Part II - Using Facebook to connect with your buyers Our guest, artist Dave Emmons has over 85,000 followers on Facebook and has cut his show schedule from over 30 a year to only 4. Will Dave's tips work for you? We highlight how Facebook works and why it is powerful, containing step by step tips that are solid and time-tested. Expect an overal ...…

The high overhead of doing 30 shows a year exhausting you? What if you only did 20? or 10? When I first started my websites I thought if I only I could earn an extra $500 a month that would be great. Now nearly 15 years later I'm no longer putting up a tent and traveling to events. Social media, learning its ins and outs, made the difference fo ...…

The St. James Court Art Show (Oct. 5-7, 2018) began five decades ago as a small open air art show taking up only a small corner of Old Louisville's St. James Court. It has since become the second largest event held in Louisville each year (second to the Kentucky Derby Festival). It hosts 700 artists in 4 neighborhoods in this historic part of t ...…

You support our websites with your donations and we really appreciate it. We couldn't do it without you. Listen as Connie Mettler, host of ArtFairRadio.com and ArtFairCalendar.com and Larry Berman, well known throughout the art fair community as the "go to" guy on photo imaging in all aspects of the art festival busines will join me as we draw ...…

How did it go? that first art fair? In the beginning art fairs were created and artists and art buyers flocked to attend. You were one of them. Your mother and your friends thought your work was wonderful and maybe they were right, so off you went to the marketplace. How did it go? Was it a triumph or a humbling experience? A panel of beginner ...…

Found on the forum on ArtFairInsiders.com: "I would imagine any shows scheduled for this fall are being cut. It will take months for Florida's infrastructure to come back." Do you agree? Are you cancelling art festivals along the Gulf Coast? Wait a minute. Before you do that listen to these show directors as they sort out the impact of the stor ...…

You support our websites with your donations and we really appreciate it. Listen as Connie Mettler, host of ArtFairRadio.com and ArtFairCalendar.com and Kena Berthiaume, Crafts Coordinator at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, draw the names for the winners in the 2017 Pledge Drive. We'll give away nearly $5000 in prizes to our patrons. Prizes courtesy ...…

Veteran travelers (and cheapskates) share their secrets for traveling and scoring lodgings frugally. This podcast has useful information for all of us who travel a lot or whose goal is to be on the road. Artists Melanie Rolfes, jeweler Margaret Aden and photographer Evan Reinheimer tell how they really score. Learn their insider secrets of leve ...…

Time for some nuts and bolts. Getting to and from the art fairs is essential to an artist. Reliable transportation is a must. We talk with artists and learn their tricks for buying, loading, unloading, maintenance and what is the best vehicle on the road. Michael Zavison drives a truck that holds all the equipment for a double booth and large a ...…

The guests: Samantha Saturn is reviving a popular Nashville, TN, art fair: American Artisan, June 16-18. The event was started in 1971 by her mother, Nancy, a retailer and pioneer in the contemporary craft movement. In its day it was "THE" show to do in Tennessee. It was restricted to 3D crafts and the 2D people were jealous they could not part ...…

The premise: As a "new" artist attempting to earn a living at the nation's art fairs I often think about the business side of things. People are suprised that I even attempt the notion of doing it full time... without a pension! We speak with art fair artists who actually pay the bills and make a living, BUT they do so without a pension or some ...…

The fastest way to earn money with your art is to participate in art fairs. The buyer enters your booth, loves the work, hands you the payment and your work has found a new home. It's not always that easy of course, but it has worked for years for thousands of artists. Many artists have multiple streams of income including gallery representatio ...…

Congratulations, you are ready to go at one of "the biggies." Now the tension builds as the judges approach your booth. Will you win an award? Will you be reinvited (the biggest award of all)? Building continuity at one of the top shows is one of the secrets of success in the art fair business. We discuss how judges are chosen for the applicati ...…

(If this show does not play, please click this link: http://mygoldenwords.com/interview-with-connie-mettler-of-art-fair-insiders/) Mckenna Hallett, a professional trainer and consultant for small business, shares strategic tips from her 25 year career that has covers the entire spectrum of earning a living as an artist: developing a jewelry lin ...…

Emily Peklo, senior event project coordinator for the Omaha Summer Arts Festival and its fall sister-festival ARTsarben in Omaha, Nebraska, joins Connie to draw the names of 40 contributors to the 7th Annual Pledge Drive. Did you pledge? Will you be a winner? With nearly 70 prizes donated by friends around the country everyone who pledged has a ...…

The guests: Scott Fox, author and e-biz strategist who focuses on online marketing, e- commerce, using the Internet to build businesses and finally doing the work you were born to do. His popular books include Click Millionaires, Work Less, Live More with an Internet Business You Love. Larry Berman is the recognized authority on "all things pho ...…

How do you earn a living as an artist? Let's talk about the pleasures and the pitfalls of choosing to be an artist in the U.S. This episode will either have you running to apply to the art festivals all across the country or running the other way, fast! Our guests are Floridians Toni and Jay Mann who have been creating fun and functional claywo ...…

It is application season! Anyone active in the art fair business is deep into preparing applications for jurying into the nation's art fairs. What are the odds you'll make the cut and get into your most desired festival? Our guests are long time professionals from the business including Cindy Lerick, executive director of the Saint Louis Art Fa ...…

ArtFairCalendar.com has just finished its 3rd annual "America's Best Art Fairs" survey and we announce the winners. Our survey is the only national online look at the country's juried art fairs and craft shows, designed to reward the festivals that create opportunities connecting artists and communities. We asked our mailing list of over 50,000 ...…

The interested parties have come to your party: that Art Festival you have been planning and marketing for 364 days. How do you make sure they love the show, bring their friends, buy art, spread the word about what they found there and can't wait for next year? Sharon McAllister, Executive Director of ArtFest Fort Myers (FL) and Jenny Wright, F ...…

When a city's largest employers pull out and the population begins to decline what do you do? Find new corporations, preserve the downtown, improve the quality of life by improving the schools, rebuild neighborhoods and focus on becoming one of the "Top 100 Arts Small Towns in the United States." Enter Artisphere, now in its 12th year and award ...…

Connie Mettler, publisher of ArtFairCalendar.com and moderator at ArtFairInsiders.com is joined by Internet marketing expert Scott Fox to celebrate ArtFairCalendar'com's 11th anniversary online and the 6th for ArtFairInsiders.com. They'll be drawing names for over 50 prizes donated by artists, art suppliers, show organizers and art equipment ma ...…

Our guest will be graphic artist Carroll Swayze. Carroll has a great story about how working smarter, not harder, has put more money in her pocket and enabled her to do more of the things she loves besides creating her work. A lifelong artist, after much trial and error she has found that balance we all crave. Carroll is a great storyteller wit ...…

Connie Mettler talks with Marcy Boroff, from Renaissance Craftables, one of the east coast’s premier craft show promotion companies partnering with downtown areas and non-profits. Marcy Boroff had worked with her mother, Barbara, on shows for years and took over the business in 2010. As a craft show promoter, Marcy feels very strongly that it i ...…

Most of this audience is U.S. based fine artists and craftspeople. Did you realize there is a whole other world just a few miles north of us with educated sophisticated people in big cities who may love your work? Think Montreal (metro pop. 3,824,221), Toronto (metro pop. 5.5 million) and Vancouver (metro pop. 2,313,328). Many of you live near ...…

Change is good. New is good. Being smart about it is good. Let's learn about 3 new shows and what their organizers are doing with them to make them successful. We talk about why they hosting the show, how, fund raising, their connections to their community, rounding up sponsors, their hopes for the event and what they are learning along the way ...…

ArtFairCalendar.com has just finished its 2nd annual "America's Best Art Fairs" survey and we announce the winners. This is the only national online survey of the country's juried art fairs and craft shows, designed to reward the festivals that create opportunities connecting artists and communities to celebrate the arts. We asked our mailing l ...…

How do I get into the good art fairs and how do I make money when I get there? These are the universal questions that need to be answered for earning a living in the fine art and fine craft show business. Our expert guests Larry Berman and Bruce Baker lead the way. Larry Berman lends his expertise on creating great images that will "wow" they j ...…

Nawal Motawi joins us to talk about her journey from art school graduate to founder of an award-winning Ann Arbor-based nationally known art studio that creates unique handmade tile reflecting the classic styles and craftsmanship of 20th Century American design. Nawal Motawi founded Motawi Tileworks more than 20 years ago. A University of Michi ...…

Around just about as long as the Internet email marketing has been pooh-poohed as "old school" and no longer relevant. Our guests Mckenna Hallett and Scott Fox beg to differ. In 1992, Mckenna launched her own business selling jewelry. Living in Hawaii she had to figure out how to reach a much wider audience. She turned to the fledgling Internet ...…

How does an art festival market their event to the public without big name entertainers, wine tasting areas, children's stages, interactive activities for fairgoers? In other words, strictly an art fair. Sharon McAllister, Executive Director of ArtFest Fort Myers (FL) joins Sara Shambarger, Director of Art Fairs, at the Krasl Art Center, includ ...…

In the beginning art fairs were created and artists and art buyers flocked to attend. You were one of them. Your mother and your friends thought your work was wonderful and maybe they were right, so off you went to the marketplace. How did it go? Was it a triumph or a humbling experience? A panel of beginner and experienced artists from various ...…

Our friends donated nearly $12,000 worth of prizes this year to our 5th Annual Birthday Party Pledge Drive. Executive Director of the Cherry Creek Art Festival in Denver joins Connie to talk about running one of the nation's top art fairs and even more importantly to pull the numbers to pass out the prizes. Thank you to everyone who pledged som ...…

As ArtFairInsiders.com celebrates its 5th birthday and ArtFairCalendar.com celebrates its 10th Connie and Internet marketing guru and author, Scott Fox, run through the top ten most helpful links on the groundbreaking social media site for art fair artists. Covering topics such as: Choosing Jury ImagesHow to decide which shows to apply toWhat a ...…

As the new interim executive director took on the reins at the Bayou City Art Festival in Houston late last year, it became apparent to Susan Fowler that the organization was stretched beyond financial viability. This is a festival that depends on an admission charge that had been negatively impacted by the weather. Four festivals back to back ...…

Did you ever see such a business for high overhead as the art fair business? Travel expenses, booth fees, employees, tents, studio space, art supplies, credit card fees, etc. We talk to two artists with bookkeeping experience and we'll learn how they adapted this information for art fair bookkeeping. Our experts are: Alison Thomas worked with h ...…

We did it! We completed another year of art fairs. Before we get too far into the future we'll take a look back at 2013 for an assessment. The guests are: Nels Johnson, photographer from Florida, in the business since 1976Jim Parker, photographer from MichiganMelanie Rolfes, painter from GeorgiaKelly Smith, sculptor from California, second gene ...…

Our guest is Sheryl Kosovski, a certified Financial Recovery Coach who specializes in business development for creative people, helping artists and designers grow their businesses, make more money and learn how to hold onto that income. How do you handle your money? We'll discuss how to create a spending plan to reflect where you want your reso ...…

Free credit card processing? What does free mean? 24/7 live customer support? immediate deposit of funds into your account? reception/connectivity you can rely on? merchant services dedicated to you as a mobile merchant? Maybe, maybe not. Somewhere, someone needs to pay. Credit card processing policies and options are changing rapidly. Listen i ...…

ArtFairCalendar.com has just finished its 1st annual "America's Best Art Fairs" survey and we are announcing the winners on this podcast. We asked our mailing list of nearly 50,000 art fair patrons what was the best art fair in the country and had an amazing response from across the nation. Nearly 96% completed the lengthy 22 question survey an ...…

Our guests are potters Jan Richardson and Robert Briscoe, well known in the artist community not only for their fine work but their generosity in developing opportunities for other artists. Living in rural Maryland Jan developed the Valley Craft Network in 1982, a tour that continues to bring buyers from nearby Baltimore and Washington, DC, int ...…

Art publishing is a big business. Have you explored licensing your images for print? This podcast sorts out the basics. What you will learn: 1. What it means to license your art (how it works, contractual permission, etc - a broad overview) 2. How to create art that works for licensing 3. How long it takes to make money 4. Basic expectations ma ...…

What can an art fair do to bring serious buyers to attend their events to buy art? Our guests today are from two of the top rated shows in the country. Tne La Quinta Arts Festival is a large festival held in an affluent area in California. Art on the Square is in Belleville, Illinois, a small town near St. Louis with nearly the opposite demogra ...…

Art fairs not working for you? Not getting into the shows where you know you can sell your work? Tired of being on the road? Looking for a new adventure? Meet two painters who can say both yes and no to the questions above. Yes, the art fairs work but they wanted to try some new ideas for marketing their work. Where did they turn? Social media! ...…

Carolyn Bird and Alice Moulton, longtime organizers of the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival in Winter Park, FL, join Connie Mettler of ArtFairInsiders.com to talk about one of the best shows in the business and to draw the names of the winners of the rest of the prizes for the Birthday Party Pledge Drive. Want to hear a little insider informat ...…

Do you love our art fair related websites where you can find a show to attend get the inside scoop about an art fair stay in touch with the ups and downs of our industry get support for your business or just have a good laugh? You are not alone! As we celebrate our 4th birthday there are nearly 10,000 members and our SEO is soaring. Thank you f ...…

Most artists have made their peace with the digital upload systems, www.Zapplication.org, www.JuriedArtServices.com and www.EntryThingy.com. If you want to participate in the better shows you sign up and upload your images for the jury. But how did this get started and what is the relationship of the individual artist or individual art fair wit ...…

Making the sale and making it easy for you and your buyer Talking about: terminals, wireless & wired iPhones iPads & tablets PayPal PCI compliance & fees merchant support pay-as-you go processing monthly charges and getting the biggest bang for your buck Steven Ballan, vice-president of 1st National Payment Solutions, one of the pioneers in pro ...…

New art fairs are necessary for the evolution of the art fair business because artists need new markets and even reliable shows sometimes don't continue to thrive. We speak with 4 show directors who are developing events for their communities: Rae Marie Schneider and Kim House, St. John's River Festival of the Arts in Sanford, FL, had solid com ...…

Everything an Artist Needs to Know about Insurance Art fairs can be a dangerous business fraught with problems of high winds, theft, traveling with artwork, liability issues, damages to equipment and accidents of all kinds. Valerie Bjarnson, Director of Online Programs for Veracity Insurance Solutions whose innovative insurance programs have ma ...…