Hi Lori, It would be my pleasure. I will email you to get more details. Cheers, Barney

Dear Beth, Thank you for your comment. Your insights are appreciated. I can't imagine an artist slavishly following color trends... that would kill creativity. Nevertheless, being aware of what is happening around you, and letting your observations help inform your creativity can be helpful. It could go either way. You may want zig when the crowd is zagging, and thus steadfastly avoid trends. Or, you may find a dollop of lemon sorbet adds just the right touch to piece you are creating. Whether or not one makes a conscious decision to know about trends, it is virtually impossible not to let them filter through one's mind. Look how a Bauhaus mentality is taking over typography. It has moved to a flat, unadorned serviceable look as seen in the graphics and signage of the London Olympics, or in the new Windows 8 graphical interface. If there were not an agreement of sorts to let style influence us, there would not have been a Bauhaus movement, or an Art Deco period. Wouldn't that have been a shame?

Thanks Shelley, Good thing I didn't put a time limit on the rich thing. :-)

Dear Tom Byrne, Thank you for digging through the archives to find a post nearly five years old. Blog posts can be like art in that they continue to find new viewers, readers, admirers. Self belief comes easier to some than others, but it is not out of the grasp of any determined person. All the best to you in your art career!

Dear Addie, Thanks for the update on your experience with Art-Exchange and suggestions for artists to protect themselves.

Hi, I am sorry you had problems there. As my post of five years ago says, I don't know anything about the company. I was using its entry in the consolidation market to make a point.I would keep trying to connect with them, or seek to have the charges on the card reversed if that fails. Good luck with it.

Hi Steve, Thank you for the kind words. It is gratifying to know my blog is so helpful to you and the artists you work with. All the best for continued success in your business.

Hi Martha, Thank you for your reply. It sounds like you have found a niche. I urge you to keep thinking about other places and ways to move up into higher prices, if you can. Cheers, Barney

Hi Gail, I understand your reluctance. However, I know there are honest, ethical ways you can network with your "Warm Market" and maintain your dignity and professionalism. While it's true Amway and other MLM companies use the idea of a warm market, it is an unfair comparison to what I am suggesting. MLM companies are asking their agents to recruit other agents to "buy-in" to some money-making scheme. MLMs only work for those who constantly bring on new recruits for their downline. They are pyramid schemes where only a tiny percentage of participants are successful. Many often use high pressure and deceitful practices to lure others into hearing their pitch, or joining, which is shameful. So it's no wonder their marketing materials get tossed out. By contrast, there is no shame for you to ask for help in letting others close to you know that you are an artist who has work to sell. You are not asking them to buy into a business plan, join you in business, buy inventory, or expensive marketing materials. All you are doing with your warm marketing is to approach others you know, or who they know for an opportunity to show you art. No hard sell, no pie-in-the-sky b.s. If they say no, that's it, you simply move on. It is a hard job to market your art to total strangers, but it's something most artists have to do to be successful. Nevertheless, when you successfully market your work to those around you so they know you are a professional artist who has beautiful work to sell, you may find assistance coming to you in ways you cannot imagine without trying. Of course, you are not going to get 100% participation by marketing to your warm market. When you approach warm marketing with integrity, authenticity and passion, you will find a much higher rate of sales per contact than any marketing you do to strangers. Most artists can't live on what they sell to their warm markets, but they can build a solid core of loyal collectors and fans whose help will boost their ability to succeed in the art business.