the best words for an artist

“A NEW PROJECT”

Yaaaaay! I had a good idea recently. Always worth celebrating.

Ok, storytime: I am doing really well with getting more stockists (boring but true: you just need to consistently hit the numbers of prospective clients) but what I want to do is create energy around the birdwatching logbooks themselves, so instead of relying on someone going into a bookshop or other retailer and thinking

“Ooh that’s a cute birdwatching logbook, I’ll get one”

I want people to head to a bookshop or other retailer because they are thinking

“Ooh I need to get one of those cute birdwatching logbooks“.

You see what I did there?

Now, if your books are traditionally published, your publisher will handle all the marketing, and you need to promote what the publisher has created. With self-publishing, as with all aspects of the project, there’s the freedom to make your own promotions. Coming up with something new and exciting in the current climate however = tough.

I have been thinking about what I want to promote, and the more I deal with retailers (directly) and customers (one step removed) the more this informs my actions.

What I want to promote with the logbooks

In this noisy, distracting, turbulent and competitive world, what message am I trying to convey?

• they are fun
• they are a great way to add an intriguing dimension to a walk or visit
• they are a way to get away from screens/digital info
• they are wholly British – and this needs to be highlighted

The keywords are:

nostalgic, whimsical, cute, British, accessible, inclusive

Basically I want people to feel the logbooks are suitable for everyone, and are a fun way to record the birds you see on a particular visit, or a regular walk. I reckon they are good for 3 sessions before needing a new one, and the idea is to build up a library of birdwatching logbooks and to encourage you to go out and see more birds, perhaps in different places. They are designed to be scribbled in, stuffed in your pocket, and a really easy way to reconnect with nature – and who doesn’t need a bit of that in these ridiculous times?

With this in mind, I decided I wanted to create collaged posters with the birdwatching logbooks in the centre. I started by using my Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage by Maria Rivens, but then realised–ugh–copyright. So I decided to make my own illustrations to use for the collage.

Yay I can collage for “work” – hurrah!!

I have started with Birds of Westminster as this is easy to find things to focus on, plus I have just had a BIG order from my Covent Garden stockist, the glorious stationery shop that is Choosing Keeping and I’m feeling inspired.

I have painted a few Westminster-ish motifs and it has been soooo much fun. Honestly. I now need to think about how to put them together, and I need to do a few more perhaps (although right now I can’t think what would be sufficiently birdwatching-y and specifically Westminster-ish) but I have really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to do more for the other titles…ice creams and sandcastles for Coast & Clifftop Birds…flasks and walking boots for Birds of the North West Highlands…canal boats and bulrushes for Pond & River Birds…

The idea with these collages is to be really human and haptic and get away from digital perfection, and really relish in the simplicity of hand-painted, cut-and-paste, warts-and-all artwork. Hopefully this will tap into a potential customer’s sense of fun and nostalgia. This is what I have done so far.

What do you think?