Mary Richmond Design

To be clearer, let's try again ;-)

I guess I was unclear yesterday about the advertising question. Funny how clear you can be in your own head but totally fuzzy when you put it into words!

My card sales are wholesale or through the web so are not at issue here. (There will be more questions about them later on.)

The advertising in question would be for my art classes and nature tours only. It is my experience that many Cape visitors are looking for family activities that are a one time deal, whether it is a lesson, tour, hike or other activity. Those are the people I wish to reach. I would also like to reach the people that are hosting visiting families or friends who might like to take a one day painting class in a beautiful location or take a nature walk with a naturalist at sunset along one of our many wonderful beaches. I already have a wonderful base of students but am looking for more since my class and tour schedule is pretty ambitious and I would like to fill them.

I will be listing all classes and tours on a calendar on my website (not done yet but I will let you know!) and sending out a newsletter with all the information to former students, friends and others that have requested information. As a member of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce I will also be listing my classes and tours on their website and putting brochures and calendars in the Visitor Information Centers.

So my question is:

First, is additional advertising necessary?

And with a limited budget which would be most effective?

A) summer long ad in playbills for local theaters

B) ongoing ad in local visitor guides for families that are freebies and distributed all over the Cape

C) an ad in weekly newspapers

Thanks again!

When and where to advertise, that is the question...

I have decided to move most of my business ventures under the umbrella of Cape Cod Art and Nature. It just seems to make good sense. I will keep this blog and my Mary Richmond Design website to show my art, cards, prints, ornaments, etc. My writing, nature sketching and teaching will be found at the new sites which I will post when they are up and running.

This summer I will be teaching art classes on location all over Cape Cod and will be making several day trips to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. I will also be leading nature journaling workshops for families at various outdoor locations and sunset nature tours at area beaches.

So here's the question....with limited advertising dollars does it make sense to:

advertise in area playbills for theaters that are well visited by locals and visitors alike and that offer programs for families as well as adults?  (cheapest and lasts all summer)

advertise in free weekly publications that tourists pick up everywhere? (moderately expensive)

advertise in weekly newspapers that local people and some tourists pick up? (most expensive)

In the past I have not advertised at all but depended on my own mailing list. This summer I need to step up the numbers in order to make a living.

Any thoughts or advice welcome!

What Comes Next?

It's been two years since I closed my shop and I still wonder what comes next. Sure, I sell a bit online and in shops, I teach here and there and I write a bit. It all adds up to a bit of an income but it isn't really enough (as my savings account will sadly attest).

I'm thinking of moving most of my writing, art and teaching to a new website and blog "Cape Cod Art and Nature" since it is more descriptive than Mary Richmond Design. I would leave my card and ornament design business under this blog and my existing website. Sometimes it all feels like a bit too much. Right now I have 3 blogs, a website, 2 Etsy shops, a Flickr site and Twitter.

I made a studio schedule for myself a few weeks ago and I have yet to stick to it because so many other things "come up." I realize that I allow things to interrupt my plans but wonder sometimes if that's just the way I am and if I should just stop fighting it and allow myself to be more organic in my process....and I don't expect anyone to answer this for me ;-)

Most of my life I have done best when I set a goal, outline the process and then stick to the plan....and then I get totally bored because the process gets in the way. Or at least that's what it feels like.

I've asked this question here before and I know everyone has a different take on multiple outlets, etc. I'm just trying to figure out what works best for me. Maybe it is time for Mary Richmond Design to become Cape Cod Art and Nature. Maybe that allows me the most latitude....hmmmmm.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Woohoo!

 

Guess who's getting one of these???

 

How cute are these little corgis? The top picture is a dog the owner kept from the litter shown in the second picture. My little puppy hasn't been born yet but will be ready in June!

I was looking for a smallish dog that is sweet, smart, energetic and has a little bit of attitude and when I came across a listing for corgis I knew immediately this would be a great dog for me. They're everything I am looking for and cute as buttons as well. I found a wonderful breeder nearby who actually lives in a cottage farm by the beach that has always been my dream home. I pass this house all the time and when she gave me directions to come meet her and her dogs I almost fell over. Seems perfect in so many ways. I'm so excited! I've always had rescue dogs and probably will have more in the future but for right now this just feels like a great fit for me.

90 Days to Success

is the name of one of my new blogs and I'd love for you to check it out! You can find it here. I'm hoping to inspire myself but also lots of other people as well with lots of info and links to help us all reach our goals and feel positive every day!

Dan Finnegan Workshop on Cape Cod

 

Every year the Cape Cod Potters hosts several workshops, bringing in well known and respected potters from around the country, and sometimes from around the world, to give workshops. I have been a member of this group for almost 30 years and can't say enough positive things about it. It's a loosely organized cooperative of people working in clay, mostly potters, who order supplies together, put out a yearly map and guide to studios and galleries, offer workshops and raise money for various causes through an annual Soup Bowls for Hunger event and an annual seconds sale.

 

As a tile maker and artist I am not a potter. I don't throw on the wheel or make my own clay or glaze. I use few of the techniques workshops concentrate on. And I still learn a whole lot of good stuff. Mostly I am intrigued by the lives these artists and potters have made for themselves. I find myself following the threads of their story to see how and why they have developed the way they have. If I have learned any one thing from all the workshops I've attended it is that successful artists remain true to themselves and persist in doing what they love, no matter what the obstacles.

 

This weekend Dan Finnegan gave a 2 day workshop here on the Cape and about 40 people attended. Dan began his professional life as an apprentice at Winchcombe Pottery in England and he shared many of his stories of his time there with Ray Finch and others with great respect and appreciation. He described his own studio and his own way of working and while at the workshop he demonstrated his techniques and methods of throwing and altering wheel thrown pieces.

One of the things that fascinates me about people who have been working at a craft or art technique for a long time is the way they develop little quirks and fascinations that begin to inform their work with a very specific and recognizable personality.

You can learn more about Dan Finnegan and his work and read his blog here.

Tomorrow I'll write more about what I took home from this. Do you get inspiration from workshops?

Organizing Paintings

For the last few months I've been working on clearing out all sorts of junk. I have boxes of memorabilia going back generations. Some of it is good stuff, some is really just junk. So out with the junk, making room for....whatever is coming up next! Good stuff, I hope!

We've been cleaning closets, under beds, the basement, the studio and the cars. It's amazing how much stuff we have found that we had either forgotten or had been wondering where it had gotten to. In the studio I found all sorts of forgotten paintings that I'm scanning into my computer today and which will find their way into card designs before too long. Lots of watercolors of birds and a series of botanicals and butterflies....

I have a show coming up in May so am starting to think about how much work I need or want to hang in that. Lots of fun things to think about...

I think all this cleaning and organizing is giving me wicked spring fever!

How about you? Have you begun your spring cleaning and organizing?

Working Through Fear

I write several weekly nature columns for local newspapers and a few years ago I was invited to speak at a garden club meeting. I am not a public speaker but went ahead and said yes anyway. After all, the date was several years away.

Last week I got an email reminding me of my promise and I immediately broke into a sweat. I had not put it on the calendar or at least hadn't moved it forward and I had completely forgotten. After my initial panic I knew I couldn't let these ladies down. My promise over rode my fear.

The garden club is in Woods Hole and I knew I would have all sorts of science related, education related, politically savvy women in the audience. The group meets in a church hall (you'll see the cross in the picture). They have a brown bag lunch but dessert and coffee are served. They are a very friendly group and welcomed me so warmly I forgot to get nervous.

 

And then it was time to speak and I thought I would die. My face turned beet red, my knees were shaking my voice was shaking and I knew I had to just push through. My topic was "Peepers and Tweeters: Signs of a Cape Cod Spring" and I had come prepared with some fun props.

Everyone was smiling at me and as I began to talk my nervousness went away. I teach a lot so I just looked at it as a teaching time and started to tell some funny stories and before I knew it everyone was having a great time. After about 10 minutes I simply opened up the floor to questions and for the next 45 minutes we exchanged stories and questions. It was a blast.

As I drove home I realized how important it is to push past my fear, to not let my initial response stop me from moving ahead. If I had said no or had let my fear keep me from doing what just came naturally to me it could have been a disaster. I think we think of public speaking as something formal and planned out but if I stop to think about it, the speakers I've enjoyed the most are those who actively engage the audience. The ladies told me I was a natural speaker. Actually, I'm a natural teacher so when I let her take over, the rest of it was easy.

Now I'm sort of excited about other options and opportunities this opens up for me.

What fears have you worked you way through in your business life?

Geek Girl Boot Camp Rocks!

This past Saturday I attended an all day conference, "Geek Girl Boot Camp" in Hyannis. There is another one scheduled this Thursday in the Boston area and you can check out more info here.

There were classes, workshops and consultations all day long. I learned so much more about email marketing, using LinkedIn, using YouTube, Photoshop and more. I think my head still hurts a little from all I crammed into it in one day.

I love attending events like these where I meet wonderful people interested in the same things I am and where I can learn new things and come away inspired and motivated. This coming weekend I am attending a natural history conference and a two day ceramic workshop!

How do you stay up to date and inspired?

Ironing

Did you iron as a kid? Almost no one irons any more. We take our clothes out of the dryer and shake them and wear them. Even the ones we hang on the line don't need an iron much any more. When I was a kid, though, there was an ironing basket and it was my job to tackle that when it got too high.  Most mornings I ironed my own clothes but also my mom's blouse for the day. Both my mom and my grandmother taught me to iron and to this day I know the order that each part of a shirt, pants or skirt should be ironed with how much heat and pressure. I hated ironing. It was hot and boring. So imagine my surprise when I got out the iron the other day to iron some freshly washed linens I had been going through. They are quite literally linen and in order to look nice need to be ironed.

 

These guest towels were made by my great grandmother and great aunt. One is appliqued and the other simply embroidered. I have a lot of these and they are wonderful to hang in the bathroom.

 

These are some of the fancier linen napkins. We use all cloth napkins but the ones for daily family use are not this nice and I never iron them. You can see there are some embroidered lady's placemats, too. I found these in a box at my mom's but have never used them. I will have to invite some ladies for lunch.

I really don't want to go back to ironing every day or even every week but for one evening it was a relaxing homey thing to do that took me back through the years....