NYFA Mentoring Program

The New York Foundation for the Arts is entering its third year of the Mentoring Program. There's an Information Session on Wednesday, October 15, 5-7 PM in the NYFA offices at 155 Avenue of the Americas, 6th floor.

You can also contact Andreia Davies, the Immigrant Coordinator, via email at i.outreach@nyfa.org, or via telephone at (212) 366-6900 ext. 322.

The Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists pairs foreign-born artists with 2008 NYFA Fellows who act as their Mentors for a period of six months, beginning in Janaury 2009, to assist them in gaining broader access to the New York art world. Mentors also help their Mentees achieve a specific goal, such as writing an artist statement, creating a marketing brochure, or completing a grant application. Our goal is to help immigrant artists acquire some of the skills necessary to fairly compete and ultimately succeed as artists.

How to Succeed in Commercial Photography

This is a great video series with Selina Maitreya, author of "How to Succeed in Commercial Photography". If you need help defining your vision and applying it to your portfolio and website you need to view these videos.

5 heads are better than 1

I think the first group meeting went very well. The first thing I noticed that was common to us all as we tried to formulate individual goals, was how challenging it was to edit it down to only one manageable objective. We all had so many ideas and ambitions, especially as creatives where the lines between personal and professional goals blurred very easily.

My hope is that this sense of community and accountability will encourage us all to overcome those common creative fears and inertia and push forward. My recent posts make me sound like a cross between a career self-help book and motivational speaker. Ha.

First group meeting

Tonight is the first meeting of my Photography Business Support Group (the capitals make it sound more official, don't they?) and I'm very excited about it. Basically, the group will meet once a week, for the next ten weeks, to work towards their individual main goal. Each week each person will present the challenges they faced and receive suggestions and advice from the group.

ETA: So far the biggest challenge will be time and how much of it people have to dedicate to something that is purely voluntary with optimistic but uncertain results. I'm getting discouraged as already people are unable to attend. It's difficult to organize people who, in general, do not think or act in a linear and analytical fashion. One friend reminded me that even if only a few people show up, I can still gain a lot from the process. Either way I've made the commitment to myself to focus on my short-terms goals once a week.

The Business of Art Photography

This Thursday, on April 17, ASMP will host a seminar on The Business of Fine Art Photography presented by New York gallery owner and art professor Thomas Werner.

"This seminar will explain how to edit and market your photographs for the Fine Art market — how to present your work, how to build a relationship with a gallery, what to expect of an exhibition, and so on.

The world of Fine Art Photography is changing as rapidly as the commercial market place. During this time of change, it is important to develop multiple revenue streams to support your business. It is also important to keep your vision fresh and alive. In this seminar, Thomas Werner explains how creating and properly marketing a body of fine art work will help you achieve these goals."

Brand Gap Slide Show

Ed McCulloch posts the Brand Gap Slide Show.

The Future of Marketing

Leslie Burns links to a brilliant and funny slideshow about the future of marketing and advertising.

Photography business blog

Found a link tonight to Dan Heller's Photography Business blog. Some gems in there, including information on model releases.