Promo Afternoon #2

Spent another afternoon in the magazine section, hunting down photo editors, art directors and creative directors whose work I love and admire. It's a painstaking process, and I hope at least some of the recipients understand how much work went into getting my postcard to their desks.

After a lot of consideration and conversations with others of my ilk, I've decided to target only publications that I really think would be a great fit for my work. I don't have an AdBase account, so I end up having to do a lot of homework to find names and addresses. I'm also hand-writing the recipients info on each card. My intention is to add a little personal touch to the whole process, and I'm praying it doesn't backfire and simply look unprofessional.

It's funny. There's no way to track the success or failure of a mail campaign. I won't know who looked at it for two seconds, who threw it away immediately, or who put it up on the wall of their office or cubicle. You put all this work and time into these things, then you send 'em out into the ether.

Then you wait for the phone to ring. And - as always - you keep shooting.

It's Mailer Time.

Just ordered a fresh batch of postcards for the new year's first mailer campaign. The shot should look familiar to anyone who reads this blog, but my fervent hope is that this'll reach the photo editors, creative directors and art directors who've yet to have heard my name. A good friend in the business keeps telling me to stay realistic: most of these things will end up in the trash.

I'll stay optimistic: maybe they'll at least end up in the recycling bin.

New Business Cards

I should be receiving my new business cards, designed by my good friend Yen Tan, in four business days. I'll try and post an entry when they arrive so you can see how they turned out.

Stepping Up To The Plate

I'm launching my first e mail campaign tomorrow morning, and I have to admit: I'm nervous. You spend countless hours collecting contact info from magazines, websites, the stacks of business cards you've been handed over the years - hours typing in names, agencies, copying, pasting, double-checking that you've got the information right. You've spent years honing your skills, shooting, meeting people, editing your work into something you hope paints a picture of an artist with something to say and a unique way to say it. Then you just hope that a few of the recipients choose to open the e mail, and that a few of those few decide to follow the link to your website. Maybe one of those fewer few will even decide they'd like to work with you.

Whatever happens, it's a learning experience. And - as corny as it sounds, it's true - you can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate.