K.I.S.S. My Complications… Goodbye
The most complicated skill is to be simple.
― Dejan Stojanovic
We are each wired up uniquely. That’s sometimes a good thing and sometimes a super annoying thing. How many times have you thought, “This would be so much easier if she/he were more like me?” And, how many times have you thought, “Wow! This was easy. She/he gets it?”
True Confession
Here’s a thing about me that I know doesn’t apply to some of you. I like to complicate things. It’s not an intentional act. It is just the way I approach life and problem-solving. Sometimes this is a good thing when you or I am stuck on a problem, and I have the solution because I’ve delved deep into the intricacies of a program, theory, and so forth.
Other times, I can drive you and me nuts because I’ll be up to my eyeballs working furiously to find the solution to something that is right in front of me. That is some other kind of weird bright shiny object syndrome. The same goes when I try to answer a question, or sometimes write a post. Notice I’m on paragraph three and still winding up to the gist of the subject.
Why Can’t It Be Simple?
What I want to say is the simpler, the better when it comes to most things. Think about it. They sent men to the moon using computers less smart than your phone. Start with the end in mind and work back to the start with the fewest steps to get you there.
Use the MVP Solution
MVP is a widely used acronym in the marketing and business startup fields. It stands for Minimum Viable Product. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on MVP:
A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and to provide feedback for future product development.
Gathering insights from an MVP is often less expensive than developing a product with more features, which increases costs and risk if the product fails, for example, due to incorrect assumptions. The term was coined and defined by Frank Robinson about 2001 and popularized by Steve Blank and Eric Ries. It may also involve carrying out market analysis beforehand.
When it comes to making plans for a new line of art or images, creating a new product, or designing something, MVP is the way to go. Let me introduce you to The Oatmeal website. Here is his insanely funny, and profanely profound advice on shopping cart design. Click the image to see Steps 2 – 5.
How Does MVP Apply to Artists?
Let’s start by saying we can alternate the P from Program to Process for artists. You can apply this theory in a multitude of ways. As an artist, your craft requires repetitive motions. Have you thought about arranging your palette to have you most used colors closet to the canvas? Are your tools arrayed in easy-to-access order?
How about your marketing? How many ways are you trying to find buyers and connect with buyers? You are trying to find and connect with buyers, right? If no, ask yourself what you are doing that is more important and why you think that if you actually do.
Realistically, you can’t do justice to more than three options for finding buyers at once. Too many artists are trying a dozen things at once and getting half-baked results proving the wisdom of dumbing down.
You can do a bunch of things inexpertly and get blah results if you are lucky. Or, you can expertly work on your core competencies and hone your processes to get exceptional value from them. Your choice.
How Does MVP Apply to Me?
When looking back at how I’ve developed products for artists, I can see patterns that fit what I told you about me above. That is, I like to learn everything about something when learning a little would probably have been enough to get me by in the moment.
Further, when I want to share what I know, there is so much I know, and I am just as eager to share it all with you as I was to learn it. It may seem there is nothing wrong with that in theory, but in practical application, it creates problems for artists who follow me and for me.
You can see examples of what I’m talking about in some of the courses I offer. Specifically, the Art Marketing Mastery Workshop and Art Business Mastery courses arguably are the most comprehensive collection of knowledge on art marketing and art business available anywhere on the planet. Again, in theory, this sounds great. Who doesn’t want an encyclopedia of knowledge available to them?
A Look at Comprehensive Curricula in Courses for Artists
Here’s the Rub
Most people will tell you they want an encyclopedia of knowledge on a topic of interest to them. But, if you ask them to consume it or pay for it, then you get a much different answer. They see the body of knowledge and turn away. Not that they find anything wrong with what’s there. It’s just too much for them, too intimidating on many levels.
Despite my move to simplicity, I’m not taking these comprehensive products down. I continue to add to the content on each of them. But, for new courses, I’m narrowing my focus. You can see that in my new Sales and Marketing Automation for Artists course. I tightly focus on helping artists automate their sales process. That’s it. This means it takes weeks versus months to get finished. When you can see the finish line before you start, you find getting there is much simpler.
A Sweet Deal for You
I mentioned my two most comprehensive courses, Art Marketing Mastery Workshop and Art Business Mastery Courses above. The latter I offer you at my very best, rock-bottom, price…100% Free with lifetime 24/7 access. Go to bdavey.co/free to join and don’t forget to tell your friends.
On the Art Marketing Mastery Workshop, you will find the prices rolled back to the charter rates for a limited time. You can join for nearly 50% savings. Use this link to get to the page with the charter rates bdavey.co/rollback.
The way to MVP the Art Marketing Mastery Workshop is to take it in chunks. You have lifetime access, so there is no rush.
An Accountability Partner Like No Other
You also get lifetime access to the private Facebook group. I’m ready and willing to be your accountability partner. Tell me what you are going to do and when. I’ll ask you to report your progress either in the group (recommended for those serious about getting things done) or in private emails sent to me.
Together, We Can Climb Mountains and Achieve Unheard of Success.
You set the pace. It’s not a race. It’s a process. The only important thing is to keep making progress.
If you climb the mountain to a new level of elevation every day or every week, you are going to get to the top where the air is rare and the view spectacular. Let’s go to the mountaintop together.
Success in the art business for most is getting work to market in enough volume to make a viable career. I’m all about the getting work to market part of the equation. The Art Marketing Mastery Workshop will help you get there, and so will I. There are no shortcuts or easy solutions. It just takes hard work smartly applied.
Keep doing enough of the right things every day, and you will realize your dreams.
It’s Not a Cost. It’s an Investment in a Lifetime Learning that Will Pay Dividends for As Long As You Market Your Art
The financial commitment is practically nothing compared to the upside from what you learn. What value would you put on learning how to identify and connect with your top buying prospects who may buy three to five pieces or more from you? If just one buyer like that is not worth at least $5000 to you, then you are not charging enough for your originals.
There is every reason to believe you can have 50, 100, 200 patrons who buy multiple pieces from you. And, that is only one of many ways you will learn how to monetize your art career when you work with me.
Here’s a secret! Most of what you learn here applies to any business. So, if you have your hand in other companies, you can use what you learn in my courses to make significant improvements in them. This is just another way you can multiply the benefit of the knowledge and wisdom you get from me.
The Facebook Group is the Bomb
Over the years, I’ve answered hundreds of tough, touchy, and essential questions for artists in the private Facebook group. The subjects include copyrights and contracts, publishing art, licensing, scams, opportunities, publicity, promotion, social media, and many others. They are all archived under topics so you can find juicy tidbits. Nearly always, other talented and experienced artists jump in with their perspectives to make the answers more relevant. Like the course, you get lifetime access.
Call Me
If you are interested and have questions, you can use this link https://calendly.com/barneyd/15min to set up a private 15-minute video chat. I will answer all your questions. I want you to believe you can succeed and then I want to show you how. You have a 30-day no questions asked refund on the Art Marketing Mastery Workshop, and the Art Business Mastery Courses are free. So, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by joining. Start today! It is the best decision you can make for your career.