The Art of Greening Your Business

You're a hard-working artist, just trying to make a living in a challenging economy. You would never tolerate waste. At the same time, you might not consider yourself a tree-hugger. You're all for doing what's right for the environment, but is there a way to do it that's also right for your business?

Last month's Market Insider focused on tips for artists who want to expand into new marketplaces. (April 2008) This month's newsletter explores one approach that is frequently advocated for pleasing customers within your existing marketplace: greening your business.

Anybody can make a list of trendy or obvious actions that businesses could take to be more environmentally friendly; that's not Market Insider's goal. Instead, we went looking for real-life examples of artists who are finding ways to strike a balance between doing the right thing, and meeting the needs of the business. The best examples would contribute to the bottom line, customer good will and a clean conscience.

We learned pretty quickly that the challenge is different in each craft discipline, in large measure because the materials, resources and tools differ. But there's also this: Across the art, gift, jewelry, décor and fashion industries, there are relatively few standards or universal labels for eco-friendliness, and a great many disputes about what is "green."

No electricity is expended in the hand-weaving of a reed basket: That's indisputably green. But then a customer may ask, what's the source of the materials? Were they gathered from a wild source, or bought from a farm? Were they grown without pesticides? Are the colors natural, vegetable-dyed or tinted with chemicals? Few and far between are those artists who, like world-renowned basketmaker Joe Hogan, can guarantee that their materials come from a sustainable source. Hogan grows and harvests his own willow. See his work at www.joehoganbaskets.com.

The point is to avoid bogging down in a debate over whose green is greener. Be your own shade of true green, whether it is as lush as ancient forest or as perky as spring peas.

When it comes to being green, what actually works for you and your business, and pleases your customers? Read ahead to learn what some of your colleagues are doing. If you'd like, take a moment to send an e-mail to jeant@rosengrp.com. Tell us about your green challenges, efforts and success stories. Market Insider will publish a selection of artists' responses in June.

HAUL IT IN, PUSH IT IN, DRAG IT IN

There used to be a California auto dealer with an occasional promotion urging people to trade in vehicles that had no life left in them. He pledged to make a deal, no matter what rusted hunk of junk you had. Just haul it in, he'd drawl, while showing pictures of cars unfit for driving. One always wondered what became of those wrecks, but the prospect of getting even a dollar for a dead car had great entertainment appeal.

There's similar good mileage to be gained from offering customers an opportunity to recycle something they no longer use. It works best when the artist can use that material, marrying good will to business bottom line. One other factor must be taken into account: The artist has to have an earth-friendly arrangement for disposing of any excess she cannot use.

A variation of this concept is at work at Philadelphia-based Vinylux, where Jeff Davis and colleagues transform old vinyl records into shapely bowls, clocks, picture frames and holiday ornaments. In a well-done FAQ on the Web site, Vinylux estimates that it has recycled more than 400,000 records.

Jeff's experiments while a grad student in industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design led to the creation of his company. Most of the records are purchased from collectors and dealers, but donations of unwanted old albums from the public are accepted, which helps keep Vinylux stocked with its needed raw material. Customers can also bring a favorite record album and have it made into a piece of Vinylux art.

In an e-mail message, Jeff identified some additional benefits: "Being surrounded by tens of thousands of records day in and day out has helped me to develop a pretty sound base of knowledge about music." So what happens when they discover tunes with recognized collector value in a stack of old vinyl? The FAQ covers this: "They are sold on eBay and end up in loving ears."

THE OPPOSITE of PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE

Mike Sherry designs collectible wooden puzzles. Because some of his Pangaea Puzzles Inc. products are made for use by children, buyers frequently ask him about his materials. He says he has heard more questions of this type since the rash of recent toy recalls involving foreign-made products. One change in his practices: He now includes a "handmade in America" tag.

"From the start of our company, we have tried to use products that are eco-friendly," Mike says. "All of our stained puzzles use only water-based, child-safe stains. Our products are primarily made from wood with brass knobs with small steel set screws. We also use recycled packaging and eco-friendly packing materials when we ship our products."

"Although we take care in the selection of materials for our products, we also realize that we are still having an impact on the environment in which we live," he says. "In order to help compensate for this impact we have set up a program which takes a portion of each sale and donates the proceeds to environmental programs that help with environmental protection. For example, one of the programs we support uses their donations to plant trees. We feel that this is a great way to help offset the impact of the material used most in our products as well as our packaging: wood."

He also addresses the "green" question by planning for the future.

"Another way that we believe we are green is to offer what we call our Piece Replacement Service," he said. "This service allows for our customers to replace a lost or "eaten" puzzle piece for a nominal charge. This service eliminates the need to throw away an entire puzzle just because it is missing one piece. We believe this will allow our products to be played with for generations in what has become a world full of disposable products."

Where will your creations be in 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? Is there anything you can do to extend their useful life?

TALK TRASH

Someone else's discards are your treasures? That's a story worth telling, even if you've been quietly using recycled materials for the last 15 years without boasting.

The thing is, many artists can be counted among society's original recyclers, repurposers and reimagineers. Others are mothers and fathers of invention, as frugal with resources as they can be -- often because they must be. Many are content to let their designs do the talking.

And that raises an important point about the difference between talking trash, and trash-talking.

Many craft artists understand a psychological key to green marketing that some people in other industries struggle to comprehend: The business of making art is unique. Your customers, especially collectors of fine craft, associate "handmade" with "integrity." That integrity is part of what allows you to charge a premium price for your creations, but it comes with an intrinsic burden: It means that the artist shouldn't "greenwash" with untruths or hype, or treat environmental awareness like a passing business fad, because his core customers would be offended.

There is a willing audience, however, for stories about genuine efforts, success stories and earnest projects. With the continuing consumer calls for environmental action, and the media thirst for new "green" ideas, your activities can help your promotions.

So go ahead: Mention your found, recycled and repurposed materials on your Web site, in your press kit, in your blog, and in the care cards that you enclose in your artwork's (recycled or biodegradable?) packaging. Even if your actual product cannot be made of recycled materials, your studio practices may be worth describing, in simple terms. At tradeshows, be sure to let buyers and media know about your efforts.

A lovely example of this appears in the detail on the Web site of jewelry artist Janine DeCresenzo at www.janine.decresenzo.com. Without over-romanticizing, she describes her family's once-beloved 1923 pedal organ. When it seemed destined for the junk pile, she rescued the vintage ivory keys. She used them to make jewelry.

Knowing the source and age of her ivory is important to customers, and not just because of the protected status of ivory. She didn't include a harangue or lecture. She simply told customers the source of this jewelry, giving it a special resonance, one forever associated with family memories that customers can relate to and vicariously enjoy. The jewelry is contemporary, but it suggests the pedal organ soundtrack of the early 20th century, a fragment of history in an unexpected time capsule.

So what becomes of your discards? There's wonderful goodwill value in your donation of a year's worth of clay magazines to a school library: How much nicer than putting them in the trash. Can your remnant yarn be turned into knitting projects for a local senior center or girl's club? Have you considered using craft organization bulletin boards to barter your studio's byproducts and leftovers for resources that you really need? Wouldn't it be great if someone could make jewelry out of your trash?

Now it's your turn: Send an e-mail to jeant@rosengrp.com. What green efforts, practices and activities have pleased your customers and have been successful for you and your business?

CALLS FOR ENTRIES (CONTESTS, EXHIBITS):

2009 NICHE Awards: Two new categories have been added to the professional division of the annual NICHE Awards competition for fine crafts. The new Fashion Accessories category will showcase wearable art pieces outside the realm of jewelry, including items such as belts, gloves, cufflinks, fans, hair accessories, handbags, hats, scarves, shawls, ties and wallets. The Art Quilts category expands the contest's recognition of fiber artists. Application forms, rules and guidelines for the 2009 program are available for download at www.americancraft.com. The entry deadline for professionals is August 30, 2008. In the student division, the entry deadline is September 30, 2008.

Peace & Politics: An Artists' Agenda for America: If you could write the script, what issues and concerns would you put on the national agenda to be considered by the presidential candidates? Gasoline prices? Protections for the rights and the work of artists? The war? The American Made Alliance is organizing an exhibit of fine craft and artwork expressing social and political themes. It will be shown August 2-4, 2008, during the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft. A reception is planned for Sat., Aug. 2, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with refreshments and cash bar. The American Made Alliance is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to arts advocacy. See the full Call for Entries at www.americanmadealliance.org/events.htm. Deadline for entries: June 2. There is no entry fee. For more information, contact jeant@rosengrp.com or call 410-889-2933, ext. 218.

CALLS FOR ENTRIES (MAGAZINES, MEDIA, OTHER):

The Crafts Report: Here's an opportunity to gain exposure for your work, while you share info about your craft business with your peers. Look for the brief articles by and about craft artists in the "Crafts Insight" department of the Crafts Report magazine online at www.craftsreport.com. According to the Web site: Send 100 words describing how and where you find the best markets for your work, and high-quality (high resolution) color digital images, by e-mail to Insights@craftsreport.com. Or to use regular mail, send your description and slides (packed with a padded SASE) to Insights, The Crafts Report, P.O. Box 5000, Iola, WI 54945. Submission deadlines: For metal, June 15 (to publish in September). For fiber, July 15 (to publish in October).

QUOTATION of the MONTH:
"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility."
-- Rachel Carson, 1907-1964, environmental writer and author of "Silent Spring"