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Aug 30, 2024

Prospecting: From Carrier Pigeons to DMs (Almost)

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Do you remember the staggering number of catalogs that used to weigh down our mailboxes day after day, particularly in the fall? LL Bean came weekly, if not more often, in various iterations: Women’s, Outdoors, Holiday, etc. But there were a precious few which didn’t arrive as frequently and became treasured keepers because of their uniqueness. You knew you needed to hold onto them because they wouldn’t show up again for a full season or two.

One of my favorites was called the Peruvian Connection, a mother/daughter enterprise that specialized in clothing fashioned with fibers from Peru – lustrous pima cotton knits and vibrant, natural-dyed wools. When I started making jewelry designs on eggshells, I committed to developing a series of Peruvian-inspired motifs in the hopes of being included on their pages.

Marketing to such a company in the 90’s meant letters, sample packages, phone calls and persistence. I reached out to the Peruvian Connection for six months before a beleaguered owner finally responded to my call and thanked me for my stamina. “Yes!” they would love to order my pins and earrings, which they did for several years.

That form of prospecting no longer exists. Big sigh of relief. It was grueling, uncertain and labor-intensive. With digital everything, ideas can be exchanged via email in real time, decisions made in hours, not months.

However, with everything at our fingertips today, competition is also greater, global and fleeting. Getting in the door is easy-ish, but staying top of mind amid daily data overload is a challenge.

Which is why my recent breakthrough may or may not come to fruition. I’m revealing a success story that hasn’t become official business yet, but it is too exciting not to share. I don’t believe in jinxes, (knock wood), so here goes…

As you know, I’ve been playing with the effect of color on my designs, working on larger and more complex grids to create an overall pattern that makes your eyes dance. Using PowerPoint, I’m able to arrange the pieces digitally before investing my time and resources executing these labor-intensive textiles.

Last week I showed my Art Pod a finished four-quadrant piece composed of 900 ½” squares.

My awesome virtual trio of artists meets bi-weekly on Zoom. Then I shared my screen with them to display the mockups I’d created showing an arrangement of multiples of the design.

“You should consider making these into larger wall patterns,” they suggested. “What if you were to create a one-of-a-kind acoustical studio space for a musician?”

WOW, I thought! But, have you ever been astounded by a brilliant idea and also felt totally at a loss? I loved their suggestion, while feeling at sea as to how I might achieve that end. I gulped.

Then, as we concluded our bi-weekly call, we spent two minutes writing down goals for the next session. As a first step, I wrote down, “research acoustical tile companies.”

Unlike 30+ years ago, when I sat at my computer to tackle this assignment last week, I immediately found several leads on Google. I selected one company whose mission I loved, watched a YouTube video interview with the owner, felt even more aligned, and decided to reach out. It helped that on their site, I noted that they were already in collaboration with other designers.

I composed a very warm email to the address on their site, included a bit about myself and my work, and inserted a mockup of a rendering I envisioned as a wall in a music studio using their product.


Three hours later
 I heard back from someone at the company complimenting my design and expressing interest in working with me to fabricate this example using their materials.

Not surprisingly, they’re in the middle of several other collaborations, so no order has been placed… yet.

What thrilled me, beyond their delight with my work, was the encouraging, short timeline between approaching my frightening goal and their positive response to my overture.

Plus, their product has expanded my vision for what is possible. I see this company as a resource for future clients looking for a way to incorporate my art into their interiors.

I’m gratified that I still have the courage to put my work out there to strangers without knowing the outcome. It is thanks to you and all my supporters who strengthen my resolve daily that my work is beautiful and worthy. Artists, in particular, need all the love and encouragement they can get.

I’m so grateful for yours.

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