Creating Promotional Postcards for Art Directors

Just thought I'd give a quick update on life around here lately. As you've probably noticed, I haven't been able to post on the weekly schedule. Summer has been full of life and family and garden and sun and art. I'm allowing myself the time to soak it all in and trust that you guys have your own lives that are full and rich as well. We'll all reconvene on a more regular routine again once we're able. In the meantime, I've been plugging away in the studio in between squirt gun fights, family visits, the endless garden harvest, and fruit processing. And I've encouraged myself do some "fun" little business marketing tasks too... the most recent of which was creating promotional postcards for art directors! Fun fun! If you're anything like me, self-promotion and marketing do not come naturally, but I'm getting better at these tasks with practice. I remember hearing a podcast interview of an art director for a publishing company. She said, "I rarely get postcards. Artists send me emails -I get hundreds a day. But when I get a postcard, it stands out." That little nugget of wisdom stuck out and I decided that's my kind of self-promotion. I LOVE getting and sending snail mail. In our group of friends, I'm the one that still insists on sending birthday cards to everyone. I love the excitement of getting a handwritten letter in the mail. Something about the personal touch, the extra bit of time it takes and of course, the excuse to find fun stationary and add personal touches like stamps and stickers. But I digress... So I decided - postcards it is. Making the postcards was actually a fun little project and I can't wait to see how the final product comes out. I've ordered them through MOO.com. I can see how postcards are easy for art directors - they can see at a quick glance if your art is something they'd consider. Moo.com let's you make up several different designs for the front of your postcard and they give you an even mix of each design in your order. So I did five different designs with different types of subject matter (nautical, portraits, kids, animals, etc.) for my art. That way I can customize the ones I send to different art directors - catering the subject matter to their interests. On each one, I was sure to put my name and my website on the front of my postcard. That way, if someone tacks it to a board, they have my website right there on the front. Here are a few of the designs I'll be using: I've ordered up a bunch and they'll be going out next week! I plan to follow up with an email a couple weeks after the mailing. I'll let you know if anything fruits from the effort! Until the next time. Enjoy these summer days!