6x6 Blog Tour - the art world paradigm in this new internet era

September 8 - October 20, 2011

6x6, a series of six, back to back, one week only art exhibitions in New York City starting Thursday September 8, 2011.

6x6 is an art version of a music festival highlighting a line-up of twelve international artists run by Baang and Burne Contemporary, an unconventional art gallery.

Artists, if you're looking for a way forward in this new internet era, check out what Kesha Bruce and Charlie Grosso are up to. 

Appreciators of art, if you might be interested in an alternative to traditional galleries, check these two out. It's all very excitement.

I interviewed Kesha who is a successful professional artist. She is thriving while controlling her own career and achieving this by making the most of the new possibilites now available thanks to the interwebs.

Read on to find out how she does it and why no art snobs are allowed...

People's perceptions of the art world is that it is a closed elitist club. The existence of the internet means that artists are no longer forced to go through the traditional gallery system which is so off-putting to many art viewers. This is a golden, once in a generation paradigm shift of opportunity for artists. From your personal experience, how are people finding your work given that you are not part of a conventional walk-in-off-the-street gallery?

First things first, let’s dispel a common misconception that a lot of artist have: Most galleries do NOT make their sales from walk-in-off- the-street sales.  Instead sales are made based on relationships they have spent time building and nurturing with people who have expressed interest in their artists work.  By the time someone decides they want to spend that amount of money, usually they have done their research, have been following the artist’s work, and have decided well in advance that they want to buy a piece.

Once you understand that you don’t need “foot traffic” to make sales, you can focus on what actually works.  Building your mailing list and staying in touch with people who like your work.  Most of the people who have bought my work recently are people who have met me through my blog.  I had been in contact with some of them for years before they became “collectors” of my work.

You have 'no art snobs' written fairly prominently on your website. Why do you encourage regular people to get interested in and buy your artwork? Surely chasing known collectors and uber wealthy people would be a better strategy?

Actually, chasing down rich people would be a disastrous strategy and an enormous waste of time and energy!  You might even get arrested for stalking.  

I always tell my consulting clients: “Stop hunting Unicorns!”  By that I mean--understand that most “art collectors” don’t walk around calling themselves “art collectors”. It’s not a job title. Most of them aren’t rich, or snobby, or well-known.

The people who consistently buy my work are normal people.  They are nurses, hair stylists, car mechanics, and even supermarket cashiers.  These people buy my work and keep my bills paid.  This idea that “collectors” are these mythological creatures that must be hunted down is actually a very harmful one.  It’s precisely that limiting belief that prevents them from seeing possible sales that are right in front of them.

Artists need to make a habit of consistently staying in touch my e-mail and by snail mail with every single person that has ever shown interest in their work. These people are your future collectors!

Traditional galleries have the reputation of being intimidating and sometimes even clinical environments regardless of whether they are commercial or artist run galleries. There are already artists running pop-up galleries and going the D.I.Y. route but your events are billed as creating real excitement and having the spirit of an indie rock band. That's an entirely different concept, pushing the D.I.Y event to another level again. I'm curious why you chose to push so far past the comfortingly familiar art event?

Does anybody really, truly enjoy austere and highbrow?  Charlie Grosso and I based the creation of Baang and Burne and the line-up of artists and events for 6x6 on what we personally would love to attend.  Art can be serious and fun at the same time (Fi's emphasis).  6x6 is exactly the type of art event I’ve been waiting to be invited to my entire life.

***

To learn more about 6x6, read Kesha’s weekly articles on art, art marketing, and creativity and to download a free copy of her guide “The 5 Step Art Career Make-Over” visit her blog at www.KeshaBrucestudio.com.