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From small scale to a thriving craft studio: Tips and advice from an expert. Olympia business owner Pamela Corwin shares her expertise in an 8-week course

(PRWEB) July 10, 2005 -- Where might an artist or craftsperson turn for advice on how to run a successful business in the arts? Olympia, WA. resident Pamela Corwin, is available to teach workshops in your area. She offers classes in series or single workshops that go in depth into any of the topics in her 8-week Crafts as Business class. Corwin, owner of Paper Scissors Rock, has successfully merged art and business with her whimsical mixed-media clocks, magnets and noteboards.

This fall, Corwin will share her insight and expertise with Olympia, Washington entrepreneurs during an eight-week workshop, “Crafts as a Business”.

The workshop will be held on Thursday evenings from 7-9pm beginning September 8, 2005. Olympia residents who want to learn how to build a viable business from their art or those who already sell on a small scale and want to take their business to the next level will benefit from Corwin’s 25-year career in the crafts industry. “Most artists starting out have no idea how to run or build a business, they just hope that if they make great art, people will buy it. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, “ says Corwin. “It can take years to get started.” She adds, “I'll be sharing information and resources I only wish someone had handed me when I first started my business. I’ll be addressing student's specific needs and questions and they will leave with tools, resources and knowledge it could otherwise take them years to gather on their own.”

During the course, Corwin will discuss several “How to’s” including:
- Where to market and sell crafts
- Developing a product line
- Pricing tips and formulas
- How to get your work into stores
- Sales tips for both wholesale and retail sales
- Critique and feedback

Corwin hasn’t just pulled from her own experience. She has polled other nationally known artists to gather the tips, resources and advice they wish someone had told them when they started out. She has also invited several successful Olympia and Seattle artists to participate in panel discussions with the class.

Corwin will supply each student with a notebook of resource lists it took her an entire career to collect. As a special bonus, at the end of the eight weeks each student will be matched with a mentor. Every mentor will be a successful, nationally known artist who has been in business for years. Says Corwin, “This way they’ll not only leave the class with new tools but will know they have support as they begin their venture, an invaluable resource and truly unique opportunity.”

Paper Scissors Rock gifts are for sale at Pike Place Market in Seattle, as well as in over 300 stores nationwide. Corwin’s work has been featured on several national television shows and magazines and in 1996 she was commissioned to paint an egg for the White House Easter tree. Corwin recently joined the west coast Faculty of Arts Business Institute.

For more information on the Crafts as a Business class visit www.businessofcrafts.com. You may also contact Corwin by phone: 360-357-3480 or see her work at www.psrock.com.

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Source :  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb254822.htm