Chickens and Wolves Together, Oh My!
Last month I talked about 6 steps to better media. Included there, was the opportunity gateway to low cost social media. However, sending readers out to embrace social media is like putting chickens and wolves together. Something not to be done casually.
Sure enough, I got a call from an artist who maintains a studio in Brunswick called The Painted Dog. I asked for and received permission from her to share one of her images and some relevant portions of our conversation about social media.
When we talked about Art as a business, she remarked “I often offer a couple kids camps and a few adult art workshops during June, July and August. I am pretty low tech and hope that the Facebook page suffices as a way for people to look me up.”
That sentence triggered an image in my mind of potential carnage. I felt the need to build a chicken pen.
“A chicken pen, often called a run, is an outdoor area that provides space to roam, exercise, and forage. It is important to protect the brood from predators, while providing fresh air and sunlight.”
Chickens and wolves in today’s context equate to small independent businesses online in the same space as multibillion dollar businesses. The “pen” is big organized social media platforms that continue to intentionally intercept and interfere with direct human communications.
The Good News: The internet is the great equalizer. Billion dollar corporations get the same screen size as a micro business. Be it a 2.5 x 6 inch handheld or a17inch laptop screen. Most people use wireless devices and there are ways for artists to capitalize on this trend for whatever their business goals are.
The Bad News: There are predators and a false sense of “easy & free” out there. Many people are used by Facebook and TikTok to sell the platform’s advertising. OK. STOP. Read that previous sentence again carefully. Have you wondered why your friend feeds disappeared and more “sponsored ads” from strangers or “suggested for you” show up?
The Great News for Artists: You can break that cycle. Use the social media feeds rather than be used by them. You have an advantage. Don’t give it away. Transform your outstanding creations into pathways that attract the right attention to your business and fulfill your business and passion goals. You can make a small or grand vision come to life. Here are just two local examples:
Maria Castellano-Usery’s Brushstrokes with Impact just finished her 100th donation to a myriad of non-profits. For more than eight years she has created awareness, sales and directed donations to local causes.
Mandy Russell’s The Painted Dog Art and Stitch Studio has provided summer enrichment for a generation of young children who are now teenagers and young adults. She continues to learn, to explore, to collaborate and to teach.
Mandy’s upcoming two person show titled “A Celebration of Animals: Fur, Feathers, & Fangs” and our conversations inspired this month’s column.
If you want to get a sense of our initial conversation, you can find a free downloadable worksheet here: https://keithspiro.gumroad.com/l/SMBworksheet
Use the worksheet to guide your thinking about better marketing and time management decisions. You can also use it as a first step to a consultation with me.