Gwenn Seemel Interview (Click the link to play, or right-click to download.)
June’s Interview with Gwenn Seemel is probably one of the best that I’ve ever done. Gwenn is so humble, and so nice, and so smart that it was just an absolute pleasure to talk to her.
Highlights and action points from this month’s interview:
Copyright – an experience with intimidation as a child made Gwenn want to find ways to live her life that weren’t competitive, but collaborative. She points out that it’s nearly impossible to enforce copyright protections on the Web anyway, so why not make your images open and easily shared by everyone?
Action item: put your images on photo sharing sites like Flickr, Photobucket, and other sites. Encourage people to share your images with attribution to you. Read this blog post on how to make your images found on the web.
You, as an artist, cannot be copied. Your style, voice, and subject matter combine to make your artistic voice. Even if someone copies your painting, it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to pass it off as original when challenged.
Blogging can be a great way to find your voice as an artist, both in your work and your voice as a member of the community. Gwenn attributes her artistic voice to her writing experience.
“Work doesn’t have to be better than mediocre to sell.” – Do you worry about whether your work is good enough to sell? Odds are, you should take a look at how your art is packaged, framed, and the buzz that you create around our brand.
Action Item: What sets you apart from other artists? Have you completed Lesson 1?
Develop a relationship with people who can get publicity for you. Journalists and critics are approached by hundreds of artists. Instead of just sending them a blind press release, get to know them, their work, and develop a conversation with them. When you do this, you’ll discover opportunities for media coverage.
You can represent yourself. You don’t have to have an agent or a gallery to make money. Gwenn sold a significant amount of art without the help of a gallery. Even though she has a gallery now, it’s a non-exclusive relationship. Gwenn has really taken charge of her work. She’s very good at sales, even though she doesn’t come across as a salesperson.