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Seeds For Thought
Needing Your Quiet Time
If you choose the active competitive life of an entrepreneur, the chances are that you will have to learn to deal with stress.No business or businessperson is perfect. You will have deadlines to meet. You will have customers' requests and demands to satisfy. You will have disgruntled employees to handle. You will order too much or too little or the wrong inventory. You will order the right inventory but the wrong inventory will be shipped. If you are working 80 hours a week and plowing your profits back into your business, you will be wound very tight. You will have the feeling that you are doing everything physically and financially possible to make your business succeed. Feeling this pressure, you may have little left in mental and physical reserve. Yet, every day you must summon up the energy and patience to deal with the common frustrations of running a small business. To combat stress you must budget a small amount of time every day to recharge your physical and mental batteries. You must seek to return to your calm center through active or passive meditation, i.e. quiet time. Quiet time is a success method used by many kindergarten teachers to maintain order in their classrooms. The teachers will choose to follow a hyperactive period with a quiet time activity to calm the children down and to bring them back into balance. As entrepreneurs, we need to treat ourselves with the same TLC, tender loving care. After working so hard, we owe this quiet time to ourselves. Quiet time is really not an option but a requirement. You must have quiet time to be alone with yourself each day to sort out the happenings of the day or the previous day and to put them into their proper perspective. It is time that will allow you to arrange your priorities. You will also find that with time, your quiet time period will start to yield many ideas and creative solutions. A lot of time for meditation is not required; 20 to 30 minutes at some time each day will suffice. And, you don't have to light incense, wear a robe, go into a trance or mumble meaningless sayings. You just have to be alone with as few distractions as possible. Look up at the sky. Smell a flower. Watch a dog chase a stick. Feel the wind blow. Relax. You can take a walk without exercising. Relax. You can enjoy the flowers without gardening. Relax. You can sit in the park alone and have your lunch. Relax. You can sit in a chair without sleeping. Enjoy. No TV, no radios, no books, no talk, no one with you. Take it easy. Since many entrepreneurs are high-strung achievers, quiet time relaxation may not be an automatic response. Be patient. For the first few weeks, it may be difficult to shut yourself off from your problems but if you can discipline yourself to meditate and train yourself to relax, you will have given yourself a wonderful gift. And, you will have a powerful business ally, your calmer self. The rewards of quiet time may not be miraculous but they often are very special. Calmly, you will be able to put small problems into perspective and you will be able to keep small problems from becoming big problems. At the beginning of each lesson, there is a section called, "Seeds For Thought." Also, in some of the page margins, you will find quotes worthy of your consideration. During your quiet time, you may choose to reflect on these or be alone with your thoughts. Plant the seeds in your mind and see what may blossom. The Lopez Goff Gallery
Sandy Bernstein was a very nice man with many friends and contacts in the art world. If he had a fault, it was that he loved to talk. Actually, he loved to gossip. Sandy owned and operated a successful high-end gallery specializing in Old Masters.Ana calls Sandy Bernstein for an appointment and visits his gallery. Sandy inspects the print with undisguised regret, "Ana, my dear darling, I wouldn't have thought you prey for Salvador's greedy heirs. I hear tell that in the end poor Sal's relatives held him a virtual prisoner, forcing him to sign prints all day." "Thank you, Sandy." Ana fully realized that Sandy was incapable of a straight answer, "I'm always reassured to know that you will always have the story behind the story. But you must admit Dali was one of the art geniuses of the 20th century with a reputation which endures." Sandy fidgets, "Yes, yes, yes, Ana. I will admit a soft spot for Dali. No denying, he did have his days of greatness. Now, let's talk business. Are you asking me to appraise this print?" "No, Sandy, I know it's worth $1,000. I'm here to have the print framed." Sandy, however, didn't want to hear that a friend had been taken, "My goodness darling, what scoundrel had you pay $1,000 for this? Isn't there a patron saint to protect museum administrators? I have told Daniel Ives, your director, a thousand times that he may choose to inflate prices to solve a donor's tax sheltering problems but please, when the museum makes direct acquisition for cash, please call me. Save us." Ana really didn't want to hear what she was hearing, "You're saying that this print isn't worth $1,000?" "Ana, as a blossoming aficionada, I will sell you two, three Dalis for that price." Ana not wanting to appear the fool, quickly admitted to Sandy, "I paid $350." Sandy exhaled a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Perhaps there is a saint. All right, $350 it is." Now, Ana was interested, "Sandy, no kidding. What is the print worth?" "Darling, I would mat this print in mauve, museum acid free backing, of course. For a frame, let's see, yes, gold-leafed wood, and, of course, clear glass. My price with framing, $1,200." Sandy seemed to be contradicting himself. "You just told me the print was worth $350." Ana said somewhat exasperated. Sandy could quickly make one exasperated. Sandy began to teach Ana about pricing in the art world, "$350 is my price to purchase, darling. I have my overheads, my sales time, my lifestyle. And the building owners on this street are absolute pirates. My rent is obscene, with no concession made to my years of loyal tenancy. Don't blame the victim, darling. No, it must be $1,200." Ana was quite surprised at Sandy's math, "Your markup is over 300%. Might you not be the scoundrel, Sandy?" But, Sandy attempted to make no apologies, "Darling, darling, darling, don't get Sandy's dander up now. My margins are consistent with the rest of the artistic world. And, we set no records. Look at all collectibles: art, stamps, antiques, coins ... My dear, this is business. Two hundred, three hundred percent should not be shocking. My colleagues and I do not claim to hide behind a non-profit cloak as you do. We are honest businesspeople trying to make an honest living. Open your eyes and you'll see. If they don't teach you these things in art college, I can't be blamed." Ana had to admit that money and the business of art really weren't considered topics for proper conversation in art college. "Sandy, I apologize if I offended you. I guess I've never been really forced to look at art as a for profit business." Sandy seemed to wave off all concerns, "Then, look, my dear, look. You are a smart, ambitious young woman. I like you even if you are still doing all those soldier things on weekends." "It's the National Guard, Sandy." Sandy could be humorous, "Ah, yes, the National Guard. Guard me from the pirates, dear Ana. Well, now let's put in this framing order for you." At that moment, Ana stopped and asked, "Sandy, do you handle any consignments?" "Do you mean will I sell this print for you for $1,200?" Sandy was surprised. "Yes." Sandy couldn't help himself but to tweak Ana a little, "But, darling, a moment ago you were so in love with this print. Now, you will sell for mere dollars. So gauche." Ana quickly grasped the business potential, "Well, if you're right, if I had the $1,200, I could buy two or three more prints." Sandy seemed pleased, "Ah, my darling Ana, you are precious. And, I sense, perhaps, some capitalistic blood in your veins. Perhaps, one day you will become a dealer. If so, you could make this Dali the first piece in your own gallery? Perhaps, poor Sandy isn't the ogre you make him at 300% profit?" "Perhaps, Sandy, perhaps." Ana smiled and nodded. From this day, Ana Lopez's life was not to be the same. Ana Lopez is about to get rich young. The ResearchWhere is Ana's research? The libraries. The public libraries. The college libraries. The library at the museum. The lending library at the National Gallery in Washington. Certainly, above all, the Internet. Talk to the research librarians. Isn't it their job to know where to find information? Will they help? Of course; just ask. Where do you get your information? Books. Magazines. Newsletters. Newspaper stories. The Internet. What subjects are you looking for? The Art Business. Running an art gallery. Framing. How artists sell art. Starting and operating a small business. Promotion. Publicity. Biographies of famous dealers.
What are the print resources? The card catalog. "Books in Print." "The Readers Guide To Periodic Literature." "Who's Who In The Art World." "The Dictionary of Associations." "The Book of Magazines." The major newspapers on microfiche. Who are the people who can help? The entire museum staff. The museum members. Dealers. Artists. Craftpersons. Trade associations. Convention attendees. Other museums' personnel. Interior decorators. Architects. What is the inventory? Paintings. Limited edition prints. Mass produced prints. Posters. Sculpture. Tapestries. Crafts. Framing supplies. Art supplies. Art education class supplies. Art magazines/books/films/videos. Who is the market? Serious collectors. Budding collectors. Casual collectors. Students. Corporate buyers. Museums. Interior decorators. Gift buyers. How about the whole world of e-commerce? There was plenty for Ana to start learning. Ana had always been impressed with a conversation she had had several years before with a world acclaimed scholar on Renaissance art, Professor Peteris Bitehoff. Professor Bitehoff was to address the art majors at the college and Ana was chairperson of the hospitality committee planning a luncheon for the professor. The Professor arrived early for the luncheon and Ana took the opportunity to speak with him. Ana asked, "Professor, the luncheon isn't for another half hour. Is there anything that I can get for you in the meantime?" The professor looked up from his reading, "No, no, no, young lady, thank you, no. Don't worry about me. Please go on with your preparations. I'll be quite content to sit here and read my book." Ana noticed that the book was a recent edition of a general art history book. She was surprised at the elementary nature of the book. "Professor, I don't want to bother you, but is that a book that you will be teaching?" The Professor smiled in reply, "No, my dear, I am reading this book for my own further education." Ana's curiosity was piqued, "But pardon me, but that's a book on general art history." "Yes, yes, it is." Ana continued, "I don't want to sound rude, but that's rather an elementary text." The Professor was amused at Ana's interest. He outlined his attitude on study to her, "Is it so basic? Well, yes, I suppose it is. But, I would wager with you that before I am finished reading these 500 pages that I will have learned something. It may be new information or a new interpretation. Perhaps, I will read something that I disagree with and I will solidify or sharpen an opinion that I now hold. Since this is, as you say an elementary text, the author has taken pains to condense and simplify complex concepts.  The Professor continued, "As a teacher, I must always strive to do the same. I could read this book and be inspired to write a better book. It is the rare book that does not teach something. As you continue your studies, go back and read your old elementary texts with new, fresh, informed eyes and you will learn something. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must speak with some of our other guests." Ana did go back and read her elementary art texts and did find that she had fresh, informed eyes and did learn something new every time she picked up an "old" book and found herself learning much more from her new books. Her commitment to further education through reading had yet to wane. As the exciting idea of owning her own gallery began to crystallize, Ana voraciously began to read about the art of selling art. Who were the successful dealers? Why were they successful? Who were the financially successful artists? Why were they successful? Who were the successful small businesspersons? Why were they successful? Why did dealers, artists, businesspeople fail? How do you buy art at wholesale? How do you establish retail prices? How do you know your market? How do you expand your market? How are new artists promoted, hyped? How, where, when and why do dealers advertise? How do they attract help? Ana is learning through the Socratic Method. From every question comes a new question which demands that one's education becomes continuous. From every resource, try to learn something new or confirm a held opinion. The excitement of learning and success cannot be denied. No one can stop you! You can learn anything! Go to Lesson ThirteenLesson 12 Resources7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17Index
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