There Once Was a Man Named Dustin

He was a traveling salesman who happened to work for a really large photographic firm. He spent most of his time either with a camera or a computer or three close by. Rarely did he leave any piece of equipment just sit for very long. He got to know the roads of Southeastern Minnesota really well in 2011 but before that, he traveled out west to Washington state a couple of times for work, out to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario Canada, hiked the Grand Canyon and got to see other natural wonders when growing up. Dustin had a lot of road time on him and then one day he decided to give up on the photography side of things and do it for the fun of it–at least his nature and travel photography that is. 

As Dustin was preparing for this transition, he decided he would try some new marketing platforms in which to get the word out about his work. So within the last month of his photography business he did things like he had never done them before. He would write and write and dig into the leadership resources he had in which to become inspired to write about leadership within art organizations and other venues of life. He started sponsoring art pages on Fine Art America and putting limited time promotions together also through his Fine Art America store. Additionally he held an open house in which he tried to sell his inventory and achieved a limited amount of success. Success even in small amounts was good but not what he had all hoped for. So then he decided he had best offer huge discounts on his entire online portfolio of upwards of 40% by using a coupon code of 40%GOBS. What was he thinking to offer fine art at such unbelievable deals. a really nice fine art image of The Dream framed and behind UV protected glass for only $115.50 –a 16×24 all framed and looking really good. Man, he is just about giving it away now it seemed. And yet, no one was buying any of the framed art online or in his gallery. Well, he thought, at least I will have art on my walls yet. Something very positive in light of giving up on his photography.

And so it goes, it was three days before Christmas and Dustin’s Limited Time Promotions ran out.

“Oh no, what I do I do now to see if anyone is even remotely interested in getting fine art stretched canvas. Is there another way that this can be marketed other then putting them on Facebook which then goes out to Twitter and around the world it seems. With world wide web exposure, would it work?”

So, he sat down and decided to write something which was only a foreshadowing of things to come in which he would tell the the story of “Three Remaining Limited Time Promotions.”

Story #1…

Dustin decided it would not be proper to starting writing the stories though at 7:12 at night. It would be better to write them in the morning when his mind was fresh with a creative vibe. But then he remember he must get up on time in order to write the stories. To which he thought, “I should really get to bed on time in order to write  a story before going to the Twin Cities to pick up the framing projects that have been ordered and get the truckload of Museum Glass for investments into the future.” He battled in his mind like a bulldog as to what to possibly due with this dilemma! Stay up and work or go to bed and rise early before the crack of dawn. What won out, you ask? You will have to wait for the answer to that one until…

Limited Time Promotions

These following images he said are set to expire, no no! Not that. Where are they going to go? They are set to expire he thought. For he had not finished his thought. The limited time promotion of the images are set to expire at the crack of 11:59pm on 12-25-11. His conscience was relieved knowing that the photos were not to expire.  So without too much of a story he unveiled the last three Limited Time Promotions!

  1. Spectacular Pleasure on the Mississippi River Canvas Print 11×14 Canvas Print 10 such prints to go at only $60. Wow, he never thought while taking this photo it would be cheap to put into onto a fine art canvas image.
  2. Talyor’s Falls as an 8×10 fine art canvas. “The trip from the Twin Cities to take this picture does not seem like it should be that small though,” thought Dustin. Yet he decided to give them away prim near at only $55. When the ten images are gone they are gone for good at that price he said!
  3. The Fence Through the Valley. Awe yes, the trip through Yellowstone and beyond was a trip of a lifetime. For it was there that the idea of doing photography and trying to sell it commercially came into a much clearer focus. For it was a blast to be traveling around, seeing the park, doing his own thing and then… The bison came… and the geyser blow and… mountains roared… Oh that’s right, this is not the story time yet. 20×24 Fine Art Stretched Canvas for only $105. 10 Such ones remaining he said.

There You Have it

In what has now been a traditional pattern for the last week and a half or so in Dustin’s life, he wrote a blog to try and provoke people to a thought process that runs deep within his soul. He normally ended his blog with some profound thought but at that time he wrote this, his thoughts were not so profound. And so he turned to a trusted friend and artist Renee Phillips.

It begins with you–as an artist–you are endowed with success. You have the power to create something, that before you imagined it did not exist. You are capable of bringing inner vision to out form… you posses a unique power to elicit a response, alter persons consciousness and have a major impact on those who see your work.