Our Internal Database
The window into our database that we’ve been sharing on Instagram has been generating a ton of interest.
What we haven’t shared is how this database works, optimizes our time, and can be used as inspiration for entrepreneurs across the art and design fields, and beyond. Plus, this database is crucial in ensuring all of our clients - past, present and future - benefit from the NY Spring art fairs and sales that are happening right now.
Sung Hwa Kim, courtesy of Harper’s Gallery
Importantly, art inventory is constantly changing because fine art is either one-of-a-kind or limited in edition size, and it sells. Unlike many design items, once it sells, you just can’t have another one. Our database, therefore, is what we call an ‘Inspiration Database”. It is not a live record of what is available across galleries, studios and auction houses at any given time – that simply does not exist. It is, however, a record of what we’ve seen and liked, and we are particular about what gets added. How is this helpful if the art included is not necessarily available? Because it serves as a hugely important prompt to remember artists, galleries, styles and concepts. When sourcing for a client and needing some ideas, I first go to our database and the artwork included prompts countless ideas that lead to outreach emails about availability and pricing, ultimately feeding our client presentations.
This Inspiration Database is a key way we optimize our time as individuals and as a team. The best example of this is with art fairs, such as Frieze NY, which is happening now through May 5th. The art and galleries we learn about at the fair are not limited to what we can remember one week, month, or year later. Instead, our learnings and takeaways are preserved in our Inspiration Database and available for us to reference indefinitely. This maximizes the benefit of the time we spend not only at art fairs, but also galleries, studios, museums and more. Related, our team is spread out and we definitely do not all go to every fair. With the Inspiration Database, we can see what our colleagues have seen and liked, prompting discussion and ideas, even for art that not every team member has seen in person. Importantly, there is a ton of art that I personally would have never noticed and appreciated had my colleagues not directed my attention to it, so there is a huge value to collaboration with people whose taste you respect.
Finally, the concept of this Inspiration Database is not solely beneficial to our niche art advisory firm. It can be used by so many businesses within creative industries where sourcing new ideas is critical, including industries in art, architecture, design, fashion, and more. The key is to use a database system that’s easy to build, search, and maintain. We initially tried Google Photos and a few others but have ultimately and surprisingly landed on SmugMug - a photography based system that’s not actually designed for the way we use it, but has been fantastic and economical for years. There are likely countless other options to look into, and investing the time into developing this today will save you time tomorrow, maximizing your ability to have impact in your field going forward.