Meet Kristine Schomaker of Shoebox PR

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristine Schomaker.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kristine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As an artist, I had always been focused on creating the work rather than the business side of it. I would sell work on Facebook or to friends, family and coworkers, but I worked a full time job in the medical field and so wasn’t as concerned with promotion. I painted because I loved it. It was something I had to do. After I got my Masters Degree and had a solo show, that is when it hit me. If I wanted to show and sell more, I had to promote myself. My solo show in 2012 was cutting edge. I was using virtual reality as well as performance art and more. I didn’t do any PR and so didn’t get any write-ups.

I learned my lesson. I started studying artist marketing. I would go to classes, workshops, panel discussions learning as much as I could. When a friend was planning his solo show and looking for a PR company, I jokingly said, “well you can hire me.” A couple weeks later he came back to me and said, “Ok, let’s do it.” Within a week I had my company name, website, social media presence, business cards and more. That was 3 and a half years ago and now I have worked with over 100 artists, galleries and exhibitions. I have my degree in Art History and wanted to join the conversation, so I started an online art Magazine and an experimental art space a year ago. I was able to quit my Emergency Room job in 2013 and haven’t looked back.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with any freelance job, it is always tough. I am good at getting out there, but the stress of not knowing when I will get new clients and if I will be able to pay my assistants, eats me up. The economy has been iffy for a while so that doesn’t help when dealing with the arts. We are always changing our strategies and tactics with everything we do to work with growing trends, social media updates, art season audiences and more.

I think one of the biggest struggles is time management. Running my own business isn’t an 8-5 job. I work 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day. I often forget that I need to have a life too.

Please tell us about Shoebox PR.
Shoebox PR is a support network for visual artists. We aren’t your regular PR firm, as it is more of a collaboration, with the artists doing quite a bit of work. This helps keep the costs down for the artist. We help artists, galleries, arts organizations run their social media platforms, we refer artists to galleries, share opportunities for exhibitions, grants and residencies, and help them get press. We offer a once a month artist meet-up where the artists come together and talk about issues they are facing. They get advice on their elevator speeches, grant writing, and current information on the art world in general.

We also do studio visits with our artists and offer advice on how they can move their work forward to follow them individual career path.

I am most proud of the community I have built. My artists are friends. They go to openings together and support each other on social media. They offer each other advice, curate shows together, pat each other on the backs when there is a success and offer a shoulder when there is rejection.

This also sets Shoebox apart from other PR companies.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Haha! Well, I wouldn’t have racked up a huge amount of debt in student loans. And I would have started a lot earlier. I used to have these regrets, but I have come to see my experience working in the medical field as valuable in shaping who I am today. I probably couldn’t have started 3 businesses without the administrative background of my past.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shoeboxpr.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @shoebox_pr
• Facebook: @shoeboxpr
• Twitter: @shoeboxpr

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.