How to ramp up for holiday season without dying first 💀 💀
Fun Fact: I have zero Halloween decorations except for a rubber spider that's been there since 2021.
I'm sharing a modified version of The Hungry for the remainder of October because October is busy, nutty, and scary, but not for the reasons you might expect.
First, I'm banging out content behind the scenes for a project release, and I'll talk about that in a moment. There's also a secret project that I'm starting this weekend. I'll let you know more about that in the future.
Second, I have my last art event for 2023 (and maybe ever—what??) at the end of the month, and I need to finish all the art projects stacked up in the studio.
For the remainder of October, I'll be sharing all the best links I find and keeping the deep dive content to a minimum. As soon as I get ahead of my project list, I'll be back on that content grind because I have some juicy bits I look forward to writing and sharing with you.
The Buyer Magnet is LIVE
I've been teasing the Buyer Magnet for a while now, and today, I'm announcing the official release, but if you think you know what it is, you may be in for a surprise. I beefed it up!
If you're not familiar Buyer Magnet is a checklist to assist sellers who host their art and goods on marketplaces like Etsy, RedBubble, Fine Art America, and others.
Most shoppers who buy from you on those marketplaces never see your products again because of the nature of the platforms. You don't get the chance to interact with them and entice them back for repeat purchases, which is by design—the platforms don't want you to talk to their customers.
However, there are things you can do to pull those customers back into your creative space. That's where Buyer Magnet helps because it gives you detailed objectives to help you attract and hold onto those customers who meander through your shop.
In a short email series, Buyer Magnet will walk you through a list of tactical and explicitly geared actions for pulling people out of the marketplace and into your space, where you control when and how to interact with buyers.
​And you can get it right now for $1!​
Why a dollar? I was going to give it away for free, but there's no commitment to free products. By charging $1, you're committing to the process. And if you finish it, I have a surprise, which is only revealed once you're inside.
Buyer Magnet is worth so much more than a dollar, though. I considered making it a paid course because it will help you generate consistent recurring revenue using simple techniques that anyone can implement.
Most won't take action, but if you're ready to take the power back from the marketplaces, join the Buyer Magnet today.
Biz Bites
You would have no idea that Ukrainian artists and artisans dominate Etsy, and in wartime, their story is so much bigger than that.
Of course, TikTok is testing a $5 membership to skip ads because, yeah, let's make everything a membership (said the guy with a paid membership).
If there was ever a time to start paying better attention to your email marketing, it's NOW!​
The main reason you need to get on your holiday marketing today? Mastercard anticipates a nearly 4% increase in holiday spending this year over last.
Spreadshop also has some opinions about how to ramp up for the holidays. It's almost as if these companies benefit from you getting your shizz together.
Hootsuite, the internet king of set-it-and-forget-it, published an article about how timeliness can be essential to how your social media posts hit. Of course, Hootsuite is motivated to make you believe that, but there's some good info in there.
​Patreon launches a new app and a new look. Perhaps it's because they needed a major pivot after their valuation dropped by 70%.​
In case you scrolled right to the links, I launched my first mini-course, the Buyer Magnet, for only $1!
Art Bites
Hyperallergic announced their October opportunities, including grants, residencies, fellowships, and open calls.
As someone who uses Helvetica and Baskerville almost exclusively, I don't geek out about fonts, but WOW, is JAF Herb beautiful or what?
My buddy Phil talks about a pathway to happiness through focused work, which I bet you need right now. Same same.
Design legend Michael Beirut was on Creative Mornings today.
One of the most contrarian debates about artists, Liz Gumbinner asks, "Who gets to be called an artist?"​
An interesting opinion piece about Basquiat and whether he would appreciate the level of success his work has seen since his death.
Do you read Frankie? You should.
Desert
"Be like water, my friend." but also THIS.