Reflecting on 2015.

I have not been able post for over a week because of the problems that we are facing here with internet coverage, hopefully these issues will be sorted out in the near future.

I have been reflecting about this past year as we prepare for our last exhibition, thinking about what a year it has been while running Galeria de las Islas.

I thought I would share some thoughts about what I have learned over the last twelve months in this particular business and how that may also relate to your Art Business.

To start, this Gallery has had a very good year of growth in 2015, it has been excellent and we have achieved all the goals I had set for the year.

Next year we need to do more and to do it even better.

Things I have learned this year.

1. Do not let your business type control what you do.

We are an Art Gallery and Art Galleries are expected to do things a certain way?

Don't. Think outside the box.

Be innovative, do things differently, just because that's the way it has always been done does not mean that that is the way it always has to be done. One of the problems that this Gallery faced was always doing things the same way, even though that did not work well.

Galleries get into a kind of inertia and just do things a certain way because that's the way it has always been done and it was how our Gallery works?

If the system is broken, fix it, change.

Do things differently, change things around, do the unexpected.

I hung two paintings on the ceiling, just to create shock value, I wanted people to question what I had done and ask why?

I hung paintings on a cloths line hung the length of the Gallery.

I really do believe in change for change sake.

If it doesn't work try something different don't get caught in rut by saying that is the way I have always done it.

Think about your Art Business, are you stuck in a rut, just repeating the same old thing over and over again, stop, change, and think differently. You are a creative person so be creative with your Art Business as there are no hard and fast rules.

Think outside the box be different.

2.Get attention.

I went out of my way to make sure we posted on Facebook three times a day on three pages we have and then shared it to many groups.

A weekly email newsletter and we text all our customers before an opening. I have done blogs each week to Artists and Collectors.

I really thought with all our emails and texts that a lot of people would unsubscribe from us but so far in the whole year less than twenty. Our friends page on Facebook grows at around three new friends every day, quite amazing.

One thing that I emphasise with our staff is that everything we do on the internet must tell a story, stories get peoples attention and it creates interest and builds a connection with the people.

Never stop telling your story.

Post, thoughts of the day.

       Thoughts for collectors.

Just talk to the people, putting out your story and grabbing their attention.

So many Gallery owners and Artists say that they do not have the time to do that and they don't want to tell stories.

My response to that is, great don't do it and I will and I will get everyone’s attention and tell them my story and they will come to my Gallery and buy my art.

You want to be successful in your Art Business?

Tell stories about yourself, your Art and your Art Business.

Get peoples attention.

3. Build relationships with your customers.

One of the things we have worked hard on, not just selling to people but getting their attention and making customers into friends.

Treating people in a way so that they will feel special and appreciated.

Our business and your Art Business cannot survive without the generous support of our customers and we need to see them as friends to our business and ourselves.

I do believe in emailing a thank you to people who buy from us, just to say thank you. Not sell more.

Building relationships is more important than selling because out of those trusted relationships will come sales.

Do not underestimate the power of a sincere smile and a thank you, they build bridges into relationships.

As I always say, sell a painting to a stranger, make them a friend and they will be a collector for a life time.

Build relationships in your Art Business.

4. Assume you do not know enough.

Your training is never complete.

You always need to be learning more.

There is so much available on the internet free for you to develop new skills, sales and marketing, how to run a small business, so much that you can learn.

Personal development is so important, work hard on yourself, read, learn, implement, set goals and then work hard on those goals, be better, change, work on your weak points, make your business better by becoming a better person.

Those who spend time inside and outside of the Gallery developing their knowledge and skills will provide the forward momentum of our team.

Always be learning new stuff, you can never have to much knowledge about your own business.

Be a life long learner and work hard on personal development.

You build your Art Business by building yourself.

A new year is coming fast, write out your goals for 2016 and then work hard on your business and yourself to see those goals come to pass.

One day I will write about my morning rituals, it may surprise a lot of you, work on yourself harder than you work on your business.

Assume you do not know enough, keep learning.

There are of coarse many more lessons that I have learned this year but these four made the difference between having an average year and a great year. 

Never underestimate what you can achieve in one year.

As someone said if you are prepared to go the extra mile, learning more and working hard on yourself, you will find very little traffic out there as everyone else is watching tv?

I hope your year was as good as mine and I look forward to next year and all the fantastic opportunities that are waiting for me and all the big challenges that I will have to overcome.

Life is full of opportunities followed by adversity, work hard on yourself so you are ready for both.

I am so grateful for all the comments many of you make and the nice emails I receive, thank you so much, they are much appreciated.

I do hope this has been a help to some.

Love painting, love your paintings and love yourself.

Mark Shellshear.

Art consultant.

mark@shellshearmedia.com