After an art show: Do these to see results faster

BEHIND THE SCENES

Yesterday I had an art show booth at the Detroit Festival of Books. I was excited to be there; the organizer asked me to show and I always am grateful when someone else does the reaching out. There were so many book shops, fellow bookworms and good food. Plus, it was in the Eastern Market — which if you’re from the area, you’ll know is the coolest area in all of Detroit (well, at least I think so).

But that was yesterday. 

Today is the day AFTER the art show. And there are pleeennnttyyy of things that need to be done right after an event that are just as important as any prep work. 

ANALYZE THE EVENT

Count your inventory.

While it’s best to keep track during the show, it’s not always possible depending on how many people are interested in your booth or are lined up to buy. If you sell original works or have less traffic at your table, it’s easier. If you sell a large variety of prints like I do, it gets tricky.

During the show, I’ll keep a sheet of paper with the titles of designs people buy and keep a tally each time another is bought. I’ll also tally which type of item is bought: prints, pins, tote bags, etc. The same design sells great on a tote bag but never sells as a print, so it’s good to track both. 

When I get home, I’ll update the numbers in my online store to match. My store inventory is the master record for all of my stock. 

If I’m unsure of my tally from the art show, I recount. This takes time but it’s absolutely necessary to have an accurate amount listed — you wouldn’t want someone to buy a piece online when you’ve already sold it at a show the week before. Talk about disappointing a customer. Avoid that by keeping accurate records. 

If you don’t have an online store, you can use a resource like Artwork Archive or keep a paper list in your studio.

PRO TIP: Keep a longstanding record of what designs and types of products sell well and which are never bought. Don’t throw them out after each inventory update. Some will sell great near the winter holidays, and some will sell better in the summer. Some designs never sell. Some sell on everything, no matter the type of product it’s reproduced on. Keep track of these and ask yourself why they sell how they do. Knowledge and data like this can help you make more art that your audience loves, when they love it. 

Count your money.

Count this when you’re recording your inventory — they go hand in hand. 

Don’t stress over how much you earn, just keep record for your personal knowledge so you know what works and what doesn’t. Remember that even if you didn’t make any money, it was worth it if you made connections, an appearance, and learned a thing or two. Exposure doesn’t pay the bills, but it’s useful for making money in the long run. Not sure where to even begin when it comes to your sales goals? Read this post to find out where you should be aiming in terms of profit.

Compare how much you made this time with any previous shows. Compare it with the amount you make daily or weekly on an ongoing basis. How does it hold out against those numbers? Increased sales? The same?

Also make a plan for your money. I know those couple hundred extra dollars will dissolve into a new outfit or a few trips to the local diner if I don’t budget my expenditures right away. Think of what you actually need to spend it on, preferably toward your art business, and buy those things right away (or hide it in your savings account).

Rate your experience.

Is this the type of art show you’d like to do again in the future? 

Go through a mental checklist of things you liked and things you wish were better. 

How was the turnout: packed and crowded or quiet and personal? Did you organizer do a good job of marketing? Did you?

What type of setting was it and what type of crowd was in attendance? Did you meet cool new people and connect with like-minded artists? 

Did you have a good or bad time overall? Was it because of things you did or didn’t do? Were there factors out of your control that were good or bad?

If you had a great experience, aim to apply to a similar art show next time. If not, apply to a totally different art event and see how that fits you.

SEND THANKS

Thank the organizer.

This is non-negotiable. They gave you an opportunity to be seen as a professional and to sell your wares. They could have chosen another creative but they chose you! Show gratitude by sending a thank you. 

Whatever type of communication you were using before the art show should be appropriate — emails, DMs, a phone call, whatever. 

Keep it short and sweet. Just say, “Thank you for having me in the (name of event) Saturday! I really appreciate it and I had a great time 🙂 Let me know if you need any help or an artist for future events!” Sign your name and list your website underneath. Anything along those lines will be great, and of course tweak to match the situation. 

Make sure to include that last line making it clear that you’re interested in future events — EVEN IF YOU HAD A BAD TIME or the turnout was weak. You can always reject their next opportunity if it seems bad. Many times this small line has led me to do shows with OTHER organizers. When their friend needs artists for a different gig three months from now they will remember your interest. 

Thank your friends.

Say thank you to whoever came to see you or help set up for the art show. A simple text or lunch date will do. But don’t ever forget to show gratitude to your loved ones for this.

Thank the artists you met.

Follow up with the artists you met at the show! Hopefully you got their contact card or followed them on social media before you left the event. Make sure to keep in touch with these people over the long term, but especially right after the show. You want to start building these relationships out right away.

Networking and making real friends with similar interests is important! In the future these people will be able to lean on you and you can lean on them when you need help with your art career.

Thank your customers. 

If you got their contact info, make sure to thank the people who bought from you. Normally, you give your business card to them and never get their info. That’s okay. 

Encourage them to send you a picture of their new art hanging in their home or a video of it being opened as a gift. Not only will you have their contact info to occasionally invite them to events or give discounts, but you’ll also have a happy customer photo to use on social media to promote your work. Plus, people love interacting with you and being featured on your page.

At art shows, I’ll put out an email sign-up sheet for people who are interested in keeping in touch but who might not buy today. This is a gold mine. Use these emails to notify them of upcoming events, new pieces, deals, workshops, or just to let them see a behind-the-scenes of your artist life. I send out emails once a week to my promotional email list. Of course, use this to thank them for coming out to your show or thank them for buying a piece as well. 

Post a general thank you.

Add a picture of you at the event to your social media profiles and thank everyone for coming out. It drags out your self promotion (which is a GOOD thing), reminds people of your impressive new achievement, and encourages them to come to the next one. It also potentially reaches the people who came and bought something that you don’t have any contact info for. 

KEEP AN ARTIST RESUME

Add this event to your artist resume so you can keep track of all the exhibits you’ve been in. 

For my art show entries, I list the name of the event, the date and the city. 

On this resume I also include any mural work I’ve done, any notable private collections I’m in, notable commission work, and whatever else I feel is important for my art career and I want to keep record of. I won’t go into depth here, but if you want an example of an artist resume, you can check out mine here. 

Just keep track of what shows you were in and when. It will come in handy when applying for grants, residencies, other shows, etc. 

KEEP MOMENTUM FLOWING

The day after the show is just as busy as the day of. But people don’t see the behind the scenes work that artists do constantly. Everyone sees you at the show, but it’s harder to keep it going once the hype from that is over. 

Your work is never done. And that’s amazing. But before you jump into the next painting or illustration, do these routine maintenance tasks after every art show. It matters. It will make a huge difference in your creative business to pay attention to the numbers and to make others feel appreciated.

If it helps you to keep your momentum flowing, post about your after-show activities. Not only will it help outsiders appreciate the work of their artist friend, but it will help them understand why it may take a day or two to see new work from you. For me, it helps keep me accountable. 

Whatever you need to do, cross these tasks off your list!