by Teliha Draheim

If You See a Line, Don’t Stand in It

There’s an old joke about communist societies, where all the necessities of life required standing in a line to get them. The joke is that if you saw a line, you would automatically stand in it, not knowing what the line was for, because it undoubtedly led to something you wanted or needed.

Even in a capitalist economy, we are often a society of lemmings, doing what was done before, following in the footsteps of what has worked for someone else, not questioning, not seeking a path (or line) that could be shorter or directed toward our personal or financial goals.

Here are examples of how some artists have used their creativity not only in their work, but also in their thinking about marketing.

Create strategic alliances

Forming a strategic alliance involves affiliating yourself with someone who has the same end client, but who, in no way, competes with the product you’re trying to sell. For example, you are a fabric designer. You form a strategic alliance with a fashion designer who uses your hand-made fabrics in their apparel designs. Or, as in Carl and Marie Dern’s case, Carl creates elegant cast metal lamp bases and Marie creates collaged, Japanese paper lamp shades to accompany them. Independently, Carl is a sculptor and furniture maker, and Marie is a book artist. Together they form a joint venture that yields a third product that doesn’t interfere with their independent work.

This kind of partnership has many benefits. You can share advertising expenses, mailing lists, show booths and participate in a collaboration that may take both of you to new creative heights not previously thought possible.

Build relationships

Artist Susan Eslick built a business designing one-of-a-kind tableware utilizing blank plates, cups and bowls as her canvas. In past years, her boldly patterned work has been featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art museum store. When Eslick decided that her ample creative energy could no longer be confined to just dinnerware, she approached her client with a new proposal: applying her designs to a collection of linen tabletop products. She even went the extra mile of sourcing a possible manufacturer for the product, presented her concept to the store buyers and successfully negotiated a licensing agreement with the store.

Leveraging your work through past successes is especially effective if your client is a high-profile one. Eslick not only strengthened her relationship with the museum, she also opened the door for future product development with the linen manufacturer.

Look for hidden markets

Nora Daniel, designer and owner of ColorMuse, has successfully marketed her line of hand-painted silk clothing by utilizing a strategy overlooked by many craftspeople. Her work traditionally fits the category of wearable art and appears at large national craft shows. She also participates in national trade shows geared primarily for the commercial gift industry. These large trade shows feature massive quantities of commercial products, but they also have a specialty section that focuses on handmade crafts. This section is not nearly as overwhelming as the commercial section and is much less utilized by craftspeople.
Build a better drawer knob, funerary urn …

In 1992, Susan Goldstick introduced a new concept in decorative hardware. Her line, which she refers to as “house jewelry,” consists of colorful, bejeweled cabinet pulls, finials, drapery tie-backs, bottle stoppers and, more recently, furniture.

Originally a financial product marketer on Wall Street, Goldstick left the corporate world to cash in on her artistic portfolio. She started by designing fashion jewelry. A brooch that was too heavy to wear got mounted on a box top.

This unexpected montage was the seed idea that led to her current business, Susan Goldstick Inc. Goldstick is always on the lookout for market gaps — products overlooked or underdeveloped by more mainstream manufacturers.

The latest product to which she has applied her “Midas” touch is “Petmemento,” a magnificent, bejeweled, painted funerary urn created as a lasting tribute to beloved pets. Originally produced as a personal memorial for her pet, Goldstick recognized the need for a beautiful shrine for these much-adored friends.

The rookie makes a hit

Robert Coleman does not define himself as a craftsperson. His professional role is that of business advisor. When we first met, he had an interest in surface pattern design and was open to exploring its potential as a possible income supplement. His artistic tool of choice is the computer.

We negotiated a trade — his services as a business advisor for mine as a design teacher. Other than what I provided, he has no formal design training. While others were still scratching the surface of the profession and vying for the same jobs, Coleman successfully located an opportunity overlooked by others that was within his capabilities. Applying his skills to existing designs, he digitally manipulated and reformatted them into CD collections for several large fabric manufacturers who use the CDs as a new marketing tool for their products. Other designers were still thinking about which flower to draw when Coleman was walking trade shows with CEOs discussing new trends.

As all successful craftspeople know, being in business is not just about making art, it’s about making a living. When the economy is down, it’s the perfect time to take a good hard look at your thinking about marketing and your attitudes about making money. What are your expectations? What are your belief systems? Are you still focused on your dreams or have they become a bit tarnished? Perhaps it’s time to take out that surrealistic paint brush and paint for a while. And the next time you see people standing in a line, be glad you’re not in it.