Mood: Reflective | Post Type: Behind the Scenes | After the Show: Week +6
The learning continues (even when writing this blog)
In my last blog, I walked through what I did with online promotion. Next up was something decidedly more old-school: print. Print wasn't completely new territory for me. I've used A6 flyers at events in the past. They might feel a little outdated (branding wise) now, but they've always served me well — particularly when they cost around 2p each compared with roughly 8p for a business card, while giving me far more space for images and information.
So I knew I wanted to stick with A6 for the exhibition, but this time I wanted something more substantial. I went for postcards printed on 350gsm silk card. I was really proud of the image and poster design I'd created for the show, so I wanted to celebrate it rather than produce something that felt disposable. These weren't just thin flyers I was bustling into people's hands; they were actually a lovely little memento of the exhibition.
My first order was for 150 postcards in April, ahead of an event at the end of that month. The solo show wasn't until the end of August, so this gave me a good four months to start getting them out into the world. In theory!
Here's the first lesson. If I'd had a similar year to 2025, when I was doing an event almost every month, those postcards would have made perfect sense. But I'd deliberately pulled back from events this year to give myself the time I needed for the solo show — and to balance everything with the other professional hat I wear.
So suddenly, I didn't have all those opportunities to hand them out.
And, slightly painfully, I've literally just realised another missed opportunity while writing this blog.
I was part of the open day for Delamore Arts, a prestigious month-long art exhibition. I had my postcards with me and gave them to people who specifically asked about my work. Why wasn't I just handing them out? I was surrounded by invited artists and art collectors. Honestly. Sometimes the lessons arrive several months late.
The posters
For that same event, I'd had two A2 posters printed. I put them in a black metal frame and, because I'd been given a stable stall rather than a six-foot table, it filled the space and looked really effective. It was large enough to catch people's attention and helped make the space feel much more professional.
There was a practical reason for ordering two as well. The gallery had an outdoor A-frame, so I needed one poster for each side. Keeping them framed in the meantime also meant they stayed flat and protected.
So far, so sensible. Then, about a month before the exhibition, I ordered 50 A5 posters and 300 more postcards. This was, it turns out, somewhat optimistic. I was completely scuppered by two things: lack of time and the road closures.
I did ask a few shops in the surrounding towns and villages if they'd display a poster and keep a small stack of postcards, but I was pretty rubbish at asking. There were plenty of places I simply walked past when I should probably have been a bit braver and gone in.
And have you ever tried to find somewhere you're actually allowed to put up a poster? Dedicated poster space is at a premium. That was one of the reasons I'd chosen A5 rather than A4 in the first place, and even then I'd sometimes discover that somebody else's event had taken precedence and my poster had been moved or heavily overlapped.
Looking back, my approach was far too haphazard. I concentrated on about four local towns and villages when, realistically, I could have covered 15. But by the time I realised I needed help, the exhibition was only weeks away, and asking friends to traipse around their local area putting up my posters and distributing postcards somehow felt a bit cheeky.
Now I'd do it completely differently.
As soon as the exhibition was booked, I'd ask…
I have friends living in those towns and villages who already know their local cafés, shops, noticeboards and community spaces. I'd ask if they'd be willing, nearer the time, to put up a poster and drop off a few postcards for me. Not only would that spread the workload, they'd probably know far better than I did where people would actually see them.
Not every avenue worked as I'd expected
The major road closure made getting out to some places increasingly difficult, so eventually I tried something else. I posted postcards to five larger hotels in the area.
I enclosed ten postcards with a little note explaining that I'd have preferred to visit and ask in person, but the road closures were making that increasingly difficult.
And I made very sure the envelope was thin and light enough to go as a standard letter. The last thing I wanted was for a hotel to have to pay for the privilege of receiving my unsolicited exhibition promotion!
Did any of those postcards bring someone through the gallery door?
I have absolutely no idea. But at least it felt like I was making an effort, and it's something I'd actually do again. The cost of a stamp was still considerably less than the time and fuel involved in driving to all those hotels individually.
So, how much print did I actually need?
Not as much as I ordered. I ended up with far more posters than I could use. I ordered 50 A5s; in reality, even 20 would probably have been too many.
And the postcards? Well, I had 450 printed in total. Eeek.
The second batch did at least include details of the charity I was supporting, as I'd made that decision after the first batch had already been printed. But I still have rather a lot of postcards celebrating an exhibition that has now finished.
However, I don't think all is lost. I used them almost like business cards during the show, so visitors could leave with something substantial rather than just my contact details. I'll also take them to my Christmas events and explain that the solo show has passed, but the postcards are a little memento of it.
Even better, the QR code means they don't have to become obsolete.
Originally, it took people to a webpage explaining the when, where and why of the exhibition. I've now updated that page so it's more of a look back at the show, with photographs, video and links to my blog — which, at the time of the exhibition, had reached 31 episodes.
And, of course, much of the original artwork from the show is still available.
So perhaps ordering 450 postcards wasn't quite as ridiculous as it sounds. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. We'll see how that pans out.
But one thing I have taken from all of this is that print still definitely has its place. There's something about a physical object in someone's hand, or seeing your exhibition poster up on a wall, that online promotion can't quite replicate.
It's not exactly seeing your name in lights...But I'd say it comes a pretty close second.
This is Episode 33 in my ‘Solo Show Diary’ series — a behind-the-scenes look at how my work develops. You can find my earlier posts here.