November 2008 Contents
I. Which Niche
II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room, and the Shrink’s Couch
III. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
IV. Creative Links
V. Special Coaching Offer: Jump Start January ‘09
VI. Newsletter and Info: Share this newsletter, subscribe, or unsubscribe

I. Which Niche
I’ve mentioned before that it helps creativity flow when you believe that your work will be of interest to some people. A critical question is . . . which people? In acknowledgment of our juddering economy, what I have to say may relate to your financial situation and income from your art, but I’m actually speaking to the deeper question of who you are making your work for. It could be only for yourself. If so, read no further. If, though, you are making the work at least partly for others, read on.

Which niche? Artists often work their way to a niche that’s a good fit from two directions. The first is from your intention. One way to clarify who you intend it for is to imagine that the piece you’re currently working on has finished up beautifully. It is now in place and being admired. Who admires it? Resonates with it? How does their reaction to your work connect to the rest of their lives?

The second direction from which to approach your niche is testing out these intentions in an open, curious way. Depending on your experience, think of those folks who have already oohed and aahed over your work. Remember those who have shown or purchased your work. Which ones surprised you with their appreciation? What do they have in common?

Your style and media may already dictate some of the areas that welcome your work but you’ll still have choices, since there are different ways of separating out the niches. A typical listing of broad categories used by a gallery might be: paintings, photographs, glass, metal, wood, ceramics, fiber. Another set might include storyquilts, embroidery, weaving, textiles, jewelry, prints. Narrowing your niche might help both your clarity as an artist and the chances of your best audience finding your work; e.g. Judaica, marine art, recycled art.

Considering both your intent and your audience is only one way to think about your niche. Feel free to e-mail your comments on how you aim for your best-fit niche to connect@dianereardon.com.
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II. Energy Management: Translations from the Psych Research Lab, the Board Room and the Shrink’s Couch
Anderson, Chris. The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. 2008.
There’s a folder in the back of my file cabinet labeled ‘print ideas’. It holds notes from when my own coach helped me realize that I didn’t have enough sales of any one type of work to justify producing limited edition prints. Chris Anderson is here to tell us that producers (of anything) no longer have to shoot for the ‘hit’ image, movie, or book. He describes the long tail vs. the hit mentality of technology’s emerging consumer world.  

The ‘long tail’ refers to the graph seen when you look at, say, the world of movies and see a big burst of sales for the blockbuster hits, followed by a rapidly decreasing number of sales for any one movie. Since the internet has made it easier to find and receive less popular items, the total numbers of non-hits being ordered is one of the fastest growing segments. Similarly, on Amazon, readers can easily find and then order the special interest and weird titles of their particular narrow passions and niches. In addition, there is help available from other readers in reviews, from their blogs, book groups sites, etc. so these markets of niches are not driven by advertising but by very varied word of mouth. The author, in fact, says we are leaving the information age and entering the recommendation age. (Whether any of this is a good thing or not is controversial; see Keen’s book below.)  

Anderson cites leading sources for many areas except art: books (Amazon), movies (Netflix), short videos (YouTube), connecting (MySpace), and stuff (eBay and craigslist). A number of artists do use their own printers and archival ink to print-on-demand; they then use eBay and their own websites to help their best audience find them. Keep your eyes and ears open to learn of emerging internet sources that specialize in art.
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III. Friends in Print: When you feel like reading
Smith, Constance with Greaves, Susan F. Internet 101 for the Fine Artist. 2^nd Edition, 2007. The first edition was very solid in welcoming the artist who is brand new to the internet. The guidance is especially detailed and proceeds step-by-step for wading into the world of selling art on eBay. I’m assuming this 2^nd edition has the same usefulness with updated tools and links.

Keen, Andrew. The Cult of the Amateur. 2007. While Anderson (above) gets excited about the advantages of the internet, Keen is just as impassioned about its disadvantages for both the consumer world and the intellectual health of our youth.

IV. Creative Links
Both of these magazines are themselves niche products which means they are hard to find in general bookstores and most easily available on the web.
http://www.nichemag.com 
NICHE magazine is all about retailing art and fine craft. It often includes profiles of individual artists and how they market both through galleries and on the web.

www.americanstyle.com
This is a classy home/lifestyle magazine that especially features how collectors of art live with their art. (1 year 6 issues, $25 subscribing online).
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Welcome the New Year with a chance to Experience Creativity Coaching that’s focused on your personal goals, made available at group rates.

Here’s the format:
We (6 folks and myself) meet by phone teleconference every other week for eight weeks. You set your own agenda for the alternate week and get individualized e-mail feedback on your progress. Each teleconference call will build on creative combinations of the previous weeks’ work by the whole group.


The cost to each participant is $140, payable in two monthly payments. E-mail me at connect@dianereardon.com for more details or to sign up now for one of the six spaces. A deposit holds your spot for January. More details on the web site at Jump Start January.

VI. E-mail changes. To change your e-mail address, subscribe, or unsubscribe please e-mail connect@dianereardon.com. If you use a spam filter, please add this e-mail address to your list of approved senders. This material is included on the breakTHROUGH Creativity Coaching (website www.dianereardon.com) All material is copyrighted ©, October 31 2008, Diane Reardon. All rights reserved. Visit the website for back issues and details on scheduling a complimentary one-hour coaching session.
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