I am not an entrepreneur, in fact, having spent the last seven years pretty much failing to make any money at my art, I'm kind of the opposite of an entrepreneur! Yet I loved Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.
I'll say upfront that I'm a fan of Vaynerchuk - I find his enthusiasm completely infectious - and I liked this book. He is someone who tends to divide opinion but even if you normally find him a bit 'over the top', I'd recommend giving this book a go because his natural exuberance is somewhat restrained in print format. You could also read this without having a clue who he is and still get lots from it because it's a punchy, concise, funny and inspiring book that's packed full of great stuff.
Basically the book is about how he used social media to successfully build a huge business. He briefly tells his own story and then explains how he did it and how you could use the same methods. I liked that he's very upfront about the need for you to take your own journey, rather than trying to slavishly follow him. He explains several times that this is just what worked for him and that you could decide to follow a different route and still be successful. He's also very clear that his method a) won't suit everyone and b) is dependant on vast amounts of sheer hard work.
There's also a strong moral core to the book that I found very admirable - this isn't a book about marketing sleaze and manipulation; his central message is one of caring about others and doing what you love with integrity and passion.
I found this an inspiring book that left me hugely excited about the vast potential of the internet to revolutionise many aspects of our lives, including our businesses. That said, I struggled to see how some of the 'monetizing' methods mentioned in Chapter 11 could be applied to the art world because the economy of the arts is so deeply weird. Normal business rules often don't apply in the arts - in particular, open 'monetizing' is hugely frowned on in many art circles, so artists may need to approach things like accepting external advertising with extreme caution. However, artists could certainly use his techniques to help build their online profiles, which I believe is vital for artists to do.
This is a book that could be read by someone at any level of internet experience. I've been online since Usenet and dial-up modems, so I'm very comfortable with the net and its culture. Yet I still got masses of ideas from this book. I've read the book through twice (it's short!) and both times I made tons of notes, many of which I've already acted upon. However, I'm sure an internet newbie could also read this book and wind up with a coherent understanding of how to successfully market themselves online. Even if you're not running your own business and have no desire to do so, it's still a useful read because he delves into the way the world is changing and talks about things like how the traditional resume is becoming increasingly irrelevant to a lot of businesses.
This book won't be for everyone - no book ever is - but if you're interested in the business side of art or you're ready to learn more about the power of social media, then I'd strongly recommend it. Even if you think you know it all, I think this book will spark new ideas or expose an angle that you hadn't considered before.
If you want to find out more about it, the book has a FAQ. If you're in the UK, Amazon.co.uk doesn't have it yet but The Book Depository seem to have it in stock.
And now for something completely new. Following Vaynerchuk's example, I decided to give video blogging a go and bought a Flip Cam. I've have been having a blast taping stuff, including this short review of the book, which is worth watching just for the last few seconds!
Disclaimer: I got this book as a free review copy after I rather cheekily emailed Gary and asked him for one! Gary Vaynerchuk and HarperCollins had no influence on the contents of this review, all opinions are my own.
Candice Herne
Hi Kirsty
I read your comment on Susan Buret's blog and clicked through to you, after listening to your review on Crush it. I am looking forward to reading it. I also am drawn to your repetious art work, as I also gravitate in this direction. Your pin and match works are beautiful! Hoping to see more of your work. Candyxx
Kirsty Hall
Hi Candice, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind comments. If you check out this post from July, you'll see that I'm still making very obsessive work using repetition: http://bit.ly/10LYWM
BTW, I like the red postcard drawings you did.
Kirsty Hall
Hi Candice, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind comments. If you check out this post from July, you'll see that I'm still making very obsessive work using repetition: http://bit.ly/10LYWM
BTW, I like the red postcard drawings you did.
Candice Herne
Hi Kirsty
I read your comment on Susan Buret's blog and clicked through to you, after listening to your review on Crush it. I am looking forward to reading it. I also am drawn to your repetious art work, as I also gravitate in this direction. Your pin and match works are beautiful! Hoping to see more of your work. Candyxx
Candice Herne
Hi Kirsty
I read your comment on Susan Buret's blog and clicked through to you, after listening to your review on Crush it. I am looking forward to reading it. I also am drawn to your repetious art work, as I also gravitate in this direction. Your pin and match works are beautiful! Hoping to see more of your work. Candyxx
Kirsty
Post authorHi Candice, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind comments. If you check out this post from July, you'll see that I'm still making very obsessive work using repetition: http://bit.ly/10LYWM
BTW, I like the red postcard drawings you did.
cory huff
I love, love, love your accent. My university drama teacher had a very similar accent - are you from Wales?
Gary V knows his stuff in social media. I just Tweeted this post & video. Maybe he'll mention it?
I love seeing artists getting excited about their business and not just their art. Keep it up!
cory huff
I love, love, love your accent. My university drama teacher had a very similar accent - are you from Wales?
Gary V knows his stuff in social media. I just Tweeted this post & video. Maybe he'll mention it?
I love seeing artists getting excited about their business and not just their art. Keep it up!
Kirsty Hall
Hi Cory, not from Wales, no, although I now live fairly close to the Welsh Border. I'm Scottish originally but I've been down here in the South West of England for 12 years now, so my accent has softened a lot. It does get much broader the minute I visit my parents though! Next time I go north I shall take my Flip Cam and record it for everyone because it's quite funny hearing the change.
Gary is just great, isn't he. I'm a total fan and I hope that a few more artists will get into him if they see my review. I like what you do too, btw. I just discovered your site recently through Twitter and subscribed to your newsletter. And yes, I love the business side - as long as it's online - I'm not so comfortable in the offline art world of private views and galleries and gatekeepers. So I'm working on building a name for myself in the digital world and hoping the offline art world will eventually catch on. And if they don't, hey, I'm still making my art and having loads of fun.
Kirsty Hall
Hi Cory, not from Wales, no, although I now live fairly close to the Welsh Border. I'm Scottish originally but I've been down here in the South West of England for 12 years now, so my accent has softened a lot. It does get much broader the minute I visit my parents though! Next time I go north I shall take my Flip Cam and record it for everyone because it's quite funny hearing the change.
Gary is just great, isn't he. I'm a total fan and I hope that a few more artists will get into him if they see my review. I like what you do too, btw. I just discovered your site recently through Twitter and subscribed to your newsletter. And yes, I love the business side - as long as it's online - I'm not so comfortable in the offline art world of private views and galleries and gatekeepers. So I'm working on building a name for myself in the digital world and hoping the offline art world will eventually catch on. And if they don't, hey, I'm still making my art and having loads of fun.
cory huff
I love, love, love your accent. My university drama teacher had a very similar accent - are you from Wales?
Gary V knows his stuff in social media. I just Tweeted this post & video. Maybe he'll mention it?
I love seeing artists getting excited about their business and not just their art. Keep it up!
Kirsty
Post authorHi Cory, not from Wales, no, although I now live fairly close to the Welsh Border. I'm Scottish originally but I've been down here in the South West of England for 12 years now, so my accent has softened a lot. It does get much broader the minute I visit my parents though! Next time I go north I shall take my Flip Cam and record it for everyone because it's quite funny hearing the change.
Gary is just great, isn't he. I'm a total fan and I hope that a few more artists will get into him if they see my review. I like what you do too, btw. I just discovered your site recently through Twitter and subscribed to your newsletter. And yes, I love the business side - as long as it's online - I'm not so comfortable in the offline art world of private views and galleries and gatekeepers. So I'm working on building a name for myself in the digital world and hoping the offline art world will eventually catch on. And if they don't, hey, I'm still making my art and having loads of fun.
IamANT
I thought your video review came out great, you should post more videos.
I recommend going to Gary's website and watching some of his videos on the Keynotes page.
IamANT
I thought your video review came out great, you should post more videos.
I recommend going to Gary's website and watching some of his videos on the Keynotes page.
Kirsty Hall
Hi there IamANT, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind words on the video review, I am planning to do more but I'm quite busy at the moment getting ready for a show that's coming up this month. I've seen some of Gary's Keynotes and they're always good but my computer is so old that video doesn't always play well for me, which makes it a frustrating experience.
Kirsty Hall
Hi there IamANT, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind words on the video review, I am planning to do more but I'm quite busy at the moment getting ready for a show that's coming up this month. I've seen some of Gary's Keynotes and they're always good but my computer is so old that video doesn't always play well for me, which makes it a frustrating experience.
IamANT
I thought your video review came out great, you should post more videos.
I recommend going to Gary's website and watching some of his videos on the Keynotes page.
Kirsty
Post authorHi there IamANT, welcome to the blog. Thanks for your kind words on the video review, I am planning to do more but I'm quite busy at the moment getting ready for a show that's coming up this month. I've seen some of Gary's Keynotes and they're always good but my computer is so old that video doesn't always play well for me, which makes it a frustrating experience.