Economic Gloom and Doom... It doesn't have to be all that.

Amidst all the gloom and doom I thought I'd bring you a little sunshine.

A few weeks ago, I watched Jim Carey on Larry King.  It was an excellent interview and I found Carey to be quite eloquent, thoughtful and genius.  One of the things that really stuck with me was as King and Carey were discussing the economy and current events.  Carey said something along the line of "We're artists and as artists we make something from nothing.  We do this all the time.  We can find creative ways of getting through rough times." YES!

At this time I say to all the artists, galleries, non profits, creatives, designers, business men and woman to start looking at this time as a time for repositioning and creating a more solid future.  This is exactly the time to readdress and rethink what we are doing.  Think not only in terms of your business, your personal life.... but in terms of a greater good as well.  Dare I say it?  Think in terms of opportunity. Fresh starts.

In spite of things, some things will always remain constant.  Painters will still paint.  Sculptors will still sculpt. Designers will still design.  And businesses must still market.  A poor economy doesn't mean you can stop promoting your business... unless you plan on closing your doors.  A poor economy means you have to find more effective and efficient ways of marketing yourself.  Think outside the box people!  Work an extra 2 or 3 hours a day to make your vision come true.

Self promotion and marketing doesn't need to be hard.  In fact, it can be a lot of fun and your marketing tools and agenda can be just as creative as the artistic work you do in the studio or gallery. Betsey Kelso has a great article on Marketing Your Work over at NYFA.  Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Take a look at your marketing materials.  Do you have business card?. A media kit? Is your portfolio on disk, web and hard copy?  Are these materials fresh and do they express your message accurately and professionally?  Can you do something different (something creative) with your packaging that will make your "stuff" stand out from the rest?
2. Can you use technology in creative and innovative ways to promote your work... or to make new networking associations?  Sure ya can!
3. Learn something new.  For those of you who are finding themselves with some time on their hands... use that time to learn something new to add to your portfolio/resume.  It will pay you back 10 fold.
4. Get involved with a community group, charity organization and support your beliefs.  You will be amazed at how many cool people you'll meet and how many cool places you can set your eyes on.

Positioning yourself now is positioning yourself for the future... and I'm thinking you all want to be a part of the future!