Weekly Quick Collage: Summer Sweetness

Summer Sweetness

collage, 5.5 x 4.75

It's so bitter-sweet, saying goodbye to summer. While fall is truly glorious here, with perfect daytime temperatures, crisp, cool nights, and the riotous colors of the changing leaves, I can't help feeling a sense of loss, and a sadness that comes with knowing that winter is not far away.  Of course, this is the natural way of things, the cycles that are a part of the balance of seasons on Earth. Yet, it's difficult to reconcile myself to the coming darkness, cold, and seemingly colorless landscape. So I remind myself that the trees and plants are not dead, just taking a well-deserved restorative rest until spring, when they will burst forth with life again and continue to grow.

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?
                                                                                                                  ~ John Steinbeck

Happy fall, everyone!

The Life of an Artist, part 1

Many people have the idea that being an artist must be fun, and certainly not a "REAL JOB". Because, hey, we just sit around and make art all day. It's not really work, it's play, right?

I wish! Unfortunately, that's far from the truth. Here is a list of some of the art business tasks I have to perfprm, not including actually making the art, or any general "life" stuff (like cooking, laundry, shopping, cleaning, gardening, etc.). Like the general life stuff, almost all of it is ongoing; you don't just do it once and cross it off your list. It's like once you're finished doing it, it's time to do it again.

1. Organize art photos on the computer, so I can find what I need when I need it.

2. Spray all the small collages, and all the big pieces that haven't been sprayed. (Lots and LOTS!)

3. Update images on my website.

4. Update images on pinterest.

5. Update images on facebook.

6. Make sure all work is labeled and signed.

7. Post something on instagram.

8. Post something on twitter.

9. Write a new blog post.

10. Photograph artwork and edit images with photoshop.

11. Re-photograph everything with my phone, including the small ones that have already been scanned, because you can't post to instagram except with your phone.

12. Spray feathers so they won't be eaten by little bugs.

13. Scan and edit images of small pieces.

14. Look for shows to apply for, and apply for them.

15. Figure out how to sell more work online: etsy? facebook? other sites like Saatchi, or Fine Art America? What?

16. Somehow figure out how to keep all my collage materials organized, and put stuff where it goes - ha!


17. Send out newsletter/e-vites. (This exhibit is now closed; I hope you got to see it.)

18. Frame work for shows.

19. Get more gallery representation.

20. Ship stuff to buyers or exhibits.

21. Figure out how to set shipping costs for ecommerce.

22. Find a good app for inventory/tracking artwork, and implement it.

23. Work on expanding my email list.

24. Set up cart feature and prints on demand feature on my website.

framing (bllecchh!)

I'm sure I could come up with more, but you get the picture, right? It's not all fun and games, there is a lot of hard work involved, and much of it tends to be either: a) things we don't know how to do (these things definitely weren't mentioned in school), b) things we hate to do, because they're boring, tedious, and a pain in the butt, or c) both. And for me, since I have mostly sold through galleries, the "business" parts of this list seem obscure and completely overwhelming.

 Of course, I do realize just how very, very fortunate I am to have time to work on my art, and I'm grateful for that every day. But it seems like there should be some better, easier way to sell it. Right now I'm trying to get serious about figuring all this out.

With that in mind, I posted a kind of survey question on my facebook page.  My question was,
 Have you ever taken courses or read articles by any of the many art business coaches out there, such as Ann Rea (Artists Who Thrive), Alyson Stanfield (Art Biz Coach), Gary Bolyer, Jason Horejs (Red Dot Blog), Renee Phillips (The Artrepreneur Coach), Barney Davey (The Art Marketing News), Kym Dolcimascolo (Creative Visions Rising), etc., etc.... And, if you have, which one(s), and did you find them helpful? Most people who responded to this question had never used an art coach; therefore, I didn't get much information where this is concerned. Of those who did use them, it seemed the cost would be prohibitive, at least for me right now. Though most of them do have blogs or videos where they provide some free coaching, these seem to be an entry into to the whole program, which you must pay for. And who can blame them, this is how they make their living, right? Alyson Stanfield was recommended, and I'm going to see if she is offering any online workshops. Feel free to share here if you have any pertinent information.

artwork waiting to be sprayed

Question # 2: Do you use software to inventory and keep track of information about your work, such as dimensions, price, location, etc.? If so, what program do you use, and how well does it work for you? I was a little surprised to find that no one who answered this used art-tracking software; most artists used either Word documents for invoices, etc., and/or Excel for listing and tracking work.

Artwork Inventory

 I know there are several programs out there that are specifically designed for artists, including Artsala, which is put out by Jason Horejs, owner of Xanadu Gallery. There are several others listed online, such as Artwork Archive , Art Cloud, Gyst, Artwork Inventory, Tessera, Art Engine, eArtist, Working Artist, Artworkspro, vBook, ArtSystems, Artlook, Artist Organizer Pro, and more. Here is a quick comparison of software that is mobile-device friendly, Art Inventory Software Compared by Andrea Buckland. Another comparison article by Christine Wong Yap is here.  Artpromotivate has a comparison article here. Some of these systems are Cloud-based, and some are not. Also there is a wide range of prices; some have monthly fees, while some have a one time purchase fee. Some of them will also host a website for an additional fee.  However, almost all have a free trial, which would be very important to me, since I'm not at all sure what all of this mumbo-jumbo in the reviews and ads mean.      

I haven't looked at any of them in depth yet, but that will be one of my next chores. If you have used any of these, or know anything about them, please share here; there are probably others trying to figure this out as well.

Also, this post has gotten so long that I've decided to divide it into two separate posts. I will be posting another question on facebook, and investigating answers. Please stay tuned for the next post, where we'll get into some other things you may want to know about.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my art business saga! Happy arting!

Weekly Quick Collage: Java Girl, and Some Unrelated Thoughts

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! Time has just flown by, and I'm feeling like I can't keep up with it. I'm also thinking that maybe it's not good to try to do so many things at once, which is what I do when I feel I'm getting behind. I've been seeing a lot of  studies that show that our brains weren't designed for multi-tasking, and that it not only leads to poorer quality work, but that it actually negatively impacts our ability to concentrate and retain information. For

example:

"You’ve likely heard that multitasking is problematic, but new studies show that it kills your performance and may even damage your brain.
Research conducted at Stanford University found that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers also found that people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time." (Travis Bradbury, Forbes)

 Java Girl

 collage, 9.5 x 2.5 inches

 Every study I could find said virtually the same thing; in fact, I could find nothing that contradicted this conclusion. So why, I wondered, does everyone think multi-tasking is so great? Does it just make us feel that we're getting more done? I think that's the case; it's an illusion created by the act of running around like chickens with their heads cut off (sorry, it's not a nice image, but that's the expression we use around here), thinking we're getting things done when we're only getting them halfway done, and probably not very well at that. We feel 'stressed out', frustrated and overwhelmed. Here's an even scarier quote from the article about the Stanford study:
"Research also shows that, in addition to slowing you down, multitasking lowers your IQ. A study at the University of London found that participants who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines that were similar to what they’d expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night. IQ drops of 15 points for multitasking men lowered their scores to the average range of an 8-year-old child."

 So you're wondering, probably, what this all has to do with the "Java Girl". Well, nothing, really, except that the drawing of the girl came from a book published in the 1800's. She was just carrying her basket of whatever to wherever it had to go. Not multi-tasking. Probably not feeling much pressure, at least not comparable to what we all feel in our modern, electronics-filled, 'rush to get everything done now' lives.

So I have resolved to try to live in a different way, to be nicer to my brain and my frayed nerves. This seems like a better way to approach life, especially since I suffer from chronic depression and an anxiety disorder. I will use the same strategies that I used with my special education students when I was teaching - task analysis; break tasks down into smaller parts. Do them one at a time. Set time limits for how long I'll work on a particular activity. Take breaks. Maybe if we all just treated ourselves like special education students, our lives would feel more manageable, and we would find more peace.

 Namaste, everyone! May you find the peace within you.

Sacred Circles

Sacred Circles

mixed media, 4.5 x 6 inches

"The circle symbol meaning is universal, sacred and divine. It represents the infinite nature of energy, and the inclusivity of the universe.
 Our ancient kin observed a circular aspect to the cycles of time, specifically in the movements of the seasons. In waltzing rhythms of time, and with the revolutions of the earth 'round the sun, we can feel the same kind of evolution in annual time and seasons - just as our forefathers and mothers did."
~ Avia Venefica, What's-Your-Sign.com

The symbolism of the circle is as endless as the circle itself, and is considered, as far as I can tell, to be a sacred symbol by almost every known culture on Earth: "The circle is the most common and universal sign, found in all cultures. It is the symbol of the sun in its limitless or boundless aspect. It has no beginning and no end, and no divisions, making it the perfect symbol of completeness, eternity, and the soul. The circle is also the symbol of boundary and enclosure, of completion, and returning cycles."   (SymbolDictionary.net)

"The circle is a universal symbol with extensive meaning. It represents the notions of totality, wholeness, original perfection, the Self, the infinite, eternity, timelessness, all cyclic movement, God ('God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere." (Hermes Trismegistus)).(University of Michigan Symbolism Project)

I found this quote from Black Elk on a wonderful post about circles by Margaret Bremner on her blog, Enthusiastic Artist:

          Black Elk,

a medicine man and visionary

of the Oglala Sioux, said, “Everything the

Power of the World does, is done in a circle.  The sky 

is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball,

and so are all the stars.  The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.

Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as

ours.   The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle.   The

moon does the same, and both are round.  Even the seasons form

a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to

where they were.  The life of a man is a circle from childhood to

childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves

Our tipis were round like the nests of birds, and these

were always set in a circle; the nation’s hoop, a

nest of many nests where the Great Spirit

meant for us to hatch our

children.” 

Because of the circle's profound spiritual symbolism, humans throughout history
have built the circle's sacred form into not only religious rituals, but also physical constructions. From the spiral on an ancient Norman church in Cornwall...

...to Strasbourg Cathedral's Rose Window...

...to Stonehenge, where the circles line up with the sun and stars...

...to a women's circle dance in bronze age rock art from Zerovschan Tajikistan...

...to the beautiful tile mosaic in a mosque...

...sacred circles are everywhere,


...even in the creatures that inhabit this planet and the structures which form it...

electrical discharge on photographic film by kyorei on Flickr

unicellular green alga Micrasterias by Rogelio Moreno Gill

spider web photo by Smithsonian

Solar eclipse from the Moon by Hannah Gartstein, NASA


I've had so much fun learning about circles, and of course had to choose only a few to share with you here, so I have decided to post a circle every day on facebook. Follow my art business page if you want to learn along with me.

Namaste!