Market research for new ideas

I recently started doing some marketing for this idea of creating Modern Silhouette Portraits. Simply put, it a traditional art with a modern twist. It can also be a wonderful addition to the annual family photos, adding a touch of nostalgia to memory keepsakes.

For any small business owner or freelancer or someone just starting out an new idea, it makes good business practice to research your market very well. I created a postcard for this new product/service on a trial basis as part of my market research. I distributed it to trade shows in the area over the last month. Sometimes, one just has to show it to the public to see if it a "nay" or a "yay". One thing I learned from recent experience is to do just enough to get started and find out more rather than to do the research so deep and then have to start all over again. No one really knows when an idea will take off and how well it will be well-received but at least doing due diligence on the market research can save time and money.

This kind of smaller scale promotional material is also good to target very specific markets. The more specific your target is, the more it is important to take the time to tailor your materials for them. This can be in many forms like printed promotional material to your newsletter subscription content, or your email marketing. Check out my website for some samples of specific marketing promotional materials.

Niche Marketing for Your Small Business

As I focus my energies in marketing my creative services, I have been reading books, attending seminars, and networking. One of the things I got out from a recent seminar was finding my niche market. As a small business I need to identify my niche markets, pick three from that list and develop the different marketing for each.

It is sometimes tempting for a small business owner to reduce expenses by creating a generic printed promotion material. I believe this can be a costly mistake. It is far more cost effective to develop different messages for each niche market, identify your unique selling point, and print in smaller quantities initially. This is one area I can truly be of help to a small business or a business starting out. My design and print bundles are reasonably priced and won't break the bank!

As for my own niche markets/specialty, I have identified the following:

1. Home-based, freelance or small businesses

2. Specializing in books for publication (print, web, and e-books)

3. Artists requiring promotional materials

Check out my current design and print bundle here.

Presenting 10+1 Art Collective

April was a productive time for doing my art and now my focus goes on marketing. I am excited to show you the postcard (and poster) I designed, with input from most of my art marketing group members. Our group exhibit is on for month of June at Raw Canvas in the Yaletown area of Vancouver, BC. Come and join us for the opening reception where all eleven artists will be in attendance on June 11, Thursday from 6:00PM to 8:00 PM. This is a great opportunity for new and seasoned art collectors to purchase original art from emerging local artists. Check out our collective art blog to keep you updated on individual artists and other information in preparation for our June 1 art installation.

Now for my graphic design services. I have been working on some amazing summer promotions for print material which I will be posting on the my recently relaunched website. I decided to add more colour on my banner and now have included a home page. I can now accept payments using Paypal and I am working towards adding that functionality to my website very soon.

I would like to share a book I have been reading called Eat That Frog, 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, by Brian Tracy. It is an easy to read book. So far I have been enjoy it and applying some of the things I have learned.

Cherry Blossoms Blooming

One of my favourite times of the year in Vancouver is seeing the cherry blossoms. Vancouver has its fair share of these special trees from early March to late April.  You can check out the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival website for cherry blossom viewing map (warning their pdf is 8MB in size) and other information. Today's cloudy but bright day was perfect for picture taking. I took my 3 year old daughter with me to a photo shoot. I used a digital SLR while she used a point & shoot camera. Here are some pictures of our outing.

An Artist's Journey

I am excited to have reached a point when it is time to start another blog dedicated to my journey as an artist. I will be posting about my experiences, news, resources, and of course images of my art. Besides seizing the opportunity of available daylight while my daughter took a very long nap yesterday, I must have been inspired because I finished 4 small (6" x 9") painting plus one completed a major correction on a fifth one.

I have dusted off my sketch book and art supplies and have started to get reacquainted with the traditional mediums of brush, paint, and pencil. As I continue this exploration more of my artistic side, I am looking forward to this source of inspiration that it will have a strong influence on my graphic design.

This is certainly an exciting side effect of the recession having such disappointing job search results since January. With time on my side, I have had time to think how else I can cast a wider and deeper net. I have finally set up an online payment account (Paypal) and my online store called Marilou Art & Designs Artisan Studio with Artfire, an online store for artisans selling their art and handmade items. For now I am selling photo cards and knitted keyhole scarf for toddlers.  I am also very thankful for my art marketing group meeting every 2 weeks as it has kept me focused. Last but certainly not the least, I have relaunched my website to include the newest addition to my graphic design portfolio, and adding the new sections on my photography and visual arts.

Opportunities around the corner

I truly believe that when one door closes (ie. my post in January about not being accepted in the self-employment program), another one opens, so keep your eyes open! It has been a busy time for me looking for a part-time job and trying to come  up with a plan to boost my freelance graphic design business. As it turns out one of my searches led me to join an art salon in Vancouver. For most people, I think the word salon has an image of a beauty or hair salon or a spa. There is another use of this term pertaining to art and it originated in Paris, France.

Borrowing a quote from Art Biz Connections 

A salon is a social gathering of artists and intellectuals hosted at regular intervals by a patron in his or her home. Such convivial settings for the art of conversation emerged in Paris at the beginning of the seventeenth century. - Robert Atkins in ArtSpoke

I joined the art salon and was lucky to have a very well organized leader and wonderful member artists with great attitudes. Basically we are a group of artists who are serious about marketing our art. We meet for 9 sessions every other week and follow a specific agenda. One of the great things about this group is that it pushes me to be productive and creative. We are all dedicated artists and one of our goals is to have a show after the 9th session. We came up with the name "10+1", for our artist group,  which can have a few different interpretations.

So we are eleven (10+1) artists busily making art to give you a fabulous show, suitable for all ages. You will be treated to a display of various types of media from paintings, photography, 3-Ds,, digitypes, mixed media, and digital art. You will also have the opportunity to take home unique artwork done by local artists from Metro Vancouver.

I will be showcasing a few digital mixed-media art pieces. These artworks are small (11"x14") and colourful, digital art from original watercolours adding playful silhouettes of young children. I digitize traditional mediums such as watercolour on paper and use it as background when appropriate. My artworks will be available as ready to hang canvas or limited edition prints on fine art paper.

Exciting plans are in the works to have a group art show at Raw Canvas in Yaletown on June 11, 2009, Thursday early evening. I will be posting more details later on. In the meantime, we are all busy making art works. Come join us if you are in the area.

Business not as usual

I believe that things happen for a reason. I received some unpleasant news which changes my entire schedule for the next year. I was so confident about this opportunity (a government sponsored self employment program) that I already put the schedule into my calendar! Unfortunately due to to so many applicants I have to compete with, mine was not chosen. I did not even gave myself time to get angry or sad, just want to do something, pronto! Over the next days after I really had time to think I felt in my heart what I need to do. I'm sure something will come my way which  haven't even thought about. Whatever it may be, it may really be the way where I should be.

My Top 5 for January

My Top 5 in January includes a few "firsts".

1. My daughter's first day of preschool and the corresponding  milestone she finally achieved on that same day which made me really happy! Those 3 hours while she's in school is probably the most productive part of my day, besides doing work while she slept at night.
   
2. The longest fog days in Vancouver lasted for more than a week! A record I'm sure!
   
3. Finally reorganized our living room, bedroom , and storage. The additional bookshelf in the living room helps organize my daughter's books, toys and art materials. My daughter is thrilled to have her own bed.
   
4. Finally joined Facebook (not sure if I'll regret this one!)
   
5. Watched the historic Obama presidential inauguration on TV.
   

Preschool milestone

Like many milestones in Daisy's life and our life as parents, I like to document it and share it with people who might appreciate it. I'm sure the grandparents and aunts and some cousins might really like to know how Daisy's first day of school went. Having these events makes me recall how it was for me when I went to school for the first time.

Daisy is 3 years and 2 months old and is now in preschool for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. This seem like a lot considering she was always taken care of by us, her parents. It is comical that the person feeling some anxiety was me and Daisy was excited and couldn't wait to go to her school. In fact, when we got into her school I had to quickly grab her to get a photo to remember this day before heading inside her classroom because she was still wearing her boots and coat.

Upon arrival Miss Lily, the assistant teacher tried to introduce herself to Daisy but Daisy was so focused on finding her teacher Miss Yvonne, she was calling out her name from outside knocking on the front door. She went to the washroom by herself accompanied by Miss Lily. While she was in the washroom, Jon and I had a chance to just look at each other and without words just smiled knowingly that this is a start of Daisy's long years of schooling. A milestone for her and for us. A brief moment in time which I will remember for a long time how it felt to let go of my little girl whom I have not been apart since she was born. As Daisy came back to where we were standing, we were already in conversation with Miss Yvonne, a very soft spoken gentle teacher. Coming from behind Miss Yvone, Daisy instinctively came around in front of her and hugged Miss Yvonne! That was unexpected and so sweet, I knew that Daisy will feel right at home in her new school. At the same time, I felt my heart skip half a beat knowing that this is one of the many times this will probably happen in our lives, that there will be other people other than us to influence our little girl. As Daisy said “Bye Mommy, bye Daddy”, without a glance back she's off! I glanced back thinking/hoping that maybe she'll look back just to see us one more time, but nothing like that happen. Daisy was already walking hand in hand with another little girl, as they started to explore the classroom.

Walking away from her school on a chilly and rainy day, I enjoyed holding hands (sadly which we haven't done a lot of since Daisy was born) with my husband Jon back home to enjoy a short time of uninterrupted quiet productive work at home. Without Daisy at home is very much welcomed especially if I have a lot of things to do but it starts to feel like something is amiss without my sweet little girl, it was just too quiet! Somehow I know that there will be many more times like this and that more changes in our lives are to come.

My Top 7 for December

Christmas season usually brings out the practice of traditions passed on from generation to generation. But as time pass, I think it is inevitable that slight differences in these traditions eventually evolve into something different as time goes on. This season prompted me to think through what traditions we as a family we will keep and what new ones need to be introduced. The events this memorable December also influenced my top 7 reflecting on weather, family, friends, and situations.

1. Snow! and more snow!
   
2. Christmas baking
   
3. A less commercial gift giving ever!
   
4. Sending out e-christmas cards in addition to mailing it.
   
5. Creating new traditions. More time together, less buying. 
   
6. Paper christmas tree.
   
7. Boxing day sales.