When you are trying to sell your art, you must sell yourself as well as your art. Let me say that again: You must sell yourself as well as your art.

This is a hard pill for many artists to swallow and, I believe, one of the main reasons so many are reluctant to do what it takes to market their work effectively. It's difficult to put yourself on the line when your work is so personal.

The main reason to put yourself out there is that you are making something by hand.

People like to know they artist. They like to "buy" the artist and the artist's "brand." They like to know a Picasso looks like a Picasso and a Matisse like a Matisse. In fact, they'd really like to get to know Picasso and Matisse.

While your name probably isn't Picasso or Matisse, make sure it is prominent on all of your marketing materials. Web sites, it seems, are where the most egregious instances of neglect happen.

Look how easy it is to remember the names of these artists:

http://www.jamiejohnsonstudios.com
http://www.ritathornton.com
http://www.davidbeumee.com

Or versions of the name:

http://www.bkhaleyphotography.com
http://www.annesart.com
http://www.spazart.com

What's more, their name is easy to find on their site and they have photos and other ways of introducing themselves to viewers. On the other hand, I go to some sites and can't even find out who in the world created all of the work on them!

You want people to remember your name, don't you? DBA ("Doing Business As") names are okay for some with wholesale markets (although I still like to know who the artist is!). But if you're trying to sell fine art, you need to use your own name. After all, we doing learn art history by reading about workshop names. Art history is a series of history about individuals.

Even if you use a DBA . . . I should say *especially* if you use a DBA . . . make sure people know there is a person behind the business name. Reveal the wizard that makes things happen behind the curtain.

While it may be difficult to feature yourself in your marketing, trust me that it gets easier as time passes.

DO THIS! ACTION STEPS TO TAKE

KNOW THIS----------~> People like to know who the artist is.

THINK ABOUT THIS---~> Don't you like to know about the art you buy and the artist who made it?

DO THIS------------~> Feature yourself. When you use a DBA, make sure people know there is a person behind the business name. Always add "art by so-and-so" underneath your DBA. Have an "about the artist" page that is prominent (bonus points if it has your picture on it).

Another way to feature yourself more prominently is to use your URL in your email address. Using alyson@stanfieldart.com makes it much easier to remember my name than if my email address was landscapeart@plaindomain.com. You can even integrate it with your Outlook mail so that everything goes into the same inbox. Ask your Web guru to help you with this.

Portfolio reviews and website critiques are also available.

EBSQ is pleased to publish Alyson's work as a regular feature to the EBSQ Zine.