promoting yourself as an artist

One of the most common questions I get from my website is from artists looking to increase sales, get a book deal, etc. and wanting advice. The question usually says something like, "I need help to promote myself", and, "I feel uncomfortable doing PR because it feels like bragging."

I think the important thing to remember is that "bragging" is to talk with excessive pride or self-admiration. To promote your work is to lay out the facts of what you have done and what you can do. If you do that with excessive pride, you will turn people off. You have to separate what you do from who you are. In the end, it is a business. If you have to, pretend you are describing someone else's work; but remember the work is not you. It just sometimes feels like it!

That is the big difference in promotion that works; distinguishing between yourself and your work. It is easier to talk about a third party thing (e.g. your work) vs. yourself. If you talk about your accomplishments, that can feel like bragging - and may come off that way to others.

You need to separate your work from YOU. This will help you with both promotion and criticism.

When putting together a promotional package - or preparing to do some one on one PR, start by making a list of your accomplishments. As I work mostly in print, my list includes articles published, articles to be published, designs published and to be published, books I have written with publication dates, etc. No matter how simple the work seems (even if it is a newsletter article for the PTA) it isn't too small to list in the beginning. The point of these lists is to prove your credibility.

Editors and Producers have hundreds of people tell them they are talented. You need to prove it. If what you have to show in the beginning is small - that is okay.

Next, gather up samples of your work. If you design, create a collage of your work and have color photocopies made. (I do three sheets of color in my press kit but only one in query letters.) You may find that the color on photocopiers isn't good. If that is the case, have your work scanned and printed on a color printer where the color is truer.

Write up a biography of yourself. Include facts pertinent to your career, a one-sentence statement about you plans for the future, and your accomplishments. This should be straightforward text. Avoid any tendency to editorialize or dress up this text. Keep it short and simple. ½ to one page is enough. (The text at http://www.teraswish.com/tera.htm is taken from my own biography. The last paragraph is not included in the print version.) Although this should be short, it should package you in a way that makes you interesting to those who read it.

Next write Curriculum Vitae. This is essentially a "resume" of accomplishments listed by category and date. My CV goes back to 1999 for everything but my education. When it comes to a CV there are few rules except this: don't include information that doesn't make you look good. When someone reads your CV they won't be looking for what is missing. If you don't have a college degree, don't include an education section. As an artist, your education is less important (unless you are going for an academic career) than in most jobs. In PR you are not trying for a job, you are making your story interesting so that an editor or producer can get to know you.

Write Press Releases! A great way to get items for your press kit is to send out one-page press releases to local press. As someone who writes for magazines I can tell you that I'm always happy to get a press release on something I can include in my column. It makes my job easier. However, nothing turns me off faster than a press release that has nothing to do with my job. It makes it obvious that the sender got my name from a 3rd party source and has no idea who I am or what I do. Do your homework. Read the local papers and magazines for a few weeks or months to determine which columnists write local interest stories and the kind of stories that might relate to you and your work. Don't send press releases out blindly. Find out the name of the person you should be contacting and tailor the release to that person.

Keep your press releases to a single page. Be sure to include your name, address, phone number, and email address on the page. Do not send attachments, photos, or other information with the press release. Let the columnist follow up with you to get this information. Write the press release in the way that you would like to see the story written. If you give the columnist a story idea that they can run with they are more likely to contact you.

If you have a hard time writing these things, consider getting a PR buddy. Connect with another artist and write about each other's work. When you see what they have written, you can make changes and adjustments but the main work is done. This can be easier than staring at the blank page.

Finally, know that there is nothing unique about me. I'm just a person that has gotten out there and done the things I have suggested to you here. Most artists sit at home and wish a "fairy publicist-person" would come their way and promote them so they don't have to. That isn't the way it works. You have to get your name and your work out there in front of the editors and producers that will work with it. Remember, "Fortune Favors the Bold!" (Virgil) and go for it!

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