I’ve been participating in Swindon Open Studios for more than ten years now and I have to say it is one of the most important and enjoyable events on my calendar.
In the early days I didn’t know what to expect when I opened my doors and didn’t even use social media. I had half a dozen visitors in the first year, who all bought something and left encouraging comments in my visitors book.
This year I will be putting a lot of effort into my publicity……this is actually the most important job for a successful open studio.
People don’t visit to check out how clean the studio is, they want to see the mucks and messes of how and where work is created. For many people art is akin to magic and they want to see work in progress: loaded paint palettes, brushes and the smell of turps. I’ve even had people pull things out from my recycling box thinking they’d made a discovery!
It’s really beneficial to take the time to post on your social media platforms each day in the run up to open day. Little snippets about the work and processes along with hashtags to draw the attention of the people you want to see your work.
Deborah Battaglia