From an online store brand to artists’ management
After a successful crowdfunding campaign, at PPL, to be able to afford the European brand registration, Soonset finally reaches its final concept. What started as an online store brand, destined to selling Mixed Media reproductions of the project’s mentor, Gisela Cruz, has grown into a broader concept related to artists’ management. Soonset started its activity officially on April 4th, 2023, with the opening of an exhibition in Coimbra and is now encouraging other artists to join the project.
On December 2nd, 2020, the crowdfunding campaign that allowed Soonset to exist as a brand ended successfully (https://ppl.pt/giselacruz). Its mentor, Gisela Cruz, started the project in an entrepreneurship training at her local Unemployment Center and developed a Business Plan that only included an online store to sell reproductions of her Mixed Media artwork. After being able to register the brand for 10 years in Europe, the next step was to have a website and open the online store.
Much has changed since then, starting with the artist’s own creative expression. The initial Mixed Media wall art evolved into 3D pieces and the concerns with beauty, light and good energies progressed into a series of artworks with a strong social criticism nature, much more consistent with her past as a journalist and a marketer.
On her journey as an entrepreneur and whenever she talked about her project, Gisela realized that many artists have a big gap to fill in order to sell their work: the commercial aspect of it. With a background linked to Communication and Marketing and numerous courses in entrepreneurship, social media, WordPress, etc. the obvious step was to open her store to other artists and use her skills to help them. So Soonset quickly acquired a more comprehensive approach to artists’ management. In addition to having access to the online store, a Soonset artist may also have training and career advice, develop merchandising lines, learn to manage social media, etc…
The official beginning of Soonset’s activity happened last april, 4th with the opening of Gisela Cruz Mixed Media Exhibition “Hard Times”, at the Penedo da Saudade Cultural Center, in Coimbra (that will be open to the public until the 7th of May). Original artwork and merchandising items alluding to the exhibition are now available at Soonset’s website/store.
“Hard Times” Exhibition is a controversial thematic approach to the current state of the world, given from the point of view of a former journalist who is not very happy with the current newscasts, as they seem to have invariably become propaganda. This theme inspired a rather humorous marketing campaign and merchandising line, based on the idea that anyone who questions the established narrative is a conspiracy theorist (https://soonset.biz/store/). This is an example of how to monetize an artistic concept, one of the bases of Soonset’s activity.
Other artists will now be added to the project and presented to the public. From visual artists to musicians, from crafters with an identity to actors and influencers, Soonset has its doors open to receive those who are tired of putting their future in the hands of others and want their hobby to become a profession or even those who are OK selling what they do best, but want to try out new personas and other sources of revenue.
If you are an artist, but you also want to become an entrepreneur, talk to us: info@soonset.biz.