May 30, 2016
Greetings and welcome everyone, thanks for tuning in and listening to my very first podcast, The Rockstar Mentor Podcast! that aired today, Monday, May 30th, 2016!
As much as podcasting is new to me, teaching and mentoring is not new. I have been doing this a long time and I have to admit that I pretty much I have done it all.
This podcast has been on my radar of my creative service list of to-do’s for some time now. I have taught many artists and creative individuals how to market their art, how to sell their handmade craft, have empowered them to be the small business rockstar and build very important face to face relationships with their collector base. This is THE podcast to teach and inspire you to take your art or creative services to that next level.
So….! Who Am I you ask….. and what type of experience do I have to empower you to get that kickstart that you need with your art or creative business and marketing career? Well, my name is Sonya Paz, I am a fulltime artist, designer, manufacturer, mentor and creative force behind my art brand, Sonya Paz Art & Design. … I am known mainly for my bright, energetic pop art paintings and designs that have been a pivotal part of my growing retail product line of home furnishings, jewelry and wearable art which can be seen at my website; sonyapaz.com
I have sold my art at local community events, coffee houses, art & wine festivals, all the way to exhibiting my art and products in my own solo booth in the Platinum arena of Art Expo International in New York City. I have owned and operated my own art galleries selling and representing my own art and retail products direct to the public and wholesale. I have worn so many hats in an out of the gallery environment and I wear the boots of experience to trudge in and out of the trenches. When preparing this introduction episode, I was reminded that this podcast is going out for the whole world to see, this is not just a local venue where you already know me, therefore I was FORCED to write about myself, who I am and what my accomplishments are. (not an easy thing for me to do, not a fan of tooting my own horn, but for the sake of art and your success, you going to have to hear it! Heh heh!)
Sooooo….I will share my stories and experiences, successes and failures. I will share with you the lessons I needed to learn to be able to create a successful product line that worked for us. There were some products that we developed that were winners and some… well let’s say…. that I STILL scratch my head to this day on what were we thinking…! But I have always been tenacious, there is not too much that can stop my quest for success and making those challenges a positive reality. Some experiences have been enjoyable and so rewarding and some have kept me up at night. But, this is the path and journey that I chose, they are my experiences and without those encounters and challenges I would have never learned so much.
It goes without saying that I have always been creative, one of those children who could never sit still, spinning like a top – endless amounts of energy and ideas, I was always painting, coloring, doing pottery, ceramics, leaning new crafts but at the same time, teaching myself, how to merchandise, I was relentless and tenacious about marketing, I just loved it. I actually love the direct selling and feel passionate about direct customer interface and building those relationships.
I was fortunate to have worked for many great companies…. Like Mitsubishi Motors, Apple Computer, Revlon, Claris Software, Microsoft and Adobe. I feel blessed and fortunate to work at companies that were driven for excellence. I have to admit that is where a lot of my formal business training was confirmed. Each company had it’s way of doing things. How to report to management, adhering to guidelines, I was able to benefit from amazing people who were great managers and inspiring individuals.
I continue to build relationships with others in all facets of industry: gallery owners, publishers, instructors, actors, mentors, musicians, photographers, jewelry makers, marketers, techno nerds, (well living in the Silicon Valley here in Northern California, that’s not exactly hard to do as techie nerds are fairly abundant (LOL))… and the list of goes on and on…
You might think that the title ”Rockstar Mentor” is a strange title for a podcast for art marketing and creative branding. Actually it’s not. Over the past couple of decades I have heard this term “ROCKSTAR” used over and over on so many levels in regards to business, art, entrepreneurship and even used for “how do I dress for my art exhibit?” The response was “you’re a rock star, you can dress however you like”. I was not comfortable with this for a long time, in fact I am so humbled by the amount of friends, collectors and growing network of down to earth entrepreneurs that it was really hard to embrace that term. But as my art gained popularity, was selected for public art event posters, book covers, murals in public and private spaces, magazine covers, permanent installations in schools, city wide branding, branded products for other businesses and also collected by people all over the world, I finally realized that there is a bit of “rock stardom” to this industry and the work, my hard work spoke to many people on so many levels.
So this podcast will be an inspiring mix of the do’s and don’t of the artworld, what is the best way to get your art seen, methods to get into galleries and how to communicate with retailers. Tips and tricks to unveil your inner salesperson to directly sell your art, how to network with others in person and online. We will discuss pricing, preparing for shows and exhibits, shipping your art. I will also be interviewing other experts and friends in the art and other creative industries, the makers and shakers, crafters and fine artists, hobbyists and full time creators who have essentially learned how to make a living on their art, craft or other creative service. I am here to tell you that you can do it! It’s never to late, ever.
I have so much to share with you and teach you, trust me, I have done this legwork and know the hurdles that you will encounter. This, “Rockstar Mentor Podcast” will empower you to be the rockin’ artist that you are set out to be, at whatever level you are. If you are starting out, this is great! If you have been a self represented artist for a while, then you can learn some new ideas or techniques, I am here for you.
This podcast will be aired weekly, and we will also be having a Fan Mail Friday for questions that come in from folks who might be experiencing a challenge or need a kickstart to get your weekend started.
So there you have it! Sit back, relax and be prepared to embark and ride the wave of success to take your art to the next level!
For additional information on Rockstar Mentor or view our other services, visit us online at: rockstarmentor.com
Cheers!
Sonya Paz
