Waterlifearts.com
Perry Conley
311 West St.
Amherst MA 01002
413-253-0509
I like your attitude Jim. I have teaching in my background and I think that you're right. It's often just an awkward conversation starter.
I was at a "juried" fair a few weeks ago and discovered that there were many resale product lines. When people came by and saw both painting and photography I would just interject, "yes, this is all original work! by me! Don't I have fun?"
It seriously feels better at the end of the day.
This caused me to remember all those stupid sexist comments when I started as a press photographer in 1973. How do I start a new thread? I showed up for jobs and had people said that they'd never heard of a woman photographer. And a Radio Shack employee who when I asked for an RCA to BNC converter, suggested that I send my husband in. His boss recognised me from the chamber took over very quickly.
perry
----- Original Message -----
From: "James Parker" <dakota.kid@mindspring.com>
To: "artshow photo" <artshow_photo@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 8:17:48 AM
Subject: [artshow_photo] Re: Please submit your customer "wisecracks"
> The best answer I've heard to "I could shoot that" "I can paint
> that" " a monkey could paint that" "Anyone can do that with
> computers now" is a sincere and puzzled "and yet you haven't, I'm
> sorry." or "oh! could you?" with a challenging grin.
I've told a few folks to send me a jpeg when they finally make "that"
shot. I had one woman take me up on it. It was nothing like my
original, and frankly, it wasn't very good. At least she followed
through, and that's commendable.
Many of these comments stem from people just not knowing what to say
to start a conversation with you. I treat every odd comment and
question as reasonable and valid, even if I have heard it a million
times before. It's an opening. One that you can take and sometimes
turn into a sale. Not often, but sometimes. Responding with an
interesting fact about your style, your equipment and your work will
bear more fruit than snubbing someone and walking away with your nose
in the air.
Many potential customers just don't know how to approach artists, and
that includes photographers. While it's true that you can often
qualify a potential customer or eliminate a no-buy in the first few
seconds of conversation, turning an innocuous opening into a real
conversation proves that you are a real human being, willing to talk
to "mere mortals". Taking the high road and acting aloof or sarcastic
is rarely productive. We all do it, though, with those obvious
denigrators and nay-sayers. If the booth isn't busy, it never hurts to
get a conversation going.
Jim Parker
parkerparker :: design | photography
http://www.parkerparker.info
@dakkid / twitter
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