Anchor by Darren Mahuron

The Art Palaver headquarters is in Fort Collins. A town of about 145,00 people in Northern Colorado. Ft Collins frequently makes many “best of” lists put out by various magazines and news organizations. Such as:

• 5th Best Places for Business and Careers: Forbes – June 2011
• One of the Top Ten Places to Retire in the Nation: Charles Schwab’s On Investing – Spring 2011
• One of the Top 10 Best College Towns: Small-Sized Cities Category, USA Today – September 2010
• One of the Greatest Places to Live in the West: American Cowboy magazine – April 2010

The list of lists goes on and on. But unlike our neighbor Loveland, which was named the #2 art town in America, Fort Collins is not know for its art. But that is not for a lack of trying on the part of the artists that live here.

One artists in particular, photographer Darren Mahuron, has worked especially hard over the years to create a place for artists to publicly express themselves in Fort Collins even when their art did not fit into the status quo set by the established art scene in Ft Collins.

I’ve known Darren for a few years now, in fact I interviewed him way back in 2006 for ZAF622, the art webzine that spawned Art Palaver, and I can tell you he is one of those rare human beings that brings his creativity and his artistry to everything he does, even bike safety posters. (watch the video)

In the video below Mr. Mahuron shares his struggle of being an artists in a town like Ft Collins and the proactive steps he took to try and change things as well as the lessons learned along the way. I believe they are lessons that artists everywhere can learn from but especially any artist anywhere that has lamented about not living in New York City or Los Angeles.

I encourage you to take the time to watch it and I especially encourage you to use the comment form to start a discussion. I know this is a battle being fought all over and I also know that if we can begin to dialogue about it we can begin to form a community around it. And it is through community that we positively change the world.

Art- A Social Responsibility by Darren Mahuron from Darren Mahuron on Vimeo.

Having trouble seeing the video? Click here.

Connect with Darren on his website: SummitStyle.com

Lessons Learned In Attempting To Foster An Art Town is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Probably one of the most known and referenced tool Cameron offered is the idea of the morning pages.

Here is how they are described on The Artist’s Way Online website:

“In order to retrieve your creativity, you need to find it. I ask you to do this by an apparently pointless process I call the morning pages. Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only.”

This practice of writing whatever comes to mind every morning is an exercise in cleaning out the cobwebs of the mind as well as straightening the clutter that gets in the way of our own creativity. And don’t get hung up on the fact that it is writing. Doing this stream of conscious writing would serve anyone well whether you are a painter, sculptor, or politician.

Many people swear that the practice of morning pages is a big part of their creative success. I am one of them.

When I do them.

Which brings me to the reason I am writing you today. I always intend to write mine and I have some good streaks from time to time but I’ll admit there can be weeks or months that go by without me doing my morning pages. Until recently when I discovered the wonder website that is 750words.com.

750 Words is a website created by Buster Benson to help you do this creative exercise. Here is what he says in regards to 750 Words and The Artist’s Way morning pages”:

“750 Words is the online, future-ified, fun-ified translation of this exercise.”

It is fun because it not only scores your progress but you earn badges as you go. The scoring system is very similar to bowling and encourages you to keep a streak going. For an artist like me who is drawn to computers and technology it is really helping me write more and keep at my three pages a day.

I encourage you to check out 750words.com and see if it adds to your creative life.

But I know many artists are not big fans of being on the computer, I encourage those artists to check out The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. To get a taste of the book she has a PDF available here of her “Basic Tools” which include instructions for the morning pages as well as The Artists Date.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments on what you do to keep the creativity flowing.

Did You Write Your Morning Pages Today? is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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In order to market and promote your art online it goes without saying that you’ll be spending time on a computer. I’ve put together this list of 10 tools that will help that time be better spent. They’ll help your computer to run faster, smoother, and more secure. When your computer is faster you can spend less time on it because you’ll get more done in a less amount of time.

Everything on this list is free though a few have premium upgrade options.

1. CCleaner – “CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your Windows PC. It protects your privacy online and makes your computer faster and more secure. Easy to use and a small, fast download.”
2. AVG Free – “Free protection against viruses and spyware, fast, effective security that is kind on resources, compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.”
3. Dropbox – “Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.”
4. CrashPlan – “CrashPlan automatically backs up (your computer) to multiple destinations for free.
5. FireFox Web Browser – “The Firefox browser is created by Mozilla, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the Web.” (You’re not still using Internet Explorer are you?)
6. VLC Media Player – “a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVD, Audio CD, VCD, and various streaming protocols.”
7. Google Chrome – “Google Chrome runs web pages and applications with lightning speed.”
8. f.lux – “Makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day.
9. LastPass -  “A password manager that makes web browsing easier and more secure.”
10. Pandora – “Pandora has a single mission: To play only music you’ll love.”

Now it is your turn to tell me what I missed. There are many tools out there, which ones are you  using?

Ten Tools for a Happier Computer and a Happier You is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Even though social media gets a lot of attention these days and people love to talk about what is new and what is next I believe good old fashioned email is the best way to keep in touch with your collectors and your fans.

AN EMAIL LIST IS TANGIBLE

Let’s look at two lists, a Facebook fan page list and an email list.

You decide to focus all of your attention on Facebook and build up your fans on there. Over time you get 1000 people to click your “like” button. You can now communicate with 1000 people via Facebook. Yeah! Great way to use the power of social media to promote you and your artwork.

Another artist you know decides to focus on building up an email list in order to keep in touch with folks who have shown interest in her work. Over time she build up a list of 1000 email subscribers and can now send messages directly to her fan’s in-box.

Who has the more valuable list?

You guessed it right, the email list.

Why is that?

There are many reasons. First and foremost the email list is an actual tangible list that you can download and keep on a spreadsheet and move to other email services if you need to. There is no way to do that with the fans of your Facebook page.

Email is also more valuable because anyone who connects to the internet has an email account. It is the very basic reason people use the internet. I know people who do zip on the web except check their email once a week or so. Despite Facebook’s high user number email’s use will always be higher.

And email will still be around long after Facebook is gone.

Email the right way

I could keep going but hopefully you get my point and have decided that you are going to work on building your email list. To do that you are going to need an email service. Plugging a bunch of email addresses into your Gmail’s “To:” and “CC:” field is the wrong way to use your list. Don’t do it!

Sign up for Mailchimp and set up a legitimate professional email list system. The people on your list will thank you for it. Mailchimp is FREE so you have no excuse. There are other such email services such as Constant Contact, aWeber, and iContact, but Mailchimp is the only one I know of that is free to use.

Okay well it is free up until you reach 1000 subscribers on your list and or you send out over 6,000 total emails a month. That is a great deal. They don’t even ask for a credit card on the free plan. Once you are over 1000 names on your list hopefully you are in a place where you can afford the $30 a month for the service.

Having a service like Mailchimp is a great way to manage your email list. It keeps it clean by weeding out old email addresses, it lets you know how many people opened the email and what they clicked on. It also keep you in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.

So there you have it! Free internet tool #1 Mailchimp.

If you have any questions about Mailchimp ask them. If you have any questions about email marketing ask me or better yet ask in the comments.

You can also download this free email marketing guide offered by Mailchimp.

Mailchimp Email Marketing and List Manager is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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FREE!!

That must be one of the most attention grabbing words in the English language. People love free stuff. We will often take things we don’t want or need if it is free. And thanks to the internet we now have terms like “freemium” and “freecomony” to describe a new trend in business where you give away most of your product and service to gain attention and customers.

But FREE comes with a price. It will cost you TIME, which is a very valuable and limited resource.

When it comes to marketing and promoting your art online there are many free tools and services just laying around the internet waiting for you to pick them up. But which ones are worth it? Which ones will cost you more time and frustration than they are worth? And which ones are an unbelievable value?

In an effort to re-launch Art Palaver I am going to be doing a long series of posts that will address those questions. Each post will introduce you to a free tool, product, or service, that can help you promote yourself and your art.

Many artists use money as an excuse not to market themselves, this Free Art Marketing Course has the goal of eliminating that excuse.

Sounds like a plan?

Good.

The best way for you to get the most out of this course is by signing up to be on the email list. This will ensure you do not miss an article.

Of course you can still use good old RSS or the hip new Facebook if you want to keep up.

Any questions?

Market and Promote Your Art for Free is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Medium(s) you work in:

How would you describe your art?

My art is based on my reflections of the world around me. I observe. I learn. I feel… then I create. I often have themes in my art. Sometimes I use symbolism and sometimes whimsy to portray the mood or thoughts I may have at that particular moment. Whatever the mood, I like bold lines and vibrant colors. For me, my art is like a photograph, capturing a moment in my life that I can always look back on.

What artist(s) living or dead inspire you? Why?

I honestly do not have an artist in particular that inspires me, but yet I am fascinated by all artists. Art is such a personal experience and portrayal that I appreciate all forms and occurrences just like I would someone’s life experience. Art is an observation of one’s life. So regardless of the artist or the art form, all genres are an inspiration to me.

What are your thoughts on selling art?

I first do art for myself. I create because I “have” to in order to satisfy that part of may nature. There are two aspects of art, those that appreciate art and those that create it. My audience and my clients are art appreciators. I take great pride in sharing my work with other people. I try to vary my product line to keep the availability open to those that appreciate my work. On the higher end of the scale, I have my originals and then I also have prints and posters. Surprisingly enough, we also sell a lot of t-shirts, greeting cards, and stickers internationally. So I try not to place limitations on what my art can do and what it can be used for. If there was one message alone that I could convey to my children, is that your creativity does not have to be just a “hobby” it can be a profession. You can make a living off of being creative. You just have to be willing to go along for the ride.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing as an artist?

What has been the biggest victory or success in your art career?

Honestly I think just taking that very first step and putting my work out there was the greatest leap for me. My art was such a personal endeavor that I only shared it with myself. Taking the step to allow others to view my art 14 years ago set the stage for my career as an artist, without that I would never be where I am today. I measure my success based on my ability to continue to create not on the number of shows I have done or sales. 90% of my art’s success depends on me just showing up to the canvas and taking time to create.

What are your short term artistic goals? And what are your long term goals?

This year alone I am expanding to different venues that I didn’t explore before. Working more on licensing my work for different product lines such greeting cards, t-shirts, and even cookies (most recent partnership). My short term goals… keep creating and coming up with new ideas. My long term goal… to do this forever because I truly take pride in my work and love doing it.

Anything else you would like to share?

I use my art on the covers of my own published books that are available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders books as well as independent book distributors: http://imotivate.org

Meilena’s Website | Facebook | Twitter | imotivate

Art Palaver begins each week by featuring a different artist. Would you like to be featured? Read the details then Drop me a line.

Meilena Hauslendale | Featured Artist is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Medium(s) you work in:

Photography.

How would you describe your art?

My photography is about two things – the first is trying to share with the world how I observe the world. The second is about social justice – using my skill with the camera to raise awareness about issues that I am passionate about – be it conservation causes or sexual assault.

What artist(s) living or dead inspire you? Why?

Edward Weston – simply wonderful. I can’t think of a single photographer today who isn’t influenced by his body of work. Cole Thompson – a fantastic modern black and white photographer who has really pushed the art of photography forward. Mark James – he still shoots pin hole photos – but the way he is able to produce a print that will take your breath away is amazing! Brendan Dorrler – A fantastic photographer who I credit with teaching me just about everything I know about how to use a camera.

What are your thoughts on selling art?

The selling of my work has been a big challenge to me. I enjoy the process of marketing my work – and finding new ways to bring attention to what it is that I am doing. Something that I have recently started doing is working with local non-profit agencies and committing a portion of my sales to them. They in turn promote me to their supporters – I grow my e-newsletter list and make some sales – while they get a percentage for each sale that they help me make. I have also really enjoyed social networking – it has given me the ability to reach far more people than I would – and I have “fans” of my work all over the country now! I think one of the keys to my success in making sales has been to offer prints in a variety of price ranges – I offer some as low as $19.50 all the way up to $500.00 – find a way to get something that fits everyone’s budget!

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing as an artist?

What has been the biggest victory or success in your art career?

The biggest success I have had has been with my work with survivors of sexual assault. Over the past 5 years I have worked with a local rape crisis center taking portraits – and telling the stories of survivors – and each April we put on an exhibition (http://mariamontano.blogspot.com/2010/04/faces-project.html) that is truly powerful and inspiring. The work I do with these wonderful women and men is more valuable to me than any gallery representation or art competition.

What are your short term artistic goals? And what are your long term goals?

Short term I would like to see myself making more sales. I am confident that all the work I have been putting in over the past couple of years building up my mailing lists and social networking will pay off once the economy rebounds. Long term I would like to see me continue to grow – I’m really excited about my “found objects” series that I am working on.

Anything else you would like to share?

This summer I was asked to be a guest lecturer at the Colorado Arts Institute for a documentary photography class – I’m really looking forward to that!

Art for Conservation | Facebook

Art Palaver begins each week by featuring a different artist. Would you like to be featured? Read the details then Drop me a line.

Maria Montano | Featured Artist is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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More about Work of Art:

Bravo’s latest stroke on the reality canvas brings Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker and her production company, Pretty Matches, together with the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (Top Chef, Project Runway) and Eli Holzman, to produce Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, an hour long creative competition series among contemporary artists. Work of Art: The Next Great Artist will bring together fourteen aspiring artists to compete for a solo show at the prestigious Brooklyn Museum and a generous cash prize.

Hosting this colorful new series is art enthusiast China Chow. She will serve on the judging panel alongside art luminaries Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, Jerry Saltz, current art critic for New York Magazine, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, esteemed curator and owner of Salon94 gallery. World-renowned art auctioneer Simon de Pury adds his voice of experience as a mentor to the contestants.

In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. The weekly assignments are exciting, original and will challenge the artists’ to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries. Completed works of art will be appraised by our panel of top art world figures alongside a new celebrated guest judge every week. Through a gallery showing at the end of each challenge, these industry select dictate which artists have successfully mastered the subject matter and creation of their piece, as well as whose concept leaves the greatest impact.

Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, is produced by Pretty Matches and Magical Elves for Bravo. Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alison Benson and Eli Holzman serve as executive producers.

Marketing and selling art is not why you are an artist. You are an artist because you want to create, because you posses an urge to express yourself. But creating art requires resources. Materials, money, and time top the list. Selling your work is a way to get those resources.

Art Palaver’s mission is to be a resource of knowledge and tools for artists looking to better marketing and promote themselves and their work. One means to that end is to build a community of artists around this site so that we can learn from each other and support each other. A few months ago I began hosting free live webinars every week to help with that community building. The live event allows for some dialogue so that I can hear back directly from you and learn what challenges you are facing. The featured artist column is also a way to build community. Through the article we learn a bit about an artist and what life is like for them.

And now I present to you The Modern Day Artist Podcast as yet another community building tool. Each podcast will feature a different artist as well as tips and advice on promoting and selling your work. There will also be interviews with those working in the art industry who have insight on how an artist can be more successful.

If you are not familiar with podcasting it simply means an audio file (usually MP3) broadcast via an RSS feed. You can either listen to them directly in this article, on iTunes, or by downloading the file. You are able to load the show onto any MP3 player and listen when convenient. I have been a fan of podcasting for years and I am excited to bring the format to Art Palaver on a regular basis.

Modern Day Artist Podcast
Right click to download.

Or subscribe via iTunes.

Modern Day Artist Podcast 5 | Blogging, WordPress, And Reality Television is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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This is the first video in a new series of videos I will be producing for Art Palaver. I kept this one very simple because I had to learn the software for creating this type of video. Look for more involved videos down the road. I plan to cover many internet tools that artists can use to better promote themselves and sell more art. Feel free to leave a comment about what tutorials you’d like to see.

WordPress is a great tool for any artist looking to have their own website. Often thought of as “just a blog” WP has really evolved to a complete content management system. These days when you are surfing the web you probably come across many sites that are built with WP but look nothing like  a blog. Don’t get hung up on the fact that it started as a blog platform.

I’ve talked to a lot of artists that agree and want to get started with WP but get stuck on the install. They visit WordPress.org and download the software but then don’t know what to do with it. Understandable, but there is a better way and that way is called “One Click Install.”

First thing you’ll need for this is a web host that offers one click install. (I recommend Site5 <— affiliate link*) Then all you have to do is watch this tutorial and you’ll have your very own website in no time.

Now that you have your new WP site be sure to stay tuned to Art Palaver for more video tutorials on how to secure, customize, and keep your site updated.

*that means I make a little money if you click the link and then buy from Site5)

How To Install WordPress Using One Click Install | Video Tutorial is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Connie Norman

Medium(s) you work in:

My ceramics are made from earthenware clay, white and terra cotta, with low fire glazes.

How would you describe your art?

My ceramic vessels are very decorative. I use my vessels as a vehicle to explore form, glaze and text. I am fascinated by the rhythmic qualities created by color, texture and patterns. Decoration and the act of decorating are essential, because it celebrates and enhances form and speaks purely of aesthetics.

What artist(s) living or dead inspire you? Why?

I love Grant Wood’s, not so much American Gothic, but his landscapes. I love his patterns and how he divides up the space of the canvas. I love how many dots, circles and stripes he uses.

What are your thoughts on selling art?

At this point in my art career I am not really focused on selling my art. If I sell artwork, I’m thrilled. I am trying to get my artwork out there, in galleries and publications. I’ve been constantly reading blogs that help with selling art, which has made me become a regular reader of Art Palaver. I do have several avenues of getting my artwork out there; I do have a Facebook page, my blog and my website. I use these three sites dialog with other artists and people who are interested in my work. I’ve been fortunate enough to sell artwork this way.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing as an artist?

Right now I have very limited time. I work full time as an art teacher of junior high school students, and I have a three year old son, and after all that I try to be a professional artist. I long for the day I can do my art as my full time job and get a full night of sleep.

What has been the biggest victory or success in your art career?

I’ve been lucky enough to have several milestones in my art career; I was on the cover for Ceramics Monthly, December 2004. I won a Wyoming Visual Arts Fellowship. I just recently found out that three of my pieces were juried into 500 Vases by Lark books. It will be in stores the fall of 2010.

What are your short term artistic goals? And what are your long term goals?

My one of my short term goals is to get more comfortable with taking my own images and learning the technology behind it. Images are so important for an artist. I think I should be in control of my own images. But it has been something I have been reluctant to learn. I’m always afraid I’m going to do it wrong. I don’t want to get reject from shows, but especially I don’t want to be rejected because don’t understand the technology.

My Long term goals are to make sure I always make art.

Anything else you would like to share?

This year I was commissioned by Denver International Airport to make 68 pieces for them. My artwork was part of DIA’s efforts to get a Denver – Tokyo nonstop flight, and to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Denver’s relationship with their Japanese sister city Takayama. Some of my pieces were given to Mayor John Hickenlooper of Denver and Mayor Mamoru Tsuchino of Takayama, Japan and to the Denver City Council.

Connie’s Website | Facebook | accessCeramics

Art Palaver begins each week by featuring a different artist. Would you like to be featured? Read the details then Drop me a line.

Connie Norman | Featured Artist is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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Eleatta Diver

Medium(s) you work in:

Acrylic.

How would you describe your art?

I describe my art as visual parables of hope.

What artist(s) living or dead inspire you? Why?

Klimt, Cassatt.

What are your thoughts on selling art?

The last 5 years have provided a shift in seasons for me. After raising our 5 children, opportunity has opened for me to focus on my art career and I am pushing on all fronts in order to absorb all the available instruction possible. I have sold several pieces and have high aspirations of increased sales.

What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing as an artist?

I am desirous of marketing to commercial clients and am needing to learn the best way to do so.

What has been the biggest victory or success in your art career?

Selling one of my larger pieces to a pharmaceutical company in order to raise money for AIDS orphans in Africa was definitely the highlight of the last few years and has also been the motivation to press onward to seek large scale buyers.

What are your short term artistic goals? And what are your long term goals?

Short term: Successfully complete Durham Dreams, a one year/12 painting project highlighting movers and shakers in the rebuilding of Durham ,NC. Longer term: Using this project to create leverage for my “late blooming” art career.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have developed a unique portrait venue. “Dream Portraits” are painted renderings of individuals dreams, goals, aspirations and ambitions in life. My Durham Dreams project features the “portraits” of selected individuals which are created after interviews obtaining each subject’s dream, favored color palette and artistic style preference.

Eleatta’s Website | Twitter | Facebook

Art Palaver begins each week by featuring a different artist. Would you like to be featured? Read the details then Drop me a line.

Eleatta Diver | Featured Artist is a post from: Art Palaver The Artist Marketing Resource.

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