THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: Hey artists, if you’re posting on social media and your comments are full of other artists saying, oh my God, I love this, but your sales aren’t moving, you are probably posting artist content, not collector content. Today I’m going to walk you through the four types of content that actually attract collectors without turning your art into some sort of cringe. Busy moms who love teal marketing exercise.
Speaker2: It’s The Inspiration Place podcast with artist Miriam Schulman. Welcome to the Inspiration Place podcast, an art World insider podcast for artists by an artist, where each week we go behind the scenes to uncover the perspiration and inspiration behind the art. And now your host Miriam Schulman.
Miriam Schulman: There’s a popular marketing framework floating around four types of posts mission, value, process, offers, and listen. That framework works great if you’re selling, I don’t know, weight loss courses to dentists, but for artists. Artists are not making art for one type of person. The way bro marketer world teaches it. Artists make art for a resonance, match a soul level. And when you try to force target market mission statements onto art, it’s going to flatten your magic. Hey, in case we haven’t met yet, I’m Miriam Schulman. I am your curator of inspiration, hosted the The Inspiration Place podcast, author of the book Artpreneur and I coach artists just like you. Now, when I do a session where we unpack the types of content that my clients need to post, I used to call this a messaging vault session. I’m actually going to be rebranding this soon as a signal excavation session. I’m not asking my clients, who are you serving? Like we’re building a meal plan app. I’m doing soul excavation. I’m looking at absolutely everything. Their origin story. Their faith. The way you were raised. What happened between age zero and now? Even if you’re 65 or 70, then we connect the dots into a through line. And what’s amazing is that there’s always a through line. And as artists, you kind of know this intuitively. It all matters. It all becomes part of you. It all becomes part of your art. So that’s where your message comes from.
Miriam Schulman: Not who am I making this for? But why does your art matter? Who is this art meant for? What does your art restore reveal? Remember, challenge or protect. So let’s talk about what this kind of content looks like without using artspeak. So this could be a short story in meaning, not your technique. It’s a through line of your life that shows up in the work. And I know that this is very difficult for you to do yourself, because every single client that I’ve done this messaging work with, and I’ve done it with dozens of my clients since I first started formulating my signal excavation process. Every single artist I sit down with, they have no idea why they create their art. By the end of the session, they do. But at the beginning they don’t. They do not see the through line. It’s kind of like how fish are in the water. It’s because it’s all around you. You don’t even realize that you’re in water. So that’s the type of work that it’s hard to do yourself. You don’t have to do with me, but you do need to do it with somebody. And then it’s what does somebody experience in front of it? Emotion. Memory. Identity. Peace. Power. Longing. Belonging. So when we do the messaging excavation work, my clients end up with a bank of about 100 different angles. And woven into that, because we’ve excavated their entire life are their beliefs, values, faith.
Miriam Schulman: All those things get woven in without having to explicitly say things like, I’m Catholic. So it’s more just the kinds of words that they’re using to describe their art. Okay, I want to drop in three quick examples so that I can show you how this actually looks in action. So maybe it’s an identity heritage resonance. So the artist isn’t saying I serve busy Orthodox moms. No, that’s not what it’s about. When I was working with Connie Cutouts and she didn’t really see the through line in her work. She likes to use a lot of precious materials. By the end of the session, it was obvious her parents were both jewelers. Her father worked in the jewelry district. This type of beauty was something that she had been exposed since an early age, and a lot of her beliefs is about noticing the beauty in the details. So a story that she could share would be how, when she was a child, she used to crawl on her hands and knees looking for bits of jewels in her carpet. Because jewelers, they have a lot of like diamond dust and little fragments that come out that they’re valuable, but not really. It’s kind of like the scrap thing. So a childhood memory is something that she can talk about, whether it’s in an email or in social media. That kind of brings in her childhood together with the art that she’s creating now And those types of stories is not something AI can generate for you.
Miriam Schulman: Maybe it can help you with the writing process later, but that idea is so deeply human and so deeply unique that it separates her from every single artist and every single Judaic artist out there. And it’s not about her. Art is for this one type of person. Her art is for somebody who appreciates the beauty in everyday details. And yes, of course, her art is going to resonate more with somebody who also identifies with her faith. But it doesn’t have to be that. Okay, quick break. If you’re watching this and realizing, oh my God, I’ve basically been following advice that attracts other artists, not collectors, then I want you to grab my free masterclass. It’s called How to sell more art without being insta famous. And I walk you through the five biggest mistakes most artists are making the bad. The outdated advice that keeps you invisible to buyers, and what to do instead so you can actually attract collectors. Go to SchulmanArt.com/sellmoreart. And now back to the show. The other example I’m going to give is Bonnie Minardi. So Bonnie Minardi had a lot of childhood trauma that she shared with me when we were doing her excavation work. And Bonnie paints beautiful skies just like the most gorgeous sky paintings. So she doesn’t have a mission statement that I make art for abuse survivors.
Miriam Schulman: She doesn’t need to do that. However, when we did her excavation work, she shared with me a story how when she was growing up in San Francisco. She would climb to the top of the roof and she would look out and she would imagine herself escaping across the sky. And I was like, well, Bonnie, isn’t this why you paint skies now? This is your form of escape. So talking about that childhood memory that creates a resonance match for somebody, and it doesn’t matter whether her ideal collector experienced the same thing as she did, but she’s helping her collector feel something. Feel what she feels that motivated her to create this artwork. Because so many artists I work with, they have no idea why they create what they create. They just know when they create it, they feel good. And you can’t be going on to social media or talking about this in your email posting. I created this because I felt good. This painting, this brings me joy. That’s good for you. But that’s not why it matters to your art collectors. So that’s my second example. My third example is Christie Ocelot. So we did her messaging excavation and she’s an artist from New Orleans. She’s grown up there most of her life, and she also worked a lot in the hospitality sector post graduation. And now she creates a lot of art that is table scapes. So that’s a little bit more of an obvious connection.
Miriam Schulman: However, she still doesn’t have to say I create art for people who like to give parties. That’s not what it’s about. It’s creating that, again, a soul connection. So how does she talk about it? Well, she needs to talk about what her beliefs are around creating these culinary experiences. And that way her art also becomes an experience, a feast for the eyes. So it doesn’t matter if you like to eat or don’t like to eat. It doesn’t matter if you’re from New Orleans or not. But she creates this Emotion that motivated her art, and she’s able to describe it in a way that it creates a resonance match with her ideal art collector. So let me give you the punch line of this first section. Collectors don’t buy because you posted your mission statement. They buy because they recognize the emotions that motivated you and that you made them feel something. Because remember, collectors buy meaning, not medium. The second category marketers push is values. And here’s where a lot of artists get very uncomfortable. And honestly, they sabotage themselves because they think values means post my political opinions and it doesn’t. Now, you don’t need to do that unless your work is political or you’re an art activist. Now, in my first book, Artpreneur, I did make a mistake in conflating political views here because your political views are not your identity, and it’s not even necessarily how you create a resonance match with somebody.
Miriam Schulman: It’s not like the whole I’m talking about the United States, the whole world is not Democrats versus Republicans. And you can have a resonance match from somebody who votes very differently than you do. So this is about embracing your beliefs and your values without confusing that with your political beliefs. So what you do need to do is embrace your inner weirdo, your quirks, your point of view, your taste, your obsessions, the things that make you you without turning your feed into the cable news station. Okay, so your collectors don’t need your voting record. They need your voice. Okay, so those were the two content types that I heard. This bro marketer person I don’t want I don’t I never want to shame other business people on the internet, by the way. So I never would give the person’s name or their identity, but their content type was first missions driven, which I totally disagree with and values driven. It’s not that values driven is wrong, it’s just the way they were describing it. So your first content type is really why this piece matters. It’s the emotional resonance, the meaning. And here is how that’s going to take shape. What is this piece really about? What is the moment in your life that keeps showing up in your work? What is the question that you keep asking yourself or painting? Or if you’re not a painter creating over and over again? And what is the feeling that you want someone to have when they put your art in their home? My rule for you is no art.
Miriam Schulman: Speak. Translate the meaning into human language. Now we’re going to talk about the second content type that you need. The second content type is behind the scenes content. Some of this might be processed, but this is the collector version. This is not the version that only artists want to look at. So yes, process matters, just not the way most artists do it. Most artists do process like tutorials. Like I mix this paint with that paint. I mix teal with black and and here’s my brush and here’s the tool I use. And that attracts other artists and art students. Collectors are interested in you in the studio. They’re interested in your ritual. They’re interested in your rhythm. They’re interested in your space. They’re interested in your creative flow. So let’s talk about what collectors actually love seeing. They want to see your studio and your personality in it. They want to learn your routines, your music. Do you light a candle before you start creating? Do you drink coffee? Do you drink tea? How do you start your day? How early in the morning do you start your day? They want to experience your materials, but they want to experience it in a more sensual way. Texture. Sound. Atmosphere. Not an art class. Another thing they don’t really need to hear about are your artistic decisions.
Miriam Schulman: Those are the types of things that other artists like to hear. Like, I almost ruined this piece and here’s what I did. That’s for other artists. Collectors really don’t want to see that. That’s like showing them how the sausages are made. Let them feel the magic of the process. They do want to know if you have a studio pet. Nobody gets bored of that. So it’s not just showing your bulldog, but maybe showing your bulldog in your studio or your cat in your studio. See the difference? Or your parakeet in the studio? So who keeps you company when you’re there? So collectors are interested in the story and the meaning behind the making of the piece, not the instructions on how to do it. So here’s the line to repeat to yourself. Collectors don’t want a tutorial. They want a relationship to you, the artist. Hey, if you realize that you’ve been following bad advice on the internet, I want to show you a better way. I’m Miriam Schulman. I am host of The Inspiration Place podcast. I’m also author of the book Artpreneur and in my free masterclass, How to Sell More Art without being Insta Famous, I will break down the five biggest mistakes that artists like you are probably making, and then you’ll learn a better way without posting more on social media. Because for crying out loud, if it’s not working, Why would more be better? So to check out my free masterclass.
Miriam Schulman: Go to SchulmanArt.com/sellmoreart. And now let’s get back to the show. Okay, now we’re getting to the third type of content that you need to be posting. And this is probably out of all the different kinds of content. My absolute favorite kind to post. Nobody gets tired of it. And it’s absolutely catnip for luxury art collectors. That is sold art. This is the unstoppable FOMO engine. Nobody gets tired of seeing what art sold, who it got sold to, where it’s going. Nobody. This is the category some people avoid. Maybe because you feel like you’re bragging. I don’t know, but it’s usually the category that builds desire. The fastest sold art creates FOMO like no other because it communicates other people wanted this badly enough to own it, and the fact that the piece that you’re showing can’t be purchased anymore, that makes them want it that much more. People want what they can’t have. And it’s also like how people might choose a restaurant by seeing how many cars are in front of the diner. They want to know that other people want your art, and it makes them value it more. They also want to know why the other person bought the art. So try to gather those stories as people are collecting your art, whether it’s in person or online. Why did you buy this? What drew you to it? Where is this going? Who is it for? What does it mean to you? And by the way, your collectors want to have that conversation with you.
Miriam Schulman: They will love to tell you these things. So have those conversations. And I just want to remind you guys while we’re doing this, is that everything we’re talking about. It’s not just for social media. This is for emails too. And the sold art email is the best kind of art email you can send. Usually I would send it with a subject line that says, you can’t buy this. And then I would talk all about the sold art. It always created another sale. Usually it’ll be something like this. You can’t buy this. It will show a photo of the artwork with the sold. The red dot with the word sold kind of photoshopped right underneath it. And then I would link to similar artwork so it could be a painting of a sunflower. And then I would like to explore available sunflower art might be a button right under that. It’s a great way. Okay, so let’s talk about what sold content looks like at an art fair. That could be a client photo. The buyer holding the piece. And let me tell you, they love posing. They’re very proud. This is their trophy moment. They’re very happy that they collected your art. And they want to show it off to post lots of those.
Miriam Schulman: The red dot post a simple, clear, elegant could be just your artwork. If you sold it online, it could be, like I said, your artwork with the red dot underneath it and everything I’m talking about that you’re going to put into an email each of those images you share on social media. So that way you’re not duplicating the amount of work. The other way is if you have sold something at a gallery and there’s a red dot on the wall, take a picture of that. Not the art, but the place card with your name that has a red dot that shows that it’s sold. Amazing content, packaging and shipment. You want to show that white glove treatment that you are giving. I used to love this type of content where I would show how beautifully I packaged. It might be like six packages, all beautifully packaged up with my fragile Art stickers on it all lined up for my postman. I used to have to tip my postman so much money when we lived in the suburbs, because I never wanted to go to the post office. I would just put it out and he would take it for me, but I would take a picture of it, waiting for the postman, like all the packages, all lined up for the postman. That is great. It could be a video of you wrapping something up for the postman. That’s fine. Perhaps it’s a collector story.
Miriam Schulman: This art is going to a home in Vermont. Blah blah blah blah blah. Whatever the story is, this sold. And here’s what made that special. Or here’s why the collector wanted it. Okay to underline this or put a highlighter pen through it. When I say content, I’m not just talking Instagram. All of this is email content too. Okay, the fourth type of content is your art, shown more than once in more than one way. And yes, this overlaps with some of the other things we’ve already talked about. But the biggest mistake I see artists making is they wait until the artwork is finished and they post it once and that’s it. That’s it. And the other thing is they post it like it’s a catalog. They’ll just say title of the artwork 11 by 14in available for sale. Show the art in progress. They want to see it. Not like an art tutorial. People like to watch it progress. Yes. Show it. Finish. Show it in a room. Show it framed. Maybe one post is just a really zoomed in close up show. The scale show how big it is so you see it in a room. Show the mood when it sells, then it becomes the sold content. You show it sold, then you show what’s available. Next. You see that? Do you see how that all integrates together? Okay, before we keep on going, I want to make sure you have the bigger framework because by now you know that the biggest problem is not that you’re not posting enough.
Miriam Schulman: The problem is you’ve been handed generic marketing roles that don’t translate into selling art. Now, in my free masterclass How to Sell More Art Without being Insta Famous, I break down the five mistakes that are quietly killing your sales. Things like believing cheaper is easier to sell, trying to sell on Instagram. Yeah, things like that. Okay, so it’s totally free. Go to SchulmanArt.com/sellmoreart. Okay. And I just want to talk a little bit about different variations of what this looks like. So we’re not only talking about painters. So painters you show the progress finish stalled in a room detailed shot scaled reference sold and then prints available if you’re a sculptor. Same thing. Armature. Clay stage. Carving texture. Stage finished on a pedestal in a home. Sold digital artists. Perhaps. First you’re showing inspiration. Maybe you’re showing sketches, maybe you are showing time lapse. Maybe you are showing mock ups and interiors or addition info and then again sold. Or this many limited edition remaining. You get the idea. The idea is same piece, multiple ways of talking about it. It’s not repetitive, it’s just marketing. Okay, and I have a few final points I want to talk about. The first one is when you’re posting, whether it’s in the email or online, please make it easy for people to buy from you because I’ve been trying to drum this into everybody’s heads.
Miriam Schulman: Make it easy for your customers. If somebody comments is this for sale? Don’t reply. Yes, it’s on my website. I’m sorry that’s so lame. You just turned their desire into a digital scavenger hunt, and luxury collectors expect ease. They expect white glove bargain hunters might be okay with doing the treasure hunt, but luxury buyers won’t. High end art collectors won’t. I’ve had this experience recently when I commented on an artist’s post, is this available? And she said that to me. Oh, it’s on my website. Why didn’t you just DM me the link? Make it easy for me to buy it. So here’s what you do instead. Comment. Yes, I’ll DM you. Check your DM. And then in DMs. Hey, so glad you asked. Here is the exact piece. The price, the size. If you want it, I can reserve it for you and send you the checkout link. Or just give them the checkout link. If there’s multiple options then ask them hey, do you want the original? Or, you know, let’s say you’re a photographer. Do you want this size or that size? So talk to them. Have that conversation. Either way, you want to make it simple. High end collectors, they want ease. They want that feeling of a concierge service. They don’t want to DIY their art collecting experience. And then also make sure you add just a little bit of urgency not to do false marketing urgency with them, but it’s really also more for your sanity as well as for theirs, because pieces aren’t always available.
Miriam Schulman: Tell them something like, I’ll hold it for you for 24 hours, so you’re not wondering if they’re going to buy it or not, and then that will give you an excuse to come back the next day and says, hey, you still want me to hold this? If they haven’t bought it yet, the last thing that I want to say, and again, this is about my sad bro marketer advisor who is saying to post a mission statement like as if we’re dentists with a weight loss app. I don’t know is this person said if his system of posting mission statements offers whatever the other things were isn’t working for you, it’s because you’re not posting enough. Really know the algorithm only shows your stuff to 0.3 6% of your followers. So if you have 1000 followers, that’s three people. That’s not enough to sell artwork. So that’s why I teach to build an email list. If you want to learn more about this, as well as some of the other common mistakes that artists make, check out my free masterclass How to Sell More Art. Go to SchulmanArt.com/sellmoreart and I’ll walk you through exactly what you should be doing instead. Let’s recap if you want collectors, not applause from other artists, build your content around these four buckets. Number one, why this matters.
Miriam Schulman: This is using that signal excavation. Meaning what is the through line of your life and your art? What is your soul? Mission number two behind the scenes. The collector version. Ritual. Studio life. Creative flow number three sold art. This is proof that your art sells, and pride that you did it and creates FOMO for your ideal art collector. And number four, of course, your art shown repeatedly, strategically, and in multiple contexts. And every time someone shows buying interest. Make it easy. Make it white glove. And remember, don’t just rely on social media. Build an email list so that you can reach your ideal art collectors reliably. There’s a 24% open rate on average for email, and there’s only a 0.3% interest rate on Instagram. Not good. All right, let’s do our final wrap up. If y your art matters feels really hard to articulate without slipping into art speak, that’s totally normal. And that’s literally why I do signal excavation work with my clients. Because you shouldn’t have to invent your meeting alone. And I do actually make this work available to people who are not in my inner circle separately. You can go to SchulmanArt.com/VAULT to sign up for an excavation session. My last words for you are collectors don’t need more content. They need a connection and they need a clear path to buy. All right, my friend, thanks so much for joining me here today. I’ll see you the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired. Bye for now.
Speaker2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/SchulmanArt, on Instagram at @SchulmanArt, and of course, on SchulmanArt.com.
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