Friday July 21, 2006

Art Rogue is Under Construction. Seriously.

My Studio is slowly coming together. The space has enormous potential but requires a good deal of work. Since I am choosing the do it yourself route for most of the work, the project is taking more time and work than I expected. Thankfully I have event dates to meet and kick my butt in gear.

Start Small, Think Big

My budget is very slim, so I am doing most of the work myself, when I have time outside my job. The space hasn't been occupied in 15 years, and I agreed to take the space as is for a very low rent.

For projects that I can't handle, such as electrical work, I am attempting to barter artwork for services. Craigslist, the online classified service, is perfect for this type of thing. They even have a barter section set up. I've seen posts like: "Will trade car tires for dental work". I'm not kidding. Also, check out the free section. You never know what you will find.

I plan to use the internet for the majority of my marketing, keeping the overhead low. When I do make printed materials, I will use services like Modern Postcard because they are affordable and reliable. I have also set up a toll free phone number through Kall 8, which costs $2 a month, plus a small charge of 6.9 cents a minute.

Eventually I will write an article about my experience opening a small art studio on the cheap.