"Oh, you're an artist, huh?" "No," I politely say, thinking to myself, "Here, we go again." "I like art and collect it." Then the cable guy says, "Oh, you must not be from around here!" "Nice stuff."

Let's examine this, shall we. First, the fact that the cable guy says "You must not be from around here," tells me that cable guys (or gals), who visit ALOT of people's homes, don't see a lot of art in people's homes. That's sad. Two, the fact that they notice it and are somewhat spellbound opens the gateway to a huge opportunity for artists and the entire artworld. ART IS FOR REGULAR PEOPLE. This is as simple as ABC, but somehow, seemingly EVERYONE in the artworld is just not getting it. People, yes, that includes the cable guy, LOVE art. All they need is exposure and some sense that art is not beyond their reach. I'm not talking about visiting an art center or museum, which is a great start, of course. I'm talking about acquiring and owning art. Living with it. What is it going to take to get artists, galleries, art fair people, museums and art clubs among others, to wake up? It took a thunder and lightning storm to get the cable guy to my home. I think it's also going to take a bolt of lightning to rattle the artworld! Earth to artpeople! Guess what? The cable guy is your target audience!

If you're cringing at the thought of the cable guy being a customer, chances are you're an art snob and status seeker and need not continue reading. Here's my point. Cable guys are "Average Joes" personified. They're just regular people out there trying to make a decent living and put food on the table. Just like artists. Many of them probably don't have much disposable income, however, many of them also love art and would probably become collectors. So, artists and galleries and art fair directors, how are YOU going to reach them? Why not create simple things that are affordable for them, but that also don't hurt your bottomline? You can come up with a million excuses about why this won't work and we can continue to dance around the issue forever. However, the fact remains that if the cable guy can afford to buy original art, you've got a cash cow that'll keep milking. Art for the people! This should really be a no-brainer for people who pride themselves on being so creative and visionary. Figure it out. There are really only a few wealthy collectors out there. I'd say several hundred worldwide ... absolute max. So, that leaves literally thousands upon thousands of fame-seeking artists scrambling to get into lofty collections. May the force be with you.

In the meantime, the cable guys (some of whom may be artists) are out there walking around, prime targets for art marketers. How can an entire industry miss such a simple concept? Again, we're not talking about wealthy people here, but judging from some of my own encounters, the cable guy (and cops, firefighters, teachers, postal workers, etc) is an art collector just ripe for the picking.