Author:
Eric Hines

The subject of talent and creativity has been mired in a healthy amount of confusion over the last century. Plaguing the art student, the instructor, and even the accomplished artist.

Until recently, like the majority of contemporary society, I too believed that to be a fine artist one had to be born with an abundance of artistic talent – you either had it or you didn’t.

I would imagine that this would be the reason behind my working as an art dealer and owning an art gallery in Los Angeles, instead of being an artist and selling my own works of art.

Today I am quite relieved to find that, even though I was not born with a large currency of innate visual artistic talent, such talent can be acquired and developed.

I can imagine that quite a large number of this article’s readership disagrees – perhaps some vehemently – with that statement.

This is why I am bringing in someone exponentially more qualified to address the confusion on the subject of talent which has permiated societies around the art world for 100’s of years.

I didn’t just find any art instructor to help sort this out, Larry Gluck has been teaching others how to draw and paint since 1975. His 20 Mission: Renaissance fine art studios are currently teaching more than 3,000 students every week. His unique method of instruction, known as The Gluck Method, is also taught in various colleges in America.

So without further ado here is Mr. Gluck to help dispel this “talent myth…”

“I’m not very creative, I have no talent.If you had a dime for each time I heard a student tell me this before I got their agreement to enroll for drawing or painting lessons you would be quite wealthy.

Perhaps you too believe you lack the “artistic gene” or “special gift” called talent. Let’s get real about this thing called talent, shall we?

Talent implies a degree of skill or ability. Ability in any field can be acquired. Were you born with all the talent and skill required of you to perform in your current career?

Of course not, you acquired the skills you needed in order to perform. Would you be able to acquire the skill to play any music instrument you wanted too, or would you need to be born with this skill?

Like anything else, you can learn to draw and paint beautifully. The only requirements then is a desire to procure the technical skills and a teacher to provide you with workable instruction.

Moreover, people often confuse talent with creativity. Each is extremely important, it takes both combined to create art, but they are not one in the same.

The dictionary defines ‘create’ as; to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve by ordinary processes. Create is what evolves from one’s own thought or imagination, to bring about, as by intention or design. Creativity could easily be described as what one imagines and then produces using one’s skills.

People use their skills to bring their creative concepts into the real world for others to see. The painter observes a spectacular view. He imagines painting it in vibrant colors. Thus, using his talent and skill, transforms his original idea onto canvas, it becomes a ‘real’ painting.

Not all of us are born with an affluence of talent, however all of us are born with a goldmine of potential artistic creativity. It is imprisoned within all of us. We have only to free it.

Natural artistic talent alone is not enough. Those who possess natural talent, an instinct for color, the ability to draw an excellent likeness, are frequently thought of as gifted. However in life, innate ability often turns out to be more of a liability than an asset.

It is often found that the Natural doesn’t know how he does what he does. Natural talent, devoid of understanding, can be unreliable. One small failure can shatter it.

The Natural may eventually invent “reasons” as to why he can perform only some of the time. Examples are the author who must drink to write a good story, or the painter who “knows” for a fact that he can only paint when Saturn is transiting Orion.

Unfortunately artistic talent and creativity are not properly married in the majority of fine art instruction curriculums. Studying under the Italian portrait master Giuseppe Trotta ‘ a classmate of Picasso himself, graduating from The Pratt Institute in New York, and founding the world’s largest fine art program for drawing and painting instruction, have provided me much insight into art education.

I have seen both sides of the talent and creativity coin hobby-horsed in colleges and private art instruction programs. Rarely have I seen both sides given proper merit simultaneously. On the talent side of the coin you have the art teacher who will ignore any form of the students creativity. The music teacher, believing all great music was originated hundreds of years ago, who disallows any original work from students.

On the other hand, focusing on creativity alone, you find the art teacher who applauds the unrecognizable blob of paint smeared across the canvas. No fundamentals are taught, thus there is no improvement in the student’s artistic ability to reproduce what he or she envision in their mind.

In developing talent one should begin with the fundamentals of drawing and sketching; the proper technique for holding a charcoal pencil, how to create depth and realism, the ability to capture light and shadow…

Once the ground work for these fundamentals is thoroughly laid the precise principles that underlie all drawing and painting skills can be taught.

This does not stifle originality, but instead provides the best possible environment for it to grow.

When the fine art student has both a solid technical foundation and strong nurturing of creativity, they are then capable of producing what they conceive in their mind.

And that is exactly where any artist wants to be.”

About the Author:

Eric Hines has worked in the field of art for over a decade as a musician, art dealer and is currently employed by
Mission Renaissance
, the world’s largest drawing and painting instruction program in the world. He is currently taking art classes to
how to draw and paint
, very soon he will be selling his own art work and not just the works of others.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Natrual Artistic Talent Myth Plagues Fine Art World

By
Kathy Gulrich

Have you ever wondered why you often find a coupon tucked inside your cereal box, or get invited to a customer preview sale at your favorite department store? Those companies know that their existing customers are the best – and most profitable – customers they’ll ever have. So it’s not surprising that they’ll do whatever they can to keep these customers happy and coming back again and again.

Believe it or not, the same concept holds true for your art career. While you don’t want to ignore potential customers, you’ll find that when you pay a little more attention to the customers and collectors you already have, it will really pay off – in increased sales and profits for your art business. The following 10 practical strategies will get you started.

1 – Understand how and why your customers buy art

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What’s in it for them when they purchase your art? Maybe they feel great about owning a piece of original artwork. Or they’re happy to support an emerging artist. Perhaps they’re looking forward to showing their new painting to friends. Start listening to your customers and asking questions, and you’ll learn a lot – fast.

Don’t underestimate the power of being an art collector yourself. You’ll know firsthand how your collectors feel when they purchase your work, and you’ll be a great role model for them. Even better, you’ll be supporting other artists.

2 – Make the first purchase a fabulous experience

When you sell a piece of artwork, remember that it’s also an exciting event for your customers. So let them be excited about their purchase. Accept any compliments graciously. Then share something personal that lets them know that you’re excited about the sale, too. Tell them how the sale is meaningful to you: It’s your first; your first to someone in New Jersey; your first in this series, or your last one like this. A positive connection now can pay off for years to come.

3 – Be businesslike in everything you do

Treat your art as a business, and treat your customers in a businesslike manner. Be meticulous about meeting deadlines and keeping appointments. Always provide the materials or information you promised – complete, and on time. And remember to thank your collectors personally when they attend one of your shows or support you in any way. A quick note or an e-mail will be appreciated, and remembered.

In addition, be businesslike when you price your artwork. Keep your pricing consistent: from the gallery to your studio, and from city to city. And stick to your prices no matter what; never discount your work.

Naturally, it makes sense to present yourself in a professional manner every time you show someone your work. That said, never try to be someone you’re not. Let your personality come through, and you’ll be the best businessperson you can be: you.

4 – Make it easy for your customers to purchase more of your work

I was at a friend’s house recently and admired a beautiful hand-made journal she’d purchased at a local craft fair. Thinking it would make a perfect gift for another friend, I asked for the artist’s name. When she didn’t remember, we looked inside the journal and discovered the artist’s name and phone number were nowhere to be found. The result? He or she lost a sale.

Put your contact information on everything that leaves your studio: letterhead, invitations, show announcements, note cards, etc. Affix a personalized label on the back of each painting that includes your name, plus your e-mail address or Web site.

And send your new collectors home with an “Artist Pack”: a professional-looking folder with your business card, resume, artist statement, bio, articles about you and by you, and so on. Youíll be amazed at how often your customers will share it with their friends and associates.

5 – Ask for another sale

When liquid shampoo first came out, it gave consumers a convenient and easy way to wash their hair. “Lather and rinse,” the label said. But shampoo sales really took off when just one word was added. Your shampoo bottle now says, “Lather, rinse, and repeat if desired.”

Repeat sales can revolutionize your business, too. So display your work in your home and studio where visitors will see it. And when customers are making a purchase, be bold: Ask them if they’d like to purchase a second (or third) piece. Ask your collectors for referrals to another collector, or to a shop or gallery where they think your work might fit in. Or suggest a commissioned piece you’d like to do for them. The key here is to ask for the sale.

6 – Upgrade your customers

Another way to increase your income is to upgrade your customers to a more profitable product (“deluxe” shampoo for color treated hair, for example). It’s really pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. Here are some upgrade ideas that have worked well for my clients:

• Encourage your customers who ordinarily buy giclee reproductions to purchase an original painting.

• Introduce your existing customers to some of your more expensive or larger pieces of art.

• If you have collectors who so far have bought only your sketches or drawings, suggest they purchase one of your paintings next time.

7 – Cross-sell your customers

Cross-selling is simply selling your customers something different from – but related to – what they’re already buying. Think back to the shampoo example. Wouldn’t it be relatively easy to cross-sell hair conditioner to someone who already uses shampoo?

Now take a look at your own artwork. Cross-selling might mean selling a piece of your pottery to one of your painting customers, selling a painting to one of your sculpture collectors, or suggesting your art note cards as an add-on sale when a customer stops by to pick up his pet portrait. Be imaginative, and you can increase both sales and profits.

8 – Get to know your customers and collectors

Remember that your customers are people first, customers second. Take your relationships beyond “business” and build personal relationships, as well. If appropriate, invite them to social gatherings, send a holiday card or drop them a postcard from your favorite vacation spot.

When you’re chatting with your collectors, make it a habit to listen for important dates and occasions. Then remember their very special occasions with an artwork gift. Imagine having a small piece of your artwork forever connected in your collectors’ minds with their 50th anniversary, the birth of their first child or grandchild, or their son’s graduation from medical school. Sometimes a little goes a very long way.

9 – Let your customers get to know you – and your art

Don’t you just love it when you get to watch another artist at work and see for yourself how they do what they do? You’re not alone.

Almost all art collectors are curious about how you create. So it makes good business sense to find ways to share your process with them. You might invite them to an informal demo. Show them photographs of the location that inspired you. Or even let them try the process themselves. Take the time to show your customers what makes you and your art unique.

Customers who understand how you apply your paint, why you use those strange-looking long brushes, or how you get so many layers of color onto your canvas are not only educated about what you do – they’re interested in what you do. And that will translate into more sales, and more referrals.

10 – Build strong, ongoing relationships with your collectors

Don’t be shy about asking your customers for advice and input, whether it’s on how you showcase or hang your work, or on new projects or techniques you’re trying out. Do it one-on-one, or host a studio open house (notice I did not say “studio sale”) to find out what they think.

And when you’ve just finished a new series or collection, or you’re ready to hang a new gallery show, invite your best customers to your studio for a special preview of your new work. They’ll love it.

Most importantly, be yourself with your customers and collectors. Yes, you may meet a collector or two who wants to be dazzled by art double-talk and rhetoric. Most collectors, however, will want to get to know the real you. They’ll love hearing about your feelings about your artwork, some of your artistic quirks – and even some of the mistake youíve made.

Once customers and collectors really connect with you and your work, they’ll be back for more. And that’s good for every artist’s business.

Best-selling author Kathy Gulrich helps clients get from idea, to action, to results – more quickly, and more easily – whether they’re looking to write a book, develop a new product, or market their product or business. Clients love her direct, no-nonsense approach – and her gentle insistence on great results. Find out for yourself: Check out one of Kathy’s teleclasses, or pick up a free worksheet, at
http://www.smARTbusinessCoaching.com

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Gulrich

http://EzineArticles.com/?Making-the-Connection:-Customer-Relationships-That-Build-Your-Business&id=34940

Author:
Miata Edoga

How do we define success? And, more importantly, what does it take to achieve it? For actors, those answers might be “Being a series regular on a night-time drama” and “Consistently honing my craft and auditioning regularly”. For a photographer, they might be “Shooting a cover for National Geographic” (or Cosmopolitan, depending on preference), and “Constantly shooting in different conditions to increase my skill”. It will differ from person to person, and from art form to art form, but I want to give you one key to what it takes that applies across the board, be it art, business, finance or sport:

“The secret to your success is determined by your daily agenda… by the daily decisions I make, and the daily disciplines I practice” – Dr John C. Maxwell

I heard that statement in a lesson a few years ago, and it is something that has always stuck with me, because I fundamentally believe that it is true. Another way of saying it is that, if what and where I am today is a direct result of my previous actions, what I am tomorrow depends on what I do today. The problem is, most people underestimate what they can do today, and over estimate what they can do tomorrow.

Now, if you think about this for a minute, you will see how true it is. You constantly hear “I’ll do it tomorrow”. I know I say that, and then, when it doesn’t happen tomorrow, it becomes “the next day”… then the next… then the next, until either we hit a crisis and do it at the expense of something else, or we just never quite get around to it.

Taking your
acting career
as an example: how can you book any jobs if you don’t audition? And how can you audition if casting directors aren’t seeing your headshot? And how are they seeing your headshot unless it is being put in front of them? So how many submissions are you or your agent making today? How many workshops are you attending today? What networking are you doing today? What are you doing today to hone your skill so that, when the opportunity arises, you perform to the best of your abilities? But maybe making that phone call to an agent is uncomfortable, so you put it of to tomorrow, and traffic is really bad tonight, so that networking event can wait… you get the picture.

The same is true in your artist development, and especially your finances. If I am struggling with debt, what can I do to get out from under it? Can I call the credit card companies and beg for a break? Can I tear up my bills, move, and hope they won’t find me? You certainly could, but it wouldn’t be recommended. Instead, wouldn’t it be better to make more money, shave some money off your expenses, pay a little less in taxes, put a solid debt plan in place, and move forward freely than constantly worrying about how you were going to handle those student loans? (None of which is taught by
acting schools
!) Again, what expenses can I track today that can be used as tax deductions? How can a work a bit more today to make that bit of extra money I need to cover those expenses? How can I alter my spending habits today so that I have to worry less tomorrow? (For assistance with this, please email us at
info@abundancebound.com
with the title “Chart of Expenses”, and we will send you a very detailed excel file to help break down your income and expenses, and identify where you could trim, what you need to improve etc).

By now you get the picture. Oscar Wylde said “every action of the common day makes or unmakes character”, and, beyond that, everything you do today effects where you will be tomorrow.There are two kinds of pain in this arena: the pain of discipline, and the pain of regret. Now, especially when it comes to our finances, we can play now and pay later, or we can pay now and play later. The problem is, payment compounds, and increases with time and missed opportunities. So if you suffer the pain of paying now – of discipline, of doing the things you need to do long after the mood in which you said them in has gone, of paying attention to your actions today – you will get to play a lot longer in the end.

All of this is a process. No-one expects people to flick a switch and suddenly have amazing organizational skills, perfect credit and financial savvy. Just like getting fit takes time, so does this. The important thing is that, as you take your journey into
financial education
, you are not alone. Abundance Bound is there to help you any way we can, and we very much look forward to the opportunity of doing so.

About the Author:

Miata Edoga is a working actor, as well as being President & Founder of
Abundance Bound
. Inc, the
financial education
company for actors & artists. Her vision is to develop a community of artists able to pursue their creative goals free from the crushing weight of financial stress.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Making Tomorrow a Better Today

By
Meilena Hauslendale

There is no such thing as a “small” job. Each function within our society aids our detailed technical lifestyles and well being. From a store clerk to a business executive, each position is an intricate part of the matrix of our world. We rely on these functions without even realizing their value or contribution to our daily activity. Each person has there place and each person has their purpose. The key is discovering and taking the time to find out what exactly you are to contribute to the world.

What is even more challenging is that often we are presented with serving multiple roles in our lives besides just our “purpose.” We are parents, workers, spouses, and children. All of which demand time and effort from our daily lives. What is important though is that we balance our time and our roles to nurture our purpose and inner abilities. It takes time and effort to discover your goals and ambitions, but it is a quest that need not go unnoticed.

A common excuse for not nurturing our talents is that we are too busy with other activities. When in actuality perhaps we have over extended our time and resources. Take a moment to sit down and note what in your life takes up your time. And then after you make that list, make a column and mark what is a priority, what really “has” to be done. Be sure to note how much personal time you get outside from all your other responsibilities. Start out small and see if you can allocate at least a half hour or an hour of your time a day devoted to yourself without interruptions. Use this time to evaluate the path of your life. Are you doing what you want to be doing right now? If yes, what could you do to further your progress? If no, what do you want to do?

Use free thinking in your evaluation. Free thinking means there are no limits. You can dream to be anything you want to be. Think about what you would like to do whether you were paid or not. Think about what makes you feel good as a person. Maybe you like the arts or maybe you like to work outside. Compare your aspirations with your current life situation. Are you close to your goals or are you far away?

Once you have addressed your aspirations, make notes in a special notebook dedicated to just you. It is great to see your ideas take formation when they hit the paper and also it is a great way to look at your progress on days where you may feel there is none. Plus you will need a notebook for further steps as well. Feel free to personalize this notebook and make it attractive for yourself.

Don’t feel guilty for taking this special time for yourself. Understand that your commitment to yourself will reflect off onto others. By bettering yourself, you become better in all the roles and commitments you hold. It is when we stop to listen to our true selves and the nature of our lives that we are able to create abundance in our environment and those around us. What you are doing is investing in a personal foundation.

If you only have a half hour or an hour a day, make a list of what you want to accomplish with that time. So once the clock starts ticking you are ready to be productive and work on your goals. Time management is good practice right from the beginning. So when you do figure out what your purpose is, you will be ready to use every minute you get efficiently.

Once you figure out where you want to go or what direction you want to take in your life, then take the time to research… research…research. Research is a crucial element of developing your career strategy. Go to the library or do a search online for the topic you are interested in pursuing. Find out what tools you will need to start your purpose. Will you need additional education or training? Will you need a business loan? Or will you be using your own personal resources for the start up? Don’t let money issues stop your progress. Remember knowledge is the currency here. There are ways to accomplish your purpose on little to no funds.

Remember real life purposes take real life work. Sure some people get lucky, but often others have to really dedicate themselves to their success. Have an open mind during this self evaluation period and the rest will follow. Most importantly, be patient with yourself the same way you would be patient with another person. Secondly, perseverance is essential in the formula for success. You have to be willing to make a serious commitment from day one to yourself. Your ideas may change form along the way, but at least you are continuing to reach towards self fulfillment.

As a summary for this step’s exercise, write it down, take a pen and paper and make a personal inventory of your ambitions or the things that you are good at and enjoy. What do you feel passion about? What would you want to do even if you didn’t get paid for it? Second of all, be honest with yourself. Don’t feel ashamed or guilty to recognize your talents… after all that’s what they are there for, to be recognized. It’s up to you to release them and share them with others. Make your purpose, your business.

Inspirational Artist & Author Meilena Hauslendale’s work and articles are displayed internationally. She is the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and the Editor of Intrigue Magazine. Published books include, Making Your Purpose Your Business and Recognizing Unhealthy Relationships. Email:
articles@meilena.com
http://www.meilena.com

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meilena_Hauslendale

http://EzineArticles.com/?Making-Your-Purpose-Your-Business-Step-1—Discovering-Your-Purpose&id=26796

Author:
Antonia Marino

There are so many art exhibitions around that it is essential to make your exhibition stand out from the crowd. One way to achieve this is by having a drawcard to attract visitors. An interesting and successful idea is to create an interactive art installation at the venue to entice visitors into the exhibition and to engage them with participation.

An interactive art installation is usually a large sculptural piece specifically created for the event which the audience can use, play with, interact with, influence, solve and/or manipulate in some way. Their participation allows them to experience a result of some kind. This adds an additional dimension to their exhibition experience and is particularly successful if your installation is unique, fun, challenging or enlightening in some way.

When designing your art installation consider the overall theme of your exhibition, your intended target market, and the available facilities at the exhibition venue.

Exhibition Theme

It is important to make your art installation and art exhibition theme cohesive. If your audience cannot see a logical connection between them your drawcard may not be as successful. Therefore give plenty of consideration to this aspect of your idea. For example, if your exhibition theme is “Urban Landscape”, choose an industrial type installation using inorganic materials, hard shapes and modern fittings.

Other questions to ask yourself when designing your art installation are the possible results of audience participation. Do you want them to have a unique experience, or a pre-determined answer? Are you trying to make a statement, tell a message relating to your theme, or do you want your audience to come up with their own conclusions? These questions will help you to refine your idea and create a installation that best suits your exhibition.

Target Market

Tailor-make your art installation to your target market for maximum success. This is important in all areas of business marketing and your art exhibition should be no exception. A target market is usually defined as demographics such as age, gender, geography and socio-economic group.

If your audience is predominantly young middle class college students, your installation should be young, fresh, innovative and modern. On the other hand, if your target market is mainly elderly, upper class art investors you would approach both the exhibition and your art installation in a totally different way. Ask the venue what their customer demographics are in order to give yourself the best start.

Exhibition Venue

When creating your art installation it is very important to consider the venue in every aspect of the design. Visit the exhibition space and plan out the shape and size of the area available to you. Take lots of photographs, capturing every angle. Use a long retractable tape measure to take measurements of the room, noting the dimensions of the walls, including ceiling to floor height. Measure and record the size and locations of all doorways, windows, pillars, permanent light fixtures and electrical sockets. Take particular note of the main entrance way and how the audience will move around the installation.

Finally, ask the venue what resources they have on site, such as ladders, plinths, partitions and portable lighting. These will come in handy for your installation, and may cut down construction or display costs. Whether you are using props and equipment belong to the venue, supplying your own, or hiring them, ensure they are safe to use. This is particularly important if using electrical appliances such as portable lighting. Your audience safety and well-being is paramount.

An interactive art installation can become a value asset to your next art exhibition by making it stand out from the crowd. With just a few important design considerations you can maximise its promotional potential and make your exhibition a huge success.

About the Author:

Antonia Marino is an artist and business owner with over 15 years experience in the art industry. Her current project is ArtBiz Resources, which provides downloadable art business documents and forms for artists, galleries and exhibitions at

http://www.artbizresources.com/.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Interactive Art Installation for Art Exhibition Promotion

Author:
Chris London

For an artist or
graphic designer
there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your art on actual product out in the retail environment. I’ve been designing and developing art and products for licensing for quite a while now and it’s still like Christmas every time I receive product samples for approval. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy opening boxes filled with various product samples that I have designed and created. Maybe you already know this feeling or maybe you are just starting to venture out into the world of artwork licensing. I hope so! If you are just starting out then you should check out Surtex National Stationery and Gift Show in New York. This show is one of the best ways to show your work to people actively seeking new talent.

Artwork Licensing can be an extremely rewarding and profitable venture. There are many benefits to licensing your artwork. The obvious benefits are that you retain ownership and copyrights to your creations while other people market and distribute your creative works for sales. This allows you to gain passive income through royalty payments, usually payed quarterly, and the ability to use that same art in new ways for future profit.

As fun and exciting as Art Licensing is, there are some things you should know before entering into any contractual agreement. First of all, there is a lot that you won’t know in the beginning of your licensing career and a ton that you will learn along the way, but you should have a good understanding of what the terms of your agreement will be before signing anything. If you are presented with a licensing contract – review it and understand that you are the one licensing the art and you have the power to negotiate your terms. Also, it’s always a good idea to have your own copyright attorney review the contract.

Before we discuss this topic further let’s get familiar with a few terms, that is if you are not already familiar with them.

1. Licensor – You!

2. Licensee – the company you are licensing artwork to.

3. Royalty – The percentage you will be payed on the sales of your art.

4. Net Sales Price – the price for which the Licensee sells the Licensed Products

5. Licensed Design – shall mean those designs owned by Licensor and incorporated into one or more Licensed Products

6. Sell-off-period – A period of time used by the Licensee to clear out licensed product. This usually takes place at the end of a contract when the licensee needs to dispose of all of its existing inventory of Licensed Products on hand. During the Sell-off Period, no royalties shall be payable to Licensor for the sale of Licensed Products that must be liquidated (sold at or below cost).

Every licensing contract can vary in detail, however, there are some key points that should never change. Your licensing contract should clearly state that the licensed artwork is yours and that you retain the rights to the artwork being licensed. You should specify that the “licensee” (the company you are licensing your artwork to) does not have the right to sublicense your art to other companies without your written approval. Also, under no circumstances is the licensee entitled to any ownership rights to your original art nor do they gain any copyrights to any piece of your art. In fact, you should specify your own copyright line to be used on every product that the licensee produces. Would read something like;

© YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE All Rights Reserved

Licensed by (Licensee’s Company Name Here)

You will probably find that most negotiation comes into play when determining your royalty percentage. Here are a few common ranges of royalty rates in the giftware industry that may help guide you in determining an appropriate royalty percentage.

* Greeting cards and gift wrap: 2% to 5%

* Household items such as cups, sheets, towels: 3% to 8%

* Fabrics, apparel (T-shirts, caps, decals): 2% to 10%

* Posters and prints: 10% or more

* Toys and dolls: 3% to 8%

As I previously mentioned this is a scale of acceptable industry standards. In my own experience, I have found 5% to be a very standard and acceptable rate for most items. However, for some stationery items like gift cards and gift wraps 2% is the acceptable standard. If you are just establishing yourself as a licensing artist it would probably be wise to aim for the 4-5% as opposed to the 10%. In this part of your contract you can expect to see a line stating that no royalties shall be payable to Licensor for the “closeout” sale of Licensed Products that have been deleted from Licensee’s line of products. The licensee will almost certainly include this statement in your contract, however, one thing that you should stipulate directly after that line is that the Licensor must be notified in writing prior to the “closeout” of a line or products and that any licensed products sold during the “sell-off-period” that are non-liquidation orders are subject to royalties. Yes, a company will liquidate it’s products and product lines to clear out inventory, but not all sales made during the sell-off-period are liquidation sales which you should be paid a royalty for.

Keep your licensing arrangements clear, concise and simple. You may get advice from people to get an advance against royalties or negotiate a one time licensing fee. These are not common practices for people just getting into licensing. An advance against royalties is exactly what the term states – an advance payment on future royalties on a licensed work. My personal belief is that it is better to negotiate terms with a fair percentage that works for you. Then make sure to avoid unnecessary deductions such as sales commissions, undefined “fees”, or any marketing, promotional and advertising expenses that the licensee engages in. Some deductions are acceptable, for instance deductions made before the royalty is calculated for taxes, credits, and quantity discounts.

I really enjoy art, graphic design, and the rewarding feeling you get from seeing your art out in the market place. I would like to see more artists reaching out to the public with their creative works. It takes time to build a successful licensing career. The key is always play to your strengths. Stand apart by doing what you do well and not replicating others. When it comes time for you to enter into a licensing arrangement – I hope that you have found this article helpful. I would also like to offer a template for a standard contract regarding the licensing of artwork as a resource to help give you a heads up on how to protect your “assets”. This licensing contract template, set up for a standard 5% royalty.

You can find this template at:


http://www.pixelproductionsinc.com/news.php


or


http://pixelproductionsinc.com/blog

Please note: This contract is intended to be used as a reference to help artists looking to establish licensing agreements for their artwork. Any legally binding agreement that you enter into should be reviewed by you and your attorney prior to enacting said agreement. This material is a reference for you, but we are not responsible for any legal agreement you enter into.

About the Author:

As the Art Director for Pixel Productions Inc., I have had the privilege of creating and designing art used for licensing on hundreds of products from stationery to mugs and door mats. You can find our art in retail environments like Hallmark, Michaels, and Target. As a graphic designer, being able to take part in designing art for licensing is such a rewarding experience and one that I hope many young artist will be able to know. You can see my work at:
http://www.pixelproductionsinc.com

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Licensing Artwork? How to Protect Your “Assets” When Entering into an Agreement to License Art

Author:
Kelvin Eng

As tattoos become more popular these days, more and more people are getting tattoos or talking about getting one. This is great for the industry and even better for those who would like to get involved in the tattoo industry. But don’t think that becoming a professional tattoo artist is easy. There really isn’t any such thing as easy money by becoming a tattoo artist.

Many tattoo artist aspirants believe that purchasing a D.I.Y. tattoo kit from the advertisements of tattoo magazines is the starting point towards becoming a successful tattoo artist. Be aware that this equipment is of inferior quality and lacks precision. What next? Find a person to practice. And the result is dozens and dozens of people with awful tattoos and terrible scars and who will put you in their hate list forever. Furthermore, a true artist will be reluctant to take you under his wings because he is going to have a headache trying to guide you back on the right path.

The alternative is to pay a fee to a tattoo artist or shop to teach you the trade. So what is the type of fee to pay? As far as I know there are no reputable artists teaching you all he know for a fee. A true artist is not a true blooded businessman. If an artist is willing to teach you for a small fee, then consider this. Is he willing to part with all he knows for what you are paying? In one Asian country, the majority of tattoo shop websites advertise tattoo courses for a very small fee. But the problem is that after completing the course, you will have to come back for one refresher course then another and another. And I understand that after completion several such courses, you will not be able to tattoo properly. So the chances are you will be paying good money to some businessman who is just trying to make a fast buck.

So then, how to become a successful tattoo artist? For starters, you’ll need talent. You will never make it in the tattoo industry by tracing or stenciling, you will need to be able to draw great designs. To even get considered as a tattoo artist, a portfolio is needed. This will require you to draw lots of great designs to build up a portfolio. Your portfolio is proof that you have the skills that are needed to succeed in the industry. Without a portfolio, don’t even bother. I remember one South American guy asking me to train him to become a tattoo artist. And he said money is no problem. I told him that money is not an issue, just draw me a colored dragon and then a reaper. He came back after one week, and said he couldn’t draw a proper dragon or reaper. So end of story.

Once you have a portfolio to showcase your talents, you will need a mentor, someone who is willing to teach you the trade and share their secrets with you. Now this is the tricky thing, tattoo artists don’t like giving away their secrets. Simple reason is because many of them have been let down by their apprentices. Just take the case of my mentor. He has taken more than 20 people under his wings (all without any fee), but today only 3 of his graduates still “recognise” him as mentor. What happened to the rest? They have their own shops, but tell their customers that they can do the same quality of work as their mentor (also my mentor), but their prices are cheaper. So you know how much it hurts to be treated like my mentor? If you do find someone good, a real professional who is willing to tell you anything at all about the industry, then be grateful.

To train as a tattoo artist, you will need proper, high-quality equipment such as a precision tattoo machine, power supplies, shading equipment, needles, medical equipment and sanitation supplies. You will also need to know about cleanliness and what can and can’t be reused, as well as how to clean and sterilize your equipment. The popular professional tattoo artists are successful for a number of reasons, but mainly because they are clean and very talented.

You can succeed in the tattoo industry, but you will need to be talented, self-driven and dedicated. If you want to make lots of money as a tattoo artist, you are wasting your time. Become a tattoo artist because you love the art and love to create breath-taking pieces of body art. Be prepared to work for free and, most of all, if you get someone to stop and share a secret or two with you, take their advice. You will definitely need it.

What you do is you apprentice and work for a tattoo artist for very little pay. You do this so that he/she can take you under his/her wing and show you how to take your artistic skill and transfer it to the art that is called tattooing. If the master you’re apprenticing for is good, then along the way you’ll also learn about how to run a shop, what it takes to succeed, and what NOT to do…

How long does it take? Well…that depends on how fast you pick it up and how good your master is. It’s not uncommon for tattoo artists to apprentice for more than one artist in their careers…and each apprenticeship can last for several years.

This is not to discourage you…but the guys on Miami Ink didn’t just “decide” to become rock star tattoo artists one day. They scraped just to get by for many years before they became successful…and, chances are, you’ll have to, too.

About the Author:

Author is a tattoo artist at Tattoo City Art Studio

http://www.tattoocity.com.my

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
How to be a Professional Tattoo Artist

Author:
Dinah John

Website Motivation – Whatever your skills, whatever your interests, everyone has the ability to be creative in their work. However, we can often lose our motivation and drive to create, making it difficult to stay focused on a particular work plan or project, especially in web design. So what is the best method for staying motivated?

The key to maintaining your own motivation to be creative is actually a long term effort. Starting out can be tough, and in most cases the most difficult part. But with the right methods and consistency you will be able to reach a point where staying motivated is easy. It is a simple case of knowing when to make the right choices at the right times.

Obviously everyone is unique and each of you will have your own methods and actions into being creative. But here is the chance to read something that offers some possible methods and solutions when getting motivated and staying motivated.

The main things to take into consideration are:

Set goals

You will find it is a lot easier to stay motivated when you feel like you’ve reached a target. Give yourself something to achieve and break the work load down. If it is a large website project you are working on, set yourself mini goals so you are reaching targets every few hours or days rather than spending weeks trying to get the lot done.

Small bite-sized objectives

As mentioned briefly above, set yourself up for more success than failure by being realistic in goal setting and come up with small, bite-sized tasks to start with. As you complete more tasks, start making your goals more ambitious.

Build a creative workstation

Whether you design websites at your desk, in a dark room or a home office, you need to assign a place to yourself where you can be creative. Once you’ve decided on that place, use it! Each creative task and success you achieve in your ‘creative workstation’, will slowly train your mind to be creative within it. When I first set up my creative workstation it took me about 3 months for it to click in my mind that it was actually my workstation but as soon as I enter now, I can focus my mind that I’m ready to work.

Walk away, but don’t quit!

Whatever you do, you must always remember to never give up on a website or problem. Put them to one side for a while but always come back it later on, even if it means coming up with a theory for solving the problem. These problems build confidence and develop a nice portfolio.

Find your creative time zone

Just like your body’s sleeping and eating times, there is also a best time when your body can be most creative. For me, the best time to be creative used to be late at night, now-a-days it’s usually between midday and late evening. Although I do have a creative burst where I get most work done after 9pm. Your main objective is find out when you are at your most creative side and start using that time to your advantage.

Using the right tools

When being creative designing websites you need to ensure that you are using the right tools for the job. The ‘right tools’ doesn’t necessarily mean the best tools but being creative can be difficult enough, therefore, the idea is to make the job / project as easy as possible. For example, my best choice design software has got to be ‘Photoshop’, you may make this more difficult by trying to use ‘mspaint’ to come up with some amazing graphics. It’s something you just don’t do!

Following progress

One of the key points in being creative is to follow your own progress. As mentioned in step 1; the main objective is to break the task down into smaller parts. Therefore, after a few weeks working on a project look back and see how far you’ve come. If you don’t stop every so often to see where you were a couple of months ago, and where you are now – do it! You might just surprise yourself on how much progress you’ve made and how your creativity has grown.

Get out of the house

This may seem a bit like the step where you walk away from your work and come back to it later, but there is a fine line between setting aside some work and actually taking a break from your workstation. Whilst a creative workstation can often be the best practice, it sometimes helps to go somewhere different to work. It can provide a different level of ideas and influence your creativity and work.

Work through it

You may think that it’s pointless trying to force yourself to be creative when you’re ‘not in the mood’ but often it can work in your favour. It may feel difficult to start with but as you gain momentum you’ll find your motivation returns almost every time! After all, you have nothing to lose; you get the job done and you’re still producing quality work / websites. It may not seem like they are of good quality but you may still be working the same as you usually do, you’re just in the wrong state of mind to realise.

About the Author:

Read more about
web design
and
Ecommerce web design
glassbottomdesign.co.uk.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
How to be creative and find motivation for designing websites

Author:
I.ivabov

How to become a famous artist.

1. It does not matter what kind of painting or graphic techniques you use.

2. By painting oil is the easiest to use.

3. Talent is undoubtedly the biggest, but not the main factor.

4. Hard work is one of the main factors.

5. Ambition is almost the main factor.

6. A good and up to date concept is decisive factor in creating your artwork.

7. Bad critic is in most cases a positive critic.

8. Try to be as much eccentric as you can.

9. Don’t mind critic and unpleasant statements from eccentric “art” activists.

10. Attend an Art College, Art School, or take some private lessons. Even if you don’t like realistic stiles, it is very important to study the human anatomy. Picasso creates “childish human forms”, but he possesses perfect knowledge of the human anatomy and that makes

him Picasso.

11. Who you know, is a very important factor of success. Of course most of the really good painters and artists are not the most social people in the world, but please try to make contacts, be social, in most cases the help and the best solutions came from friends of friends.

12. Something which should motivate you is the phrase: “The best artists are made, not born.”

13. Invest as much time as you can in your art initiative. Take your time, concentrate on your work. Very few famous artists were hobby painters. If you practise it as a hobby, you can forget it! If you feel it strong enough, you will probably sacrifice everything in the name of art. Once again ambition is almost the main factor but hard work is one of the main factors.

14. Travel as much as you can and can afford.

15. Visit as many museums as you can.

16. Take notes when you visit a museum. If you like an artwork, just write down the name of the author and study his biography and works. Try to get as much as you can from brochures and books.

17. Read as much books as you can, most of the famous artists are well educated and well-read people. Nevertheless classic literature will influence your ideology.

18. Take your time to explore the internet, find suitable galleries for your artworks and apply to the best art galleries online, or by the traditional way.

19. Visit public events and try to make contacts.

20. Create accounts in online sources. Very important! Nowadays internet plays a very important role.

21. Please don’t cut your ear!

22. If you don’t live in a big City, try to move to one. Most of the galleries and considerable

art dealers and galleries are situated in big cities.

When you create, never forget, that less is more. Try to be as minimalist (especially nowadays) as possible.

23. Be unique.

24. Be your self. When you create, try to be yourself, try to be unique, create something special.

25. Expose your art, don’t be ashamed, if you feel it, show it, if you are sure, you are going to make it. Believe in your self.

26. And once again Ambition is almost the main factor.

27. And the last thing; I am an art collector and you can contact me and present me your artworks. Please write to me at
artimpresia@abv.bg
or check on
http://artimpresia.com

About the Author:

Artimpresia Gallery,

http://artimpresia.com

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
How to Become a Famous Artist

Author:
CD Mohatta

Having a portfolio is still a very valuable tool for every crafter or artist with a business. Today a crafter or artist may keep their portfolio in a binder or keep digital images in an online portfolio. Each has it’s advantages and you may wish to have both. A binder is accessible without a computer and you can keep in your car or take it with you when you meet with people. With an online portfolio you can send a link to the website through email, or print it on your business card, and a person can see your work without having to meet with you in person.

If you think a portfolio will help you, the most important thing to do is to begin it now, with whatever you have. Don’t fuss on perfection before you have an existing portfolio. Books are written about professional portfolio making and seminars are taught at art schools, however, you can always improve the content and the appearance of your portfolio later. You can’t, however, recover lost opportunities because you didn’t have one to show to people interested in seeing what you do.

A binder portfolio can include small 2-dimensional art and photographs of larger or 3 dimensional art. Choose a binder of adequate size, but keep in mind that larger binders are more difficult to carry or take with you. Whatever style of binder you choose, do not permanently affix any of your photographs or art. This way, you can swap better pieces or photos for the least ones in your portfolio easily. Usually 12 – 24 items makes a good portfolio.

Sometimes, if your work is particularly small, for example, as with jewelry, you can make a sample case of the items instead of a binder containing photos. For a digital portfolio you will need a web page or other online location and digital images. Some artists choose a website that shows items they have for sale, and this doubles as a portfolio. It must, however, be kept current to display only what is available for purchase.

About the Author:

The author writes text and advises for content for
myspace comments
,
myspace graphics
and designs creative ideas for
myspace layouts
.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
How to Make an Art or Craft Portfolio?

By
Molly Gordon

Your artist’s statement can be a moving testament to your creativity and integrity. The expression of this commitment will vary, but the effectiveness of your artist’s statement stems from the authority with which you write it.

Think of your artist’s statement as a nourishing stew. The rich flavors and inviting aroma will feed your spirit and summon wonderful people to your table. You’ll want to make sure your stew is made from the freshest, finest ingredients and that it has been simmered and seasoned with care. Do this, and you will be proud to share your creative vision — your authority — with others.

WRITING YOUR ARTIST’S STATEMENT

STEP ONE: Assemble the Ingredients.

1. Take five minutes and think about why you do what you do. How did you get into this work? How do you feel when work is going well? What are your favorite things about your work? Jot down short phrases that capture your thoughts. Don’t worry about making sense or connections. The more you stir up at this point, the richer the stew.

2. Make a list of words and phrases that communicate your feelings about your work and your values. Include words you like, words that make you feel good, words that communicate your values or fascinations. Be loose. Be happy. Be real. Think of these as potential seasonings for your stew. You don’t have to choose which ones to use just yet, so get them all out of the cupboard.

3. Answer these questions as simply as you can. Your answers are the meat and potatoes of your stew. Let them be raw and uncut for now.

What is your favorite tool? Why?

What is your favorite material? Why?

What do you like best about what you do?

What do you mean when you say that a piece has turned out really well?

What patterns emerge in your work? Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?

What do you do differently from the way you were taught? Why?

What is your favorite color? List three qualities of the color. Consider that these qualities apply to your work.

4. Look at your word list. Add new words suggested by your answers to the questions above.

5. Choose two key words from your word list. They can be related or entirely different. Look them up in a dictionary. Read all the definitions listed for your words. Copy the definitions, thinking about what notions they have in common. Look your words up in a Thesaurus. Read the entries related to your words. Are there any new words that should be added to your word list?

6. Write five sentences that tell the truth about your connection to your work. If you are stuck, start by filling in the blanks below.

When I work with__________ I am reminded that___________.

I begin a piece by______________.

I know a piece is done when__________________.

When my work is going well, I am filled with a sense of _____________.

When people see my work, I’d like them to ________________.

STEP TWO: Filling the Pot.

Write a three paragraph artist’s statement. Keep your sentences authentic and direct. Use the present tense (“I am,” not “I was,” “I do,” not “I did.”) Be brave: say nice things about yourself. If you find that you falter, write three paragraphs about an artist whose work you admire. Then write about yourself as though you were an admiring colleague. As a rule, your artist’s statement should be written in the first person. Refer to yourself with the pronouns “I, me, my.” If this blocks you, write in the third person, then go back and change the pronouns as needed when you get to Step Four. Use the suggestions below to structure your statement. Write three to five sentences per paragraph.

First paragraph.
Begin with a simple statement of why you do the work you do. Support that statement, telling the reader more about your goals and aspirations.

Second paragraph.
Tell the reader how you make decisions in the course of your work. How and why do you select materials, techniques, themes? Keep it simple and tell the truth.

Third paragraph.
Tell the reader a little more about your current work. How it is grew out of prior work or life experiences. What are you exploring, attempting, challenging by doing this work.

STEP THREE: Simmering the Stew.

Your artist’s statement is a piece of very personal writing. Let it simmer overnight before your reread it. This incubation period will help give you the detachment necessary to polish the writing without violating your sense of integrity and safety. While your statement simmers, let your mind wander over the ingredients you assembled in Step One. Allow yourself to experience the truth of your creative experience. Marvel at the wealth of seasonings and abundance of vegetables you have at your disposal. Enjoy the realization that your work is grounded in real values and experience. If you think of things you might have left out of your statement, jot them down, but leave the statement alone.

STEP FOUR: Taste and Correct the Seasonings.

Read your statement aloud. Listen to the way the sounds and rhythms seem to invite pauses. Notice places where you’d like the sound or rhythm to be different. Experiment with sounding out the beats of words that seem to be missing until they come to mind. Do this several times until you have a sense of the musical potential of your statement. As you read your statement, some phrases will ring true and others false. Think about the ones that aren’t on the mark and find the true statement lurking behind the false one. You may find that the truth is a simpler statement than the one you made. Or your internal censors may have kept you from making a wholehearted statement of your truth lest it sound self-important. Risk puffing yourself up as long as your claims are in line with your goals and values.

By now your taste buds are saturated. You need a second opinion. Choose a trusted friend or professional to read your statement. Make it clear that you are satisfied with the ingredients on the whole, but you’d like an opinion as to seasoning. You alone are the authority for what is true about your work, but you’d like feedback on clarity, tone, and such technical matters as spelling and punctuation.

STEP FIVE: Summon the Guests.

There’s little point in concocting a fabulous stew if you don’t invite anyone to dinner. Every time you use your artist’s statement you extend your circle of influence and build new branches of the support network for making, showing and selling your work. Enclose a copy of your artist’s statement whenever you send a press release, letter of interest to a gallery or store, or contact a collector. Send it to show promoters and curators. Enclose a copy with shipments of your work so it can be displayed wherever your work is exhibited.

STEP SIX: File Your Recipe!

Save all the notes and drafts that you’ve made. You’ll want to revise and update your artist’s statement from time to time to reflect changes in your work.

Molly Gordon
, MCC, is an internationally recognized business coach helping small business owners, independent professionals and artists to do business in a way that feeds their souls as well as their bank accounts.
Visit her site
to learn how to write a compelling artist statement in six easy steps. While on the site, don’t forget to join 12,000 readers of Molly’s Authentic Promotion® ezine, and receive a free 31-page guide on effective
self promotion
.
Join one of Molly’s
free special interest groups
to receive periodic emails about resources for related to your needs including invitations to both free and fee-based programs including teleconferences, tools, and special reports.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Molly_Gordon

http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-An-Artist-Statement&id=238319

By
Ariane Goodwin

Is it a dry creek bed, or the Grand Canyon? A closed door, or the Chase
Manhattan Bank vault? Or maybe, it’s the whisper of many doubts: Artist
statements are so predictably icky. What can you say about your work
that someone else can’t simply see? What’s the point of words for a
visual experience? How am I going to be authentic, but not arrogant?
Sincere, but not sentimental?

And yet, you know that pros consider
artist statements an essential part of a good portfolio (or About Me
pages essential to a web site). Gallery owners are relieved by your
professionalism. People who love your work will know more about you.
Offering your audience more ways to connect with you increases their
delight, as well as the perceived value of your work. But, goodness, all
those daunting words between here and there!

For artists, words are a completely different experience from the
tactile world of art making. Paper and paint inhabit the world of our
senses, while words remain the detached curios of our mind. If we’re an
Independent Professional, we want to reserve center stage for our
business. Once in a while, when the two worlds of work and words
connect, language entices our senses and engages our imaginations, and
we love it.

So what stops us from using words to describe our art? Tell about
ourselves? These are the same words that have been with us since we
could walk. What causes us to be deeply suspicious of language, one of
our fundamental connections to being human?

The answer, in part, relates to a fatal combination of art critics
and education. Art critics use language as scepters of judgment. If
words are the messengers that determine our self-worth, then by all
means, kill the messenger. Formal education uses language as bastions of
control. If we are told when, where and how we can, or cannot, use which
words, we grow to mistrust our relationship to language. The mistrust
smolders underground, mostly unnoticed, until our words are thrust into
a container, like the artist statement or About Me/Us web page.

Suddenly, words make us visible targets for judgment and criticism,
so we hide our discomfort at this possibility with what we consider
rational responses. "My work speaks for itself." "Statements are
inconsequential to my work." "I have nothing to say that my work doesn’t
already convey." And the list goes on.

An opportunity, like writing a personal or artist statement, often
causes us to second guess every idea we ever had about our work. We
convince ourselves that we have nothing, really, to say, or for certain,
nothing of value. Our first instinct is to either turn off the light and
head out of the studio or office, or pump up our peacock feathers.

But running away only confirms our unspoken fear: there must be
something to run away from. And pumping up encourages us to use flimsy
or pretentious words to smother over our mistrust of language. This, in
turn, fuels our perception that language related to our work is simply
ludicrous.

Luckily, there is an alternative. Try pretending, that you have a lot
to say, which is neither self-important nor trivial, but relevant and
revealing. Imagine that all of your objections have been met and you are
simply going to write whatever you believe to be true, at the moment,
about your relationship to your work. Because, the good news is: you can
recover your own words.

Why and how do you do what you do?

There is an unselfconscious language about your work, which you use
all the time. Every time you talk or think about your work, you create a
relationship between words and your chosen passion. The trick is to
learn how to catch yourself doing this, and then faithfully write it
down. Yup, I said: write it down. How else will you engage that part of
your brain for continued support and help?

But why bother at all?

Because an artist statement or personal statement builds a compelling
bridge between you and your audience. An inspiring statement gives the
people who see your work another reason to remember you. It’s
reinforcement, clean and simple. And there’s not an artist or
independent professional around who can’t use a little extra
reinforcement to make it’s way through the crowd.

Equally important, a statement gives you the opportunity to see what
you do through the eyes of language, to validate your creation and
profession from a new perspective. Really, you can’t lose! You can only
procrastinate.

Want to get started? Try this:

–TAKE care: Treat your statement with the same care that your treat
your work; after all, all of it is you.

–GATHER raw materials: Use a notebook that is lovely or practical
and keep it with you in the studio, in the car, in the office, beside
your bed and take a few weeks to catch any fleeting thoughts that come
to you about your work. Give your self permission to gather. Selecting
and sorting comes later, when you have enough in your basket. Find a
writing pen or pencil that flows smoothly across the surface. Make it a
tacticle pleasure.

–TIME: Make a specific date with yourself. Respect this time. Do not
tolerate interruptions.

–PREPARE your internal space: Close your eyes and conjure up your
worst critic. In your mind’s eye, lead this person out of the room. Give
them another task, besides breathing over your shoulder, say, climbing a
tree, skipping stones, or going to the local library. Tell your critic
not to come back until you are ready. Critics are terrified of being
abandoned, that’s why they are so tenacious, so reassure yours that
there will be a place set just for them at the editing and revision
table. Critics are also stubborn. You may have to do this more than
once.

–WRITE more than one: Like different works of art, a statement also
thrives on change and rising out of "the moment." What suits this
month’s work may not work for the next month. Independent professionals
need to revisit their intentions from time to time, and writing a new
personal statement gets the juices flowing.

–GIVE yourself permission to make mistakes: Let yourself write
badly. Crumple up lots of paper balls and throw them in a corner. It’s
the beginner’s way. Then, when it comes out great, which it eventually
will, you will know the difference.

–WRITE as much as you want: Winnowing down is so much easier than
filling in later.

–DON’T hesitate to ask a professional: Some things just beg for
help. If you find yourself endlessly circling a dead pigeon,
really…aren’t there other things you’d rather do and still get that
statement written?

Ariane Goodwin helps artists take their careers to the next level, so they can make an honest living doing what they love. Besides art-career coaching and my seminal book, Writing the Artist Statement: Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work I also host the annual smARTist Telesummit , the only professional art-career conference online or off that helps you build your art career from the comforts of home You can also sign up for your weekly smARTips to advance your career one tip at a time. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ariane_Goodwin

Author:
rukhsana

When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper does not love you as you win new audiences?

The good news: There are many, many ways. Here are ten of my favorites.

1. The approach at the local college or alternative radio station or community access cable TV station programming idea how to live songwriter showcase. Other musicians will want to participate in your show, and you’ll build an audience for his music – and for them.

2. Recording a CD or concert reviews for the local alternative (or primary) document.

3. Give copies of CD out of the public radio and television stations for their fund drive premiums.

4. Organize, promote and perform at charity events for your favorite causes.

5. Lead songwriting and performing workshops in schools (as a rule, these payments concerts,

http://www.ticketfront.com
tickets and all parents to hear your name). Invite some children to perform with you, they always bring a bunch of relatives, and who will pay for the ticket, and perhaps buy a CD.

6. Declare your concerts in each community calendar. Newspapers, magazines, radio, public Web sites, cable TV stations – they all run the event lists. View of one paragraph, which includes the tag line that you do, for example, “Sandy, executing, River City’s’ homegrown Bono, ‘will perform labor songs and love ballads in the trombone stores, 444 4 Street in the city center river, Wednesday, January 15, 7 pm “When you receive a free or a charitable connection, say so. Include contact phone number and e-mail.

7. Find Internet discussion groups related to your case. Whether in the field of immigration, voting reform the world, safe energy, the right to choose … will not be discussion groups on the Internet. Post the answers and include a “signature” – short for the business card. Using different sigs for different purposes. Here’s one of mine (in real e-mail, it will be single-spaced):

8. Create a simple low-cost website. Include a few sound clips, pictures of you performing, a place for people to register your fan news, and links to your favorite musicians, and, of course, the route and schedule of concert availability.

9. Get exposure on other people’s sites. Write CD reviews, to support their music
http://www.ticketfront.com
tickets with an ad, submit articles about local music … and be sure to include your contact information and a statement that encourages people to visit your site.

10. Use the letters columns. Call talk shows. Post a message on a web forum … in a word, use any tool of feedback you have for the distribution of words.

About the Author:

TicketFront deals in all mega events around the globe. Our online ticket inventory offers best ticket deals for Concerts, Theaters, Sporting events and Las Vegas. We not only provide tickets for all sold-out events but we are your premium source of ticketing and venue information for all upcoming entertainment events. Whether it is a sporting event or a theatrical act, a live musical performance or shows at Las Vegas; we provide you best ticket
tickets
deals for each and every event around the globe.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Chance for unknown artists

By 
Suzanne
Lieurance

Source:
http://www.pacificarticles.com/articles/102/1/The-Artists-Statement-A-Marketing-Tool-Every-Artist-Needs/The-Artists-Statement-A-Marketing-Tool-Every-Artist-Needs.html

By
Alyson Stanfield

An artist statement is a necessary component of any professional artists’ portfolio or promotional packet.

When writing your artist statement, DO:

*
Write in the first person.
It is a statement, after all.

*
Be brief,
2-3 paragraphs at most. Always err on the side of brevity. You can write more, but why would you want to? People have short attention spans these days. Load as much punch into the delivery as you can. Combine sentences and delete ones that aren’t vital. As Henri Matisse said in his treatise on painting, “All that is not useful to the picture is detrimental.” The same could be said of your statement.

*
Describe the current direction of your work
and your approach, particularly what is unique about your methods and materials.

*
Sit on it for a few days and come back to it with a fresh mindset.
Most artists, in my opinion, hate their statements because they rushed them in preparation for an exhibit and didn’t care to spend any more time on them. How do you expect it to be any good if you don’t work at it?

*
Consider more than one statement if you are trying to discuss more than one body of work.
If you try to get too much into a single statement, you run the risk of saying nothing and trying to be everything to all people. This is bad marketing/bad promotions.

*
Allow your artist statement to grow, change, and mature along with your work.
Don’t let it sit on a shelf and collect dust. It should be organic and you shouldn’t be afraid to change it and make it better.

*
Make sure your statement passes the litmus test. Above all, viewers should be compelled to put the statement away and look back at the work.
Your statement isn’t successful if people read the words on the page, and then put them down and go on to the next artist.

When writing your artist statement, DO NOT:

*
Use too many personal pronouns.
Yes, I said to write in first person, but try to severely limit the number of “I”s, “me”s and “my”s that are used. You’ll be amazed at how many other ways there are to phrase things. You want people to relate to your words and to your art. Too many personal pronouns will put up an unnecessary a barrier.

*
Tell your life story.
You can keep that for your bio (as long as it’s interesting). Your artist statement is only about the current direction of your work.

*
Quote or refer to anyone else by name.
Keep the focus on you and your art. Mentioning another name shifts the readers’ attention from your art to the other person.

*
Forget to use spell check and ask someone else to read it over for you.

View the time to write your artist statement as an opportunity to clarify your thoughts.
A well-written statement, approached deliberately and thoughtfully, can be a boon to your self-promotion efforts. You’ll use the language on your Web site and in grant applications, press releases, brochures, and much more.

Copyright 2008 Alyson Stanfield, All rights reserved.

Alyson B. Stanfield is an art-marketing consultant, artist advocate, and author of
I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.
Sign up for her free Art Marketing Action newsletter at

By
Arnold White

Artists are a special breed. They march to a different drummer. Artists have been given a special gift, and that gift can be very rewarding as well as very frustrating. The rewards are self-evident. The frustration comes from how to make money from your creative efforts. The purpose of this article is to provide you with some tools to solve this problem.

It is important for the artists to understand that they are the most important part of the “Art Market”. Without the artist there is no art market…no art galleries, no art shows, no art books, no art magazines, no art workshops, no art supply houses, no art agents. In fact, no businesses of any kind relating to the art world exist if not for the artist.

Making money will never be your primary motivation, but it must run a close second if you want to make a living from your talents.

How should you represent your work in order to make a professional presentation of your artwork? As a professional artist it is extremely important to put your best foot forward when submitting your art for review. The following six components are the foundation for making money with your artwork.

1.

So, let’s start with how you communicate visually; and let’s also remember that as an artist you are in business, and every business should have a professional image. Here is what you will need in the category of “Professional Stationary”: your letterhead; your business card; and your mailing envelope.

Your letterhead should be simple and creative. It should have your telephone number, address, e-mail address and web address. Your business card should have all of the information that is on your letterhead. Finally, your mailing envelope should have your logo and return address.

2.

You will also need some “Professional Quality Slides and Photographs”. What does professional quality really mean? As an artist you are creating a visual product, a product that needs to be seen before it can sell. Slides and photographs are your product inventory. If you are capable of taking a high quality photograph of your work, that is fine; but unless your photography truly captures your work, get a professional to do this for you. It is important when photographing your art that you never photograph your art framed. Framing is fine when your work is sold and hanging, but those reviewing your work are distracted by the framing process.

When submitting your art for review or consideration, your slides should have at the minimum your name and telephone number. However if you really want to be professional, your slides should also have the title, the medium and the size. The lab that does the developing can do this for you. If submitting photographs instead of slides, be sure that all of the above appears on the back of every photograph.

Every dollar you spend to make your art appear professional is more than worth the cost. Photography is a business expense and tax deductible.

3.

What about a “Professional Website” you ask? Absolutely! Four or five years ago, most artists were not aware of any of the following terms: URL, dot.com, Internet, Hosting, On-line, Search Engines, etc. Only now are they beginning to see the value of an online presence as an incredible new opportunity for exposure.

If you don’t already have a web site, you should remedy that as soon as possible. The fact is the Internet offers contemporary artists a unique opportunity to showcase and sell their art.
4. Professional Brochure

A first class brochure can be the most effective way to visually present what you do and how well you do it. A professional brochure can create a better impression than an entire book with cheap reproductions. Your brochure should contain a representative sampling of the scope of your work and should also include your biography.

A photograph should also appear on your biography page. Although this is not essential, an interesting picture of the artist can influence the reader’s interest in the artist’s work. Be sure your brochure is produced using the four-color process and is printed on 80-100lb gloss stock.

5. Professional Biography

Your biography is basically an artist statement. It is comprised of why you do what you do, who has influenced your work and anything that has been written about you. Your biography should incorporate a photograph of yourself.

6.

Finally, who should you submit your art to for review? The most readily available sources are: galleries; juried events; competitions; print publishers; agents and representatives; art fairs; and art festivals.

Take these simple steps one at a time to help get going on the road toward making money from your artistic talents. Remember to put your best foot forward and to represent yourself and work as if you were in a business because, indeed, you are.

Arnold White has been a publisher and distributor of fine art prints for over 20 years. He is the President of Winner’s Circle Gallery, a firm that represents artists seeking to enter the print market. Mr. White serves as a consultant and reviews work from artists wanting to enter this market. You may contact Mr. White at Winner’s Circle Dept. AB, P.O. Box 4814, Palm Springs, CA 92263 or call (800) 748-6400. More on selling your artwork at:
http://www.framehousegallery.com/WinnersCircleGallery/index.html
Comments or questions can be sent directly to Arnold White
swhite@DC.RR.com

Copyright usage: No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included. Comments or questions can be sent directly to Arnold White
swhite@DC.RR.com

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arnold_White

http://EzineArticles.com/?Attention-Artists:-You-Can-Make-Money-with-Your-Art-with-Six-Sure-Fire-Ways&id=304938

By
Sarah Schmerler

Author: Peter Elbow; Title: “Writing Without Teachers” by far, the best
book I’ve found to advise artists on how to write.

Author: David Bayles; Title: Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils of
Artmaking – inspiration and encouragement.

I’ve taught Writing for Artists for many years at The New School, and that
Elbow book (until I write my own book!) is the only one I know that can start an
artist off with the right attitude. What does Elbow say?: That you can’t know
what you’re going to write until you begin writing. Writing, my artist friends,
is a Process – no different than painting or printmaking or sculpting. Over-think
it, over “outline” it, and you’ll kill your own creativity. No one wants to read
something cliched or boring or dry.

My advice: Don’t make your artist statement sound like a “statement.” Make it
sound like you.

Stay away from telling us what your work is about.’ Tell us about’
yourself, and what you do. Just start with that, and be honest. Your reader will
figure out the rest – and will be grateful to you for letting them make their own
conclusions.

Here’s my do’s and don’t list from recent workshops. It’s better when
internalized, over time. But for those who want a quick fix, here you go:

If you want me to edit or re-write your statement, you can contact me
here
.

About Sarah Schmerler


I’ve been an art critic and journalist in New York City for 12 years. My
writing has appeared in newspapers like The New York Post and The New York
Times, weekly magazines like TimeOut New York and The Village Voice, and monthly
and bi-monthly publications like Art in America, ArtNews, Photograph, Art &
Auction, and Art on Paper.

I’ve taught writing at The New School, and art history at Pratt Institute’s
School of Professional Studies and Medgar Evers College, CUNY, Brooklyn.

I’ve developed a writing methodology specifically geared toward visual artists.
I help artists write great statements about their own and others’ work.

And I’ve run an artist-writer collaborative called CoLAB since 2007. (You can
read about our exploits soon.)

Sarah Schmerler.com

By
Nina Alvarez

Your website is ready to go and you’re just itching for buyers, but where are they? First, find your niche online, then, effectively focus your time and efforts on those who are most likely to buy your art.

*
Associations
. If you haven’t already, join at least one art association in your medium. Associations usually have online forums and will send you emails chalked full of links and info about collectors, artists, galleries, resources, and organizations in your art community, most of which will be accessible electronically and will save you tons of time. The Artspan portals list hundreds of art associations. Check out Painting, Photography, Ceramics, or any of the 30+ art portals.

*
Forums
. Next, join forums specific to your art at Artspan and WetCanvas and anywhere else with a strong community. Do an online search to find these. Then, join forum conversations populated with thoughtful and interesting threads. Stay away from the vitriolic, rambling, or off-topic. Read posts, visit website links, and check out blogs, leaving comments wherever you can. In turn, talk up your art and post your website link in the forum and website comment sections.

*
Social Networking
. Join general social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, Bebo) and vertical (niche-specific) social networks (Ning). List your website URL on your profile and post your website to ‘share a link’. Some Facebook groups, like Black and White Photography have over 40,000 members, all potential readers of your website. All you have to do is leave some comments and post your URL. (Extra tip: if you have a niche so specific that you can’t find it online, try starting your own social networking site at ning.com.)

*
Social Bookmarking
. Social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and digg allow you to bookmark pages you find relevant and see what other sites are getting buzz. Find the people bookmarking the same pages as you and strike up a conversation by sending a ‘thank you’ for an interesting lead.

Nina Alvarez, Chief Editor of
http://www.Artspan.com
– an online artists community, and writer of the Artspan blog on art marketing. She also created the Philthy Art blog offering encouragement to writers and artists, and the popular poetry blog NinaAlvarez.net. Nina has an master’s degree in English and is

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nina_Alvarez

http://EzineArticles.com/?Artists—Finding-Your-Niche-Online&id=1760518

Nuts and Bolts

By
Barbara
Bowen

 "If you aim for a market you’ll miss the mark." Whoever said that, I’m a
believer. It’s no good looking over the shoulder at what strangers prefer
before creating. True inspiration is the optimal motivator. Quality issues
from there, and its purity taps the nerves of audience attraction. That
said, there are far too many masterpieces tucked on shelves behind the light
of day. Strong promotional tools may be secondary to our motivation, but
they’re essential. Like the apex of an iceberg, they show first. They
introduce our work, foster credibility, and mirror how far we’ve traveled
along the arc of our goals. Those we know may direct us to new connections.
But even then, we must support those connections with an effective
"portrait" of who we are. Selling is a part of every career. Never
underestimate the power of presentation. Why not enter the new season
prepared with an updated, incisive, authentic, and powerful one? What do you
need? A dynamic artist statement, artist biography and artist resume is the
beginning. Effective artist portfolios and proposals are also important.
Start now and stay ahead of the pack. So, what are the important elements of
these essential artist presentation tools?

Artist Statement:
Shaping your essential bond with viewers and sales An artist statement
communicates what motivates you as an artist. It’s the most personal part of
your presentation; an opportunity to bring your viewers and potential buyers
closer. It offers a glimpse of the person behind the work. While keeping it
informative, let your personality show. Share your ideas and concerns, and
how they are revealed in your work. Explain to viewers what your work means
to you, not what it’s supposed to mean to them. They will arrive at their
own conclusions. It’s okay to mention influences, but mostly keep prominent
names associated with your career for your resume, where they will serve as
testimonial and avoid the appearance of boasting. Give some details about
your techniques and how they help you achieve your vision. Then, you might
add a segment about how your approach is unique. Most general artist
statements are around one page or less. Brevity sustains attention, so I
lean toward three or four concise paragraphs. In some situations, a
statement about a particular artwork may be requested. A statement can act
as a marketing piece in certain commercial situations, which may be
appropriate. So be sure to tailor your artist statement to its purpose.

Artist Biography:
Creating a memorable snapshot of your career
life An artist bio contains similar information to the artist resume but is
presented in paragraph form, is less formal, and is most often written in
the third person. It serves to highlight the information presented on your
resume. It’s a great way to convey a "snapshot" of your career experience.

Artist Resume:
Detailing your career with clarity and
professionalism Artist resumes detail the accomplishments, endeavors, and
knowledge. They offer a full picture of your career, and the categories
featured on the resume will depend upon your artistic discipline. It’s
important to update your resume on a regular basis, adding and deleting the
listed activities, as appropriate. An artist resume can be one to four pages
in length. Most artists have two versions prepared: a longer and shorter
version. It’s often best to use a professional paper stock, in white or
ivory. The style of type varies, and can add to the resume’s
professionalism.

Artist Proposal:
Standing out from the crowd with dynamic
writing/shaping/editing Artists also use their portfolio to apply for
specific projects, funding programs, residencies, or other competitive
opportunities. These applications may ask you to submit a project
description, details on your approach to the project, and a cover letter.
These written materials should be tightly edited and tailored to the
particular opportunity. Be passionate and sincere in the presentation of
your work, and always conclude with thanking the panel, juror, and/or
organization for their time and consideration. Typical questions for you to
answer will be: Why are you an ideal applicant? How will you benefit the
program or project? What technical qualifications, abilities, or personal
assets can you contribute? How will you benefit from the opportunity? How
would the project advance your career as an artist? How would you use the
money awarded?

Visual Artist Portfolio:
Keeping the heart and soul of your work
evolving Your portfolio is the most valuable tool in your overall
presentation. Your visuals are worth a thousand words, and an arresting
portfolio can help close the gap, should your written materials be less
developed, as in young artist on the career path. There are many approaches
to a portfolio, depending upon the discipline. One universal ingredient to a
successful portfolio is a sense of continuity. The transitions between and
within subject matter must cohere. Color, tone, shape, scale, all must be
considered when choosing what images to include and how to position them.
This process involves subjectivity as well as objectivity. Most artists
benefit greatly from feedback from a trained eye, and reactions from
untrained eyes can also be helpful. A portfolio is most successful when
modified and tailored, with acumen, for its particular audience. Many
artists now supplement their physical portfolio with a digital version
either on the Web or presented on CD-ROM or DVD. Stay current on new formats
and choose the method(s) that feature your work most powerfully and support
your marketing goals.

Author:
John Burton

The English language is extremely rich, and provides the possibility of precise communication. Our language evolves rapidly, and while some new expressions emerge to describe modern life, many existing words have their common usage modified and corrupted. The term “Artist” provides a good example.

As a young boy, I dreamed of becoming an Artist, and that single word proficiently expressed my desire to paint and draw. Today I am a professional Artist, but have to qualify my title with an explanation.

My aging 1990 concise Oxford dictionary defines an ”
Artist
” firstly as a painter (of pictures).

The word immediately before Artist is ”
Artisan
“, meaning a skilled (manual) worker.

The word immediately after Artist is ”
Artiste
“, meaning a professional performer, especially a singer or dancer.

The terms Artisan and Artiste are rarely used today. Our language has evolved, and Artist”” has become a generic word applied to any person who expresses their self through any medium.

”

The connection between artists and painting has become so diluted that the word is increasingly used to denote “skilled” people in non-“arts” activities, such as “scam artist” (a person very adept at deceiving others), “con artist” (a person very adept at committing fraud), and “p*ss artist” (a person very adept at drinking alcohol).

There is nothing inherently wrong with using the word “Artist” as an all-purpose title, but it does not effectively describe whether you paint, sing, dance, have a manual skill, or are about to empty the drinks cabinet!

So why is it that our language has evolved along these lines? Why would an Artiste or Artisan prefer to use a title that less adequately describes their skill, and invokes ambiguity?

Maybe the change has come about through ignorance, and falling standards of education? Could it be that people think Artiste is the French pronunciation of Artist? Well it is, but Artiste is also an English word with a different meaning – or it was!

Perhaps the change of language is a form of spin doctoring? My dictionary offers a further definition of an Artist as “a person who works with the dedication and attributes of an artist”. It’s not a very good definition, since it effectively it says that an Artist is “someone who works with the dedication and attributes of some one who works with dedication and attributes” (which is a bit like defining sticky tape as – tape that is sticky)! However, if someone is a singing artiste but prefers to be described as an Artist, they are really saying they are more than a singer because they perform with “dedication and attributes”?

Re-defining the word is possibly just a reflection of changing perceptions, and a growing acceptance that art is the act of creation/expression? If we agree to the modern view, which applauds the act of creation rather than the end product, we all become Artists, because we all create something at sometime. This shift of focus from the Artist’s product, to the creative/expressive process severs the necessity for skill, and the title “Artist” is available for use without fear of derision.

I create Portraits for a living. My artwork is not about me expressing my inner self, or being imaginative, but producing a likeness, and working to a client’s specifications. Maybe that makes me an Artisan: a skilled manual worker, and not an Artist after all?

Portraits by John Burton

About the Author:

Portrait artist working mainly from clients’ own photographs.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
Am I an Artist or an Artisan?

Author:
Jo Mari Montesa

Of all the gifts God gave to man the finest is his free will. Second to life itself. It is the essence of man. It is what separates man from all the other creatures of God. By ones choice or action he is judged if he is worthy to be called the man created by God.

The child of free will is art. It is man’s self-expression. It is synonymous to freedom of expression. Every art is unique since every man is unique. How man perceives art is also unique as how man perceives beauty. As how man perceive life.

Art is like life. It all depends to the person’s perception. Truly beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. The gauge of how beautiful life is, depends uniquely to every man.

A professor of mine once walked in the streets of Manila during summer. It is very hot, humid and dusty. He noticed a very old beggar asking for coins to the passers while bathing to the heat of the sun all day. Beside the beggar was a newspaper stand. One tabloid headline reads ‘Young Matinee Idol Commits Suicide.” My professor stops for awhile and asks himself how could this young man kill himself when he has everything. Money, women, good looks, popularity, youthfulness, what more could he ask for. While this old beggar is still striving for a few coins. Why not just threw himself to the vehicles speeding in front of him. Like my professor, my conclusion too is that it’s all a matter of perception.

Like life the beauty of art depends solely to the individual. It is how man perceives art that makes it beautiful.

Those who believe that they found the beauty in life. Let as show that beauty to the world. Let as show our art.

About the Author:

Jose Mari Montesa or Jo Mari is a Visual Artist by talent. He has Masters Degree in Business Administration, Accountancy is his profession and currently working in a bank. But his heart really belongs to the Art world.

Since his boyhood he joined many art contests in different mediums. He has informal trainings in Painting, Technical Drawing and Photography. Also, a student and a believer of Humanities.

Jo Mari is also into Photography. He joined competitions both local and international. Some of his Photographic works are now in the hands of private collectors.

Right now the artist is concentrated in painting. Specifically Oil painting on canvas. He hopes that he will be known for this medium.

Most of his paintings are influenced by the rich culture and tradition in the Philippines. For example his series of Immaculate Concepcion oil paintings are inspired by the dark wood used in the icons of the Virgin Mary centuries ago when Spain brought Christianity to the Philippines. This type of wood are used to make the skin complexion of the Virgin similar to Asian or a Filipina.

Jo Mari have also done Landscapes, Still Life and Abstract paintings.

Jose Mari
–
http://www.artmajeur.com/jomari

This website has received the 2008 Artmajeur SILVER

Award

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
An Artist’s Statement

Author:
Sen Ze

Artists who work with oil paints, watercolors and canvases may seem rather old-fashioned with the increasing advancements of computer software designed specifically to draw and paint digitally.

Although there can be no replacement for the skill, purity and simplicity displayed in an oil-on-canvas painting, as compared to a digitally rendered one, the commercial value of artists has certainly declined with much of today’s art work being created by their digital counterparts.

So how can ‘old-school’ artists start generating enough income to maintain their profession, without giving in to the pressure of turning to graphic software? It may seem somewhat ironical, but the Internet (in all its technological glory) could in fact prove a viable way for artists to boost their fortunes.

Artists who set up their own domains (using their own names, of course) and blogs will find that they have not only uncovered a great method of sharing their art with the world, but have opened themselves up to a myriad of wonderful opportunities. If you are an artist, here are 4 great reasons why you should immediately be investing in your own domain.

1. A World Wide Audience

Because artwork on canvas is significantly more difficult to pass around (as opposed to the ease of a JPEG file!), the people who get to view an artists work are often restricted to those who have visited the artists workshop or has had the artist send some copies of his work over.

With a website or a blog, however, an artist can easily take digital pictures of his work and put them on his blog, even commenting on the inspiration behind the painting and the techniques used. This would be akin to you – the artists – showing someone around a gallery your work!

But of course, the advantage of showing them around on a blog is that your viewers and fans of your work can access your website from all over the world, at any time, from any place with an Internet connection, leaving you to do what you do best – art.

2. Meet Other Artists And Build A Useful Network

It’s always useful for artists to know other artists, as it invariably means that you create more opportunities for yourself and your career. For example, an artist you likes your art and has been invited to show his or her work in an exhibition may help to get your work displayed as well.

By having a presence on the Internet, you will meet a large number of other budding artists like yourself from all over the world, which may prove to be invaluable contacts in the future. You will also allow yourself to be found online by art gallery owners and managers, art collectors and other art aficionados, any of whom may play a role in advancing your career.

3. Sell Art Online

Of course, the most obvious commercial aspect of any website for an artist would be the selling of his or her artwork. Once you have set up your domain and blog, you can also arrange for an online merchant account, which will enable you to sell your art online to customers who will pay using their credit cards.

As an artist, this may not the most ideal way to sell your art work, but it can be an effective way for you to make money selling smaller art pieces, which you can then send to your customers anywhere in the world using a decent courier service. Just selling one piece of work a month can more than cover the cost of running and maintaining a blog!

4. Open To Commercial Opportunities

Aside from selling your work, a website or blog opens the artist up to other opportunities from which money can be made. For example, a frequent visitor to your website who enjoys your art may commission you to create an artwork for a decent fee. Or you may be invited to sell your art at an auction after an organizer of the event came across your website.

The opportunities are endless and mind-boggling, and with an open mind, any artist can take advantage of the vast untapped expanse of the Internet to give their career and finances a serious boost!

About the Author:

Sen Ze and his 1-of-a-kind sites at
http://www.SenZe.com
(where else?) and
http://www.SOLOBIS.com
help you
make money online
in ways you’ve never known. Discover how to
sell your services
within days, starting with a dotcom version of your name!

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
4 Reasons For Artists To Take Their Masterpieces To The Internet

Author:
Mary McNeil

It’s a well known predicament… how can you, as a creative, fill your life with your art and still make enough money to pay the bills? And because it’s so well known, there’s an assumption that goes along with the predicament. An assumption that says you simply won’t be able to support yourself financially whilst living a creativity-led existence.

It’s a common belief that in order to live a highly creative life and to produce great art, you have to suffer. The starving artist and the freezing writer in their respective garrets – you know the images. And yet this lack of money is actually a choice. For some it’s a more conscious choice than for others, but it’s a choice nonetheless… A choice against the commercialisation of your art, a choice against the kind of comfort that numbs your wit, a choice against the mainstream, a choice not to have to think about anything so base as money. And if that’s the kind of life you want to lead, then it’s an entirely valid choice… go for it!

But what if you want to live a creative life and to do so with a degree of comfort? Can’t you choose to do that too? And is it possible to do that without having to work long hours and exhaust your best energies in a soulless job? It may take a paradigm shift in your thinking, but I believe it’s entirely possible to live a life that champions your creativity as well as paying the bills.

The assumption that so many creatives fall prey to is to believe that they must make their beloved art pay. An assumption that throws up any number of difficulties for them, not least of which often involves them losing all the pleasure in the creative activity they so love. So if you want to avoid this particular trap and are ready to play with the way you think about creativity and money, there are three mental steps to consider…

– Step number one is to treat the processes of making art and making money separately

– Step number two is to understand that both are highly creative processes

– Step number three is to embrace the creativity of making money whilst jettisoning guilt feelings about it

Wealth creation as a creative process, and purely for the sake of creating wealth, can be enormous fun. It can also be practised within your own timescales, it doesn’t involve having a boss or an employment contract. And because you’re ‘creating’ wealth, it’s not oppressive to anyone else – the money you make is not coming directly out of anyone else’s pocket or pay packet.

The creative avenues to take a look down of you want to make money without having to take on an employed job are well known. Which tickles your creative fancy the most? Property investment, the stock market, the internet, or starting your own business? Each has its own challenges, each has its own areas of specialist knowledge and skill (which are all entirely learnable, of course), and each has great potential when approached creatively.

So when you’re pondering how you could possibly live the kind of creative life that you yearn for whilst still paying the bills, try turning your creative mind in an entrepreneurial direction. Don’t think you have to start big (or you may not get started at all) and don’t expect to make enough money to pay all your expenses this way in year one. But if you start viewing wealth creation as an activity in its own right and get started now, you will be able to pay those bills another few years down the line whilst having time and energy left for the creative pursuits of your choice.

About the Author:

Mary McNeil of
Create a Space
is an experienced life coach, working with artists, writers and musicians. She specializes in coaching and supporting her creative clients as they make creative living a practical and sustainable reality.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
A Creative Life That Pays the Bills

Author:
Beautiful Artist Websites

Summary

Here’s the scoop on what you must know when designing a website to showcase your art, impress galleries, and win over collectors. Learn how to avoid the mistakes most emerging artists make when creating their online portfolio.

1.You need an artists website

Any artist who can classify themselves as either “emerging” or “mid-career” will definitely benefit from having their own website to promote their work. At this stage of your career it is important to be able to have a place where anyone in the world can easily access and view your work.

2.Know who you are trying to impress

Are you trying to engage a Soho gallery to sell your $20,000 paintings or sell $5 prints to children in Korea? That Soho gallery might not be impressed when they see your online-store selling prints and art cards – but on the other hand, you could make a very handsome living if you really knew how to market those art cards.



3.Make your website fit with your overall art marketing strategy

A website is most effective when it is part of a larger overall marketing strategy for your art. This includes mailings, lots of in-person gallery visits and presentations, regular (physical) showings of your work, and developing relationships with the art world. An effectively planned website can greatly compliment and simplify your other marketing efforts.

4.There is a real market for art on the internet

The internet is quickly becoming an accepted place to showcase your art to collectors and arts professionals. They might still want to see your work in person before they buy, but the fact remains: they saw it first on your website! Having an online art presence is very important at this time.

5.Have your own website and a website portfolio service

A website portfolio service (e.g.
www.absolutearts.com
or
www.art-exchange.com
is like an online slide registry. For a fee you can upload images of your work together with a bio, artist statement, and resume. They have many visitors and are a convenient way to make your work accessible to potential clients. The down side is that they don’t display your work well, and there is little flexibility in how the art is showcased.

Your own website, on the other hand will require more work to promote, but you’ll be able to present the work in the most beautiful way. Remember the times you’ve been taken into the dimmer room in a commercial gallery? How that art which looked fairly good on the main gallery wall suddenly became something you had to take home? That’s how a good artist’s website should showcase your work.

We recommend both options – they are a perfect compliment.

6. Have a website that collectors and art professionals will enjoy

Here are some common elements which most dealers and galleries would agree on for your website design:

– Keep the site simple and elegant with the focus on the art itself and don’t overpower the art with a site that looks too busy

– Avoid advertising such as banner adds or sidebar adds. If you must have them, put them in a separate “resource” section

– Avoid complex effects like flash movies. In the time it takes to play your exotic entry page, your visitor may have moved on. Include your bio, artist statement, resume, contact information, gallery(s) of your work, contact information, and a pricelist.

Showcase your work beautifully

You need to have visual design skills to create a beautiful artist website. Here are some points to get you started:

–
Most Important:
Use high-quality, professionally-photographed images. Excellence in, excellence out!

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– Create multiple galleries to compliment the work – just as a good physical gallery would do.

– Choose colors that compliment (not overpower) the work. Think of the colors you would use in a physical gallery to showcase your work – neutral colors like crème, white, gray, and good safe choices.

– Think “minimalist” not “busy” for the layout.

– Keep your copy (text) brief. Let the art speak for itself!

7.Bring collectors and galleries to your website

Its no use having that stunning website sitting in hyperspace. Make it work for you! Here are the ways to bring quality visitors:

Search Engines:
If your website has been well optimized for search engines, a search on your name or your style of art should bring up your website in the first few pages of results.

Letters of Introduction:
A letter of introduction sent to a gallery or dealer is a very effective way to bring a qualified visitor to your website. Better still is to include a brochure or postcard of your work with the letter.

Advertising online or in magazines:
For example, if your art is minimalist and modern in style, a banner add on an interior design website focused on the same minimalist ethic could draw a lot of traffic to your site.

You need to be able to sell your work on the internet.

But there are many ways to do it. More important than anything is that you have clear and up-to-date contact information on your website. If a buyer likes your work enough to bring out their checkbook, they will normally be happy to call you to close the sale.

It’s also handy to be able to sell directly from your website, especially if you sell lower-cost reproductions. There are simple and cost-effective ways to do this.

8. Think again before designing your own website.

– Have you really added up the total cost? Here are some questions to consider before you start designing:

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– Are you fully trained in your design software?

Can you answer “Yes” to all of the above? If so, you might think about doing it yourself. Otherwise, hire a designer!

9. Choose your website-designer thoughtfully

The most important thing here is to remember what you are trying to create – a beautiful online gallery space to elegantly show your beautiful work – this is very different from building a high-volume website selling printer ink cartridges and paper rolls!

Look for the ability to design a space to present your work. One way to do this is to find artist websites that you like and then contact the artist to get the name of their designer.

10. Know what you should pay

Artist’s website development prices range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Typically, bigger design firms have larger overheads and will be significantly more expensive. On the other hand, Joe down the street can probably build you a website for $200 – but you probably don’t want that website!

At Beautiful Artist Websites we have packages ranging from $700 to $2000 for simple elegant artists websites with different levels of functionality. We can also develop fully customized sites to your specifications with prices based on requirements.

About the Author:

Beautiful Artist Websites is a design studio based in Santa Monica, California and Minneapolis, Minnesota. We specialize in the development of beautifully designed
artist websites
that showcase artists’ work to arts professionals and collectors. Our mission is to help you
sell your art
. That’s it. There are thousands of good designers to choose from – but only a few understand the special needs of showcasing art. We do.We love art. And we are passionate about
design.
; We aim for premium quality clean and elegant solutions for all your design needs. Whether it’s a website, an artist brochure or artist DVD we can create an integrated look and feel that will capture the essence of your vision as an artist.

Article Source:
ArticlesBase.com
–
12 Tips for Designing an Artist Website That Showcases Your Art

By
Isabelle Garbani

Designing a good website seems to require an endless checklist of chores: organize and select the materials, photograph the artwork, write a bio, an artist statement and an updated resume. You need to decide how to display the materials, what color scheme will look best with your art, what fonts will compliment your work… and more!

Don’t give up! I have compiled 20 important points that Artists should keep in mind when designing their website. Keep these guidelines as checkpoints during your site creation, or to check and improve an existing site.

1.
Keep it simple
. Don’t try and put every piece of information about your career or display every single piece of artwork you ever created. Choose relevant information that will keep the site simple and elegant. Try and include materials that reinforce your site’s purpose (is it to sell work? Attract new collectors? Or present a portfolio to galleries?).

2.
Keep your file size low
. People viewing your site don’t necessarily have a high speed connection to the internet, so be aware that too many images or too many large files can slow a site down significantly. Remember that a lot of people will not wait for a site to download! Keep your jpgs at 72 dpi, and try not to have images over 540 pixels in any direction. You can also try and minimize the number of large files (music and video are typically very large) in any one page.

3.
Keep your navigation simple
. Do not try and have too many categories or too many layers in your navigation system. Keep the placement of the navigation buttons consistent: if you choose to have your links on the left side, keep them there throughout the site and don’t scramble the order of your buttons from page to page!

4.
Have your own domain name
. If your aim is to impress galleries and collectors, make sure they know you take your art seriously: your own domain name looks more professional, can be easier to remember, and can be more search-engine friendly! Registering a domain has become quite affordable: typically between $10 and $15 a year with hosting costs between $5 and $15 a month.

5.
No under construction page
. If you are not done building a page, don’t link it to your site. People’s time is precious: don’t waste it by announcing a category… then have that category be blank!

6.
Prominent contact info
. Your site is a marketing tool: you can get potential collectors and galleries to discover your work. Make sure they know how to reach you when they fall in love with your art!

7.
Label all artwork
. Images on the internet give no sense of scale or medium; it is therefore extremely important to label each piece of artwork with dimensions and materials used to make the work. Labeling your pieces with their price can be valuable if your aim is to sell online.

8.
Include a brief Art statement and resume
. Keep in mind that text is difficult to read on the screen. As an artist, you must include an art statement and resume (people want to know about you), but keep both brief. A few paragraphs for an art statement, and 1 to 2 typed pages for a resume. If you must have a complete resume, give the viewer the option to print the document as a pdf.

9.
Keep your text simple
. Sans serif fonts such as Arial are easier to read on the screen. Don’t overuse bold and italics which make text harder to read and can get confusing.

10.
Avoid underlined text
. Underlined text is usually reserved to indicate a link: avoid using underlined text that is not a link to prevent confusion and frustration.

11.
Keep your color scheme subdued
. Don’t blind your viewers! Avoid a bright yellow background with red text!!! Bright colors can be difficult to look at on a screen, especially for text. Keep your color scheme with low saturation colors

12.
Avoid background image
. Background images can slow the site down, and unless properly done, will tile and look unprofessional. Background images also tend to make text harder to read.

13.
Avoid background music
. Although it can be tempting to have music on a site, I have to recommend against it for several reasons: your viewers might not share your taste in music, music files are large and therefore slow to download, and finally, even if your viewers like your music, it may get annoying to hear the same song every visit.

14.
No cutesy mouse animation
. This one is fairly obvious: it will annoy a large majority of internet users. Your goal is to make people like your site: don’t alienate them with annoying gimmicks!

15.
Don’t disable back button
. Some sites try and keep their audience captive by disabling the back button. It’s obnoxious! Don’t do it!

16.
Refrain from using frames and flash
. Both of these methods of coding tend to be unfriendly to search-engines, so use them sparingly and embed them with good old fashioned html.

17.
Make sure your site is compatible in all browsers
. There are no enforceable rules for website coding, only general accepted guidelines, so browsers tend to display the same code in slightly different ways. Therefore it’s important to try and look at your site on several different browsers and screens to ensure that your site looks good for most users.

18.
Check that all your links work
. It’s not only annoying to the user, but you may also run the risk of losing your site’s ranking with search engines, or worse, not being indexed at all!

19.
Open all external links in new window
. It’s nice to give extra information to your viewers by providing useful links, but make sure your own site stays on their screen by opening all external links in a new browser window.

20.
Keep an honest relation with your gallery
. Galleries cannot prevent you from selling work on the internet. However, you need to keep a good working relationship with your gallery. Make sure you both understand who gets or doesn’t get a commission through internet sales. For example, if your gallery sells work on their site, or you sell work on your site that’s currently in their space, they should get the commission.

http://www.websiteforartists.com

http://www.garbanisculpture.com

Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Isabelle_Garbani

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