The Lost and Found – Business Cards

The creation process can overtake an artist’s life to the point that many of us forget about business tasks. However, one easy habit that always keeps a person looking fresh and professional is to keep your business cards handy at all times. I try to keep a decent amount of them stored up in a little wallet, because you just never know when you’ll need to share or trade one with somebody.

Case in point – yesterday I was getting ready to entertain family in my home, so I went out shopping for groceries and happened to start a conversation with someone in line about the store’s wine selection. (After all, an artist’s home must be stocked with a decent table wine at all times as well, right?). Next thing I know, we’re talking about art and I find out that the person I’m talking to is related to a well-known artist who was interested in new networking opportunities. I whipped out my business card so we could all discuss the details later. 99% of the time that I hand out a business card, it’s in a non-art setting where I wouldn’t expect to need one. So my advice to artists, always leave your house with a few business cards. It’s way more professional-looking and organized than scribbling notes on the back of a receipt that will more than likely be misplaced later.

Later that night, I realized that I was running low on cards and couldn’t remember where the rest of them were stored. Some of my belongings are still a little jumbled since I recently moved, and they’d been missing for a few months. Decided to tackle some bills before bedtime and low and behold. they were in the top of my accordion file box.

Way better than finding cash in your pocket, but that’s just my opinion.

I always get compliments about the quality of my business cards, along with questions on how/where artists can design and purchase their cards. Vistaprint and Overnight Prints are two printers I’ve used in the past and recommend for professional-quality business cards. The cards pictured were done through Overnight Prints* with UV-coating on the front and back, and I splurged on the rounded corners since I wanted my cards to look similar to my custom art panels. Both companies offer lots of printing options and quick turnaround times, plus easy reordering if you want to get the same design again later.