1. Help Guide: Choosing & Resizing Photographs

Choosing your image

• In the printed book your image will be 4.5cm x 4.5cm not the size it is on your computer screen.
• Strong single images especially for a single member entry are easier to view in the book.
• A plain background helps with sculpture, ceramics, jewellery and similar disciplines.
• It is hard to take a good image through glass – if possible, take the image before it is framed (or remove the glass from any framed work before photographing).
• New images each year will encourage people to visit you.
• Your logo or an image of your building do not necessarily tell people what to expect.
• We will be using your image on the NEOS Social Media channels so potentially 6000+ people will see it – make the most of that exposure.
• Finally consider why an image stands out and encourages you to visit a studio and apply those findings to your own image.

Resizing your image

Go to promo.com/tools/image-resizer/

1. Upload image by clicking on browse – check image is larger than 1080 on smallest side.
2. Click on Instagram icon.
3. Click on Square 1080 x 1080.
4. Choose the area you want by moving the square to cover that area.
5. Click download.
6. You will have to rename your image as it will be labelled as Promo-Instagram-Square Post.jpeg.

Note: It’s important that your image file name is the same as your venue display name, your-name.jpg.

If you prefer a more visual and narrated guide, you can watch our video guide to image resizing.

2. Help Guide: Writing an Artists Statement

This should be a concise statement, describing what inspires you and what medium you work in. Bear in mind when writing, that it should encourage visitors to North East Open Studios to come and visit you to find out more about your creative process

3. Help Guide: what3words

what3words is a simple way to exactly identify your North East Open Studio location. The “3 word address” essentially points to a very specific location which is particularly useful when a postcode does not work, or a location address does not accurately transfer to maps.

We plan to use your what3words location to prepare the NEOS maps. This will save us time and resources. To find your unique what3words location go to www.what3words.com on your computer.

Once on the what3words website:

1. Tap the search bar, enter your location, postcode or place name, then select the correct search result.
2. Zoom in, switch to satellite mode and drag the map to find the exact location you want on the NEOS maps.
3. Tap the square you need to use and then you will see its 3 word address is displayed in the box.
4. Enter the 3 word address into the what3words field on the entry application form.

4. Help Guide: Using Social Media to Self Promote

As you are probably aware, there is a wealth of social media tools out there which we can all use to promote our creativity. A couple of years ago the present committee took the decision to concentrate on Facebook and Instagram.

You may already have a personal Facebook account, but you may wish to consider Creating a Page which people can Like and then keep track of your work. These pages can be public, so followers do not need to be on Facebook. Our public North East Open Studios page is one such page – if you don’t already, please “Like” this page and share it with your friends. We also have a Group page, which you may wish to join (you do need to be on Facebook and a member of NEOS to be able to do this). Joining the group will let you share and hear about opportunities for artists and makers in the northeast.
To mention our page, type “@” followed immediately by NorthEastOpenStudios (@NorthEastOpenStudios). Our little yellow arrow plus name will appear, press on that and @NorthEastOpenStudios will change to North East Open Studios (NEOS) highlighted in blue. The NEOS social media team will get a notification in their Activity letting them know you’ve mentioned NEOS and we will try and share.

Hashtags are a good way of being found on Instagram. If you use #NEOS2024 then again we can search for your posts.

Websites are invaluable for creative people. They can be used for a wide range of purposes, including showing photographs of your work, providing contact information, setting up an online store and providing links to places where people can see or buy your work. A valuable tool within a website (or independently) can be a blog, where you can post photographs of recent work or work in progress, write about your creative processes, or just about things about which you are passionate. It’s important to blog regularly to maintain interest. A website can be as simple or as complex as you want. To start with, it’s best to keep it simple. If you are including your website address in your NEOS entry, please check that the link is working and that your website is up to date. It would also be brilliant if you could link back to the NEOS website from your website.

5. Helpful Hints for Publicity

• Make the most of your allocation of the North East Open Studio Book by distributing it to places that attract visitors.
• Print off flyers or put your business card into your page in the book.
• Get together with other people in your area and discuss where you will put your books so that everywhere is covered.
• Keep some books back for nearer the event – you will need these to go into B&B’s, Hotels and self-catering establishments for the week NEOS is running.
• Make posters and distribute them to shops, notice boards, and pubs, clubs, and hotels just before the event. A poster template and the NEOS logo in various formats are available here.
• Consider having an invited preview or even invitations for the first day – make your visitors feel special – they are!
• Bunting – gets you noticed and makes it feel different – especially if you are open all year.
• Make the most of social media.

6. Pre-Planning and Preparation