For all you artists out there who haven't yet begun to promote yourselves I have one thing to say. Start today. A good friend of mine uses the phrase "Shameless Self Promoter" often and it's a good one. Promotion is how people get to know about you and your art and when they purchase art from you they purchase you as much as they buy the art. I once heard it told that one of Picasso's strongest attributes was his relentless promotional authority. I also heard it told that Picasso once reviewed a young artist's work and his only critique of it was to SIGN HIS NAME BIGGER…..If you are in the business of selling your art than learn to promote yourself. There are certain things that I have done that have helped me to build my career to this point. Here is a list off the top of my head.

1. I developed an image. That is a graphic image. Actually when I first started this pursuit I had a designer friend of mine named Drew King design my visual graphic image as well as my "B" logo. I had tried many times to do it but sometimes things that are really close to you are a little difficult to nail down. In my case it worked well for me. I loved the B logo the day he made it and I haven't changed it since. The signature is mine of course but it was also his idea to incorporate it along with the logo which was obviously a good idea. Ultimately you want people to know who you are and in the game of being an artist your name is golden.

2. I got business cards printed. You may think that seems simple but many artists don't have cards. It is still the most potent way to interact as a business person and ultimately if your going to make a living doing this you have to learn to be a good business owner. I also think that making cards on your own printer is not the best way to go. One of the best things that I did when I started was to have my business cards designed by Drew and get them printed professionally. The initial card was sepia toned and flooded on both sides with a color. The cards were thick and felt expensive in your hand. I went through about 3,000 of those cards in the first 5 years and got just about 3,000 compliments. I paid about $275 per thousand back in 1996 which is high for business cards but they were worth their weight in gold. Today you can get good quality cards for under $150 per thousand and if you don't think a first impression is worth $150 for a thousand cards you might want to rethink your approach. The lesson that I learned back then which I hold dear today is that you never, ever cut costs when it comes to your image and how you present yourself. Find somewhere else to save money…..

3. I got a website. Back in 1996 having a website was a bold thing to do. Never the less I was following the advice of a mentor and he had one. Once again Drew King the go-to guy whipped me up one and I paid him well for it. Today you can get free blogs from Wordpress which is what you are looking at here. There is a link to Wordpress at the bottom of my site or you could google it. The point is that with the advent of the internet you too can have a place for the WORLD to see what you do and that is pretty amazing. It's not that difficult to have an online presence and it is still fairly inexpensive for a basic setup. I do all my own design work now and can't explain how monumental having an online presence has been for me and my career. If you don't have one yet and plan to make a career out of your art than begin your research and get one sooner than later.

4. I started promoting. This is the simple part when you first begin. It's as easy as introducing yourself to everyone from this point forward as an artist. It matters not if you are currently bartending, working in an office, or in school. When someone asks you what you do, you say "I'm and artist". Once you begin that you begin to promote and hand out your cards and get people to check out your images online and before too long even you believe that your an artist which is the key point to becoming anything. Believe in yourself and the world will follow.

The rest you will figure out as you go along. If your hungry and you intend to live your life as a working artist you'll find a way.

The image at the top is a promotional poster that I made for ME. I had a photographer friend of mine (Ernst images) shoot some images as a trade so that he could use them in his portfolio and with my creative mind engaged developed one of them into a poster to show that I live a creative life. Music, art, even my tattoo's are done by me. (Non permanent done with a Sharpie marker) It's fun to promote yourself. I hope you start today. You are your greatest creation. The rest of the world and I can't wait to see what you do……….