Connecting Your Brand Story Through Arts with Martha Weidmann

Martha Weidmann is the CEO and Co-founder of NINE dot ARTS, where she oversees business planning company finances, marketing, and sales, team development. It’s basically a head cheerleader and evangelist to the world about art and ways in which you can connect with you your brand, and help you serve your customers. It could be your tenants, your city, or your building. She is originally from the great state of Alabama.

Martha Weidmann is a formally trained artist. She is a self-taught businesswoman with a great network of advisors and mentors that have helped her to grow the company. NINE dot ARTS was started in the last recession in ‘09. Since that time, they have completed amazing art experiences in 36 different states, five different countries, for over 825 different commercial real estate projects. So, they are very well versed in this particular niche. Since the beginning, they’ve contributed over 35 million to the creative economy. She is very happy to be able to support artists, bringing value to the projects that they work on, and telling that brand story in a unique way.

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Brett:

I’m excited about our next guest. She is originally from the great state of Alabama. She has been a lifetime artist and she likes to say she’s been doing it for many, many years. Right now she is the CEO and Co-founder of NINE dot ARTS, where she oversees business planning company finances, marketing, and sales, team development. It’s basically a head cheerleader and evangelist to the world about art and ways in which you can connect with you your brand, and help you serve your customers. It could be your tenants, it could be your city, it could be your building. Please welcome the show with me, Martha Weidmann. Martha, how are you doing today?

Martha:

Great. Thanks for having me here, Brett. I am so relieved to know that I’m not the one giving tax advice today. Really glad that’s not my role here. Now my expertise, but definitely excited to talk to your network about art.

Brett:

Absolutely. And by the way, just as the premise here before you sell your building, or before you sell your company, there are ways to increase the value that’s beyond just numbers. And there are things that are, that are intrinsic values. And there are things that are like artistic value, and so this is, hopefully where you’re going to see where this conversation goes today. That is not your typical conversation. But it’s more important, especially in today’s technology-driven era where we want to look at art as a way to increase value. So that being said, Martha, would you give our listeners a little bit more about your story and your current focus?

Martha:

So my background is that I’m a formally trained artist. I’m a self-taught businesswoman. I have a great network of advisors and mentors that have helped us to grow the company. And NINE dot ARTS was started in the last recession in ‘09. Since that time, we have completed amazing art experiences in 36 different states, five different countries, for over 825 different commercial real estate projects. So, we’re very well versed in this particular niche. And I’m happy to say that since the beginning, we’ve contributed over 35 million to the creative economy. So very happy to be able to support artists in that way. And then of course, what it’s all about, is bringing value to the projects that we work on, and telling that brand story in a unique way. So happy to be here today and share more about how we got to this point.

Brett:

Amazing. Over 600 commercial projects or different Real Estate projects. Incredible. Before we dive into that and go into those particulars of what you do, I want to take a step back for our listeners and help them and myself because we’re getting to know each other for the first time. I’m curious, you grew up in Alabama, let’s go back to those days, perhaps think we’ve all been given certain gifts in this life. Some people call these superpowers, some people call them strengths. I believe in their God-given gifts, and I believe that it is given to us to be a blessing and help to others. So I’m curious, what are those one or two gifts that you believe you were given, Martha, and how does that help how you help and bless others today?

Martha:

Well, from my grandmother Emmylou, she was from Mississippi and grew up there were Mississippi farmers. From her, I really learned this spirit of gratitude, and generosity, being generous with your time, your positivity, being able to see the world as a place of abundance. And that perspective and that gift was really an incredible tool. She was a woman who did not have a formal academic background. And it was yet one of the wisest people that I ever met. So I feel very grateful that she was able to give me that gift of gratitude and perspective, and just overall a sense of abundance in life.

Brett:

Beautiful, absolutely. Love it. I have a similar grandmother, who gave me a lot and a lot of those exact ways. And from that era, where I was the greatest generation, perhaps that’s where your grandmother’s from as well. Where they went through a lot. My wife and I were watching a war two documentary and we watched those every now and again. And it’s sobering to see you know, at times and but also knowing that you know, things can get better if you persevere and, and that abundance and that gratefulness is something to always have. So thank you for sharing that. That being said, let’s dive into connecting your brand story through art. So what’s the number one secret Martha, for business owners for commercial real estate owners when it comes to using arts to connect your brand, their brand story to others?

Martha:

I’ve never had that question before, of what’s the number one secret? I’m excited to be able to reveal the answer for the very first time today on your show, Brett. Here’s the secret. Think about the artist before the art. Here’s why that’s important. When you are creating a project, a property, anything that’s public-facing, and the property is built upon the premise that you’re going to have visitors who come and spend time there spend their money there, maybe it’s a hotel, maybe it’s a corporate office, maybe it’s an apartment complex. One of the best ways to open that project out the gate, with the high value of community buy-in and social engagement is to utilize the tool of artists. In many commercial properties, it is now an accepted standard, that you must have some sort of artwork in the building. And so a lot of times people might get lost in thinking about that exact artwork. And forget that that artwork is actually made by hand by a person who might be local to the community where you are. And think about it this way. If you are putting together a building, our property that’s going to open to the public, you have a few options, you could go through a catalog of prints, and pick 30 prints and throw them up on the wall right frame them put them up on the wall. that qualifies as artwork. But it starts and ends there. Now, when you think about how to take that as an opportunity to engage with artists, and to tell a story, now you have a built-in community of champions when this project opens. So let’s say you instead choose to work with 30 local artists, those 30 local artists are now going to be the first people who post about your property on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and whatever the social media or does you are happening at the time. And then they are also going to be the first people who come to the restaurant who bring their friends to the bar, who send their networks over to visit that hotel, or that apartment complex or that office space because it’s new and cool and fresh. So, you’re actually building is an opportunity for marketing, you’re building an opportunity for brand awareness. You’re getting something unique and beautiful. That’s made by hand. You could send those funds for our work to a print shop, you have them as a poster company you don’t have any connection with or you could use those same funds to economically create a group of champions. And at the end of the day, when you’re looking to add value to your property, it’s all about getting people there. It’s all about gaining exposure, and of course, creating a memorable experience. So think about the artists before your artwork.

Brett:

That’s amazing. Yeah, I’m thinking of a couple of things that really stick out. I’m thinking of live art versus sleepy art, right? Alive. Art is local, it’s organic. It’s those who are in the community who knows, the neighborhoods and other different things that are going on, it can take a piece of artwork and create something amazing. And not only will they be proud of it, right? But the owners be proud of it. And then they’re going to invite the community to come in and experience that right. It’s alive. It’s active versus sleepy art, right. Either not paying the price or you know, hiring the person or inviting eight people in and thinking just about the building or the rent, or something that’s more I guess, traditionally tangible for real estate owners. Is that a fair summary so far?

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