The Importance of a Good Business Card

I was hoping to post the final version of the Leduc Grain Elevator, but I didn't get it done early enough in the day to photograph well, so instead I thought I'd expand on something I said in yesterday's blog.
I talked about leaving a business card when I was taking photographs of young people at the skate park so that if they go home and tell their parents some strange person was taking their photo, the parents can call and find out what I was up to.
That being said, an artist should leave a business card everywhere they can - it's a very inexpensive marketing tool and something that can show off your talents in a glance.
Here's an article I wrote about the importance of artists having a good business card...

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD BUSINESS CARD
Although most of us would like to be financially stable, and perhaps even a bit above ‘comfortable’ if possible - let’s face it - we don’t paint for the fame and fortune. If we were artists for the sole reason of making money, there are many of us who, after a few pathetic tries, would have given up and tried something a little more secure.
So, we’re obviously driven to create for other reasons. Some of these reasons include the need to tell a story, to share an emotion, to show a technique or to leave a legacy. But reality states that if you buy canvas, paint, frames and other art supplies continuously, you must find a way to make your art pay back at least enough to allow you to continue paying the costs of creating.
That means working on a plan to market yourself and your art to others in a position to purchase.
One of your greatest assets in your marketing plan is a really GOOD business card. Be sure to have business cards with you at all times. Have them professionally designed to have the highest impact. Although there is a cost to this, consider it your best investment. Your business card is the first impression that many businesses and individuals will have with you and your art. A professional business card says you care about detail and you are going places with your business.
The initial design will be a bit costly, but after that your remakes won’t be as expensive since the design is already complete. Be sure to have the obvious details such as name, address, phone, email, etc. Also include your title: Artist (or Portrait Artist or Landscape Artist for example). If you paint a specific style or will take commissions, or do something else specific, include it on your card. And, of course there should be an example of your art.
EDIT, and I mean EDIT your bio and you can include that in VERY BRIEF on the back of the card if you can spare the extra expense. Don’t be convinced that all of your information is so precious and important that it needs to be included in 2 point type. That will NOT be effective. Make sure your type is in an easy to read font and in AT LEAST 7 point. That means you’ll have to get only the very crucial details in very brief form.
Give out your business cards liberally. If ANYONE asks about your art, pass on your card. You have no way of knowing where it will go and in whose hands it will eventually wind up. When you present your portfolio anywhere, include two business cards. Sometimes there are two people involved in gallery decisions, and you are ensuring you’re in both their files and you won’t be forgotten.
When you send Christmas cards or any other mailed correspondence, include your business card. At any art function, be sure to have plenty of business cards on hand. There would be nothing worse than giving out your last business card and then a particularly important gallery owner coming along and asking you for one. You may never get the second opportunity.
A business card may seem like a very small and almost unimportant piece of paper, but sometimes it can mean the difference between you getting a commission or show, or the other artist who always comes prepared. Although your marketing plan will also need a lot of your own energy and time, your business card is really the most cost-effective marketing tool you’re ever going to find - make it good!