What will I call myself and branding…..

| janicepd

I am working on new business cards and branding. I don’t want to make a costly mistake. I need to take what I do to the next level in the new year. A friend asked me today why don’t I just use fiber artist or mixed media artist and also why does it matter so much. Below is my answer to those questions.


I think people don’t understand fiber or mixed media artist…..and they certainly don’t understand quilt art. It seems that when I am out and about looking and purchasing odd items to use in my art the subject seems to come up with ” what do you do with it?”. If I say I make art quilts they look totally perplexed since why on earth would I want a bag of hard springs for a soft quilt. Then I have to try to explain the difference in the quilt forms.  If I say mixed media…almost nobody outside the art world has any idea what media means…they think it is TV, print media or Radio.  So then it gets really confused. And as I found out in a fine art show, the judge expected mixed media to be a mix of drawing and painting media, not found objects or fiber.  And then is fiber fabric or basketry? Way too much open interpretation and frustration for everyone. 


If we are trying to connect with buyers and clients, shouldn’t we use terminology that describes exactly what we do in simple terms?  Most everyone can understand assemblage…the act of assembling. And everyone has some idea what art is.  So, if we aren’t talking to people about what we do, it isn’t important. If we are talking to people and promoting ourselves it becomes really important. I’m  really tired of feeling like I can’t talk about what I do because it turns people off when they don’t understand what you are saying. Makes them feel dumb and that is not a good thing. 

If you are a painter, basket maker, candle stick maker, weaver, tinsmith, jeweler….there is no problem. If we don’t use a term the public understands then we fit into that no man’s land of crafters.  I’m still working on it, but I think I have decided what terminology to use as the subheading after artist. 

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