Airtable for Creatives
Managing your artwork inventory is key!
Organizing your painting images is time well spent.
Do you find yourself feeling disheartened as you scroll through the hundreds of images on your phone or computer, trying to search for an image of one of your older paintings that you urgently need right now? Perhaps a potential buyer has just contacted you, asking for the dimensions and medium of an artwork that they saw on one of your social media feeds. It may be that you need to populate a product listing on your new website? The wheels in your head begin to turn as you hopelessly try to remember the information required in the moment.
Your original paintings are all packed away and the chore of locating, unpacking and measuring the artwork is just a little too dispiriting as you have so many other tasks on your list that require your attention just now. You also begin to bemoan the fact that your art studio practice is beginning to get left behind with the mounting administrative tasks that seem to pull you in so many directions.
Running a creative business certainly has many moving parts. Making art is just the tip of the iceberg! Being a creative entrepreneur stretches you in so many directions, which is exhilarating but can also feel a little overwhelming at times. There are simply so many jobs to juggle. Bringing some order to your creative business is therefore essential.
I talk to guest artist Zeina Saket about the importance of organizing your art images. Scroll down for more!
Being a creative entrepreneur requires a lot more than just making art.
Running a creative business requires you to wear different hats a few times a day. You are primarily an artist - certainly. And yet, unless you can outsource some of the other jobs this vocation requires, you will most likely find yourself also needing to be a few other things as well including writer, blogger, photographer, course creator, web designer, copywriter, set designer, graphic designer, marketing expert….the list goes on.
Think about it for a moment. If you intend to sell your art, you need to identify and connect with your ideal customer, who will fall in love with what you so enjoy making. Introducing people to your wonderful little corner in the world and all the beautiful handicrafts that emerge from your art studio is a very creative process in itself. It involves a host of other activities including:
Creating a brand for yourself.
Building a website to attract potential buyers.
Promoting your art on on the various social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tiktok, Twitter - phew that’s almost a full-time job in itself!
Encouraging your ideal customers to sign up for your newsletter and staying in touch with them on a regular - perhaps weekly or monthly basis.
Writing about your creative practice and sharing behind the scenes tidbits with your audience on your blog, website and social media platforms.
Teaching others the skills that you have honed over the years - perhaps that entails creating online courses, in person workshops and / or art retreats.
This is all very exciting but it can leave your head swirling, particularly if you don’t stay on top of it all from the word go. It really helps to bring some order to all that a creative life entails.
Artwork images are fundamental to your creative business.
If you would prefer to be in control of your creative business and market your own work on your website as opposed to going the traditional gallery route, you will need to have high quality images of your art.
Our digital age offers huge opportunities for creatives like yourself. It is now possible to build a thriving creative business by setting up an online shop and reaching your ideal audience on your own terms.
However, as art induces a visceral response, you need to present your work in such a way that is pleasing to your followers’ senses - particularly if they are viewing your work on the web, which can be a bit impersonal.
In an age, when most people spend good chunks of their time scrolling through their smartphones and with attention spans increasingly on the decrease, visuals are vitally important. You have a couple of seconds at most to capture a potential customer’s initial attention. Elevating your visual language thus becomes of the essence.
Elevate your creative business with good quality photos of your art.
As you embark on your creative journey you will soon realize that your aspirations begin to expand. What began as a hobby may soon want to develop into something more sustaining and grow into a full-time occupation that nourishes your soul.
If you are already selling your original art, perhaps you decide you want to reach a new audience that can’t quite afford to buy your paintings so you decide to market a series of prints. Can you see now why having those great digital images of your originals is so crucial?
Here are some other reasons why you will need to have images to run a creative enterprise:
To create a beautiful website experience - people will want to immediately get a sense of who you are as an artist when they land on your website. A good image speaks volumes and can be more powerful than words.
To launch a new collection of art.
For surface pattern designs. This is a growing market that opens huge opportunities for creative individuals like yourself. You can have your art appear on stationary, home decor items, bolt fabric, wallpaper, iPhone cases and so much more.
For your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest posts.
To enhance your blog feed.
Presentation images to send to your potential clients.
Photos to send to a gallery you hope will agree to exhibit your new body of work.
Perhaps you decide to write a book about your journey as an artist. Having images of your art process will come in handy.
There are so many reasons why you will need high quality images of your actual paintings, process photos, behind the scenes shots, etc. Before you know it, your phone will be inundated with hundreds of images that will be too overwhelming to sort through in a day.
Start organizing your artwork images from day one.
When you first embark on the thrilling creative path, you will find that you are fully engrossed in the art making process to begin with. All you want to do is paint, make pottery, take photos, illustrate, design jewellery or whatever it is that resonates for you. That is totally fine. But most artists I come across want to develop their initial pastime into something a little more enduring.
Perhaps you suddenly realize you are ready for a career change. Making something with your own hands is a consuming passion that lights up your inner core. It can become your life’s work that also feeds your family.
So no matter what stage you are on the artists’ path, eventually so much of your creative career will depend on your artwork images. Thus, the sooner you start organizing your digital photos, the more likely you are to thrive as a creative entrepreneur.
A masterclass to help you stay on top of your growing artwork images.
Wouldn’t it be amazing to have all your images and key data organized on one platform on your computer where you can easily and instantly access whatever you need in the moment?
Learn How to Inventory Your Artwork is a new self-paced online masterclass that was created with you in mind. You will learn a few easy skills I wish I knew about when I first ventured into the uncharted territory of setting you my creative company.
This masterclass will show you how to organize your images on Airtable - a super software that is perfectly suited to creatives like yourself.
Perhaps you have already set up an inventory system to track your artwork. It’s all very well creating a spreadsheet with lines and lines of text outlining the key details about each of your images, but as a visual person, it is so much easier to actually have clear visuals of your work. Airtable enables you to actually see your art on one seamless platform.
Having all your images organized on your computer, where you can easily access them with a click of a button is enormously helpful to you as a creative. So do yourself a huge favour and keep track of your images from the outset of your creative career.
You will learn seven easy steps to create an artwork inventory management system that will make your creative life so much easier. Completing this task early on in your artist journey will have lasting positive impact on your creative business. Knowing all the key information you need such as painting title, size, substrate, price, location and so on is at your fingertips is a huge relief and will actually free up more space in your bustling day to focus on your art.
The effort you put in today will be repaid in so many unexpected ways in the future. Click below to learn more about this masterclass.
Airtable will give you instant access to your artwork images with one click.
You can adapt what you learn in this masterclass to suit on your own specific needs. So whether you are a fine artist, photographer, sculptor, potter, fashion designer, or illustrator, this self-paced online class will help you arrange your photos neatly and have instant access to the information you need.
Get your art studio life in order and start managing your artwork all in one place using this remarkable inventory management system that is ideal for artists like you. It will give you so much more time to spend on what you like to do best - making art! Click on the button below to sign up to the masterclass today for just £33.
I look forward to seeing you in class!
Sara xo
New Painting
Solitude - acrylic on canvas panel
Quote of the month
"I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence and the truth comes to me.”
(Albert Einstein)
I am really thrilled to introduce you to a very special guest artist. Zeina Saket is an artist and art curator, living and working in Jordan. She was born in 1985, graduated with a B.A. in Visual Arts from The Faculty of Fine Arts in Jordan University in 2006. She worked as a Teacher Assistant of Islamic Art History, Contemporary Art, History & Theory of Art at the Jordan University. She also worked as the Art Manager and Curator at the Children’s Museum Jordan for five years. Zeina is inspired by the beauty of Islamic Art, calligraphy and contemporary abstract painting. She reflects multi-layers of mixed media and virtual images creating images that hide behind images. Through her paintings, videos and installations, Zeina reflects metaphysical and mystical inspirations into art form, taking the viewer into personal journeys of self-discovery and mysticism. Zeina joined several local group exhibitions presenting art installation pieces and video art pieces. She was also the curator for three art exhibitions including installation pieces and video screenings at The Children’s Museum Jordan. Illuminated Verses: “Contemplations with Hafiz” was the artist’s first solo exhibition in 2016.
Hi Zeina can you tell us what made you start painting?
I can’t remember myself through my early childhood years not drawing. Whether it was doodling as I daydream or purposeful art making, where I would create art and hang it around the house. I believe art making is natural - a part of who I am.
What inspires your creative process?
I am inspired by the beauty of Islamic Art, calligraphy and contemporary abstract painting. Playfully reflecting multi-layers of mixed media, as well as creating images that hide behind other images.
I notice you use mirrors in your work? What does that symbolize for you?
In my most recent work, I have been inspired by the concept of reflection, manifestation, change and revelation.
Painting on mirrors manifests layers of reflections, transparencies, vagueness and even clarity. I have also been contemplating on the Arabic word “Qalb: Heart” “قلب , which is a simile of the mirror as a medium.
On mirrors, the medium and the meaning merge. Using the word “Qalb” to invert, turn and change through layers of hidden abstract brushstrokes. The beauty of concealment and revealing is reflected in those pieces. Giving the viewer an interactive experience of one’s own reflection in each piece.
As Hafiz Al Shirazi, the Sufi poet, explains in this verse;
“My heart Is the mirror of the Divine Majesty Concealed with dust.”
What is it about your subject matter that appeals to you?
My art dances around metaphysical and mystical Sufi inspirations, transformed through personal journeys of self-discovery into art form. It is an authentic reflection and extension of my essence and presence in this life.
I notice your work includes a lot of blue? What informs your colour palette in general?
I believe my colour choices come naturally and unintentionally. Perhaps those blue and cold tones please my eye and soul as I create and help me express my story at this moment.
What are your 3 most important art supplies?
Acrylic paint
Metal leaf (gold, copper or silver)
Playful and interactive layering mediums (mirror, Plexiglas, fabric etc.)
This month’s blog post is about the importance of creating an art management inventory system to keep track of your artworks. What are your thoughts on keeping track of your paintings?
I believe it is very important to have an art management inventory system. I feel most artists have their heads in the clouds, as artists are more of dreamers. Having said that, I believe many artists find it difficult to manage their art inventory.
What system do you use to document your paintings?
There is no specific system that I use to document my paintings. Most of my pieces are photographed and saved on my laptop. And some are managed by an art gallery.
Any advice for people who would like to begin painting but are put off by the belief that they are not ‘creative’?
Be a child! Just start as a little child would hold a crayon and start scribbling. Be playful and experiment.
I worked with children for 5 years, and as I was the Art Director at The Children’s Museum Jordan. I learned a lot from children. As a beginner I would advise you to free your spirit and bring out the child within you. Observe little things around you as children would, live the moment and simply be playful and genuine with art making. Children make the best artists, there is no ego involved in their art making. They don’t have many expectations or judgement, for them it is simply about “being”, diving into their little world and living the moment. This process in my opinion is the door to “creativity”.
Anything else that you would like to add?
I believe art and beauty is an innate language embedded in the human spirit.
What is your greatest frustration when it comes to the creative process?
Being stuck in what I would call “technical difficulties”. As I always tend to challenge myself in using unfamiliar mediums, I sometimes need to stop my creative flow, ground myself and experiment in technical details. Like using different chemicals in mirror etching, technical glitches when using video art in previous pieces, or even layering and gluing techniques in other pieces.
Describe your ideal creative day in your studio?
As I am a night owl, my ideal creative night starts with being alone and in solitude. A mug of herbal tea close by. Music in the background. Work surfaces with several art pieces around me as I move from one piece to another.
Find out more about Zeina.
Arrange your artwork inventory system on Airtable and breathe!
Are you a “dreamer”, who would love to bring a little semblance of order to your craft? Learn how to do just that in seven easy steps. Click below to sign up for the Learn How to Inventory Your Artwork masterclass.
