When a fisherman catches crabs and puts them in a bucket, they obviously want to get out.
They scramble and scuttle, each trying to get on top of the others, reaching for the edge.
Sometimes, one gets lucky and hooks a leg or a claw, and starts to pull himself up.
He never makes it though: The moment he’s on his way out, the others grab his legs and pull him back in.
“No no no, you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying here with us”.
Sound like humans to you?
All those sweet and dear people who want to ‘help’ you, and who give you their highly valuable ‘can’t do’ feedback.
“There’s no more money!”
“People no longer buy art!”
“You’ll never get anywhere without a gallery”.
“The economy is in the tank, forget it”.
That’s the crab syndrome at work, right there. They see you move forward, and they’re instantly ready to turn you off, to dissuade you and to depress you.
Not because they want to – rationally they might want you to succeed.
But they can’t help themselves.
In a sense, you choose it for yourself.
If you allow others to slow your momentum or quench your enthusiasm, you gave them permission.
Cool fact: You can revoke that permission, and sometimes you have to make that decision.
Some people, you shouldn’t see, because they bring you down. You drink their Kool-Aid and you’re off worse for it.
If you allow people in your life who hurt you in those ways, you’re the crab that pulls itself down.
Then there’s the part about perception:
I saw it happen last week, when Jimmy and I talked to the art-buyer gentleman.
His wasn’t an uplifting story, and I could see it was affecting Jimmy negatively.
Thing is, when the man left, Jimmy had found it disheartening, while I had found it a terrific meeting and incredibly instructive.
And that’s the thing, you see: Like I explained in LEAP issue 1, you choose your perception, and that determines your reality.
That might sound out there, but it’s really just simple psychology – it’s about mindset and attitude, and how you program yourself. Simple stuff, really.
So that’s what LEAP #3 is going to be about: I’ll show you a marketer’s view on the gallery system, and then I’ll outline exactly how what you thought is a put-down, actually gives you endless opportunities, if you’re willing to shift your perception.
Some of the juicy bits:
• Why art isn’t a luxury, and how making that mindshift can help you sell more of it
• How to be businesslike when making and selling art
• How you can use your own personality to replace the ‘tactile’ experience of seeing art (they say you can’t sell art online, without seeing it – that’s bunk, even a gallery holder told me so)
• The enormous show that famous artists stage to increase sales – and why you can drop all that and sell more because of it
• How when you sign with with a gallery you’re in a way like a colonial coolie, only there to sweat and to make your master’s lives better
• How online marketing – especially with email – is the fastest way to sift through all the unlikely suspects, so you can focus all your marketing efforts only on the people who are passionate about what you do
• Why building your own name and marketing asset gets you a fanbase that’ll last you for life, instead of some quick cash
• How that starkly contrasts with galleries maybe selling your work, but in doing so raising their own profile first (look at all the great artists we have!) and yours second
• How there is endless generosity that people are ready to share with you, and how to ask the questions that make people open up and tell you everything they know about selling and promotion
• The uncanny power of ‘you-as-part-of-the-art’ when it comes to earning more for your work (Even the art-buyer we talked to confirmed this is how it works)
• Why stories and storytelling matter, and how to use it
• How people are more bored the richer they are, and how that can get you to earn any price you want for your work if you play your cards right
And so much more… really.
I’ll also go through my notes from the talk with Mr. X, and show you how each of the negative common conceptions people have can be turned into a positive and give you a new tool in your sales toolbox.
In other words, if you make any sort of art, you want this issue.
Just a few hours left to get in… best not miss it if you want to take the business side of your art and your income more seriously –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/
Cheers,
Martin