I try to use the slower months of the year to work “behind the scenes” on my business. Sticking with that theme, today I attended a marketing class offered by the PA Guild of Craftsmen in Lancaster, PA.
As an MBA, I have had a good deal of business theory exposure, but I figured it never hurts to have a refresher & possibly learn something new. Plus, this class was geared especially to artisans & crafters which is a unique marketing subset.
I thought today’s class was interesting & left perhaps not necessarily learning a lot of new material, but having my suspicions confirmed/affirmed when it comes to marketing art to the general public.
Especially in the tough economic times we are currently in, there is a definite hurdle to jump to get people to want to open their wallet and invest in handmade, American-made craft.
In my case, I am lucky because my price point is such that it allows folks to still splurge in smaller ways versus having to dip deeply to invest in, say, a legacy painting.
Perhaps I am an eternal optomist, or perhaps it is just the sunny day we had, but I do hope that with spring will come a new sense of confidence in the economy & a greater willingness of the public to once again invest in American handicrafts.
In the meantime, I will use this winter lull to brush up on business skills, work thru the necessary paperwork that comes with managing a business, and best of all experiment with the kiln.
On that note, the kiln is fired up now & I look forward to seeing the final result in the morning.