First Art Market!

Yesterday I had a table at the Girlgang festive arts market, it was the first art market I've ever sold my work at and I only found out a week before that it was happening! After the Reclaiming Pink exhibition a few weeks ago, Kaz, one of the women who runs Girlgang Leeds said there was a cancellation and so there was one table free and I could have it if I wanted. I said yes as selling at a market has been something I've wanted to do for ages but I was so unprepared!

After a lot of panic and late nights packaging things, I was mostly ready for the day and it went SO much better than I expected. I actually sold out of most of my tote bags and now I've put the rest on Etsy. It also made me realise that the wolf prints are quite a popular seller so I'll aim to make more graphic prints! 

What I learnt from the day:

• tote bags that I thought looked rushed and rubbish actually sold well
• people love slogans, swearing and feminism, which is great because I love making art with all those things
• I really enjoy meeting and interacting with people on this kind of level, everyone was so nice! It also gave me a much better idea of the kind of audience for my work, mainly women aged 18-25
• I definitely want to do more art markets in the future, they're fun, make me feel motivated and are a great way of meeting other lovely creatives

What I'll improve on next time:

• obviously I wasn't as prepared as I could have been but next time I'd like to make my table look a bit nicer, other people had fairylights and nice baskets to display their stuff. I feel like my stall looked a little boring and didn't reflect the work that was on my table
• I need to make more of a range of things to sell, some higher and lower priced items, maybe badges?
• the pink things went down well, maybe I'll make more of that

Practitioners I'd Like To Talk To

• Lize Meddings- runs her own company, does outreach projects and sells work at fairs and markets
• Kristyna Baczynski- has a really successful Etsy shop, also sells at print fairs and teaches/lectures
• Tuesday Bassen- (never going to happen because she's mega famous and wouldn't talk to a lil worm like me) sells at fairs and markets, has done guest spots for Dr Martens etc, also has her own ethical clothing range
• Fran Meneses- really successful on social media, sells her own prints etc on Etsy and also has bigger projects on the go like her planners she designs and sells
• Ohh Deer: company that sells cards, stationery etc and work directly with illustrators and gives them a platform to publicise and find and audience for their work

Websites I've Found Useful

• nesta.org.uk
• creativeskillset.org
• AOI 

Study Task 4- Copyright

Using images as reference:

• try and seek the original maker/photographers permission first where possible
• can attempt to purchase rights to copy or use any image if needs be, where possible
• change certain elements about it, so that it is only used as inspiration not directly derived from the image 

My use of social media:

• make sure to use watermarks on any original images so that the image cannot be re posted without credit to me
• be vigilant of other creative accounts and even high street stores taking "inspiration" and not giving credit, e.g. Tuesday Bassens lollypop patch images being taken by Zara
• archive my posts so that I have a record of when I uploaded and image, so that I can prove ownership

Etsy account and listings:

• use lower resolution images on my listings so that they cannot be taken and redistributed
• watermark any close ups of artwork or clothing etc
• post images from angles that obscure the image slightly so that the whole image is never completely seen
• for clothing, use models that are distinct and unique to me and my store

Avoid using certain colours or imagery:

• Kanye Wests trademarked blue
• just look into certain colours and whether or not you are permitted to use them before creating artwork
• avoid making images that knowingly or otherwise use identifiable symbols or signs, such as fonts 

Reclaiming Pink With Girl-Gang Leeds

Yesterday I took part in an exhibition at Wharf Chambers organised by Girl Gang Leeds, called Reclaiming Pink. It focused on challenging gender roles and stereotypes surrounding the idea of feminine- and how all of us, of all genders explore femininity. The exhibition featured pink hued art made by wonderful female artists all around West Yorkshire, as a celebration of the feminine and female identity.

The work that Girl Gang do is amazing and I've looked up to them for a while, having gone to a few of their live music events before. I really admire the friendly, approachable atmosphere they create in all their events, you go away feeling supported and having made loads of new friends. They particularly aim to support creative women so they could possibly be someone to work with in the future. The sense of community and empowerment is something I'm very keen to portray in my work and I had so much fun making the pink portraits for them. I painted them using gouache and really loved working with the limited colour palette.

This exhibition was so much fun, and just an all round positive experience, I even sold some work. From this I've decided I'm going to put the prints I didn't sell on to Etsy as I now know that there is an audience for these prints. In the future I want to make more positive, empowering art like this, and also work with Girlgang again. 

Study Task 3- PEST & SWOT

Sad Ghost Club:

SWOT analysis:

Strengths:

• its an individual business model, nothing like it out there
• they make beautiful, sensitive products that really work well with the theme of the business 
• theres a kind of community art feel to it, it brings people from all over the country and even internationally, together. Using conversations about mental health as the common bond
• their social media is very well maintained, great instagram, posts nearly everyday
• their products are affordable, and theres something for everyone with products ranging from £2 to £40 in price

Weaknesses:

• its only physical base is in Bristol so not everyone that wants to take part in workshops gets the chance
• their website is a little difficult to navigate and doesn't look particularly high quality
• lots of their products are often sold out on their on line store (good because people want them and they're obviously in demand, but bad because they can sometimes be hard to get hold of)

Opportunities:

• they could maybe hold on line classes and workshops, meaning that everyone who wants to get involved, can
• they could also try to travel to different cities around the UK to give workshops and talks
• they could outsource the making of some of their products to a company such as Awsome Merch, who could make them in bulk so hopefully they wouldn't sell out so quickly
• they could also make sure that their website is maintained a little more, updated more regularly etc

Threats:

• possibly people might lose interest if there aren't any new products being made/available to purchase, their shop could do with updating more often with new designs
• their audience is also slightly limited to those who are concerned with mental health, it could be said that this audience is slightly niche
• some people seem to be hopping on the "trend" and making mental health themed products that look similar or use similar colour palettes. Eventually it might be hard for their work to stand out from the crowd

PEST analysis:

Politics: 

• discussions of mental health have been rising in recent years, with many politicians discussing it more openly and honestly. Although Sad Ghost Club don't directly focus on the political implications of this they advocate awareness of mental health issues and try and provide a support system to people who are struggling

Economics:

• many of Sad Ghost Clubs audience are young women between the ages of 15-25, who have a bit of disposable income. This could always change in the future though as the products they offer aren't really essentials, such as badges, pins and posters, and may stop being purchased if the consumer cant afford such luxuries

Social:

• The organisation speaks openly about mental health and provides a low-key network and outlet for people who are struggling. The workshops they run are designed to engage people who are down in stimulating activities and promote self care

Technology:

• The organisation is run by 2 young women who seem to be quite up to date and good at managing their online presence. They use it as an effective tool to advertise new products, raise awareness of issues, and get people involved in classes 

Personal SWOT analysis:

Strengths:

• Good at putting myself out there and getting involved (zine, exhibitions)
• strong work ethic, dedicated, stick at things
• highly motivated when it comes to personal work
• clear visual style, make relatable work
• can handle a heavy work load- feel more productive and motivated having a lot of projects on the go
• good at selling myself- strong sense of self, personable

Weaknesses:

• willingness to try new things- may affect my ability to adapt my work/ style over time
• dyslexia- bad at reading and researching, get lost in too much information and lose my original point
• put off doing things I'm not immediately passionate about
• haven't branched out and tried to apply my illustrations to different products yet

Opportunities:

• feminism movement fits well with my work, also big at the moment and likely to stay big for a while
• body positivity, mental health- things I enjoy discussing and debating in my work which are also being discussed in the wider media at the moment
• friends with other creatives, can get help setting up Etsy shop, selling, exhibiting etc
• good at relating to people, both in my work and self. Maybe makes my work more widely marketable?
• could also use these platforms to talk about things I care about in a wider sense than art- activism, charities

Threats:

• need to get more up to date with digital process- save money, more effecient, looks professional
• make more meaningful connections and contacts
• improve my range of work, not just prints
• find my niche, do I want to work for myself? can I?! Meet and speak to people that do similar things to what I want to do
• not clear on my target audience, get to know that more 

Study Task 2- The Creative Industries

Lize Meddings:
Sectors:
- Secondary: Etsy shop, selling prints, t-shirt and other products
- Quaternary: runs workshops and attends print fairs and markets

Services:
- interaction with the public in form of workshops and seminars
- buying into a brand (Sad Ghost Club) like a members only thing
- selling her own work as well as SGC merch and artwork, strong sense of self as well as brand

Success of work:
- very active on social media- works well with the personal element of her work and the age range of her customers
- informal classes and workshops help people with mental illnesses engage in arts and crafts
- very personable and real both in life and social media presence- works well with the personal nature of her work and brand



Girl Gang Leeds:
Sectors:
- Secondary: Etsy shop selling merchandise, blog, Instagram and Facebook presence
- Tertiary: hold events, meet-ups, exhibitions

Services:
- provide a supportive network for creative girls in Leeds
- skill sharing and collective projects 
- organising empowering meet-ups, parties and exhibitions

Success of work:
- strong media outreach especially on Instagram
- friendly team, easy to approach and very supoortive
- wide range of things to get involved in, something for everyone
- no personal space or headquarters, which means theres nowhere to hold their own events and establish a base



Tuesday Bassen:
Sectors:
- Secondary: prints, badges, pins, clothing
- Tertiary: online stores selling her own clothing range
- Quaternary: does live guest drawing spots at shops such as Dr Marten, social media

Services:
- personal website to view her work, buy her merch
- mailing list 
- instagram updated reguarly
- specialises in being inclusive and ethical in her clothing range

Success of work:
- strong branding- recognisable as her work
- strong sense of self and ethics- ethically sourced clothing and inclusive size range is a USP
- reasonable prices for well made goods
- good breadth of products available



Village Bookstore Leeds:
Sectors: 
- Quaternary: gallery space upstairs and social media presence 
- Secondary: books and zines sold in store

Services: 
- the selling of a wide range of local as well as international art and design, photography and fashion books and magazines
- also hold events such as launch parties, exhibitions and film screenings in the space upstairs

Success of work:
- unique and friendly space works well for the sort of customers that they get
- small function space could maybe be a bit too small for somethings but means that every event is heavily attended as people know there will be limited space/seats etc (in high demand)
- specialist shop with a wide range of one very specific thing, staff are very knowledgable 


Kate Moross:
Sectors:
- Secondary: prints and other merch available
- Tertiary: Studio Moross (focuses on music based projects), makes music videos
- Quaternary: social media accounts

Services:
- worked commercially with clients such as Cadburys 
- Makes prints
- art director for Jessie Ware
- makes music videos through Studio Moross

Success of work:
- strong branding even though its her and a team who now work on the music side of things
- strong visual style