit the teaching to shorter periods of guestteaching/ a few days workshops now and then - and I've therefore worked to make this come true. I’m focusing on screen printing or public art and would also in a longer perspective like to teach art at university level. I really like teaching - in smaller doses - and would like to keep doing even if it wasn't to make money.

- Last week I was guest teaching 5 days (instead of 2-3 days) at Formakademin (screen printing)
- Next term I might be teaching a full week at KKV (instead of 2 days) if a course is coming true
- My screen printing workshops at KKV (2/term) fills up immediately and without much effort.
- I’m negotiating with a school to teach big format – poster – screen printing for 3 weeks

Time management
I’m managing (barely) to juggle all my projects. I am being super organized and structured but I can’t say at all that I’ve been successful in the task “liberate some time”. Au contraire! But in spring maybe? Soon, soon…

In January I’ll be back with my goals for 2011 and the tasks for spring. But there should be Art as Business posts before that!

Art as Business: Progress Report VI

I must say that I feel like I am absolutely not getting anywhere. Or even worse: I move backwards. It’s like playing Monopoly and you are about to reach GO and collect your salary; and you get the card “go directly to jail”.

The other week I learned that the Tenant Owners’ Association won’t order the enamels. They claimed the reason was that they had discovered that they were to renovate the facades very soon – according to their long-time planning. And therefore enamels for the entrances wasn’t the right decision at this moment.

Ah – go directly to jail!

jumping - one-legged (crippled) - to jail.

But one thing I have succeeded with: Cluster! I had clustered all my short courses and guest-teaching to a period of 4 weeks (3 totally different screen printing courses, Manga for kids, Creative school x 3) And this period is now over. But I had totally underestimated the time for preparations and how tired I would get. Combined with all the other things I had scheduled to do it meant that I’ve worked even more than before. Not even ONE night off in the week (and I get up at the very latest 07:15 in the morning) – instead administration in front of the computer and preparations.

Things I’ve done anyway

• artists statement in Swedish
• exhibition and grant applications
• filled up my screen printing course in May (yes!) thanks to proper marketing
• sent invoices (not bad)
• hanged an exhibition
  

But I haven’t done much more. And this blog has fewer readers than ever. And I’m tired. But it always rains the most just before it stops. The sun is somewhere behind the clouds and eventually it will shine on me.

It’s been 6 months since my very first progress report and I think I have better evaluate if - when looking at the bigger picture – I’ve really made any progress according to my plans. Should I do something different? It is not just about doing a lot of tasks. It’s about doing the right ones. Sometimes I have this suspicion that I prioritise wrong.

Next Sunday: Evaluation

Art as Business: Progress Report V

Sometimes I say I might not be a woman deep inside – because I suck at doing many things at once. Trying to multi-task I just lose my concentration and can not even finish the sentence … I don’t remember what I was talking about any longer … I need to concentrate on one thing at a time – or I’ll just do a lousy job. Recently there has been some research published and articles written (here for example) about the disadvantages of multitasking and the constant flow of information.

“To do two things at once - is to do neither” Roman philosopher Publilius Syrus wrote in 100 B.C.

Since my last progress report I’ve been spending more or less all my time in the studio concentrating on painting (when the kid wasn’t sick that is) and has therefore not done much to reach my other goals (like getting more public commissions). I had given myself the task to prepare for screen printing, but felt that it would lead me astray and postponed it until mid March instead. But I’ve been doing my bookkeeping which is just torture in the moment - and doesn’t keep my mind busy afterwards.


Anyway this is the progress that I can report:

GALLERIES

Produced new materials

• 11 rise paper paintings (at least 70% good enough for my exhibition in November)
• 6 other paintings and 2 half-finished. And I feel I’m getting somewhere!

Upcoming exhibitions

• I have decided what to exhibit in April (at the Art club) and ordered the framing already.
• I have decided what to exhibit at Göteborg Konstförening in May (a totally different exhibition and with new materials).

Applying for exhibitions

• A college and I have decided to apply to exhibit together. We have got an excellent exhibition idea and have already put together an application and send it to one Art Gallery (Konsthall). We have decided on some other places for applying to as well, and will do this by mid March. It might lead somewhere – or it might not. It isn’t that easy to get an exhibition at those places.
• I’ve put together a list of places where to exhibit (solo), I have an exhibition idea and will now just have to finish rewriting my artist statement and put my material together. And apply.
• I’ve been keeping in touch with my gallery contacts.
  

TIME MANAGEMENTYES, I’ve said NO again!

• NO to be representing an artist organization at the board of VSBK (organisation mediating public commissions). Mostly it would be non-paid and anyway I don’t want to become a cultural administrator (which people seem to think I would be excellent at)
• NO to be the president of the board of KKV Göteborg (artist-run collective workhops) I even said NO when I got the hypothetical question if I could consider doing it if it was a well-paid part-time job.

I need to concentrate on my own art. And to keep remembering not to say yes, because I’m flattered…



HAVEN’T DONE

• updated my website with new materials
• prepared for screenprinting
• liberated more time in order to work less at nights (I just don't manage to figure this one out)

4th of April I will give my next progress report and these are some of the things that should be done by then:

1. artist statement (at least the Swedish one)
2. several exhibition applications (and I will reveal what they consisted off)
   
3. updated website
4. screen print for travelling exhibition (I'll tell you more about that in the week)

Next Sunday I will write about rejections and disappointments - and give some recent examples from my Not Any Progress Report (which so far has been just in my mind). And then I will share my strategies on how to handle rejections...

Art as Business: Progress Report IV

First progress report 2010 – here we go!

It has been almost two months since I gave my last report. Not much happened during December - as anticipated. January has mostly been spent planning my schedule for spring (iCal is great!) and the last week has been studio time. But some things have happened.

GALLERY REPORT

• Today it was confirmed that I will exhibit at Mimers Konsthall in Kungälv in November. It is an Art Gallery run by the municipal of Kungälv (outside Gothenburg) - and spacious. As it is non-commercial I’ve already started planning some fun and huge things.
• Not a gallery, but anyway: I’ll exhibit at the City Council’s Art Club here in Gothenburg in April. They contacted me.

[= 2010 I will have 3 separate exhibitions at galleries and one exhibition at an Art Club]

PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

• I presented my suggestion to the Tenant Owner’s Association and they will be back to me within a month. I got the impression that they will give me the commission.
• I will start the Public Art Project at Sandeklevskolan =school (wrote about it in my last report) in March. I will give several workshops to generate ideas - and then we will paint murals.
• I have gotten a Public Art Project at another school. Two full days under “Creative School” (Skapande Skola) – we will probably make a mural here too. This will also happen in March.
• I went to a portfolio presentation at VSBK (an organization mediating public commissions – I’m a member) and got great feedback. I changed some photos and wrote additional text after the meeting. The consultants got very interested when I told them about the Public Art Projects I’m doing – as many schools want art pieces that the schoolchildren made themselves together with an artists. Evidently not many of the artists at VSBK have the experience of making art together with children. Or they just don’t want to do that! I promised to document my projects by taking fantastic photos.

one of my students making a watercolour

TIME MANAGEMENT
I'm trying to learn how to say NO!

• I said NO to participate in a printmaking group exhibition at a museum in the end of January. It was with very short notice, the exhibition deal wasn't great (unless you're in the beginning of your career and desperate to exhibit), it won't add anything extra to my CV, I don't think I would make much profit (epecially considering the time invested) - and I really didn't have the time!
• I said NO to two other group exhibitions (gallery/museum) because of lack of time - and because I don't think they will lead anywhere.
  
• I said NO to teach any more watercolour classes, but one weekend class, at Medborgarskolan. The students are lovely, but the pay isn't good and the schedule makes it impossible to do much else those days.
• I said NO to be on the board of KKV (they keep asking me every year) and head of the screen printing workshops. But I will of course continue writing the Annual Reports for KKV and the applications for funding. I love KKV. (KKV is 12 artist run workshops)
  
• I said NO (or actually resigned from) to be in the Exhibition group at Grafik i Väst (a printmaking organization with a gallery and large collection of contemporary prints). I said also NO to particiapate in two other projects at Grafik i Väst. But I will still use the cutting plotter at KKV to make texts for the exhibition group.

a black and white still life from the watercolour class I taught last weekend

BUT ...

• I said YES to be the administrator and editor of a blog for Equality within Art. (from KRO Väst - the National Swedish Artist Organisation, Western Sweden). I will also be part of some other related projects - but tried to make it clear that I have very little time to spare and that I would rather concentrate on one thing and do it properly. (but I'm already lagging behind because of a week of illness)
  
• I said YES to participate in two "blog projects" as I call them. I'll let you in on them later on. Very exciting!
  

I think that even though I said YES to some things ... the saying NO should anyway outbalance the new commitments. But I have a tendency to not totally stop doing things. And not being part of the board or any project groups at KKV or Grafik i Väst and still doing things - does mean that I don't get any "official credits"... or that I can write it in my CV.

NEW TASKS (to report back about on February 28)

• visit art galleries 2-3 times per month
• make bookkeeping every month (I bought a new software!)
• make new art (I have now my concentrated studio time until March) and update my website with it.
  
• prepare for screen printing in March
  
• write a list of possible places to apply for exhibitions for 2012 (with deadlines)
• Contact Galleri Jeanette Ölund (follow-up)
  

Next week's Art as Business will be Time Management (part 2). I don't think I'm the only one with problems there....or am I?

Next progress Report will be February 28.

Art as Business: Progress Report III

Yet another month has passed. So what has happened?


I’m starting to see some results from my hard work trying to get some more public commissions. Last week we had another lunch meeting presenting public commissions – and I think one of the contacts might lead somewhere (but that’s just a hunch). But some things I know for sure

• The tenant owners’ association gave me the first part of the commission; in Mid January I’ll present detailed sketches, material sample (one enamel with motive) and suggested colours. If they still are pleased then they’ll order enamels for their 38 entrances!
• In spring I’ll work on a mural for a school - together with schoolchildren (age 15)
• Next week I’m having a meeting with several people in a municipal discussing commissioned art for schools to be constructed/renovated. The projects haven’t started yet and it is really good to be part of the discussions early on.
• I learned that a project leader who visited our first lunch meeting had been promoting me for a commission for school/preschool. I don’t know if it will lead somewhere right now, but it means people are getting aware of my work.

• Verified date for my autumn separate exhibition in Falun (October 2010)
• Follow-up calls gave me verification that two Art Galleries run by municipals want me to exhibit there, but they couldn’t yet verify dates, but it should be in 2011
• I visited gallery Jeanette Ölund in person. She mentioned we should talk soon about getting me an exhibition again. (Better not press it. She knows I’m interested)
• I’ve gotten some good time in my studio lately and mid January – end February will be reserved for painting as well. This is crucial in order to get somewhere – my little separate exhibition in May has to be better than good.

STEP 1
I have set my mind on exhibiting in either one of two good galleries here in Gothenburg (let’s call them Gallery X and Y). But visiting the galleries and showing photos of my work isn’t the right strategy. (They have at least one person doing that EVERY day). I’m exhibiting at Göteborgs Konstförening - in the small gallery - in May. I will until then regularly visit Gallery X and Y and make sure they notice me – and then invite them to my exhibition in May (and hope I can convince them to go – and that they’ll love my work!). Gallery X already knows I’m an artist and my name, I’ll just have to keep it up. Gallery Y recognises me as a regular gallery visitor, but I have to become more than that.

Christmas and New Year is coming - and then I'll probably not see much progress as much isn't happening anywhere. My next Progress Report will therefore not be until 31 of January 2010.

Next Art as Business will about Networking 2

CONFESSION: I am right now very tired of being such a good girl and all the discipline. You might have noticed I'm not much fun these days. Should I just leave it all and go hitch-hiking? Just be on the road, but not trying to get anywhere special, just see where I end up...

Art as Business: Progress Report II

So here we go – progress report 2.

It’s been 4 weeks since the first one – and besides missing out on 2 days of work because of sick kid (again) – I’ve been working really hard (only 2 out of 4 weekends off). But I feel like I’ve had a hard time to get the time to do what I should. When setting my deadlines it’s like I really didn’t take into account all the other things I had to do - especially not the administrative parts.

My excuses are:

1. The dog ate my deadline list
   
2. Wednesday and Thursdays I’m always teaching and have just time for 2 hours administration daytime.
3. Lunch meeting meant also preparation time and summing up time
4. 2, 5 day screenprinting workshop (+preparations and administration)
5. Mural (execution, preparation, administration)
6. I’ve been to 6 meetings
7. We’ve had a house guest (brother in law from Colombia) which meant I couldn’t spend all nights in front of the computer

bad bad dog!

- What about the deadlines and tasks?
I’ve done what I should when it comes to the commissions – except the part “contacts within tenant owners associations/architects firms”. I have distributed my brochure to more people, and I have started (slowly) to pull some strings when it comes to architects – but I haven’t worked on this as hard as I should… THIS IS MY WEAKNESS. I have to improve…

- Ok, deadlines and tasks are good things – but do I see any results?
When fishing for commissions it takes loooong time to get any results. Some things that are happening now are because of contacts taken before I started my Art as Business series. But let’s count it anyway!

• 10th of November I’m having a meeting with a tenant owners association interested in (probably) ordering enamels for their 38 entrances. They have already seen some sketches. They contacted me because they had seen my enamels from 2008.
• When making follow-up calls for the lunch meeting invitation (public commissions) I got in touch with someone in the municipal of Lerum who knows the art works I’ve made for them. She didn’t have the time to come to the lunch meeting, but asked if I could contact her 4 weeks later and then come to see her instead (in my calendar now!). They have some projects coming up that might need commissioned art.
• The client who ordered the mural I painted last weekend contacted me again just two weeks ago for another mural. BUT I had to talk to the architect ...he wasn’t too happy about the idea (very obvious)… and then convinced the client they should see what the tenants thought first. This might just be an excuse. I’m not getting my hopes up for this one.

When it came to the galleries I gave myself these tasks

1. order new portfolio by October 6 - done!
2. 2 hours every Thursday night should be reserved for "thinking about GALLERIES" - I have not had that time but one Thursday
3. Progress Report on my thoughts and Gallery approaches on my blog 1st of November - See no 2
4. try to spend 40% of my time on creative work in studio/KKV - Not even 15 %

Here I’ve been less successful … I had given myself unrealistic tasks considering everything else I had to do. I will instead concentrate on this in November and December.

1. Follow up exhibition applications by phone
2. 3 gallery visits - asking to exhibit - in person (not the GALLERIES)
3. Send more exhibition applications (with new portfolio)
4. in average 3 days/week in the studio
   
5. Plan for concentrated working period in the studio - 3 months - spring 2010 (financing? time?)
6. I will wait with the "going for the GALLERIES" until spring, but I will plan for it this year and let you know my strategies.
   

In five weeks (6th of December) I will give my third Progress Report. I will then concentrate more on the exhibition part (galleries and strategies), but also keep you updated on how I advance with the commissions.

Join me next Sunday for yet another Art as Business post! Next weeks topic will be teaching Art/giving workshops [how can that be business?]

Art as Business: Progress Report I

Here we go: my first progress report. I must say that reporting back here regularly is going to be really good for me. I DO feel extra pressure!

5 weeks ago I set these deadlines

1. website for commissioned art only – September 29
2. sand blasted glass samples (mounted) – September 29
3. 3 new contacts within tenant owners’ associations by mid October
4. 3 Architect firms contacted (contacts? think think! and ask ask!) by mid October
5. On the 4th of October I will report my progress (commissions) here on my blog

and what have I done then?
(not so hard things to achieve in all that time)

1. my website no 2 (public commissioned art - and in Swedish!) is up and running, but not with enough content (I need more and better photos!).Check it out here
   
2. I sand blasted some more glass, but decided mounting them was not a priority at this moment (lack of time). But I did relearn how to use the glass grinder and learned how to use the big formats sand blaster as well.
3. 
I asked friends for help with contacts, but have not gotten any positive answers yet (I have to remind them and start asking acquaintances as well... though I hate being a seller! This is my weakness.) I will ask my water colours students if they have any contacts. These things should happen within two weeks.
4. Architects – not yet. Though I know one to ask now. (I've been thinking!). Two more weeks to get it done.
   
5. I'm reporting back NOW!
   

sand blasted sketch. I'm working on a series of bathers.

Ok, I didn’t totally make it for 3 reasons: I had to stay home with my feverish son 3 days, I had to put more time on prior commitments than anticipated (2 applications for funding for artist organizations) – but first of all: the deadline 29th of September lost it’s importance! (and it is not mid October yet)

Why I didn’t do my homework properly
The deadline date 29th of September was because we had decided to give a lunch meeting with focus on public commissions for schools - as a follow up of the exhibition pedagogic art projects/public art for schools. The lunch meeting was to take place at Kc-Väst (artist run organization and Gallery ) in between exhibitions.

But we had to move the lunch meeting till the 20th of October: it turned out that the artist having the upcoming exhibition would start hanging his exhibition on Tuesday morning! No one had checked with him that the gallery would be accessible for us… In addition we had gotten just a few positive answers from possible clients (cultural administrators, project leaders etc) – and most of the artists hadn’t put any effort into getting possible clients to come.

At this moment the artist who took the praiseworthy initiative to the lunch meeting (let’s call her Miss H) seemed ready to just cancel it all. But I convinced her that arranging this event, as a follow up from the exhibition, was an opportunity too good to miss out on. So; we decided that we would put the lunch meeting on the 20th of October instead (this time we double checked with the upcoming exhibition) – and just have a simple “rehearsal” lunch meeting the 29th – as there was a cultural administrator who could only come this date. Miss H and I came to the decision that only those artists prepared to put a real effort into getting people to come should be part of this (no free riders!)

The "rehearsal" lunch meeting got kind of intimate as we were just one cultural administrator and the artists … and I made some mistakes in my presentation (I’ll get back to this later in this text). Which was good ... I won't repeat the same mistakes next time!

After the lunch meeting we, the 5 participating artists, divided municipals in the region and cultural departments in between us. We are now going to aim for getting much more people to come than we were planning for at first and make the focus for the lunch meeting public commissions in general. Every participating artist is going to first send e-mail invitations, and then follow up with phone calls. On my suggestion we decided that every artist should do their best to get five people to come. (as you might know by now I’m into putting definite goals!)

We are going to build a temporary exhibition at the gallery just for the lunch presentation and every artist will get maximum 10 minutes to present themselves and their work. Then there will be lunch buffet and mingle. (I will afterwards report back to you about the event)


So what did I do wrong in the lunch meeting?


• I had not prepared my presentation (can’t say the other artists seemed to have done it either)

• I should just have showed my very best public commission (school of Lekstorp) - not how broad I am (these people are used at commissioning art)
• 
I should have brought my glass samples (calling them idea sketches) as I think they really could work for public use. Glass is a very popular material in public commissions at the moment.
  

I showed this photo (A2 size) at the exhibition (school of Lekstorp) and had made special business cards with the same motive. Now I've ordered more of them (moo), but with my new web site printed on them.



New to do-list (deadline 20th of october):

• Take better photos of my first mural from 2004 and of the enamels from 2008 (good photos is SO important)
  
• Rehearse my presentation (make it short but memorable!)
• upload materials to VSBK's internal database (artist organization mediating public commissions) - I already joined.
  
• REALLY get me my contacts within tenant owners associations/architects firms

So this was my first progress report. I promise the next one will be more interesting. I will then report about the lunch meeting and about my gallery approaches. Progress Report II will be on November 4.

Next week's topic at Art as Business: selling your art!
[this is part 9 in my Sundays series about Art as Business. Here you can read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 and part 8]