Last week, I spoke about my experiences on the "comic convention circuit." Well, a big part of promoting and selling at those conventions involved advertising my appearances at those shows to let people know where I was going to be, and where to pick up my books. One of the few bright spots of 2014 for me was----thanks to my amazing new friend and promoter, Joe Williamson---being able to sell myself and my work by appearing on radio shows and online podcasts, whether in-studio or over the phone. My first podcast, "The Spotlight: Hollywood Edition," was a great introductory experience to self-promotion, as well as the podcast hosts promoting me as well. One of the first things I learned about doing these shows is just how short an hour can feel like, especially when you're discussing something that you have such a passion for. There were two in-studio shows I did over the summer that were just an hour long, and after talking about just one of my books, the shows were almost over. I guess the old saying rings true: "Time flies when you're having fun."
It's also amazing to look back at all the different shows I appeared on (my voice, anyway), that each had a different style to it. Some were very formal and focused just on what I asked them to in terms of getting to know me and my artwork, while others were more free-flowing and felt like a natural conversation. That brings me to my most recent radio show appearance, my first of 2015: The Guy Talk Radio Show, which I did earlier today---a special thanks to the hosts Joey, Sandy, and Bill for inviting me on, and to Joe Williamson for booking my appearance. They had such a relaxed atmosphere where the hosts and the guests actually drink beer during the show. It was also less of a question/answer show, and more of just talking about various topics. I personally like both interviewing formats, but it's nice to switch them up once in a while. I feel that it's very important to keep things as fresh as possible, especially when it involves something you love to do, because even something you love to do can feel repetitive and often tiresome if you don't shake things up and approach it differently once in awhile. What I'm getting at in terms of interviews is that you can sometimes feel like your either answering, or being asked the same questions over and over again, and you have to come up with new ways of answering those questions the more shows you appear on. Most importantly, you also want to add a personal touch to what your promoting, so the audience understands where your passion and your ideas came from, and what it really means to you. The more the audience gets to know you as a person, the more willing they will be to view and even purchase your work.
So that's what I wanted to share with you all, as the new year opens. I may have some other shows lined up, either through my friend Joe or from fellow artist alley exhibitors I met at comic conventions. Whatever happens though, you'll definitely hear about it on this blog first, so stay tuned! Until next week, when I decide to write about something else.