Posted under:
Art CareersSUPPLIES
- Studio space
- Proper licenses
- Insurance
- Website
- Business cards and fliers
Overview
If you are a sculptor who has a talent for creating four-dimensional art from pictures, taking something that is flat and making it come alive, you could have a very lucrative career. Few people have the skills to see what is hidden in photographs enough to use the images for their sculpturing. Being able to start marketing this service to the public will offer an innovative option for memory keeping beyond the traditional pictures and prints.
Creating the Business
Step 1
Figure out where you are going to work. Learning how to start a photo sculptures business is like many other careers--you need to have enough studio space in order to create your art as well as house all of your supplies. If you already have an area at home that you feel would be large enough for now, it will help keep the initial expense down.
Step 2
Get the proper licenses. After deciding if you have an area that you can work from home in at first, or if you decide to rent a separate office, the licenses required by your city may be different depending on your choice. Contact your local city hall for the ordinances in your town on how to start a photo sculptures business.
Step 3
Look into insurance coverage. You will be dealing with not only what you invested in materials and supplies but also with people's memories. Though these may be priceless, you can bet there will be a price put on it if something goes wrong. Make sure that you are adequately insured before sculpting a piece of artwork.
Creating the Career
Step 1
Launch a website. A professional such as yourself must have professional website. You can do this yourself, as many sites on the Internet (like Yahoo!) offer to host your site for you. You can create your own very easily, or you can look into website designers to do it for you.
Step 2
Create business cards and fliers. Being an artist who is learning how to start a photo sculptures business, you may even be able to print these yourself at home or you may rather leave this to someone else. Either way, make sure that you have at least one good picture of your artwork on the fliers to give people an idea of what you do.
Step 3
Partner with other artists in your area. Call or visit a few of the photographers around your town and show them your work. You may be able to set up a few partnerships immediately where you trade off advertising for one another.
Step 4
Hang your fliers and place your business cards around and in other businesses. Wedding boutiques, dog grooming shops, baby stores--almost any type of shop will have a clientele who might be interested in preserving some memories by sculpturing.
Step 5
Look into local art fairs, flea markets and other places to market your work. As soon as word of mouth takes over, you'll be glad for the amount of time you spent on learning how to start a photo sculptures business when all the orders come piling in.
TIPS AND WARNINGS
- TIP : Offering to take orders through your website may give you a whole new avenue of gaining customers as well. Since you sculpt from a photograph, not a live model, it is easy for you to branch out your career this way.
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