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Back in May, I had a chance to teach a two-hour workshop on social media marketing for creative biz owners. It was part of an ongoing workshop series organized by I Heart Art. You should know something about this organization, because it’s awesome. Here’s the deal:
I Heart Art is a cooperative effort between Etsy, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland’s Museum of Contemporary Craft, and the Portland Etsy Team.
Here in PDX, we have a huge but very diverse community of artists and crafters: we have a number of well-known Etsy sellers, and we have many fine-art and fine-craft guilds. The community represents a wide range of creative expertise, technology savvy, and business skills. So I Heart Art seeks to help connect all these people and skills so everyone has better access to the resources they need to make their work into a sustainable business.
(I know, right? P-Town is awesome.)
Anyway, working with I Heart Art was dreamy. I had a blast doing this class, and now they’ve generously made the whole thing available in a well-produced video to the public, for free.
If you like this class, you might want to check out the I Heart Art video page to see the others in this series as they’re added.
If you’re local, definitely keep an eye to the I Heart Art website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page. They’re doing excellent community-building.
Thanks for the great write-up Diane! Your workshop was swell and we're happy to have it online now!
hello! thanks for posting this video link. i look forward to checking it out!
i just moved to portland from philadelphia (like, 2 days ago!), and i only know a couple of old college roommates in town right now. i am very interested in seeking out the arts and crafts community here, and to hopefully make a few new friends along the way. thanks so much for giving me a head start by posting the link to i heart art. this is a huge help!
Welcome to PDX, Jackie! Definitely, the I Heart Art community is a great place to begin. All the best with getting settled in – at least the heat has finally passed…
You're such an engaging and enthusiastic teacher! Somehow I'm not surprised.:) I also think it's great that I Heart Art is making these sessions available online.
This was very informative. Writing up “boundary lines” with regards to content is such a simple yet excellent idea! One thing I'm struggling with with regards to content is introducing some areas of discussion that are not pleasant, but very much a part of who I am as both a person and photographer. I've been working on a photo project that explores race and segregation in PDX, with the images as a starting off point for discussion. I'm ready to launch, but I'm scared — will I be labeled as a hater?
Hi :) That’s a very hard area for sure. Keep yourself safe and surround yourself with safe people. Just a suggestion, but maybe put a little out there and see your response, let that ride until your comfortable to add a bit more intensity to it. That is a HARD subject for ALL race’s these days so tread “safely”. :)Bare in mind too, do you want “facts” only or “facts and your opinion?” Good Luck, thanks for doing it! :)
DazyJane9.etsy.com
Very informational. I don't sell anything, but the information you gave was very interesting and made a lot of sense. Thank you.
I'm working on a chapter about dealing with negativity on the internet for my new ebook, in fact! But in brief, there is every possibility that subjects like these will touch off some intense discussion. You can do a lot to defuse this by keeping any written commentary you add to your images as balanced and non-emotional as possible. There are viewpoints other than yours, and it's important to not only see these, but bring them up and empathize with them to whatever extent you can.
Anyone who outright labels you as a “hater” is not doing mature internet discourse. These people absolutely exist online, sadly, but their opinions may not carry as much validity as someone who takes the time to explain and substantiate his or her viewpoint in a courteous way. If someone puts in this effort, they warrant a sincere, thoughtful response. If someone simply flings an epithet at you, it's probably best to move right past it.
I hope that helps!
I loved the way you explained the 'trust factor' in marketing. Ever so pliable indeed on the web, people who are affected by people. You hit the nail on its head!
This was such an interesting conference you did, Diane. :-D It is always fun to see you “live”. You are so calm and clear, I hope to have your assurance when I will be doing my conference in a couple of weeks.
I haven't been as active on my blog and twitter account, this summer, so this class was a great reminder!
I didn't know about Hootsuite and am now totally digging it. It is saving me so much time, a real life-saver. :-)
I’m a little late to this party but Brittni (papernsitch) sent me to this particular video and before I even watch it I’m moved to comment.
Diane, the way you describe Portland seems very much like the greater Philadelphia region. We’ve got well known Etsy sellers, fine artists, and a state-wide fine craft guild that is just phenomenal. I would love to see something like this to bring those groups together too. Brilliant!
Btw, I’m going to be in Portland next June for the World Domination Summit and I really really hope I get to run into you. If I’m really brace & get my stuff together, I might even have a Scoutie Girl meet up. Goshdarnnit, is it June yet?
Always love your stuff :)
Girl, just TRY to get out of this town without having a meetup with me! :-) Seriously, I’d love to get together – and if you organize a Scoutiegirl meetup, I’ll be glad to help spread the word!
I watched this from beginning to end, I couldn’t resist. The information was well worth the time. A very educational and enlightening class. I also liked the format, very personal and more indicative of ‘frequently asked questions’. Can’t tell you how many times I wished I was in the classroom so I could ask a question and then someone did! Thank you for posting this. One of our street team members found your article on Handmade Spark, which had the link to this class. In turn we have shared it with over 400 members on our team blog !
Thank you so much, Cat! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. I really appreciate you sharing it with your members.
This was wonderful info! I had to pause it, grab my paper and sharpen my pencil! Thank you for all the wonderful info, Great Job to Gary!!!
DazyJane9.etsy.com
Thanks so much, DazyJane! I’m so glad you found it useful!
Dear Sister Diane,
I just happened to watch your free video on social marketing that you did in May. Thanks so much! I felt your class to be so clear and helpful and I’m looking forward to reaching out through the social media network. I am an Etsy seller which is how i found your site. Thanks again!- Cecilia (Dwelf- on Etsy).
I appreciate your kind words so much, Ceclila! Thank you – and I’m glad the video was helpful.