TRANSLATING CMR

Translating CRM

This started with an internet search for 1000 black lines. I was trying to find a book made by an artist I can’t remember—something about a thousand drawn black lines. I didn’t find the book, but I did stumble across the blog 1000 black lines. That detour led me to this corporate list from CRM Media on what defines a “customer-oriented company.”

It got me thinking: what if we swap customer-oriented company with patron-connecting artist?

Here’s how that map might look:

Store Experience
→ Create an environment for connection.
Your studio, gallery, or event space isn’t just a backdrop. It’s a communication interface. How can it be better designed to foster real interaction with your posse, community, and patrons?

Convenience
→ Don’t make them come to you.
Have a regular, easy-to-access point of entry. Host open studios. Offer pop-ups. Take your work to them when possible.

Range and Assortment
→ Be ready with variety.
Flexibility helps you say yes to shows and sales. Try a modular inventory:

  • 20 large works (similar)

  • 40 mid-size works (2 series of 20)

  • 2 installations (optional)

  • 2 video pieces (optional)

  • 30 mid-to-small works on paper

  • 6 artist books (optional)
    Abstract formula: 20A + 2(20B) + 2C + 2D + 30E + 6F

Quality
→ Use good materials. Present work in a way that respects its longevity.

Customer Service
→ Be reachable.
Respond. Be present when someone is trying to connect.

Multichannel
→ Use multiple forms, not just one.
Unless limitation is your concept, avoid it as a practice. Build hard skills across different media. Explore, refine, experiment. Don’t cling to categories—master processes instead.

Product Availability
→ Track your output.
Maintain an inventory sheet. Include:

  • Title

  • Medium

  • Dimensions

  • History (shows, sales, awards)

  • Location (is it in a show? in your studio? sold?)
    Have images of everything. Make a digital catalog. Store it in a Dropbox folder. Share the link with patrons who ask.

None of this makes the art. But it helps support the conditions under which the art is made and seen—and that, too, is part of the work.