Imaginary friends.

Whether it's through a blog or twitter or a brochure or a portfolio or a postcard, it's probably safe to say that you talk to your people in some way.

You may even have a general idea of who you're talking to.

• Thirty-something moms looking for a kid's birthday gift.

• Small business owners desperate for a web site.

• Interior designers in search of the right art for a corporate suite.

But who are you really talking to?

If you're having trouble coming up with a description of your ceramic dinner wear for your site, or the right words for the invite to your upcoming show, talking to actual people can make all the difference.

Really.

Even if the conversation is imaginary.

For instance, when I was designing Alt Marketing for Alt Galleries, and later writing about it for my site, I imagined talking to one specific person.

That person in the artist-run group who just goes ahead and gets things done.

There's always at least one. Sometimes there are a few.

When I was a member of a gallery cooperative myself, there were at least a handful. Great, inspired people.

So I chose one artist  -- an energetic, upbeat, committed real person -- and I talked specifically to her (in my head) when I was thinking about how to craft the home-study, and how to talk about it on my site.

I put a little picture of her on my desk every time I worked on Alt Marketing.

I wrote imaginary letters to her.

Whenever I thought of a new way to say something, or a different spin on what I wanted to teach, I'd say to myself, what would Fantastic Ms. Artist X think?

• Would this be exciting to her?

• Off-putting?

• Confusing?

• Does it speak to the things that are most important to her?

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Is there someone who's a loyal buyer of the things you make, or a client who seems like your perfect match?

Would it make a difference to think of him or her when you're working on the stuff that makes you visible?