BLOG.MANDYMARKSTEINER.COM

blog.mandymarksteiner.com

Art on The Hill - Make this a creative new year

Last fall I decided to make a rag rug. It's a project that I've wanted to do ever since I was five, and I spent my afternoons with my grandma learning how to crochet and sew.

As my first rug took shape I was so pleased to make something with my own hands.

Nicole Dunn, owner of Dunn Quilting, loves to help her customers get started with their own creative projects, and finish them. Her store (in the Hilltop Complex) is a wonderful place to get inspired.

Wishing you a creative new year!

Thanks for checking out the eighth issue of Art on the Hill: Read it here.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 1/13/2012 11:07 PM | Add Comment

I wish I knew this BEFORE Thanksgiving

Yesterday Katharine Hansen (the graphic designer for Art on the Hill) and I stopped by Dunn Quilting to show Nicole her in-progress website.

The most rewarding (and challenging) part about creating a website for Nicole Dunn is trying to capture the scope of her services. She is an over-the-top creative fiber artist who does original art quilts, baby quilts, and custom quilts. She also offers machine quilting services, as well as binding and finishing. Her work is so beautiful, so we want to include as many pictures as possible. At the same time we want the site to be as user-friendly as possible, so that visitors can know about all the services that she offers.

The thing is, I'm always surprised by what she can do. Browsing through the store we saw little handmade purses that would make excellent Christmas gifts, a handmade raincoat, and card tables that have been covered with waterproof oilcloth.

The tables caught my eye because I have been trying to throw away our card table for months because the table top peeled off. I can't figure out how to reattach it and over Thanksgiving I had to keep it covered with a tablecloth while entertaining hoards of in-laws. Nicole was able to take the table and cover it with the fabric of my choice. If only I knew about that last week!

I would love to give you a link to her website, but it's not done yet. In the meantime, stop by her store to see her selection of fabrics, sewing supplies, pillows and quilts.

Dunn Quilting and Chairworks

3801 Arkansas, Suite A

Los Alamos, NM 87544

505-690-6539

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/29/2011 11:43 AM | Add Comment

Art on the Hill - Home for the Holidays

Have you ever found the perfect gift for someone only to be crushed when you look at the price tag?

At Fuller Lodge Art Center's Affordable Arts you'll be able to turn the tag with the confidence of someone who can afford it.

Special thanks to Fuller Lodge Art Center for sponsoring this issue of Art on the Hill.

Read it here.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/27/2011 7:13 AM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

Art on the Hill delivered to your door (or inbox)

Find out what’s going on in the Los Alamos arts community by subscribing to Art on the Hill.

Every two weeks you can get your own copy delivered right to your door, or if you prefer, your inbox. Plus, you will be treated with exclusive surprise offers and discounts from local businesses.

Hard copy subscriptions are $35 per year, $18.50 for six months and $5 for three trial issues.

Lifetime email subscriptions are $10.

Send a check written out to Mandy Marksteiner, LLC with your address or email address to P.O. Box 1463, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Be sure to write "Art on the Hill Subscription" on the check and I will put you on the list.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/21/2011 9:48 AM | Add Comment

What art collectors want to hear before they buy

Last weekend I walked into a gallery on Canyon Road, just as a couple finalized their purchase. As the sales manager printed out their invoice, she mentioned that she would send them an article about the artist. The wife lit up and said, "That would make this so much more special!"

I was just browsing, and I asked the wife which one she bought. She pointed to a vase that was about a foot tall with a pearly glaze and a price tag of $2,500.

As I admired it she asked me if I had met the owner of the gallery. I hadn't, and so she told me how charming he was. She circled around her new vase, still prominently displayed in the middle of the room, and said, "The funny thing is that this artist actually makes a lot of mistakes. See here? The glaze spread down over here and fanned up over here."

It was obvious that she didn't consider the artist's "mistake" to be a flaw, but a thing of beauty. I could imagine her bringing her piece home (it was an anniversary gift) and telling her friends about the mistakes that the artist makes. It is an interesting story, and by telling the story she will be able to look interesting too.

That's why it so important for artists to share stories about creating art. Of course collectors want to buy something that will look good in their home. But they also want to have something to talk about.

My suggestion for artists is to keep a notebook of specific stories from the creative trenches. Stories about working with the materials you have chosen, stories about how you came up with your ideas, even glazing bloopers. When you're ready to display your work and create marketing materials, use these stories to give potential buyers something to hold on to in their imagination.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/15/2011 4:26 PM | Add Comment

Four ways to collect testimonials that will build your music studio

Nothing can build your reputation as a music teacher faster than having a student say that you’re a great teacher. Using testimonials in your website, on your fliers and in all of your marketing materials is a good way to show how professional and trustworthy you are. But how do you get them in writing?

Save thank you notes and emails

When you receive thank you notes and emails, save them and ask the person who sent it if you may use it as a testimonial for advertising.

Using feedback questionnaires

Soliciting words of praise can be awkward, especially if your students want to give you a mixed review. Instead of asking for a big thank you note, ask your students and their parents to fill out a feedback questionnaire at the end of a ten-week cycle. Give students opportunities to grade you as a teacher, let you know what’s their favorite and least favorite part of lessons, and provide space for criticism as well as praise. You can learn a lot from using this form, solve problems that may arise between you and your student and also get some specific quotes that show your best qualities as a teacher.

Bring a video camera to recitals

Videotape the recital, and afterwards interview the students about their performance and their experience preparing for it. No matter what they say their excitement and enthusiasm will shine through. Put the video on your website so people can check out your “success stories.”

Publicize your students’ accomplishments

You may have advanced degrees in music and have won national awards, but as a teacher it’s more important to show what your students have accomplished. Create a page on your website where you post a news blurb every time one of your students wins a competition, plays a solo in public, earns a scholarship, or makes it into all-state. Over time, these stories will add up, your students will be motivated to do something to get onto the page, and it will make a strong statement to anyone who looks at your site.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/10/2011 10:42 PM | Add Comment

A generous artistic community - Art on the Hill #6

We just finished the 6th issue of Art on the Hill. It's all about the spirit of giving with New Mexico Dance Theater's upcoming production of A Christmas Carol, information about the gift that the Los Alamos Art in Public Places Board presented to Santa Fe, and the beefy scholarship that the Los Alamos Community Winds is planning to give to one music student. The print version will be available next week. If you can't wait... Read it here.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/10/2011 5:02 PM | Add Comment

What my three-year-old's tantrum taught me about copywriting

Last weekend my family went to the circus. For the first ten minutes everything was awesome. The music was loud. Trapeze artists were flipping through the air and two clowns fought over a balloon on a twenty foot swinging ladder. My kids eyes were huge. My husband and I felt like awesome parents.

Then the clowns came out with bundles of neon green pirate swords. My son saw them and immediately yelled over the noise, "I want a sword!" We didn't hear him. He was so overcome with imagining the exhilaration he would feel as soon as he had a sword to swing, that he skipped over asking for it nicely and saying please, and went straight to crying and screaming, "I want a sword! I want a sword!"

My husband had to drag him out to the car, and we left early.

The situation reminded me of how people buy things based on emotions, and not logic. My son didn't think, "Is this sword worth $9? Will it last? How does it compare to all the other swords I have at home?" Of course not, he's three! He was just hyper, and wanted to move around. When he didn't get what he wanted he lost it.

Adults buy things based on emotion all the time. Motorcycles, makeup, shoes, frequent flyer programs and magazines. These products all fulfill an emotional need, but when an adult buys, they usually need to back up the emotional reason for buying with a solid sales argument and guarantee.

Posted by Mandy Marksteiner at 11/1/2011 8:48 AM | Add Comment