Whenever I%92m at a show, and meeting and talking to people, there always comes a point in the conversation when I feel I need to walk away. I often feel afterwards that I may have walked away from a sale. I feel that I dropped the ball, so to speak.

It%92s a difficult thing to do, talking to people about your art. You can tell right away those who are not terribly interested, so with them, you simply exchange pleasantries. You can also spot the ones who ARE interested in the art, and so with them, you talk about the work itself, the techniques, the colours, and so on.

And then comes that point in the conversation, when if I were selling widgets, I would say %92how many would you like%92 or %92what colour would like them in%92 or %92shall I wrap it up for you%92. Somehow, selling your own artwork doesn%92t seem to work that way. And yet, it probably does.

Someone I met at the last show I did gave me a few ideas. Something like %92what room were you thinking of for this piece%92, or %92what are the colours in the room you%92re thinking of%92%92, or %92is this for you and is it for a gift%92. Anything to draw them in, to engage them in conversation and find out information that might allow you to show them why they should buy one of your paintings, instead of someone else%92s.

I find it hard to do. I think artists in general find this hard to do. We are painters (or sculptors, or musicians, or whatever), not salesmen. Selling is a completely different skillset altogether. It%92s tough for artists who must represent themselves (as most of us must do); we not only have to be accomplished artists, we also have to be good businessmen AND good salesmen. It%92s a tall order.

So I guess, it%92s like anything else: practice makes perfect. So, next time I%92m in this situation, I now know how to lead into the sales talk, thanks to my friend at the show. Let%92s face it, opportunities for sales are few and far between for most of us; it would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity.

"In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman." (David M. Ogilvy)

Share your thoughts or techniques for selling by clicking on %92Comments%92 below.

Suzette

Last week, we celebrated Canada Day. I watched some of the celebrations that took place, on the news. Some of the celebrations I saw involved some Irish dancers, performing together with East Indian dancers, and the narrator spoke of our cultural diversity. It led me to ask myself who we are as a people, what it means to be Canadian.

Whenever Canada is represented in another country, it is usually through Native Indian art, or performances. And when we celebrate, we acknowledge our various ancestries, be it Irish, Italian, German, East Indian, Asian. Our culture is enriched by these ancestral traditions, but is that what defines us as a people? Who are we? What are we about? Are we not more than our ethnic origins?

Canadians are such nice people; we are polite and well behaved; we don%92t want to offend anyone; we are strongly democratic; we are politically correct. We live by the strength of our convictions. We are pacifists, and are known throughout the world as peace keepers, but we can stand up and fight if need be.

These are some of the things to come to mind when I try to answer the question of who we are, but I know there is a lot more. Wouldn%92t it be fun to explore that question, next Canada Day? Wouldn%92t it be fun to celebrate our heroes, our Canadian icons, and our everyday Canadians.

We live in the best country in the world, I am convinced of that. So I say, let%92s embrace who we are, let%92s celebrate it. Whether we are born here or not, does not matter; if we choose to live here, then let%92s embrace what makes us unique and let%92s all be Canadians eh?

"The happiest people don%92t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." (Rev. Dr. Leahmanda)

Suzette

I%92m in an art club of almost 100 members and there are only 2 or 3 other artists in the club whose work is experimental and abstract, as mine is. What makes me want to pursue an avenue that is different than most? What makes me want to be different?

Being different is a lonely road. You must stand alone, make your own rules, be your own judge, and most of all, you must be able to disregard the opinions of others and not look to them for validation. Your faith in yourself and your work must be strong, and you mustn%92t be swayed too easily or you will begin to doubt yourself, and that is the death knoll of individuality and creativity. And how can you pursue excellence if you are the only judge of your own work? There is a difficult balance to maintain between standing alone and believing in yourself, and allowing others to judge your work so that you can improve.

So what makes me want to be different, to stand alone rather than being one of the mainstream?

I think it%92s because I don%92t want to be %92just one of the crowd%92. I want to stand out and be judged for myself and by myself, not by comparison to others. I want to distinguish myself in my own way.

Does that mean that I don%92t care what others think of me, of my work? Not at all. I do care, and like most artists, I%92m always hoping that viewers will like my work. I certainly hope for acceptance when entering a juried show, and I%92m most definitely pleased if I receive an award.

I just want it to be ME. I want my work to be ME. I don%92t want it to be a rehash of others%92 work, or a repetition of things learned from teachers, or the following of established rules. I am making a statement with my art. I am saying: %92Look! This is Me!%92.

I encourage anyone to find their own unique style, their own voice, and to sing at the top of their lungs. It%92s very liberating.

"Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and I have tried very hard, but I can%92t do it. I just can%92t do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy. (Rembrandt)

Your comments are always welcome.

Suzette