"The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY in the AGE of the Internet"

is a Keynote Address I originally gave for the International Polymer Clay Association annual conference.



It addresses some of the chronic problems plaguing the arts and crafts community in the age of the internet.

To SUMMARIZE BRIEFLY there are several issues surfacing in the art and craft community:

1.  unbridled sharing of content . 

2.  over dependence   on tutorials and instructions.

3. Lack of critique- we have entered into what I am calling the world of “like”

Ugly is distributing or selling copied work.



The copying and distribution of either the artwork or instructional materials  is both unethical and illegal.

Discussions have been multi-faceted.

The concerns addressed in the lecture actually opened wider discussions about issues that I never considered including the"workshop…

 ASK Harriete & Whaley Studios offer a podcast on Crafting Better SEO

We start with basic and easy skills to improve visibility for your art and craft work.  It doesn't matter whether you use social media like Crafthaus, or have a blog or website, all of this information will be relevant and start you on a path for internet success.



Fundamental webmaster skills are not hard to learn and can improve whether your images, blog or website are lost or found in search.





  LISTEN to the PODCAST

It is recorded and available for convenient listening.





There is a post  on ASK Harriete Crafting Better…

The wonderful aspect of the internet is that it creates so many opportunities to share your art and craft.



It is THRILLING  that there are forums like here on Crafthaus to create a dialog or generate visibility. There is no need to wait for the rare opportunity to have your work published in a book or magazine.



On the other hand, I don't think artists and makers are doing enough to share their work with a wider audience. If craft is going to survive and blossom in the 21st century we need to expand our audience beyond the arts and crafts community.



We need to grab onto the Long Tail of the Internet and hold on tight. If you aren't' familiar with the concept of the Long Tail there are two posts about the topic.

ACC Conference: Riding the ‘Long Tail’: Marketing Craft on the Internet

Long Tail - Blockbuster versus Netflix, and the art/craft world..



The internet is having a tremendous impact on the arts and crafts community. But this is just the beginning. We can not underestimate the future of e-commerce and the future trends of search.…

Success at a craft show starts before you even apply. Yes, this is truer than you could possibly expect.



It doesn't matter whether your work is fabulous, well designed or priced right, if it doesn't fit the show you will be disappointed. Participation in a show that does not fit your work is a waste of time and money. 



Guest Author Alison Antelman is an experienced craft show vendor with 12 years of experience at craft shows and art festivals.  Since then, she has learned to investigate prior to craft show participation and use her years of open studios to help her assess shows and select the most successful events. Learn from Alison's years of experience the easy way (sitting at your computer) instead of under a tent of tears and frustration.

6 STEPS to Craft Show Research

Resources for Craft Show Evaluation

What's the Artist's Job for a Show?…

Today's post on ASK Harriete is titled My Seasonal Stress Disorder: DISCOUNTS. It offers a short description of the issues and a link to another article about discounts by Jason Horejs.

I strongly disagree with the premise of discounts for one of a kind art or craft. Every holiday season, I whither like a dried up fall leaf as I watch the art and craft world try to compete in a shop till you drop world of consumer discounts.

Ten years ago I wrote a document about DISCOUNTS for the PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES. The opinions in this document were reviewed,  evaluated, supported, and edited by Bruce Metcalf, Board Liaison and Contributing Editor; Suzanne Baizerman, curator; Tami Dean, production artist; Marilyn da Silva, artist;…

This post on Crafthaus is a few knock your sock off ideas for making your booth display REMARKABLE !!!!!!!!!! This is an abridged version for a wholes series of posts from ASK Harriete on display.

The whole idea for this series of posts is to be inspired by display ideas from either stores or window displays.

Resources and Highlights for Remarkable Booth Display

Offers several resources for ideas including three book, online archive of Bergdorf Goodman windows and commentary.

Guidelines for Remarkable Booth Display

A  brief outline of important considerations.

Booth Display Impacts Customer Behavior…

The series of posts on Crafthaus are an abridged version of ASK Harriete for the convenience of the Crafthaus audience. You are welcome to comment here or on ASK Harriete.

AT this point the series about the craft market place has been evolving for over a month. The issues are complex, I am trying to untangle the economic dynamics methodically.

Aligning Craft Values and Craft Practices with the New Economy

There were many heartfelt comments responding to the previous posts about the brand of craft. Some questioned the brand of craft. The over whelming evidence however, is that craft must adapt to the dynamics of the evolving market place. How is the question? 

Holding on to values that makers care about while navigating the realities of the current economy seemed daunting to me also.  Then I saw John Gerzema on a TED Talk that inspired some new insights and helped me focus on actions that the craft community can support. …

This post on Crafthaus is a condensed version of ASK Harriete.



The primary purpose is to examine the craft marketplace using the tenants of economics, the principles of supply and demand.

The interaction of supply and demand is the most fundamental concept of economics and it is the backbone of a market economy. It is described as the state where shifts in supply or demand cause changes in price up or down, that bring supply and demand back into balance.

The fist post on ASK  Harriete lays a foundation for 

The Economic Stakes of the White Tent - Over Supply.

The number of events showcasing arts and crafts has exploded in the last 20 years to include craft fairs, art festivals, street fairs, fundraising auctions, trunk shows, academic programs selling student work, and museum's that now host membership events. For example:

• MAD just hosted "Loot".
• Bellevue Art Museum now sponsors the Bellevue Art Museum Arts Fair.
• Tyler School of Art Alumni Association offers an "event" for alumni to sell work.
• Academy of Art sells student work at the end of the school year, encouraging low prices to promote retail sales. Ironically, the low prices are a more realistic forecast of the…

The previous post The White Tent or the White Wall raises an interesting question. Is the value of art or craft defined by the context? Here on Crafthaus, I am providing an abridged version of the posts. Read the full posts on ASK Harriete if you are feeling strong enough to look at reality.

SF Museum of Modern Art                      King's Mountain Art Fair      

As mentioned in the previous post, on Labor Day Weekend I went to both SFMOMA and the King's Mountain Art Fair. Each of these venues offers a sanctuary for creative expression, a haven, a quiet experience to look at art, a wonderful tranquil environment.…

In$urance Value, Whole$ale Price, Retail Price - UNDERSTAND THE MONEY is a post on ASK Harriete. This is based on 30+ years of exhibition and shipping experience....and was reawakened again, just last week with another "incident.".

I am not kidding. I am not exaggerating. It happens over and over....confusion between the insurance value, wholesale price and the retail price causes  tears, frustration, embarrassment and lost money. 

I even updated the Professional Guidelines Condition Report CONDITIONreport.pdf because this confusion happened again! There is no such thing as too much documentation when if comes to  insurance value, wholesale price and the retail price

Read this post along with the post on Wednesday and Thursday....then I will try to find the "stories."

Harriete

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