We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Susan Greeley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Susan below.
Alright, Susan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. So, we’d appreciate if you could open up about your growth story and the nitty, gritty details that went into scaling up.
It has been quite a journey of baby steps. I am a middle/high school art teacher of 41 years who loves to paint. I have spent most of my life questioning whether my art was worthy and wondering if it had the potential to be marketable. I always had the dream to exhibit my art and build a successful career through local exhibits and shows. I loved the idea that I could actually interact personally with other artists and clients who saw my art rather than in a gallery. In preparation, I actively sought out all the local art festivals near me and spent a great deal of time just talking to other artists about their journey and took careful note of the advice and info that I knew would guide me. My first step was to join several different local art organizations that hosted local juried exhibits that I could exhibit in. This gave me the opportunity to make personal connections and allowed me to compete with other artists and get a little insight to what might sell. After winning some recognition for my work, I felt I was ready to buy into a major festival. A booth shot was required with my application. Since I had never done a show, and had no equipment, I figured out I was able to rent display boards at an indoor show. I didn’t sell a thing at my first show, but it did allow me to take the pictures I needed to apply to a larger, more prestigious shows. I was a bit timid and not much of a risk taker, but decided to dive in with the least amount of investment possible. Strategically I began to gather the nuts and bolts that would help me build my business. I designed my own website and business cards, bought second hand display boards and a tent, figured out how to frame my work and the best way to hang it. At my first shows I was careful to reflect on who was looking, who was buying, and what actually attracted the visitors the most. It took quite a while to figure out who my clientele might be. Each new show spurred a major process of adjustment. I began to paint in more popular canvas sizes, color schemes, and turned to more local themes in subject matter. I also wanted to vary the price point of my art and began to sell matted prints and cards that featured my paintings.
Susan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
As a little girl I knew I always wanted to be involved with art. Painting provides me with joy and an incredible sense of wellbeing. I decided in grade 3 that I would like to teach art someday and followed the steps to make it happen. I graduated from Ohio State with a degree in Art Education and moved to Florida where I began teaching art K-8 at a small private school. Through the years the school expanded to include high school and became one of 80 exclusive international schools. During this time, I always produced my own art and worked to develop my craft but did not offer it commercially. It wasn’t until my own children left for college that I finally had the time to paint on a regular basis and focus on creating art as a business. Currently, I am exhibiting landscape painting in acrylic and watercolor inspired by the beauty of the places where I live and travel. My focus is to offer the viewer a moment in time and provide a glimpse of some where they would like to be. I strive to create work that allows the viewer to make a personal connection and the beauty around them. Vibrant color and strong composition are at the heart of my work.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Many artists find it difficult to take creative risks and take the leap to show and market their work. My journey has been very slow, with many setbacks and challenges along the way. My first show was an indoor exhibit in a large building at the local fairgrounds. There were a lot of promises from the promoter that the show would be a well advertised and was sure to draw big crowds. The actual space was a dark caverness room that was adjacent to a Gun Show that was packed with visitors for the two day event. As a sat in my booth so excited for potential sales the only visitors I saw were a couple of other vendors that were roaming the room out of boredom. Needless to say there were no sales that weekend, but I was at least able to take pictures of my booth for future applications. My second show increased in the number of visitors, but I didn’t sell enough to cover my expenses for the show. In fact, it wasn’t until well into my second season that I actually sold enough to pay my cost of the show. The positive feedback I received was enough to encourage me to continue, but I had to be very aware of clues as to how I should develop my future work. I may have been discouraged but I didn’t give up those first years. My work remained consistent in style, but I kept making slight adjustments to better align to the locations and clientele where I was exhibiting.
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
When I decided to try to build my clientele the first thing I did was to start collecting names and emails of visitors at the festivals I participated in. For incentive, I would have visitors fill out an entry form with name and email address and enter a drawing for a free print of my work at the end of each show. Once I built this list of potential clients I send notifications of future events and exhibits where my work will be available. I have the ability to send updates when I complete new work, or send more targeted emails to those that I think will have interest in a particular piece. By keeping a client list of who bought and what sold, I can target email updates that may entice repeat customers. To encourage larger sales I extend a 10-15% discount for the purchase of additional pieces. Keeping social media active and current is also critical to building my brand. This exposure allows me to share my latest work and serves as a barometer for me as to how it is received.
Contact Info:
- Website: suegreeleyart.com
- Instagram: @sgreeleyart
- Facebook: Susan Greeley Art
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-greeley-231713297
- Twitter: @SusanGreeley4