1000 True Fans
Thanks to BoingBoing, I found interesting article that seems applicable to ceramic artists.
Kevin Kelly’s thesis is that one approach to make an good, steady living is to build up a base of 1000 “True Fans.”
from Kevin Kelly’s article:
- A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.
Each of these True Fans will spend, on average, $100 per year on your work. You end up with $100,000 gross annual income. After all the expenses (taxes, insurance, materials, show fees, etc…), you end up with a solid living.
1000 fans probably seems like an overwhelming number. But if you look at as 1 person per day for 3 years, that’s a little easier. Or maybe you have 500 True Fans that spend $200 per year. And it’s possible that you aren’t selling directly to that group. You can have super loyal fans that are buying your work through galleries and shops.
So how do you do it? I think the best possible way is to make direct connections with the buyer. It makes a lot of sense for potters. You’re making work that is meant to connect the maker with the buyer. Your artist statement, wording on your website, the writing on your Etsy shop can have a more personable tone to help establish that connection. The time that you spend meeting with customers at your studio, art fairs, gallery openings, workshops, classes, wholesale and retail shows are invaluable. And of course, a blog is a great way to connect with people :)
After you connect with people that really love your work, you’ll have to figure out ways to maintain and build up those relationships. Special sales and discounts. Early alerts to sales, personal emails, etc…
As a full time potter in the year 2008, I definitely get the questions (often from other artists): how do you do it? how do you make a living as a potter? This is an interesting way to look at it, and is an interesting approach to your business if you’re looking to build it up or try to
make it more stable.
I hope you take some time to read the article. Kelly goes into quite some depth and looks at different scenarios and ways to gain True Fans. What are your thoughts?
Emily, Thanks for this information. I’m going to read the article right now. Maybe I can expand my ‘fan base’ this year.