Five Big Mistakes Artists Make at Art Festivals When Learning How to Sell Art

When learning how to sell your art, one of the most rewarding things you can do as an artist to help sell your work and establish yourself as an artist is to participate in an Art Festival, whether local or afar. You get to meet wonderful people, allow others to experience your art and possibly connect with others who can help get your work in other venues.

However, to be able to turn the art festival into a successful opportunity there are some tips you should consider when selling your art. Allow me to indulge you for a moment with some of these tips that artists should not do at an art festival.

1. Never sit behind your tent and read a book with potential buyers walking-in and out of your booth.

When people see you in the back of your booth sitting and reading a book or newspaper they may get the feeling you don't want to be bothered. Get-up and get in front of your booth and let the people get to know you and get a feel of who you are. Most people will not come behind your booth to talk to you. Also you can not sell to people sitting down in the back of your booth. Like I said in other articles and posts your booth is like a store. You want to be up front where customers see you and you can talk to them and work your way into a sell.

2. Please don't eat in your tent or in front of your guests.

How would you like it if you went into a department store and needed help but the sales clerk was too busy stuffing their face? Well that's what you look like when people come into your booth when you are too busy eating. People are not going to interrupt you as much to ask you a question about your art if they come in your booth and see you eating. You could be losing sells. If you will have to eat at the festival go off away from your booth so your eating won't be a distraction to your customers.

3. Don't have all your buddies and families members hanging out in your booth.

Have you ever walked in a store and the owner had their family members or friends all huddle up talking and laughing. How did it make you feel when you went into the store? Uneasy I bet. Well that's how people feel if they come inside your booth and all your buddies are hanging out in your tent talking and not really contributing to your business. Some people may not even come in to look at your work if they see a bunch of people just hanging out doing nothing in your booth.

They will come in if they see a line of people with money in hand ready to purchase your work. So please tell your friends not to come and hang at your booth.

4. Not having artwork that focuses on one theme or niche.

One of the best ways to be seen as a professional artist is to have artwork created around one theme or niche using the same techniques or process. It could be that you have sculptures on birds, photographs of women, paintings of rural landscapes and so on. The point is that you want your work to be consistent with each other.

You don't need to have a painting of a bird, a painting of jazz musician and or photograph of a landscape all in one booth. It looks as if you haven't found your voice as an artist. And if you haven't you may want to decide which direction you want to take with your art and stick with it.

My advice to you is to find something that you like to create and something that will sell very well within your geographical area. I paint images of musicians playing jazz music with a palette knife on wood and canvas. When I first started out, I painted a little of everything, landscapes, still life and abstraction and I would have all of them in one booth. I found out that this was not the route you should take if you want to be successful as an artist. Today people come-up to me and say "Hey you're the guy who paints those musicians, I love your work". They have identified me and my specialty. I want to make sure people are able to do the same when they see your artwork or see your name.

5. Not having any business cards, artist statements or credit card swipe machine; not having one of these is Art Festival suicide.

First, there are several people who will like your work when they first see it but will not be able to purchase it at that time and if you don't have a way for people to contact you have just missed out on some money, plain and simple. Secondly, having an artist statement helps people learn about you and your work and if you don't have other things other than your artwork to promote you, you are in for it. Having an artist statement is like your company's mission statement.

Lastly, credit card processor, everyone that enters you booth will not have cash or a check and by having a credit card machine you can give your customer a chance to purchase your work. You don't want to miss out on sells especially just because you don't take credit cards.

There are easy ways to get credit card processors, just look online for the best deals. You don't have to have the fancy electronic ones. If you are just starting out you can get the manual ones where they slide back and forth.

Art Festivals can be a lot of work yet fun. With these tips mentioned above you can definitely help increase your sells and make your experience of selling art wonderful instead of a drain.

So be positive and focus on being a great artist and a great businessman or businesswoman that you truly are.

Still Time to Catch Some of the Summer's Best European Arts Festivals

Summer is traditionally the time of year when cultural calendars are at their busiest, and your favourite Art Guide is full to bursting point with unmissable events.
While the English summer is slowly drawing to an end, other European countries continue to be bathed in sunshine, with a whole host of cultural and artistic events still to come before the clocks go back.

If you haven't yet managed to get away for a summer break, now is the perfect opportunity to soak up those last rays of late-summer sun and take in some of the wonderful and diverse cultural events that Europe has to offer. Here are just a few of the events that lie in store over the next couple of months.

Schwarzenberg in Austria hosts a major chamber music festival from 27 August-12 September, attracting some of the world's leading artists. Bernarda Fink, Ian Bostridge, Magdalena Kozena and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau all appear at this year's edition, which will take place at the purpose-built Angelika Kauffmann Hall.

Opera lovers should head to Verona in Italy, where the world-renowned Arena festival is well under way. Running until 29 August, this year's event features a guest performance by veteran performer Maria Guleghina, in Franco Zeffirelli's Turandot. Festival-goers will also be treated to performances of Madama Butterfly and Carmen, among others.

Greece's Athens and Epidauros festival, running until 12 September, offers a spectacular celebration of contemporary and classical arts. This year's edition features a new Greek staging of the opera Parsifal, as well as a French version of A Streetcar Named Desire and a performance by the New York City Ballet.

Opera-lovers in for a treat if they make the journey to Bayreuth in Germany, where the legendary Wagner opera festival runs until 28 August. The event, organised by Wagner's two great-granddaughters, features a performance of Lohengrin, as well as Parsifal, starring bright young opera talent Christopher Ventris.

Finally, Lucerne in Switzerland hosts one of the world's greatest classical music festivals, with a programme that stretches until 18 September. The festival is a who's who of classical musicians, with conductors Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle, violinists Frank Peter Zimmermann and Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianists András Schiff and Helene Grimaud all featuring. Vienna Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony orchestra also appear in what is sure to be a fantastic event, set to the backdrop of Lucerne's beautiful lakes and mountains.

Music Festival Enthusiasts Defined As Festivillians

Let's define the word Festivillian. It has been used as a descriptive word by festival musicians, artists, promoters, organizers, and enthusiasts for many years. It refers to people that truly have a passion for going to or are participating in art, music, and renaissance festivals in particular. Often throughout history words have been used in a societal or urban fashion over a period of time before they become mainstream and defined as a dictionary term. Such is the case with Festivillian.

The first mention of a music festival comes from the Pythian Games in ancient Greece starting around 582 BC. At that time in history the administration of the Games was handed over to the Delphic Amphiktyonia, a council of the twelve Greek tribes, in order to end the Holy War in the past. The games often included musical performances. This might be the earliest historical mention of a Music Festival.

Initially the words Feast and Festival were interchangeable and utilized to honor Gods. Through the ages each term has found it's own meaning in our society, however both denote a celebration.

Music Festivals tend to be annual, although many are organized as a one time event. There are those that are for profit and purely entertainment, and those that are designed to do more than entertain. There has been a recent surge over the last several decades in the correlation between certain Music Festivals and environmental awareness. Many festivals today have a Green theme on some level. Some of them, for example the Shakori Hills Music Festival, build a sustainable village, and offer classes and workshops for sustainable living. The Green Apple Festival of 2008, held on Earth Day, was the first of it's kind coordinating many major U.S. cities in offering Music Festivals and Green living fairs in unison across the nation and even saw international participation.

Another interesting Music Festival is the educative and supportive type. Some communities offer free, or nearly free, Music Festivals for the purpose of offering young musicians an audience and the opportunity to play music with and learn from their more experienced and established peers. One outstanding example of this is the Alaska Folk Festival held in Juneau. Spring of 2008 was their 34th annual festival!

There is something special that we feel in a festival environment. It feels like there is a touch of magic in the air. There is a spirit of friendship, freedom, peace, and comradery that is present among most Festivillians, setting them apart and creating the atmosphere of a summer camp. Even casual festival goers or patrons seem to pick up on it. Eye contact with "strangers" is easier, people smile at one another and strike conversations instantly. Something about a festival seems to bring down our barriers and raise the spirit of community. Perhaps a Festivillian is best defined as a person that thrives on this type of environment.

Festivillian.com offers easy access to resources for Tickets, Camping / Hiking, Festival Gear, Memorabilia, and even easy price comparisons on RV's & Campers. As this website grows up, as all things do, it will blossom over time and offer it's users much more. Please feel free to share it, bookmark it, or link it. Suggestions are welcome (contact form coming soon) and so are you!

Costa Rican Love For Coffee, Music and the Arts

Costa Ricans love to dance, sing and party. The foundation of native music in Costa Rica is based on the "marimba," an African-derived, xylophone-style instrument. Costa Rican folk songs are nostalgic and have a ballad-like melody. The lyrics praise the beauty of the country, their people, the landscape, and often talk about the work it takes to grow the crops and to cultivate coffee. This country has a national "passion for coffee, the grain of gold," so it is not unusual to hear references to the beans in music lyrics, poetry, literature or everyday conversation.

The sound of marimba, combined with the sounds of steel drums, reggae beats and other instruments of the Caribbean creates a very special and festive sound.

• The Costa Rican national folk dance, the "Punto Guanacaste," composed by Leandro Cabalceta Brau, is a heel-and-toe stomping dance for couples. This folk dance is often performed in theaters and at special occasions.
• However, it is a popular dance in rural settings where couples may wear the traditional costumes for the occasion.
• The dance portrays courting traditions of the past where the male dancer follows the female partner. The female dancer pretends to get away from the male who periodically shouts "¡Bomba !" The music stops so the male can recite praises or "bombas" to his lady.
• These praises tend to be humorous and draw cheers and applauses from the audience. They can also draw spontaneous participation from the audience with general laughter and more cheer. An example of a traditional "bomba" is "...They say that you don't love me because I don't have a mustache. Tomorrow I shall put one on made out of buzzard feathers..."

Other popular music genres in Costa Rica include: Rock 'n roll (music from the USA from the 1940's and 1950's). Latin alternative rock, Pop (popular music). Calypso (Afro-Caribbean music from Trinidad Tobago). Disco (dance music from the 1970's). Salsa (modern style Cuban playing rhythms). Meringue (music and dance originally from the Dominican Republic). Cumbia (Colombian musical style and folk dance). Soca (soul calypso in the form of dance music). Chiqui-Chiqui (a mixture of meringue, cumbia, and afro-pop tones). Tex-Mex, Mexican music, Tangos, and even Celtic music.

Costa Rica is also a country with a passion for theatrical performances and drama.

• The "Peña" is an intellectual style or type of performance that is interesting for the way it blends music with spoken word and poetry.
• The "Peña" was introduced by Chilean and Argentinean exiles living in Costa Rica.
• The "Peña" promotes the participation of the audience and is a favorite of cafés, where moving songs are shared all around the table.
• Coffee, beverages, tears from laughter or emotion and much clapping are always part of the scene.
• In the Costa Rican tradition, "Café Con Leche" is included in menus and ranks high in domestic consumption at cafés, day and night.

Costa Rica's night life, particularly in the larger cities, buzzes with live music ranging from traditional Latin rhythms to classical symphonies at the spectacular National Theater in San José. In the early morning, as the towns come to life, one thing you can be sure will fill the air everywhere is the exquisite smell of fresh bread and recently brewed coffee. Because most towns are small and the cafés are literally everywhere, there is no escaping the fragrance of delicious coffee ready for the asking! Of course, who wants to escape the wonderful aroma of coffee?

So, what are you waiting for? As they say in Costa Rica, "Pura Vida!" (Pure Life): go ahead and enjoy a delicious cup of Costa Rican Tarrazu or Costa Rican SHB Decaffeinated gourmet coffee!