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Author: Charlie, Contributing Editor
| So you've spent hours learning your trade. Perhaps you did a course, you went to college or you're entirely self taught. You've dropped loads of money on supplies and your jewellery is starting to fill up every available space in the house!
And you think it's time that perhaps you should start selling it to make money to spend on more supplies before your addictions begins to eat you out of house and home.
So where do we start? |
| The obvious answer to most people is a website.
The problem with websites is that most people don't know how to design one to look attractive and be user friendly! To the right is a screenshot of the homepage of my website. Although I designed it myself I took the time to learn how to design websites so it would look professional. If you absolutely have to use have a website to sell your jewellery then it's really worth the money to get a professional to design it for you if you've never done anything like it before.
The other good reason not to use a website for selling is that there are so many hundreds and hundreds of people who are also trying to sell their handmade jewellery on the internet. Admittedly some people are very successful, but why even bother trying to compete with other people when you could be in a shop or gallery where you are the only jewellery artist working in that particular style, or you could even be the only jewellery artist! |  |
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| Now, you probably think I'm a terrible hypocrite. I've just told you not to bother with selling your jewellery on your own website and yet I've also posted a screenshot of my own website. I'll admit, I've only ever made one direct sale from my website. That sale covered my web hosting costs for about a year (which can run sky high by the way, but web hosting information is for another article).
The primary reason I have my website is to promote myself to potential galleries and also to allow the galleries I have work in at the moment to see my newest work. When I have a large body of new work on my website I email my galleries one by one to ask them to have a look and see if there is anything that they would like me to send them. This means that I'm not just sending jewellery to them blind, they can pick what they think will go best with the other art they have and what will make my display more complete.
It works well for us this way, it means that the galleries don't get work that they don't think they'll be able to sell.
What else do I have on my website? Well, I have "Work for sale", "Gallery", "Statement", "Exhibitions" and "Contact". Lets break each one down and see what's in it.
Work for sale
Gallery
Statement
Exhibitions
Contact
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| Now you've got your website built and looking good. It's loaded with your latest designs and your feeling rather pleased with yourself. The first way to approach a gallery that I'm going to mention here is entirely free. It's email.
Take a look around some small art gallery websites and I bet a few will suggest that you send them an email with either your website link or a few pictures and your artists statement.
Email Top Tip: Write an email as if you were writing a letter, make it sound professional. Use full sentences with good grammar and punctuation. Please, don't use any of the nasty slang "text speak" methods of spelling that seem to be seeping into out beautiful English language!
So that's it, you just applied to a gallery via email and hopefully they'll get back to you quickly asking to see more work! Another good idea is to always include your web address in your email signature to everyone you email. |
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| A second, and again free, way to approach galleries is to phone up, book an appointment and see the curator / manager / owner. You should visit the gallery before you even think about picking up the phone to see if you and the gallery will suit each others styles.
On the phone ask how they prefer to handle applications from new artists. They might ask you to send them your website or some photographs in the post. Of course, they might just ask you to pop in for a chat with your portfolio.
My portfolio is a smart ring bound sketch book with thick black pages. If I create something I am particularly pleased with I photograph it well (and the photography must be good - hire a professional if you're not good enough) and get the picture enlarged. Before I get it enlarged I add to the photograph a white border, and in the border I write the title of the piece, the materials and my website address. It's tiny font, but it makes it look very professional. I mount these into the sketch book all at the same size. You don't need a lot of photo's in this book. Perhaps six to ten of your absolute best pieces of jewellery. They should also show off your range and technical ability so use a variety of materials, techniques and so forth in these stunners!
Look smart for your meeting. I would try to avoid the eccentric artist look; only artists with a very good reputation can usually get away with this! I personally would be fashionable without being too cutting edge and would defiantly wear my own jewellery! Plain clothes usually are a good idea as they allow the jewellery to be displayed rather than getting lost in patterns. Above all, wear something that suits you, ask for your friends opinions before you go and have a trial run of wearing everything together to check it looks good!
If you talk about your work with great passion you really should have no problem getting your work accepted. Be confident and don't put yourself down! |
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