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?]