Elevator Pitch: current grade C-

I've had plenty of opportunities to use my elevator pitch of late--a wedding and a retirement party. My 1 minute blurb about myself to promote my art somehow comes out as a mumble. As soon as I say printmaking, which is one of the first words out of my mouth, I feel as though I've lost my audience and I tend to trail off. Most people don't understand the term, so I need to work around it and build a better pitch. I surfed around yesterday and landed on this link for trade show pitches on Susan Friedmann's blog, and it was helpful. Friedmann suggests making columns of 1. what you do, 2. who you do it for, and 3. benefits offered (I changed this column to "imagery"). Basically as artists we're trying to sell ourselves, get our name out there and get talked about. How can we do that if we can't form a quick one-liner that is interesting enough for the listener to remember? So, below I've kinda reworked my pitch but it's not a one-liner. It's a one-paragraper (I need at least a 30-floor elevator trip)! Even so, at least it's something. Time to print it out, put it on my mirror and practice it. I can refine as I go, but I don't want to attend another wedding where my response to "What do you do?" is a blank stare.

My name is Cathy Savage. I make art--my focus is in traditional printmaking on a printing press and mixed-media collage. You can find my work locally at City Hall and Haven Gallery on W 6th. My work is narrative in nature, with various icons usually incorporated, and right now I'm interested in math and science. Most recently, I'm captivated by the the inventor Nikola Tesla, a rival of Edison.  (Not a bad idea to have pics on my phone to whip out should I get tongue tied.)

A friend suggested I mention what I like about printmaking in the pitch, so there's room for refinement, for sure. What do you say? I'd love to get some comments on this.

Speaking of wedding, look at these awesome coaster favors from artist Carolyn Kimball's wedding. They are images taken from her drawings and were printed by BaltimorePrintsStudios.com. It was my first introduction to a true Southern wedding and it was fabulous in every respect!