THE ART OF SELF-PROMOTION
(*If you’re an Art Buyer and interested in receiving the promotional packet described here, I still have a few of them left. Send me an e-mail with your mailing address. Please type “I’D LIKE TO RECEIVE A PROMO PACKET” in the subject line of your e-mail.)
This past April I sent out a small batch of promotional mailers.
One of the postcards I included in the promotional packet was a sketchbook spread of Dirty Frank’s, a popular watering hole in south Philadelphia. The image was part of a 41-slide story I put together for Amtrak documenting my weekly commutes from New York City to Philly where I’ve taught in the Illustration Program at the University of the Arts for the past decade. The project was ultimately included in this year’s Society of Illustrators and American Illustration annuals.
The second card in the packet was a recent drawing for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Perhaps it’s because of my time in the classroom, but the Chronicle is a favorite client of mine and the articles are always interesting, often hitting close to home. This particular piece discussed the pressures on scholars to publish research as well as teach, and the paranoia this can cultivate among colleagues.
Finally, I included a portrait of the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges because he’s one of my favorite 20th Century figures.
To round out this particular promo packet, along with a business card, I designed a greeting card that mimicked a pocket-sized sketchbook and included a little original drawing for each of the recipients, along with a short note.
These occasional promotional packets are sort of like Messages In A Bottle in the Digital Age.
