Would you rather paint full time than work at the office, garage, restaurant, etc.? Would you like to quit that day job because your artwork is so well known and bought by a lot of people?

It is not as difficult as you may imagine. You could be a successful artist and help your artist friends and make the area where you work flourish. You have to garner attention and keep putting your artwork on view, and make yourself and your art noticed. Keep reading for a straightforward, tried and true, very successful way in which to accomplish your goals.

The downtown Los Angeles Arts District gives an example of how artists can make an area prosper. The area used to be ruins, a degraded place with boarded up buildings empty buildings. Ten years ago artists started coming into the area and now it is famous, no longer degraded but affluent and flourishing and safe. There are many examples of this phenomena in other towns and cities, but basically when artists come into an area and create, the neighborhood stops going downhill and starts up. Buildings are bought and repaired and businesses open.

With the recession going on, you may have noticed that there are empty buildings in your area. The buildings may be office buildings, car lots and shops in strip malls. The best use for the empty spaces is for creative endeavors, don’t you agree? Can you imagine artists creating in every single empty building space?

The project that follows has been tried and found to work. It’s practically free to start. This project will help you succeed in your artistic endeavors, create success for your fellow artists and help your local community flourish, too.

This is what you do:

1. Find local talented folks to help you with the project. Look for painters, poets, musicians, singers, performers, fine crafters, etc.

Place free ads at Craigslist.org, kijiji.com, local newspaper sites and do a google search for “free classified sites” to find more place to advertise. Be sure to put your zip code to keep it local to your area.

Make some fliers to distribute house to house in your neighborhood.

Give some fliers to local businesses.

Ask friends and neighbors if they know any creative folks. You can even knock on doors to find people that are talented.

2. After you have figured out whom you will work with, you need to make a presentation pack. It’s not a fancy pack.

At an office supply store you can buy white glossy paper (about $10), clear plastic sheet covers (100 for about $11) and a presentation binder ($2-$5).

Fill your presentation pack with a page for each artist or musician or actor, etc., in your group. Each sheet should contain a photo of the person, a photo of his or her artwork (or performance), short biography, artist’s statement and information on how to contact the artist.

3. Locate a vacant building nearby. This is where the group you now have will be able to create, and have someone on site presenting and selling your work.

It is possible to find someone interested in selling artwork by just asking friends, family or neighbors who need work. The sales person you choose will have to get a tax permit, which you get by contacting the state tax office by phone or on the internet. Usually they are free, but some states require a fee or bond. A local business license is also required in some cities or towns – you will have to check at city hall. Pay your sales person on commission and inspire him or her to sell more by offering bonuses when the sales go over a certain amount.

Once you find a space to use, get the realtor or owners contact information along with the address of the building.

4. Set up a meeting with the owner or agent and do a presentation. Say that you are with a group of artists who want to do something to get the building leased – that will make the owner or agent interested.

5. When you go to the appointment, make the presentation focused on striking up the benefits for the realtor/owner as follows:

It has been proven to work that when artists go into an area and begin to create, trade flourishes, buildings are bought or leased and the entire area picks up. It would be the fastest way to get their building sold or leased.

You can bring up the Los Angeles Arts District as an example of a place where artists succeeded and raised the general standards of the area.

Show the presentation pack – get the owner/agent familiar with the artists’ work.

6. In case the owner requires insurance for you to use the space, partner with a local Alternative School or charity – both of these entities will have the insurance required.

7. Make some signs and get them out.

Signs can be created on wood, poster board or A-frames. Create colorful signs with arrows indicating the way that read “Artists at Work”, “Artists Ahead” and so on. The signs need to be put out on both sides of the street starting at about 50 yards and getting closer. If you created a sign on wood or poster boards, you can easily attach those to poles with bungee cords. Tying balloons to the signs will help to attract attention.

8. Start Creating.

First you need to bring in some art already done, to give the salesperson something to sell. Then you make your studio space ready, by bringing in all the things you need to paint, sculpt, etc. Attention will be on your location because as one creation of art inspires the next, wonderful energy will be created. The person in charge of sales only has to sell, and the artists only have to create.

9. Continue in spite of all.

Maybe you won’t sell anything in the first hour or on the first day. But if you keep creating and keep pulling in attention, sales will follow. Persist!

10. Things to do to get your neighborhood to notice you and your fellow artists.

Make some flyers that can be put in area shops.

Create invitations and send to local galleries, gift shops, newspapers, radio stations, news stations, etc.

Write a press release for newspapers. Two web pages that can help you with this are: http://help-2-succeed.com/blog/index.php/press-release-tips-aamp-generator tells you how to write a press release and http://help-2-succeed.com/blog/index.php/press-release-distribution-services gives you the data on how to distribute it.

You can also use social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to get the word out. Just put posts about how you and a group of talented folks are creating, where and when. Other posts can be about the latest pieces that you are working on, the inspiration and so on.

When other artists or musicians or actors or anyone who deals with the arts comes by, invite them to join the group.

The more that you attract attention, the better your project will become. The longer that you persist with creating in the space that you procured, the better your sales and the more you will see your community start to flourish.

It’s not a problem if the Realtor/owner leases the space you are in. You can help the new owner generate more business by creating in that space, so have the former owner tell them how good you’ve been for the community.

Help other artists and areas create and thrive by continuing to pass around this article. It is a free project.

Related Reading:

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