art making + marketing :: an interview with nancy mungcal

the second interview in the 'art-making and marketing' series is with the lovely nancy of prettylittle thieves. i hope you enjoy her responses, and her specially drawn illustration as much as i did :)



does marketing your work come naturally to you, or do you find it to be a task that is always lives dangersously at the top of your to-do list?
Marketing does not come naturally to me at all. It also sadly does
not come close to being at the top of a very long to do list. It's
honestly something that I have to make a conscious effort about. I'm
trying to become friends with marketing.

does knowing that you will be marketing affect the way you work?
I don't think about marketing when I'm working. For me, this would
not be a good approach for my work. My priorities tend to be with
being happy with the work and to feel I've interpreted my thoughts
and inspirations.

do you have a best selling piece or series? is this piece/series your personal favourite?
My personal favorites sometimes find new homes and sometimes stay
in mine. I do have certain recurring themes in my work that seem to
resonate with people more than others.

do you find it tricky to single out one piece to represent your shop/work as a whole?
If I had to pick a piece to represent my work as a whole, my
anxiety level would greatly increase. This would be followed by my
head hurting from thinking too much. It would be a daunting task as
I feel my work is a constantly evolving process.

what are your tips for marketing fine art?
Please pass the marketing tips over here. I like to think of
marketing as introducing my work, saying a friendly "hello". There
are many great online sources such as design sponge, modish,
pikaland, bakery, and the storque, which is etsy's blog, to name a
few with lots of ideas for getting your work out there. I tend to
read a lot and do lots of research especially for shops, galleries,
and shows I might be considering. It's important to be open and
fearless in the experiences that your work could bring. I'm also a
list maker and like to document the progress of any effort I make in
this area...such as lists of people to contact.. I also do my best
to set goals, even if they are small steps to try to expand my world
everyday. I also think that it's important to try different things
(blog, flickr, twitter, facebook, etc..) but to also remember that
not all things work for everyone and that's ok. Find the ones that
work for you and share what you love to do.

prettylittlethieves.com
www.prettylittlethieves.etsy.com

thanks so much nancy :)