Clint Watson

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Measuring Matters

6/27/2013 9:38:17 AM by Clint Watson
 

"Measurement is fabulous. Unless you're busy measuring what's easy to measure as opposed to what's important." - Seth Godin.

In art, sales are important.  The size of your prospective client list is important.  The number of newsletters and post cards you send is important.  Your conversations and relationships with your fans are important.  The quality of your art is important.  Even the quantity of works you produce is important.

Your website traffic is less important.  Your search engine ranking is less important.  The number of retweets and repins you get is less important.

"What gets measured gets done." the old saying goes.

What's getting done in your studio?  If you're focusing on your website traffic, you're on your way to being a great website guru.  If you're focusing on the quality and quantity of your art, you're on your way to being a great artist.

 

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Absolutely right Clint. The quality of my work is the foundation of my sales. With that, I'm about to leave for the studio, and I have no access to the Internet there. It's like going to the gym. Once I'm there... Nothing else to do but paint.

Posted by Lori Woodward · via faso.com · 156 months ago

As usual, great reminders Clint!!

Posted by Carol McIntyre · via faso.com · 156 months ago

Yep!
Scheduling actual time for both studio and internet activity allows me to KNOW where I'm committed. (And scheduling internet time really means LIMITING the time spent)
It is fun to see internet interactions increase which is fine when it spurs me on to create more of the kind of art that engenders interactions!
... rinse and repeat!

Posted by dorothy lorenze · via faso.com · 156 months ago

This reminds me of a conversation I had with an artist on Facebook earlier this month. He noted that he spends 4 hours a day marketing his work online. That is addition to a full-time 'day job' -- which includes a few 12 hour shifts. Mind you, the guy has a wife and kids.

I asked him point-blank... when do you find time to paint? He responded by saying, "On one of my days off.". He noted that Sunday has always been his 'painting day'. With that information in mind I visited his Facebook profile. Based on his Sunday comments -- mentions of trips, going to see movies, and so on -- it did not seem to me that Sunday is his 'painting day'. Ha.

Most of the work listed on his website is dated... and yes... most of those dates are from years ago. Blah.

Posted by Brian Sherwin · via faso.com · 156 months ago

Basically, I paint almost every morning. And you're right, that's not so easy to measure - except that I do have work to show for it. Usually check online activity at lunchtime. Go back to painting in the afternoon if possible. Do any online follow-up or writing at the end of the day.

I get that this sort of schedule can seem more "intentional" than "actual". I'm not so rigid about it but, basically, it works to keep me focused and I get a good amount of painting done.

At the very least, I'm truly committed to painting regularly and conscious of limiting how much time is spent online.

Posted by dorothy · via clintavoblog.fineartstudioonline.com · 156 months ago

This is SUCH a good reminder for me right now. It is so easy to get caught up in website stats, number of shares, likes, and fans, because they are so easy to find that we forget what stats actually matter when it comes to our online art careers. And I love Brian's comment as well. SO true! I'm convinced that by painting more often, becoming the best artist I can, is the key to the success I want in my art career.

Posted by Crystal Cook · via faso.com · 156 months ago

I completely agree Clint. The more time I spend in front of the easel and with my collectors, person to person, the better my art and sales are.
Love,
Linda

Posted by Linda blondheim · via faso.com · 155 months ago

Thanks so much, Clint for a great post for Monday.

Great reminder as I finish checking and responding to emails and get to finishing some paintings.

Though, I will say that for anyone learning to develop their website and coordinating it with their social media feeds”" that does take time initially.

Artists should not be put off by the learning curve and the time involved over months to become comfortable with it. Just know that once you reach a level of self assurance and familiarity with what to do, THEN the internet is just another tool and you won't spend gobs of time on it.
Learn what to do then, get back to making art.

Posted by Eugenie B. Fein · via faso.com · 155 months ago

How basic and yet how easy to overlook the obvious. Thx as always for a good reminder, Clint!

Posted by Helen K. Beacham Fine Art · via faso.com · 155 months ago

In respect to the part of this article where you mention the importance of the quality of ones art well my question is just what is quality artwork? Is it following a set of golden rules set out by an art establishment?,Is it drawing or in my case sculpting freely and let the form come in the piece that I am doing.

Kenneth C Young

Posted by Kenneth C Young · via faso.com · 155 months ago

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